The inward wall was pierced by an elevator stand, and the Commander directed him toward it. They got into the nearest lift and it propelled them smoothly upward, but only for a short distance. It stopped, and the door panel opened onto a vast dome-shaped chamber.
The Commander led him into it, past workers manning computer consoles, consulting printouts, all of them looking very industrious and intent. The room was crammed with the most advanced electronic instruments and equipment that Ryan had ever seen. Circuits hummed, and console and panel lights blinked. A bank of closed-circuit monitor screens ran the length of one wall. Most of them were dark, and as they drew closer to them, Ryan saw that each set bore a label that identified redoubts and their locations. With a start, he realized that though most of the screens were dark, the Anthill had at one time been plugged into all of the redoubts all over the continental United States. There were only a couple of screens that displayed imagesdim, flickering black-and-white scenes of empty rooms and corridors.
“This complex was intended to be the nexus point of the Totality Concept,” the Commander said, a faint hint of pride in his voice. “All the different spin-off projects like Whisper, Cerberus and even Chronos were to be centralized here. The departments were all to be controlled from here, from this colony.”
His voice dropped to a whisper as he added, almost to himself, “Of course, the situation changed.”
Turning to look at Ryan, he asked, “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you, Mr. Cawdor?”
Ryan knew exactly what he was referring to, but he figured his best tactic was to play dumb. “Not a word.”
“A pity. You would be exceptionally impressed by the elaborate technological marvels we managed to achieve during the last few decades of the twentieth century. But you don’t have a frame of reference to understand even a fraction of what you’re seeing.”
As they walked farther into the room, Ryan saw a six-sided chamber, the armaglass walls tinted a greenish blue. The chamber was huge, the biggest mat-trans gateway he had ever seen. It looked large enough to accommodate a herd of mutie buffalo.
As they drew closer to it, Ryan saw a freestanding control console, facing the gateway’s massive door. He managed to stroll near it, his eye flicking over the dials and buttons studding its surface. A small vid screen was placed directly in its center and it displayed the interior of a cave, looking out toward an irregularly shaped entrance. Beyond the opening was rock-littered ground. Because the image was in black-and-white, Ryan couldn’t tell the time of day. However, since the illumination was so dim, he assumed it was moonlight, and probably sometime after midnight, maybe close to dawn.
A keyboard was attached to the edge of the console, and certain keys bore certain symbols. One key was inscribed with a triangle cut by three straight lines. It was the same symbol they had seen in the installation back in Dulce.
The Commander beckoned to him. “This way, Mr. Cawdor. The tour has come to an end.”
Ryan was led across the room to a door. A red button was on the frame, and the Commander pushed it. The door hissed open, and the man waved Ryan in. They stood together in a very small elevator as the door closed behind them. The lift fell very quietly, and for only a short distance.
The door opened, and they stepped out between a pair of bookcases and into the “Oval office.” The Commander didn’t say a word. He went to his desk and sat down, staring at his prisoner with detachment. Ryan stood in front of the desk, staring back.
“Have you nothing to say, Mr. Cawdor?”
“What would you like me to say?”
“That you are impressed, intimidated even. That you have met your master.”
“Is that what you are?”
“I am, but I’m interested in hearing you say it.”
“Why? Will that save my life?”
The Commander shrugged. “I am afraid not. I toyed with the notion of simply releasing you, so you could carry the tale of your experiences back to Helskel, but I doubt Hellstrom would believe you. Once we locate your companion, she will fill that function adequately. No, I believe I will have you remain here with us.”
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121