Imorah followed and was awestruck by the place. So large, so clean and so modern. It was amazing to imagine something like this existed below ground when above ground was only dust and sand.
"Please be seated," said C7.
And Imorah saw 2 chairs that she hadn't noticed. They sat down and the room transformed from an empty space to a holograhpic map, presumably of North America. The map zoomed in to a flashing red dot.
"This is our current location," some other dots appeared on the map and C7 continued, zooming from location to location. "And this is the route to Wewe,"
Xx [add details]
Then a metallic tube slid out of the wall. Inside the tube on a cushion was a small bead.
"What is that?" Imorah asked.
"That's an atomic disruptor," C7 replied casually.
"And what's that?" Imorah probed, standing back a pace. She noticed that Liran advanced a pace, and resisted the urge to warn him. Anything with the word 'atomic' in it was extremely dangerous, but he probably didn't know that.
"It will destroy the forcefield that powers the portal."
"And will it..." Liran hesitated. "Will it kill anyone? I mean, does it explode?"
"Not in the physical sense. It will tear apart the energetic field holding the portal in place."
"And how am I supposed to use it?" Liran asked. "I mean, how does it work?"
"You must activate it with saliva—only saliva will work. And then you drop it while you travel through the wormhole."
Liran shook his head—"Wormhole—what is that?"
"It's a _xx connecting earth with the City."
"Okay, okay, wait a minute here—how am I supposed to get into that wormhole, and how will I get back out?"
"You will need to figure that out when you get to the seedship and the library. Perhaps the Guardian will help you."
"The Guardian is going to help us?!" Liran looked between Imorah and the image of the portal. He wiped his face. "This just seems so crazy."
Imorah stood up. "Okay, let's take this one step at a time." She didn't want Liran to freak out again. She wished they still had Phiona—C7 lacked the tack and empathy. She was infromation and not enough explainations. "C7, when we arrive," and here she pointed at the gates, "where will we go?"
"Technically, you won't arrive in the City, but only in the Galactic Lirbrary, the seedship of the—."
"Yes, yes," Imorah interupted. The Library, I mean. When we arrive in the library, where will we go?"
"You must find the Council; however, due to the extreme holographic telepathy required—."
"Where is the Council—and what is there?" Imorah interupted again.
"The Council is in the centre." The library structure, round, flashed on the screen. "It is the only solid, physical structure in the seedship compound. Everything else inside the walls is a telepathic, holographic projection."
"Continue," Imorah said, annoyed. The program didn't know when to stop or when to continue. It had absolutely no sense of tact.
"In order to find the council and the entrance to The portal, you must navigate the holographic library, which won't be easy."
YOU ARE READING
The Dreaming: Dark Star (Book 5)
Science FictionImorah has lived her entire life underground. She found a note this morning warning her to escape to the surface before it's too late... Above ground, in the desert wasteland, Liran has lived a life in hiding. There's a warrant out for his arrest...
