Free Project Solaris 2: Hero Rising by Chris Fox

but they don't."
    "Does gold tarnish?" I asked. It certainly didn't seem to in the movies I'd seen, whatever that was worth.
    "No," Janaki said. She blushed when we turned to face her. "Gold is very common in India. We use it a lot in decorations, and especially for weddings. A lot of that gold goes back generations. Gold is one of the least reactive metals, and doesn't interact with oxygen."
    "It can still corrode slightly over time," Steve broke in, clearly annoyed at having been contradicted. "That corrosion manifests as a sort of muting effect, and is easy to remove. I've seen it in a half-dozen tombs during my time as an archaeologist. I'm telling you these books should have that, but they don't."
    "I'm more wondering why they're books at all," I said, finally walking to one of the cubbies. I picked up one of the books. It was heavy enough that it took both arms to lift. I opened it to the first page, which was lined with hundreds of unfamiliar hieroglyphs. "Shouldn't these be scrolls? Or at least written on papyrus."
    "You're right," Mom's hologram said. Steve jumped when she spoke, turning a wide gaze her way. "Aren't books a much more modern invention?"
    "Yes, a much more recent invention. The first examples we can confirm came from India a few hundred years before Christ. This place, if we're right, is much, much older," Steve confirmed. He licked his lips, still staring at Mom's hologram. "Listen, I realize we're in a hurry, but will someone tell me what
she
is? And what happened back there?"
    "She's a memory crystal," I said, replacing the book on the shelf. I moved to stand beside Mom. "My mother imprinted herself, so this is essentially a copy of her."
    "Nice to meet you," Mom said, giving Steve a warm smile. "So you're an archaeologist? Maybe you can tell me where we are, since no one has seen fit to just yet."
    I was aware of the gentle rebuke in her tone, and wished I had a bit more time to bring her up to speed. 
    "Steve, I know you have a lot of questions. Mom, I know you do, too. Here are the relevant facts. We're in the Hall of Records, and we're being pursued by Dick and his goons. Since I called in the mothership to drop off Kali and Janaki, it's a good bet the grey men now know we're here. We have no idea how long it will be before they find a way down here, so we need to learn whatever we can and get the hell out," I explained. 
    Mom's eyes lit up when I mentioned the Hall, and I wasn't surprised. She'd loved legends of Atlantis, and the Hall had been a frequent topic of discussion on her favorite conspiracy radio show.
    "What are we hoping to learn here?" Mom asked, blinking in holographic green.
    "That's what I'd certainly like to know," Steve broke in. "Mohn Corp told me to help find this place, but they've provided precious little in the way of information. What I've witnessed today is impossible, and it confirms that there
is
a culture far older than anything on record. You people clearly know a lot more about what's going on than I do. Why are we here? What are you hoping to learn? And who are these grey men you mentioned?"
    Jillian met my gaze, raising a quizzical eyebrow. I shook my head. I wasn't ready to spill all our secrets yet, and we were pressed for time. "For now, we want to know what this place is. Steve, is there any chance you can read those books?"
    "I seriously doubt it," Steve said, heaving a long-suffering sigh. "It took decades to translate the Mayan language, and we only learned ancient Egyptian because of the Rosetta stone. The glyphs in these books are somewhat similar to Egyptian, but more advanced."
    "All right then, everyone stand back," I said, turning to the pedestal in the center of the room. Everyone had at least glanced at the gem, but no one had mentioned it. "I'm going to activate this memory crystal."
    "Assuming that's even what it is," Jillian said. "Are you sure, David?"
    "We need answers, and we need them quickly. I'm willing to take the risk," I said,