<P>The entrance to the wine cellar had also been left open, and he very cautiously entered the stone passages to investigate. At the other end, all he discovered was a computer terminal and a few other curiosities. One was a robotic unit that he recognized as a maintenance assistant. It looked to be offline presently, as did the computer terminal.
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<P>Probably got knocked out by the same thing that shut down power in the city.
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<P>One more thing he noticed was a strange canister on the floor in front of an opened case. The case seemed to be operated by a keypad mounted on its base. The canister appeared to contain some sort of glowing blue substance. He'd never seen anything quite like it. Stuffing the canister into his coat pocket, he left the wine cellar and continued his investigation of the house.
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<P>There was no sign of anyone inside, nor were there any signs that anyone had lived in this house for quite some time. It was quite clear, however, that someone had been through recently, as most of the doors had been left open and many of the house's fixtures had been disturbed. In the larger of the two bedrooms on the upstairs floor, a painting had been pulled up along the wall to reveal a secret compartment. A datacube was the only thing stored within, but its contents meant nothing to him.
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<P>Satisfied that he would have at least a few hours' peace in this place, he calmed down and went back to the smaller bedroom. It seemed more comfortable, and there was less of a chance that he would be discovered in there if anyone came by. The only thing unsettling about it was what appeared to be a human skull resting on top of the fireplace. He went to pick it up, but as he moved it the entire fireplace slid over to the left. The compartment concealed behind it was empty.
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<P>After briefly studying the copy of Shakespeare's Richard III sitting next to the bed, he slipped under the covers and closed his eyes. Never before had he felt so exhausted. The comfort of the cleanly made bed was overwhelming, and he was asleep in a matter of minutes. Alone at last, he finally found his peace.