The Sixth Seal полностью

The seat looked exactly like one found on a dirt or motorbike, though it had obviously been designed for the extra-large humanoid beings back in the pod chamber. Hovering six feet above the seat was a sphere of what might’ve been glass, not unlike a space-age hamster ball.

“Pilot controls?” Hammet asked.

“Could be, yeah,” Zahra replied. “Could also be their weapons system. You know, like a gunner’s seat.”

“Gunner’s seat?” Yana asked.

Zahra pointed at her. “Don’t.”

The Russian frowned.

“Can we do a little exploring first before you blow this place to shit?”

Like an unhappy child, Yana kicked at a small stone that wasn’t there. “Fine…”

“Where should we start?” Hammet asked.

Zahra pointed at the center of the room. “Follow the cables.”

As they did, smaller tables and consoles rose from the floor. Zahra was shocked by how many workstations there were. If she didn’t know any better, it would have taken more than half of the 155 beings to operate the Reliquary.

One station was a huge, flat table that no human could reach across. She thought she saw what might be a powered-down screen built into its surface.

Navigation? Maybe a 3D star map you can move with a flick of your wrist?

The other option she hoped for was the modeling system that Tony Stark and JARVIS used in the Iron Man movies.

“Focus,” she hissed.

“What?” Hammet asked.

“Nothing.

“You sure?”

She glanced at him sheepishly. “I tend to talk to myself when I’m exhausted or a teensy bit flustered.”

“Only a teensy bit?” he asked. He smiled. “I’m barely keeping it together.”

“Pff. You sure hide it well.”

“Uh, guys?”

They both looked forward and saw that Yana was already at their destination. This was where they’d been trying to get to ever since Hammet threw the first switch.

What was that, like, a week ago? It felt like it to Zahra.

“What’s wrong?” Hammet asked.

Yana gazed up at him. “A lot, actually.”

“What do you mean a lot?” Zahra asked, stepping up next to her. Then, she saw what had concerned Yana.

The panel that the cables connected to wasn’t anything special. All it did was allow them access through the floor and deeper into the vessel.

“Well, shit,” Zahra said, closing her eyes. She tilted her head back. “Now what? And please don’t ask me about the weapons system.” She opened her eyes and found Yana standing next to her with her mouth agape.

The question had almost come.

“I agree with her.”

Both women faced Hammet and said, “Which one?” in unison.

His eyes darted back and forth before settling on Zahra. “Yana.”

Zahra didn’t know what to say. If both of them wanted to give the space cannons a shot, if that’s what they were, then maybe it was worth the risk.

Zahra threw her hands up and then allowed them to fall. “Sure, why not? What could possibly go wrong?”

They crossed over to the right side of the bridge and stood before the impressive array. Zahra had been hoping to find a couple of sticky notes with the dos and don’ts — what to press and what not to press. Or a sort of car manual or something.

But she didn’t spot anything that would tell her how to use the thing.

“Doesn’t look like we’re getting any help from the Sixth Seal over here.”

“Maybe they couldn’t figure it out?” Hammet asked.

Yana rubbed her hands together. “That doesn’t mean I can’t.”

And with that statement, Yana hopped up onto the alien motorbike. As soon as her ass hit the seat, the entire rig came to life. The seat lifted six feet into the air and slotted into the bottom of the hamster ball. Zahra looked for some type of state-of-the-art hydraulics system but found nothing. Nothing had lifted Yana from the floor. The seat had just… risen into the air with the help of whatever magic they’d seen in the pulsating orbs before. Yana gripped the seat with her inner thighs and yelped, hanging on for dear life.

“Didn’t expect that!” she shouted. “Ah!” Then, the spherical display lit up and coated Yana in shades of blues and purples. Then, a star map formed. Zahra recognized the constellations, because they were common for anyone on Earth. They were part of the Milky Way galaxy — their home galaxy in the galactic neighborhood. Yana squinted and looked down at her partners. “Um, little help?”

Zahra held her hands out to her side. “How? What would you like us to do?”

“Focus on the sticks,” Hammet said, interjecting with a calm, clear voice. “Do you see anything that could help us?”

“Uh, sure, yeah. The sticks. Got it.” Yana leaned closer to them and looked them over.

“Don’t touch them yet!” Zahra warned. “Eyes, not hands.”

“Yes, mother. So, I see nine buttons on each stick. None of them are labeled… like it would matter.” She looked down at Zahra. “Unless you also speak alien?” Zahra’s hands found her hips. “Oh, you don’t speak alien? Weird. You speak every other language in the known universe.”