Three: spectral entities
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Was my unease mirrored in my companions’ uncertain movements? Feld and Terlo swiveled their heads back and forth, alternating glances between each other, me, and either end of the hallway. After a few moments of this Terlo turned to me, “Be at ease. We do not detect any anomalies here; no ‘spectral entities.’ There is just this rodent.” They gestured toward the floor. I glanced down and saw the rat as it scurried by Terlo’s feet and then disappeared into a crack at the base of the wall.
Feld turned their attention from the end of the hallway. “Please note: I am unable to explain the appearance of those lights in the distance,” they said and gestured at clustered pinpoints of light that appeared to float in the gloom at the far end of the hallway.

Two: Inside

The journey from the Fringe to the region of interest was uneventful. When we finally arrived at the marked location on our map, the derelict structure that awaited us was merely interesting. It’s exterior was utterly lacking any menace and presented only the ravages of the environment. Once inside, however, the atmosphere changed almost immediately— there seemed a charge to the air. My companions informed me that they were detected elevated and fluctuating EM noise. We made our way through a minimalist reception area and set off down the central corridor. The floor was littered with shards of broken glass yet oddly the few windows present were still intact. We picked our way deeper into the structure, glass crunching underfoot. Shadows from our lights formed strange geometries in the angles and recesses of the walls and ceiling. As we walked, we passed the occasional door but so far each one had revealed only an empty, featureless room that contained only dust and stale air. I stepped out of the latest such room and looked at Terlo, “Nothing in that one, either. What were you two talking about?” Both robots faced me, “We did not say anything,” Feld said. “Nor did we pick up any sounds. What are you detecting?” I peered into the gloom at both ends of the hallway, “I heard whispering. If it wasn’t you, then who..?”