THE RETURN TRIP – Episode 82
…“Maybe it’s not a good idea to poke that thing around, not knowing what the result will be?”…
— Energized and ever curious, the two-remaining visitors on Mars press on to the depths of the alien ship. As they near the geometrical center, there is the palpable sensation of power about, much like being yards away from a pulsating 30,000 volt transmission line. The black hair on Sampson’s forearms stand on end and Celeste’s blond-locks react statically.
Sampson surmises that they are nearing the “engine room”, “Judging by its staying power it has to be nuclear or whatever style of atomic fuels they use. Old Karl at GLF would be drooling about now.”
The technology needed for intergalactic travel is beyond Earthly understanding, though they are currently on the right track. The NEWFOUNDLANDER most certainly did not plod along to get to Mars, like Chronicle did, or like the 21st Century New Mayflower is about to.
Brightly coded signs, reading threatening in form, leading them to believe they have found the engineering section with supercharged propulsion
unit/s. Upon gaining entry to the forbidden area, thank you Celeste and your mystically useful black rock, they can only wonder why it is so closely secured.
There are more lifeless Newfoundlian bodies here than the
rest of the ship combined. Gathered in a tight circle, like Uni-Scouts at a Saturday night bonfire, are 10 of the NEWFOUNDLANDER’s crewmen. There is an object/i.e. device in the midst of the fallen bodies, five feet in diameter and eight feet tall. Two corpses are closer than the rest with what looks like tools in their hands, as if repairing something fragile.
While bending over to relieve one of them of his tool, “Where do you think this goes,” he beckons Celeste to come join him.
Sampson manipulates the tuning fork shaped instrument, twist it at various angle and degrees. He even goes as far as trying to shove it into the middle, where the two cones intersect, in the middle, but the smooth surfaces are not receptive.
“Maybe it’s not a good idea to poke that thing around, not knowing what the result will be?”
“You have a point; this has more and different juice than the magical-meal machine.”
The “thingy” Sam is handling inadvertently drops to the deck of the engine room from waist level.…..
THE RETURN TRIP
Episode 82
page 77