Page 76 of Treasure of the Abyss

They were swimming directly toward a huge building —severalbuildings — all constructed on the seafloor. White lights shone at intervals along the exterior walls, bathing the surrounding terrain in their glow. Dracchus led them to a large door and halted, turning to face theothers.

The kraken ran through another series of gestures and color-changes. Even if Macy had known what it all meant, she wasn’t sure she could’ve kept up with it — they signaled with speed and ease, and had probably been doing so their entirelives.

Their communication ended. Dracchus swam off without a backward glance. Jax moved to the door and glanced at Macy, waving her over. She swamcloser.

“Do you require entry?” Sam asked, startling her after such a long period ofquiet.

“Umm…yes?”

Jax had been reaching for a keypad beside the doorframe; his hand halted when the keys flashed. A few moments later, the light over the door turned green, and the door slid open, revealing a chamber with another doorinside.

Both Jax and Arkon stared at Macy in bewilderment. Their confused expressions lingered as the three of them entered the chamber, and the door closed behindthem.

“Re-pressurization sequence initiated,” Samsaid.

The water in the room drained, gently depositing Macy on her feet. The red light over the interior door switched togreen.

“Pressurization complete,” said a feminine voice from somewhere overhead. “Welcome back, diver three-seven-nine.”

“Sam, release the mask,” Macy said. She pulled it off as soon as the seal wasbroken.

“That was…different,” Arkon said, glancing atJax.

“The suit?” Jaxasked.

Both kraken looked at Macyexpectantly.

“What?” she asked, confused. “What was supposed tohappen?”

“We’ve always had press the buttons outside in a certain sequence to enter,” Arkon said, “and I have never heard the computer say anything like thatbefore.”

“Oh. Sam asked if I requiredentry.”

“Sam?” Arkon’s browfurrowed.

“The ghost inside her suit,” Jaxreplied.

“Those suits have hologram projectors integrated into them?” Arkonasked.

Jax drew back and stared at his friend. “If you knew they were called holograms, why do you always let me call themghost?”

“Ghostis simpler.Hologramjust earns a blank stare from most of the others here, so there’s little point in using theterm.”

Macy smirked as Jax — now glaring at Arkon — pressed a button on the wall. The interior door slid open. The corridor beyond appeared to be constructed of metal, and the overhead lights were bright and clear, though some of the farthestflickered.

The walls and floor were covered with dried sand and crusted salt, and here and there lay pieces of withered seaweed and the empty shells of various sea creatures. Somehow, despite the mess, there was no sign of actual damage to the structure — no spots of rust or corrosion, no broken panels, no danglingwires.

Surprisingly, the air smelled fresh. She’d expected it to be stuffy, or at least smell strongly of the sea, but it was odor-free.

“I will inform the others,” Arkonsaid.

Jax nodded. “I’ll take her to theMess.”

“The mess?” Macy asked as Arkonleft.

“It is a large room we use for gatherings. Usually when a hunt isforming.”

“Oh.” Now that they were here, her apprehension reared back and made itself known. Her awe at this place’s existence, at its functionality, couldn’t distract her from the uncertainty of what was tocome.

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