"Dr Tielle! Dr Tielle!"
The shout echoed across the circular chamber toward the central dais that was surrounded by a small group of robed figures.
The technician had weaved his way past the scores of mirrors that littered the room, before he finally arrived at the dais.
"Well what is it man? I specifically asked not to be disturbed –"
An alarm blared.
Squads of men scrambled into the room, attaching thin cables from each mirror to the dais.
The last thing the men saw before lights flickered and died out was their reflections rippling in the previously still mirrors.
The alarms abruptly ceased. The few lighting charms that had been cast flickered and died.
The central lower dais lit up with a soft, white glow.
Clank.
The outer ring of blocks surrounding the platform jolted clockwise.
Clank.
The inner ring ground into alignment.
Hiss.
Overhanging jets released clouds of fog that flowed across the dais.
Images began to run across the mirrors, no longer reflecting drab grey walls of the chamber.
One minute passed.
Two.
Three.
The jets hissed back into life.
Four.
"For all of our sakes Tielle, I hope this plan of yours works." An impeccably dressed man muttered.
"We've already had over a hundred successful trips, the system works perfectly. If anything goes wrong it will because your people screwed it up Marclay."
The lights projecting into the cloud of fog changed hue to soft yellow and blues before the man could retort.
The image began to gain focus. The hologram showed the desert, burning brightly under a clear blue sky.
"Marclay! Focus your people onto that – no, not that you tar – the man, focus on the man!"
The image in the fog jerked suddenly. It showed a man who wore a plain white cloak that contrasted with his jet black hair. The last thing the monitors showed before they blacked out was a pyramid rising out of the dunes in the background.
"That's it? That's the sixth one this month – if we don't start getting results soon our funding will be gone before you can say Merlin!"
"With all due respect doctor, there's no reason to believe this was a waste of our resources. I'll run his profile through the databanks and tag him for further investigation. If he's out there, we'll find him."