The hallway was empty. The air was warm and the lights were on, but nobody walked this hallway.
It wasn?t abandoned or forgotten. In fact, it was built like this on purpose. It was a defensive measure for the occupant at the end of the hallway. The hallway was well lit and not overly decorated, in fact it was rather plain. The carpet was lush and not too thick as to trip anyone, but just thick enough to simulate grass. The walls were clear acrylic. Pictures were placed behind the acrylic in even intervals. These pictures then shifted on a regular basis, giving one the impression that you never walk the same hallway twice. The areas in between the pictures were black and opaque.
Other machinery lay behind this wall. In fact the pictures were partially a cover up for these mechanisms. No-one really knew for sure what they were or how they worked, it was a highly guarded secret, but everyone knew they were deadly when needed.
A figure appeared at the end of the hallway. It was above average height with a lean but muscular build. One may have thought that the shadow was playing tricks on their eyes, but a closer inspection revealed double bent legs, triangular ears on the top of the head, and a tail. Proof that this was not necessarily a human.
In fact it was a Kzin. As it paused at the end of the hallway the features became visible. The fur was light cream color through the body, darkening to chocolate at all the tips. A single deepblue eye looked out ahead as the left eye was covered in a patch.
Captain M?Ress: Order of the Blue Eagle, Knights Cross, Kzinti Cross, Kat Founder and KLAW member (
www.dskzinti.cjb.net for reference), looked down the hallway with dread. It had been a long time since he was afraid. In fact he had been down this hallway several times before, but never like this. He couldn?t decide which scared him more - to meet or be met at the other end.
He slowly started to move down the hallway. The clear acrylic reflected his image as he moved. He looked nervously from side to side as he went, wondering just what was behind these walls. In reality the hallway couldn?t be that long, but when you were a doomed warrior like him, it seemed to take forever.
He finally reached the door. He looked at the symbol on the door and his heart sank. Once he passed this door his life would never be the same.
But he was a warrior. He had never backed down from a fight. And this would be no different, just a different battlefield. New areas and more challenges to be conquered. He drew a deep breath and steeled himself. He lifted a finger and tapped in the code. The door opened.
The office opened before him. The central desk was already lit and the air circulating. Judging by the condition of the office they had been preparing this for some time. He drew another breath. What was that? A smell in the air? He sniffed again. Wildflowers? In here?
He realized that the air freshener must have been placed there by the cleaning staff. If the office was this clean then they had to have had someone in here to do it. It was a nice touch. He made a mental note to thank the one responsible as it seemed to ease his tension by reminding him of his home when he was younger.
He moved to the right and around the desk. The chair looked very comfortable with space to put his tail. He sat. Oh yeah, it was comfortable. He looked around slyly and suddenly spun the chair around several times like a kit on a carousal.
Yes, he could get used to this.
He noticed the door wasn?t closed yet. He looked at the surface of the desk, found the appropriate command and tapped it. As the door closed to reveal the emblem one again to anyone in the hallway, a thought ran through his mind?
If you don?t know what to do with ?em, promote ?emThe emblem on the door read:
?KZINTI ASSAULT TASKFORCE: Office of the Patriarch?
Topic: In the Darkness... Conclusion (Read 1914 times)