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ERIC NYLUND
143
"Careful," Fred warned them. "Filter the light. Go to
black-and-white image enhancement."
He got four blue acknowledgment signals, and then Fred
switched to BWIM display. Funny that he hadn't thought of that
for himself. Only when the safety of his team was at stake did he
think clearly.
Dr. Halsey ran along the tunnel and halted, panting, next to the
Spartans. "Yes," she said, wheezing. "Yes, this must be it—what
Ackerson was searching for. And most likely"—she glanced at
the roof—"what they are looking for, too, I imagine."
Dr. Halsey ignored the curious symbols and the light, and
strode into the new corridor. "Hurry," she told them. "I fear
we've set something in motion, and our visitors upstairs might
know it, too."
Fred assembled his team to form up around Dr. Halsey. Kelly
took point, and the rest of them created a loose box around her.
Dr. Halsey handed Fred his missing gauntlet. He took it and
wriggled his fingers into the armor, pulled it snug, and sealed the
locking collar around his wrist. Diagnostics ran and confirmed
that his armor was whole again. His motion tracker pulsed on his
heads-up display.
The hallway changed as they continued down its length. The
golden light faded along the ceiling, and inky black covered its
expanse; tiny stars winked on and twinkled. Fred added color to
his display; he wanted to see this. Moons wheeled overhead;
silver-gray orbs, pockmarked with meteorite impacts, spun in
wide orbits. Along the walls, tall green bamboo-like grass sprouted
and grew up the curved surfaces.
Dr. Halsey brushed her fingertips along the wall, and the
grasses wavered at her touch. "Semisolid holography," she said
without halting. "No visible emitters. Interesting. We should in-
vestigate this later," she said and increased the pace of her stride.
"If there's time."
The holographic environment cycled to an arid moonscape:
deep craters and sterile light; it became a volcanic world with
lava flowing alongside them. The air wavered with heat. In each
transformation the golden symbols remained on the walls, lead-
ing them through the illusions.