The Madman's Clock

Chapter 9

"I have no idea why there's no damage," David said before I could even pose the question. "This chamber is either pre-accident, or something is very out of place."

"If it's pre-accident," Raj commented, "where is the crew? Even if we walked in on a night shift, or during its construction, there would be someone here. A tech, security watchman, whatever. This place is like a tomb."

That's when I noticed the quiet. The Saturnus, like any other ship, always had a low background hum. The engines, the equipment, and the people all contributed to an ever-present hum. Even in this ship's condition, the hum was there. Not here, though. The chamber was utterly silent, except for our boots clanging on the deck.

"Look at this," David commented, kneeling down.

He moved his gloved finger along the deck plate, pushing aside a fine, white, sand-like material. Some fell through the holes in the catwalk deck plating.

"What is it?" Kyle asked.

David shook his head as he rubbed the sand between his fingers. It glittered slightly in the light. He picked up some more, scooping it into his hands, and stood up. He held it out for us to see.

"I don't know." David scowled as he said it, and reached into his butt-pack for a small sample vial. He poured the sand into it, and put it away. "Careful on the ladders. This stuff will make the rungs slippery."

I looked out over the core. The upper pylon dropped down to the next deck, where it connected to the core itself. The massive circular core was easily eight meters across, and just as high. I could see a few lights and panels here and there, but they were mostly covered with that same sandy material.

"What about fragmentation?" I asked.

David looked around. I could hear him grumbling. "I don't know. I have no way to test it. I don't have the proper equipment. Well, I did, but it was wrecked with the needle-jumper."

"How about throwing something down the ladder?" Raj said. "Watch for any aging effects. See if it rots away, or something."

I looked around us, but the catwalk was empty. No debris.

"Maybe we don't need something big," David commented.

He knelt down and scooped up a handful of sand and threw it into the air, watching it fall. He did it again.

"I don't see anything," he said. "Give it a try."

We scooped up handfuls and sprinkled it over the side of the catwalk. I watched closely for any signs of something odd. I wasn't really sure what I would see if the sand passed through a fragment, though. It wasn't like sand would look much different if it suddenly aged a bunch of years. Yeah, it would become smaller, but I didn't have a microscope to check.

"Looks clear, I think," David said.

"You think?" Kyle chuckled. "Wow, that's all scientific and shit, David."

David shot him sneer. "Despite what you guys think, I'm a combat technician, not the font of all knowledge. What do you want from me, man?"

Kyle shrugged, nudging David on the shoulder to show he wasn't serious. "I dunno. How about a guarantee that I won't age fifty years when I reach the bottom of the ladder? I don't think Viagra works on ninety-four year-olds."

"Who'd want to sleep with you at that point, anyway?" Raj asked.

"Who'd want to tap him, now?" I asked. "Alright, David thinks it's clear, so down we go."