Prometheus Rises (Protector Jaks Book 3) by James David Victor

Author:James David Victor [Victor, James David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fairfield Publishing
Published: 2025-05-12T16:00:00+00:00

15

THE VAULT PART TWO

“It’s a door,” Lisa breathed, slowing her bounding steps so that August could catch up.

No rockets had fired at them as they made their bounding leaps across the plane. In fact, there had been no more signs of weapons systems at all on August’s scanners.

Instead, what lay ahead of them was a low lunar hill in the center of the plain with a metal door set in its side.

August slowly overtook Lisa, his plasma rifle up as he took slow steps toward the door. It appeared just like any other heavy air lock door, except a little taller and a little wider.

“Of course, it might be a trap,” August grumbled. “But it would have been much easier just to kill us as soon as we stepped onto the plain.”

He approached the door, seeing no handles and no control board. He had no idea how to get in.

“You think it’s safe, then?” Lisa whispered as her boots crunched behind him.

“Oh, I don’t think anything is safe about space,” August murmured—just as there was a crackle of blue light before the door.

August stepped smoothly in front of Lisa, his plasma rifle poised for a perfect takedown shot.

The blue light glittered and solidified. He realized he was looking at a holo form of a person, and as detail populated its features, he saw the suggestion of a suit, a balding head, and a thick mustache.

“Fai Absalom!” Lisa gasped.

It was true. The holo standing before them was none other than the dead artist and computer designer. Fai Absalom cocked his head at them, frowning for a moment as if they were asking silly questions.

“Well. I suppose at least you recognize me,” the holo said, laughing. The words were transmitted directly to their suits and matched the holo’s movements and gestures perfectly.

“Come. There isn’t much time, and we have much to talk about.” Fai Absalom, or rather, the holographic form of Fai Absalom, walked steadily toward the door, and with a gleam of glittering blue light, walked straight through the metal.

August blinked, glancing at Lisa.

“He’s a hologram,” August said. “A recording.”

“But the best damn recording I’ve ever seen.” Lisa frowned. “There must be a computer program controlling him. He might be like . . . an interface.”

August had no idea what she just said, but he trusted her. He stepped toward the door in the hill, and as soon as he did so, the door slid upwards, revealing a long air lock chamber. The hologram of the neural network developer already stood at the far end, next to the internal door.

“Come on, we don’t have much time!” Fai beckoned them in.

The hologram was of a man in his late forties, perhaps early fifties, who was slim and who clearly looked after himself. August, of course had no idea if the real Fai Absalom had looked like that before he died, but in automation, he was the picture of health.

“What is this place?” August asked, expecting some sort of formulaic response. Perhaps this

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