5.n.
The walls were
white with a horizontal stripe of deep blue, the width of a yard stick, set at
eye level. The light seemed dim. Almost like twilight. Framed photographs of colorful fish schooling
around coral reefs hung at measured intervals within the wall’s blue line.
There was
something ominous about the seemingly cheerful pictures and after a moment,
Franklin Buck saw it. The background in
all the photos was the deep, open ocean.
Barely visible in the gloom was an ocean predator. A barracuda or stingray. Most were sharks, lurking at the edges of
visible space, ready to attack the unprepared.
“I don’t like
this floor,” said Franklin Buck. “We
should go back.”
“You prefer
the killer robots then?” asked Fair Wage.
“No, but we
should get out of here anyway.”
“We will,”
said Supply. “As soon as we find another
staircase.”