The sight bridge of Arthur Vance’s Monocle Taxonomy Loupe seated into the test port of the silver-steel black box with a smooth, magnetic snap.
BZZZZ-WHRRRRR.
A high-hum tone rang through the central dais as the mainframe’s diamond-crystal-clear core flared with brilliant azure soft glow. The suspended ball-shaped end-post above their heads began to rotate slowly on magnetic bearings. They cast thousands of sharp, sharp-angled facets of light across the curved walls of the archive.
At the apex of the sphere, a triple-lens light-projected projector activated, shooting three convergent beams of aligned cobalt light into the empty air above the stone stand.
The air shone, condensed. Then it resolved into a three-space-folding light-projected playback of a sterile, high-tech command center from a forgotten age.
“Sight data handshake established,” Arthur announced, his eyes tracking the scrolling lines of pre-cataclysm system code flashing across his HUD. “Decompressing Level-9 encrypted sensor tracking data. File origin: United Earth Geological Survey, Sub-Crustal Division. Date stamp: July 14, Year Negative-One.”
Valerie and the Vanguard scouts stepped closer, their breath visible in the chilled cold air of the vault.
In the center of the hologram stood a man.
