Quantum Space: Book One in the Quantum Series by Douglas Phillips

Author:Douglas Phillips [Phillips, Douglas]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2017-04-10T06:00:00+00:00

31 Found

Daniel followed Colonel McGinn as they climbed the steep metal stairs at the side of the hangar, Marie not far behind him. The view across the vast space was impressively empty. A sea of concrete surrounded the tiny Soyuz capsule near its center. He wondered if 4-D space was just as empty.

McGinn unlocked the door and flipped on a light that revealed a small office. “I’d offer you a shot of whiskey if I had it,” he said as he reached into a cabinet. “Might help to make any sense out of this thing.” He pulled out a small cardboard box that made a reverberating clunk when he set it on a table in the center of the room. “I suppose NASA will find some fancier container for it, but we used what we had. Go ahead, take a look.”

Marie motioned to Daniel to do the honors. He opened the top of the box and peered inside. Wrapped in a towel, the object in the box took two hands to lift it out. “Not some ancient stone tablet, is it?”

He laid the object on the table and unwrapped the towel, revealing a highly polished silver metal plate, about an inch thick. It was teardrop-shaped, with smooth, elegant curves that ended in a point. But not quite a teardrop; its shape was asymmetric, with one side convex and the other mostly concave.

“Interesting.” Daniel slid the heavy metal object around in a circle. Its polished surface gleamed from the overhead light. Every edge was rounded and buffed to jewelry perfection. “A shape like the number six or nine.”

Marie pulled her chair in for a closer look. “More like half of a Chinese yin-yang symbol.” Daniel nodded; she had a point. The drop shape at one end could nicely fit into the negative space at the other end. It seemed like a piece was missing.

“What is it?” Daniel looked up at McGinn.

He shook his head. “We haven’t the slightest idea. But you’re right, Ms. Kendrick, this is only half of a whole. Its matching partner is still in Soyuz. We haven’t been able to take it out.”

“And the two pieces fit together?” Marie asked. “Is it really a yin-yang thing?”

“Pretty much.” McGinn held his hands together, with one hand pointed opposite the other. “Put together, they make an oval shape. That’s the way we found it, an oval resting on the Soyuz control panel. They easily pull apart, they’re magnetic.” He reached into the cabinet again and pulled out a small nail. “Try this.”

Daniel held the nail near the edge of the object. When he released it, the nail snapped to the metal. “Okay, definitely magnetic. But why can’t you take the other half out?”

“It won’t budge,” McGinn answered. “The thing is sitting on top of the control panel, practically glued in place. You can put your full weight against it, but it doesn’t move. We can’t see any bolts or other attachment points, but somehow it’s locked in place.”

Daniel pointed to a circular hole in the center of the teardrop.

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