Mosaic - Jeri Taylor [95]
"Time for what?" she asked, and then, after a short pause, "I don't understand. I don't know anything about it's being-time."
Then she lapsed into silence. "Kes?" ventured Harry somewhat timidly, and was rewarded by her silencing hand held toward him. She frowned slightly, as though focusing on something difficult to understand, then began looking around the room.
This behavior continued for some minutes, as Harry looked from one to the other. And then, abruptly-at least as far as Harry was concerned-the winged being shimmered out of existence. He turned to Kes. "Was that a hologram?" She nodded. "I think he was a program that was created to leave a message-telepathically-but it was a confusing one. He kept talking about it's being time for something to happen. It may have been some kind of regeneration ritual, because he kept talking about a reawakening." Harry noted that the temperature had dropped a bit; while still hot, it wasn't as overwhelming as it had been a few minutes ago. "We may have triggered a program to start up by coming in here. Maybe they rigged the room to produce the messenger when someone enters."
"Well, he wasn't much of a messenger. After listening to him, I still don't understand what's happened, or what's going to happen, if anything."
"I think it's getting cooler," observed Harry, moving again toward the wall through which they had entered, and scanning once more. "And look at this-something's going on, all right. I'm reading energy signatures that weren't here before." He circled the room, taking readings as he went, and Kes did the same.
"Some kind of technology has been activated," she noted. "Can you tell what it is, Harry?"
"I'm afraid not," he admitted. "It's organometallic, but in a state of flux. Not registering in the Federation database, of course." He pondered the whole strange situation briefly. The chamber was now cooling rapidly, and was almost comfortable again. Was that significant? "You say the messenger communicated telepathically. Could you tell anything about him? Did he seem belligerent, or warlike?"
"Not at all. He was focused. Composed. If he's any indication of the whole species, I don't think there's any hostile intent here."
Harry was vaguely comforted by this assessment, though still apprehensive about a situation over which they seemed to have no control whatsoever. He determined to concentrate his efforts on getting them out of this mysteri- ous chamber, and he walked purposefully toward the wall through which they had entered.
What he found there was as surprising as anything that had happened.
At the end of the room was a closed door, and beyond that, anothej- room-a room she must get into, because it had to be cleaned. She moved toward the door, but disstopped when she heard Admiral Paris' voice behind her. "Wait, Kathryn, I need you here. "She turned to face him but when she did, no one was there. When she turned back to the door, it was gone... how could she get into the room... his
Janeway's head snapped up and she realized she had drifted off while sitting on the bridge. No one seemed to have noticed; Chakotay wasn't in his chair, having gone to oversee the ongoing repair efforts in Engineering, and the rest of the bridge crew was quietly busy. Still, it bothered her that she had lost momentary control, and she vowed to toughen herself mentally so it wouldn't happen again. For she certainly had no wish to revisit the house of many rooms, or to renew her efforts to go through the closed door.
CHAPTER 20
AT THE END OF THE ROOM WAS A CLOSED DOOR, AND BEYOND that, another room-a room she must get into, because it had to be cleaned. She moved toward the door, but stopped when she heard Admiral Paris' voice behind her. "Wait, Kathryn, I need you here. "She turned to face him, but when she did, no one was there.
Kathryn's eyes opened at that point and she stared dully at the ceiling of her childhood bedroom. The dream had become so commonplace she no longer woke with her heart pounding,