She smiled back at him. “I’ve never been the one to come in later, Bogo. You know that.”
“That’s what I thought you’d say.” He turned back to Bac’cul and the other Myssari. “I think the first sentient sentiment voiced by my species may have been, ‘Let’s see where this goes.’”
Bac’cul gestured appreciatively. “A little boldness frequently yields worthwhile rewards. But I would try one small experiment first.”
Removing one of his three gloves, he stepped past Ruslan and entered the nearest of the multiple lifts. Three Myssari fingers trailed down the interior wall, over what looked like a bare panel, and across several metallic extrusions. When nothing happened, he replaced the glove and stepped aside. Kel’les, the two cutter operators, and the pair of researchers joined him. With Cherpa looking on, Ruslan repeated Bac’cul’s stroking. Touching the interior wall produced no reaction, but sliding his palm over the naked panel produced a humming noise. Without further sound and as smoothly as if it were a piece of wood settling onto still water, the lift began to descend. As it did so, lights came on to illuminate the shaft around them. Smooth and gleaming, it was a perfect vertical facsimile of the tunnel through which they had entered.
And seemingly just as interminable…
19
There were no intermediate floors or levels: only surface and abyss. Individual instruments capable of measuring depth all agreed the descent was considerable.
Despite having no idea what to expect when the lift finally slowed, stopped, and allowed them to disembark, it is fair to say both humans and Myssari were initially disappointed. The chamber that illuminated as they entered was exceptional only for its state of preservation. Little but dust marred the vitreous surfaces of walls and floors. Of visible instrumentation there was none. But, Ruslan reminded himself, the impressive surface portal that had barred the way inward had similarly been devoid of recognizable tactilities but had proven to have hidden functionality. Might not the same be true of here… whatever “here” was?”
Other than being a deeply buried and not especially large open space, it was impossible to tell. The apparently empty chamber was hardly awe-inspiring. Maintaining a brisk but not stressful pace, they soon reached the far end. This consisted of a wall of solid black glass, though whether of synthetic composition or something akin to natural obsidian Ruslan could not tell. Aware that from a scientific standpoint he was completely out of his depth, he prudently offered no opinion. There was one thing he did feel reasonably certain of: whatever still-functioning system had turned on the illumination was also providing fresh air. A perceptible breeze caressed his face, and it had been pre-warmed.
In contrast to his hesitation the Myssari were bursting with speculation. That was all they could do in the absence of written or engraved material that they might have interpreted. In the entire amorphous space there was not a single sign, warning, or instruction. Other than the bumps and protrusions that marred its otherwise smooth walls and ceiling, the chamber was a blank slate. Both humans confessed ignorance of their surroundings.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Ruslan’s eyes roved the roof and its integrated lighting system. “It has to be a place of some importance. The depth at which it’s located and the impenetrable doorway speak to that.” Lowering his gaze, he indicated the places where instruments ought to be but where only shimmering blank curves of flowing metallic glass gleamed in the subdued light. “My first guess would be that it’s a place to store data of some kind. My people often used deep places to keep valuable information.”
Bac’cul was running the three fingers of his middle hand over one of the nearby wall’s featureless protuberances. “If that is the case, then there should be a way to access whatever is stored here… if indeed anything is. I see nothing resembling a control or even an aural pickup.”
“The outer door.” Excited to be able to contribute an idea, Kel’les sidled up next to Cherpa and put a hand on her shoulder. “It responded to her touch.” S’he gestured meaningfully at the nearest wall protrusion. “Perhaps…?”
The young woman glanced at Ruslan, who nodded encouragement. Kel’les and Bac’cul made way for her as she stepped forward. Reaching out with her right hand, she boldly stroked the lustrous material. Applying varying amounts of pressure, she repeated the gesture several times… all to no effect. Bac’cul consoled the intermet.
“It was a worthy thought and a worthwhile attempt.” His gaze swept the silent chamber. “If anything here besides the facility of illumination is still functional, there must be another way to stimulate activity. Now that we know the location, we can return with specialists who are better equipped to conduct an analysis.” When the intermet did not respond, the researcher added, “Kel’les? Has all the time you have spent in human company rendered you incapable of responding politely to a compliment?”
Ruslan’s minder was not being discourteous. Staring past the researcher, s’he was reduced to pointing.
One of the larger wall outcroppings behind Bac’cul had quietly begun to emit a soft yellow glow. Pivoting, the startled researcher could only stare at it in silence. The same was true of the two wide-eyed humans close by him.
Something was emerging from the base of the outcropping. Shocking in their simplicity and ordinariness, the pair of neatly booted human feet descended slowly into a lower portion of the protrusion. As they did so the outcropping began to emerge from the wall. Turning parallel to the floor, it slowly turned transparent. A tube, Ruslan thought, or capsule of some kind. The shod feet were followed by the rest of the body. It was male, less than two meters in height, and clothed in some understated, velour-like, dark blue material. Its eyes were closed, its hair close-cropped, its features unremarkable save for a somewhat prominent nose. It was undeniably human. Or at the very least, Ruslan told himself through his rising excitement, humanoid.
One by one, ten similar capsules began to emerge outward from the seemingly solid wall. Inspection begat disappointment when it was discovered that the other nine were empty and devoid of internal illumination.
Putting his face so close to the single occupied transparency that his breath fogged the curving exterior, Ruslan peered hard at the body within. It lay utterly still. The clothed chest did not rise and fall, the nostrils did not flex. Insofar as he could tell, respiration was nonexistent.
In the hushed air of the chamber, the bold female voice that addressed them without warning but clearly and with great precision made the two humans jump and the tripodal Myssari quiver slightly.
“Template established. Install pattern number one?” A single word pregnant with portent caught Ruslan’s attention.
Swallowing, he replied as evenly as he could to the voice whose source remained unseen. “What template? What kind of ‘pattern’?”
The synthvoice stayed silent. Insistent it was not, he decided, unlike thousands of other exchanges he had engaged in so long ago while working with artificial intelligences at his old profession on Seraboth. Irrespective of purpose, the build behind artificial intelligences on the world of his birth had been similar across all platforms no matter what their intended purpose. The lack of response to his query suggested design paradigms might be different here.
That supposition remained valid for less than ten seconds.
The hint of impatience in the AI’s voice was unmistakable and possibly deliberate. “Install pattern number one?”
Before Ruslan could reply, Bac’cul stepped forward to place his hands on the human’s right shoulder, elbow, and forearm.