The Maze pilgrims spotted the Evolutionary Guard well after the guards had spotted the pilgrims. It was always this way, which is why they’d been chosen as her protectors. The Godhead wasn’t any safer from these fanatics than other people, perhaps even less so. By the time the wailing and the singing and the mad rush to touch a member of the Godhead erupted in a chaotic flurry, the guards were in perfect position. As always, their orders were to avoid seriously injuring the people unless no other alternative presented itself.

The filthy, sweaty, bloody bodies pressed in from all directions, their wild shouts and wails concussing the dawn air until it all blended into one nightmarish shriek. But no one got close. The guards maneuvered perfectly, utilizing their Launch Beams when necessary. The electric buzz of the Beams, the ozone smell, always served as a comfort to Alexandra. She was a member of the Godhead, and no one—friend, foe, or worshipper—could ever bring her harm.

A path had been cleared to the massive steel door that served as the only entrance to the stairs on the other side, the stairs that led into the depths of the earth. As she made her way between the packed barriers of bodies, many gave up the struggle to rush her and dropped to their knees, falling all over each other, screaming cries of adoration. It was necessary, being their deity, but that didn’t ease the tightness in her belly, or the revulsion at seeing them, writhing, prostrate, causing some of the guards to stumble and step on their heads.

She reached the steel door, its gray face filthy from the countless hands of the worshippers who’d touched its surface. Only three people in the world could open this door. A technology recovered from the ruins of this sacred place, much like everything that had led to the establishment of the Godhead. There was power in technology, immense power. Others might call it magic. Miracle. Priesthood.

Alexandra knew the precise places to put her hands, palms flat, fingers outstretched. A thin layer of clouded glass covered the subtle fingerprint scanners so that it appeared more mystical than truth. A series of chirps sounded, a staccato, otherworldly sound to the people collapsed all around her. Then there was a loud clunk, the scream of straining metal, finally followed by the rumble of the giant door sliding to the right. The people oohed and aahed at the sight, even as they felt the thrumming vibration that rattled the ground. A faint glow of red shone from the yawning entrance, barely enough to illuminate the first couple of stairs that spiraled downward into darkness.