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He sed "Yes"
Claire took the first unit, tore the plastic sleeve, and pul ed it out The steel-colored half-band had three holes: a large oval space on the left and two oblong narrow openings on the right A thin sheet of disposable plastic sheathed the inner side of the unit Claire peeled it off, revealing adhesive underneath, careful y positioned the unit over the right half of Charles’s forehead, just above the eye, and pressed it down The plastic adhered to the skin
Charles clenched his teeth
"Relax" Claire dipped her fingers into the basin of liquid interface in the hub The mix of metal and synthetic neurons nipped at her skin with sharp electric teeth
"Once you are in, don’t move Wait for me"
She pul ed the interface away from the hub It stretched in spider-thin strands fro the interface drip into the first opening of the unit The dark-grey liquid fil ed the hole in the plastic, forging connections through the skin Claire touched the left opening, letting it fil , then the right Charles blinked The band ensured that connections were ht areas of the brain The filaments of the interface thickened, asthe connection
Charles closed his eyes His body straightened, aligning, and relaxed He was in
Claire ht?" Tonyathe prickling of the liquid interface at it fil ed the last opening in the cognizance unit "Thank you"
She closed her eyes Darkness flowed over her, as the synthetic neurons ed down a dark circular tunnel, faster and faster She had done this thousands of times over the years and she knehat awaited her on the other end - sometimes it was a bleak cliff or severe steppe, but in the past two years it had been the dark forest, uniforreen leaves
She welcomed it She yearned for it She missed the chase, the thril of the battle, the infinite possibilities the bionet offered It probably said volumes about the hypocrisy of her ht exploded and she landed, fal ing into a practiced crouch
The ground under her was intense, shocking green
Bright yel oers, their petals thin and long, all but glowed in the silky grass Claire raised her head
Jungle breathed at her Tal grasses with blade-shaped silvery leaves surrounded dark bushes, their foliage splaying out in wide rosettes A patch of hair-thin stalks tipped by lavender crests of petals thrust through the spaces betide oyster-shel plants, the inside of their leaves a blinding turquoise Massive trees, a dozen h above, looking at them made her dizzy Vines dripped froe blossoular petals of deepest crireen e-red plants and ridges of lemon-yel ow mushrooms
Claire stared, shocked
Creatures crouched around her, a pale blue bul with six horns; a gazel e with golden hooves and wide antlers; a fox with three tails, her bright orange fur rippling with flashes of yel ow; a flightless bird on two sturdy legs with blue and green plus; and a bearded ape, fast and agile, his chocolate fur legs; and a bearded ape, fast and agile, his chocolate fur stained by rings of beige
"Oh nized Kosta’s voice
Behind her the sound of fal ing water marked the hub: as once a three-foot-tal metal sculpture turned into a ten-foot-tal stone fountain Water spil ed from the top in clear sheets and fell into a mirrored basin at the feet of the three women
Claire looked into the basin and saw herself in its depths A giant panther stared at her Her fur was blood-red, striped with slashes of silver Her eyes gloith bril iant gold Aaround two pairs of her long black horns that thrust up and to the sides behind the bright tuffs of her ears Her wide paws bore black claws the size of swords
She flicked her tail and saas tipped with long tuft of pale red fur, hiding a wicked black spike Claire ss in her powerful mouth
Sensory overload She had suffered a culture shock after the planetfalThe province of Dahlia bloomed in her mind with all its colors, scents, and flavors and it reshaped the bionet What once was a grile
Claire bowed her head "Is everyone with o," she said
They began their run through the jungle, leaping over the fal en trees and dashing past exotic flowers She kept the pace brisk, but not tiring They’d have to save their the pace brisk, but not tiring They’d have to save their strength for later
The path curled and they shot out onto a cliff Far to the right an enorht purple lanterns
"A castle," Saihed "A spaceport!"
"That’s where we’re going," Claire said "Fol ow closely, and re your steps on your way back"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>