Rusch, Kristine Kathryn - Diving Universe SS3 by The Spires Of Denon (v5.0)
Book: Rusch, Kristine Kathryn - Diving Universe SS3 by The Spires Of Denon (v5.0)
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Authors: The Spires Of Denon (v5.0)
Tags: Science-Fiction
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about sound and vibration and powerful equipment had been completely wrong. The Spires were sturdy. They were sending light to the temple, through the open ceiling, and onto that little two-dimensional drawing on the floor. White light threaded with black. Like the drawing. Meklos had said it was a map. And if it was a map, then something had just triggered it. Something had turned it on. The light had appeared in the area where the divers were. She cursed.
How was she supposed to deal with the fact that the security guard—a lowly security guard—had seen something she and her team had missed for years?
She shook her head. She couldn't think about that now. She needed to figure out what to do next.
* * * *
30
Roye had brought a scanner. He held it up against the barrier. The scanner was small, barely the size of his fingers, and if Navi hadn't known what it was, she wouldn't have recognized it. He ran it along the edge of the barrier.
She hadn't brought any equipment, not like that. She had believed Dr. Reese's experts—that this environment was incredibly fragile, and needed protection from all sorts of equipment. If this place was so delicate, then it should have fallen apart from the vibration as the barrier came down. It hadn't. Still, she was here with only her suit's sensors. They would have to do. She opened the palm of her right hand and surveyed the wall holding the barrier in place. Equipment yes, but no controls. The controls, so far as her small scanner could tell, had to be somewhere else.
She methodically moved her hand along the edge, searching for some kind of device, any kind, to release the barrier.
After all, she had triggered it from here. She had to be able to release it from here as well.
Roye ran his scan along his side. He finished before she did, then started all over again.
When she was finally done, she looked at him through the barrier. His face was distorted by the water and the glass-like material. His eyes looked too big in their clear protective area. He shook his head. So did she. What had she triggered? She put her palm on the side again and this time got a small hit.
This part of the wall was touch-sensitive. She had triggered something, but nothing in the wall itself. The touch system had sent a signal elsewhere and that signal told the system to lower the barrier. Then she frowned. Slowly she raised her hand to her mouth. Her teeth didn't ache any more. Neither did her head. She had been feeling some kind of energy field. Either the barrier had cut the field off, or the field had shut off when she touched the wall. She couldn't remember when her teeth stopped aching. It was hard to notice an absence of pain.
She tapped the barrier. Roye looked at her, startled. She put a finger to her cheek and hoped he could understand what she meant since he could no longer hear her. She couldn't mouth anything at him, and she couldn't point to her own teeth.
She tapped her cheek again, then held out her hands in a question.
He stared at her for a moment, then he seemed to understand. He ran a hand along his chin, then stopped. He shook his head. Then he shrugged.
She wasn't sure what that meant. Was the pain still there? Or was it gone? She shrugged.
He made a circle with his fist. Zero. He didn't feel anything. Neither did she. She nodded.
So the barrier hadn't broken the field, leaving it working on his side and off on hers. The field had just gone away. Maybe she hadn't triggered it when she'd touched the wall. Maybe Roye had when he swam through the opening.
Or maybe the only part of the field that still worked was the wall area. The water might have damaged the rest.
She pointed at her finger, as if she held the small scanner he'd brought. It took him a moment, but he finally held it up.
She nodded. Then she pointed behind him.
It took a few more gestures before he realized that she wanted him to scan the passages behind him, see if there were more barriers. He held up a
How was she supposed to deal with the fact that the security guard—a lowly security guard—had seen something she and her team had missed for years?
She shook her head. She couldn't think about that now. She needed to figure out what to do next.
* * * *
30
Roye had brought a scanner. He held it up against the barrier. The scanner was small, barely the size of his fingers, and if Navi hadn't known what it was, she wouldn't have recognized it. He ran it along the edge of the barrier.
She hadn't brought any equipment, not like that. She had believed Dr. Reese's experts—that this environment was incredibly fragile, and needed protection from all sorts of equipment. If this place was so delicate, then it should have fallen apart from the vibration as the barrier came down. It hadn't. Still, she was here with only her suit's sensors. They would have to do. She opened the palm of her right hand and surveyed the wall holding the barrier in place. Equipment yes, but no controls. The controls, so far as her small scanner could tell, had to be somewhere else.
She methodically moved her hand along the edge, searching for some kind of device, any kind, to release the barrier.
After all, she had triggered it from here. She had to be able to release it from here as well.
Roye ran his scan along his side. He finished before she did, then started all over again.
When she was finally done, she looked at him through the barrier. His face was distorted by the water and the glass-like material. His eyes looked too big in their clear protective area. He shook his head. So did she. What had she triggered? She put her palm on the side again and this time got a small hit.
This part of the wall was touch-sensitive. She had triggered something, but nothing in the wall itself. The touch system had sent a signal elsewhere and that signal told the system to lower the barrier. Then she frowned. Slowly she raised her hand to her mouth. Her teeth didn't ache any more. Neither did her head. She had been feeling some kind of energy field. Either the barrier had cut the field off, or the field had shut off when she touched the wall. She couldn't remember when her teeth stopped aching. It was hard to notice an absence of pain.
She tapped the barrier. Roye looked at her, startled. She put a finger to her cheek and hoped he could understand what she meant since he could no longer hear her. She couldn't mouth anything at him, and she couldn't point to her own teeth.
She tapped her cheek again, then held out her hands in a question.
He stared at her for a moment, then he seemed to understand. He ran a hand along his chin, then stopped. He shook his head. Then he shrugged.
She wasn't sure what that meant. Was the pain still there? Or was it gone? She shrugged.
He made a circle with his fist. Zero. He didn't feel anything. Neither did she. She nodded.
So the barrier hadn't broken the field, leaving it working on his side and off on hers. The field had just gone away. Maybe she hadn't triggered it when she'd touched the wall. Maybe Roye had when he swam through the opening.
Or maybe the only part of the field that still worked was the wall area. The water might have damaged the rest.
She pointed at her finger, as if she held the small scanner he'd brought. It took him a moment, but he finally held it up.
She nodded. Then she pointed behind him.
It took a few more gestures before he realized that she wanted him to scan the passages behind him, see if there were more barriers. He held up a
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