Starsnatcher - Trapped In An Alien World [COMPLETE]

Chapter 6.3

We rolled through more corridors than I kept track of. The Primogenitor's terminal adjusted the map according to our position as if it was driven by GPS.

However, our map hindered more than it helped. It indicated doors that weren't there and left out pathways that were.

The corridors looked the same as usual to me. Still the same deathly green tunnels, still the same ghostly lamps shining at us from overhead. At most, the ceilings were higher and the shapes around us more stationary. We didn't move forward.

"What's taking you so long?" Kira asked. She stared through the bubble at the formless dark shapes around us.

"I'm sorry, but it's not my fault. I'm driving as fast as my Captain recommended and I'm following the map as closely as I can. It must be the map's fault. It's garbage!"

"If you say so."

Two combots rolled next to us. Originally, we had six, but I sent out four of them to scout. I told them to watch out for possible traces left by Layla or Ay.

They found nothing, so I told them to return the way they came. That didn't work, so now, they're just supposed to follow the direction of my mindwaves.

"They're getting less biological and more mechanical," Kira said.

"What?"

She pointed at the shapes around us. "You can't see them with your vision."

Maybe that's why she once told me of green air mushrooms.

"When we entered, I mostly saw organisms. Now, I only see machines. We're getting into industrial sections."

At least we didn't drive in circles.

"You probably want a singularity stone, too," Kira said. "These cloud forests must be boring without infrared sight."

She didn't realize how right she was. All this time, I got pushed around by people stronger than me. With a singularity stone, I'd have nothing to worry about.

Ay didn't have the only stones in existence. Were there more here?

"But we can't have all we want," Kira continued. "I'd like to be outside right now."

"You sure you could survive?"

"And how. I'm optimized for survival. I had nothing to do before you found me. Being interested in the human body as I was, I did tests. I held my breath for half an hour or longer. I even stopped my heartbeat at will and survived."

I tried to focus on the corridors before me. Did she enjoy teasing me by showing off?

"Your robots are coming back, by the way," Kira said.

Had I paid attention to my radar, I wouldn't have needed her enhanced eyes.

On my screen, I watched an infrared map of my immediate surroundings. My bubble drove around sinuous paths, accompanied by two blinking dots. Four more dots approached. The combots I sent for scouting surfaced from the surrounding fog.

"Status report," I ordered.

The combots answered that they mapped the station for me. The fruits of their work filled out my screen, allowing me to compare it to what the Primogenitors gave us.

I stopped the bubble car and focused.

The two maps showed close to no overlap. They agreed on the serpentine corridors we had just passed, but that was it. According to the Primogenitor's terminal, I could continue my current path for almost half a mile without detours. According to the robot's map, however, a second trail planned to branch off my current path just outside my line of sight.