Footsteps could be hear nearing the laboratory, a single set of them as a clean shaven man in a security officer's uniform entered through the sliding doors of the science lab in which Michael, Dr. Phillips and a few others were currently working in. The android was the first one to notice the prescense of the newcomer, his enhanced hearing picking up the steps before the others as his synthetic blue eyes momentarily stared at the man. A common look of curiosity was on Michael's face, this time a different type than usual. Internally he wondered why this security officer had shown up here. Quickly he believed that he had come to the reason and once more his eyes swivled over towards the now encased orb.
"Hello there, officer, how can we help you?" Dr. Phillips asked as he turned towards the new arrival who was now looking at the orb from a distance, then shifted his calm look towards Phillips. Wondering if the man was here to speak to Michael, this hunch proven correct moments later.
"Greetings, I am Officer Levine," The man said with a nod, as he shook the scientist's hand. Then he glanced over towards Michael, the orb in the background. "I came to speak with Mr. Smith about his discovery of this orb. It will not take very long."
"That's quite alright, officer. Isn't it Michael?" Phillips asked as he turned towards his creation and essentially known as his prodigy to everyone else on the ship.
"Of course, I would be happy to answer any questions pertaining to it," Michael said with a smile as he approached Levine, then extended a hand for the man to shake which the officer did. "It is a pleasure to meet you, officer."
"Yes, now follow me Mr. Smith, we have a lot to talk about." The no-nonsense security officer stated as he pulled his hand back after the handshake, then headed out of the laboratory with Michael alongide him.
"Please, you can just call me Michael. May I ask where you are taking me?" The android requested as he then inquired where Levine was leading him.
He assumed to somewhere quiet where they could speak and he could answer any questions from the man. Of course Michael may have needed to be careful with his answers, to not give away too much that would indicate he was a machine and not an actual human. He did not enjoy lying, but it was impertive that his true identity remained a secret.
"Just to one of the security stations nearby, Michael. It won't take long I'm sure." Levine replied as he moved, his boots clicking against the metallic floor.
Soon both arrived at one of the transit stations, then stepped inside of a mostly empty transport. Michael sat down and gazed out the window, taking in the view below as they flew towards the nearest station. Levine remained standing with his arms crossed. Then both men reached their destination and left the transports, a few people milled around the security station, one officer standing outside with his arms folded over his chest. Levine nodded at the man as he walked through the open front entrance, Michael following him inside.
Right near the entrance was a desk with a busy secretary behind it typing into a console. A small group of civilians sat seated on one side of the room, having come to the security station to report crimes. More officers stood around, some chatting while others spoke with citizens of the Vitae. Levine lead Michael to a door on the side of the room, then down a hallway, shut doors on each side of it. The security agent then entered the last door on the left, and motioned for Michael to follow him inside.
"Please have a seat, would you like something to drink?" Levine asked as both men entered into the room.
Michael figuring out that it was normally used for interrogating criminals, though he was not here for a criminal offense. A single table was in the middle with two chairs, one on each side of it. The synethic man did as the security officer requested and sat down. The room had no scent, and it was very quiet, perfect for conversation.
"No thank you." Michael replied politly as Levine sat down on the opposite chair, then pulled it in towards the table. He pulled a datapad from one of the pockets of his uniform and flicked it on, the screen lighting up.
"So you are 24 years old, Michael? You have no family aboard the Vitae, that is correct? You assist Dr. Phillips and the others in the labs?" Levine inquired first, checking to make sure the brief file on Michael's background in the ship's database was accurate. Much of it was in fact fabricated, though no one but a very select few aboard the vessel knew that.
"Yes, that it all correct. My family died when I was very young, I barely remember my parents, Dr. Phillips was a close friend of my father, I have known him for a very long time, my entire adult life at least." Michael replied, reciting the files in his internal database that served as a fictious memory. Levine nodded in reply as the files were proven to be correct.
"Now, let's start with how you initially discovered the orb. How did you come upon it exactly? The two agents that had accompanied you gave their own accounts but I'd like to hear your own. I understand if it is a difficult subject to think about, considering how badly the mission ended up going." Levine stated, he had lost people he'd known on the mission, not any close friends but collegues.
"Yes, it saddens me to think about it, so many lives lost so unpredicatably, but I will try to answer to the best of my abilities." Michael said, not initially showing much sadness about the deaths on the first voyage to an alien world, then his lips formed into a frown before he spoke again.
"We came upon a sector with several floating large orbs, identical in design to the one we later recovered, only they were much larger. I was fascinated by this, remnants of an ancient alien civiliation perhaps, my mind was filled with all sorts of possibilites. Those in charge of the expedition set up a perimeter, an area in which we were allowed to explore, of course accompanied by security agents. I was paired with Dr. Mackenzie Newton for this mission, she's an intelligent woman, a brillant mind and someone I consider a friend." He paused as Levine spoke up.
"Alright, now what lead you to finding the orb now aboard the Vitae?" The officer asked as he stared at Michael, having jotted down a few important notes on his datapad.
"Mackenzie and I moved away from the transport, and headed up a pathway which looped around a pillar, one of the largest orbs at the top of it. The two security personal with us, Gurrera and Edwards, both instructed us to be careful and to not stray too far from the others. As we reached the top, a long walkway lead out towards the large orb. I asked to inspect this orb alongside Mackenzie, we did so while the two agents stayed back and watched us causiously. We both approached the orb while I moved closest and reached out to touch it. A flash of blue pulsated from the construct, then part of folded downwards to form a door which I stepped inside." He replied, speaking calmly and clearly.
"Then as soon as you entered into this large 'orb', it closed behind you sealing you inside?" Levine asked, recalling what Edwards had reported happened.
"Yes, but only for a moment. In the center upon some sort of pedestal was the orb now present on the ship, nothing else was inside. For a brief minute there was only darkness, yet I could hear something strange, alien. Like I was being spoken to in words I could not understand. As I moved closer towards the miniature orb the words only grew louder, the device itself lit up the same blue the larger orb briefly emitted." Michael continued as he recalled the recent events, careful to not give away too much.
"Wait, you heard words? Like you were being spoken to? No one else reported this, can you elaborate on that? You didn't understand them?" Levine requested as he typed into his datapad.
"I did not understand any of them, even the way they were spoken did not compare to any human language I know of. The way they were said stuck with me, it felt like each word penetrated into my mind and reverberated there. I'm not sure quite how to describe it. It was like I was being screamed at as my fingers touched the orb, then I pulled the device from its pedestal the words went quiet. Once my fingertips grazed the orb shivers shot through my spine, and I felt my body shake for a brief moment. Then the walls of the large orb around me collapsed." Michael recalled, leaving out the deeper sensations which illuminated and shook his inner workings.
"Fascinating. The agents said the orb did collapse upon itself and you were standing amidst it, clenching the lit orb, they reported nothing occuring outside while you were in there. Then the mission started to go south, can you continue?" Levine replied with a nod as he typed in what Michael had just spoke of. This was an interesting development, he would need to inform command of it.
"The agents questioned me briefly, though I was still reeling in surprise from what had just happened. We descended from the pillar and returned to ground level right as the insects began their assault on us and the others. While I held the orb in my hand it went silent, no more of the alien voices. I was seperated from Mackenzie and the others, a large horde of insects focusing on me and causing me to panic. I ran away from them, still holding the orb as they chased after me. I ended up heading further into the forest in my panic." Michael elaborated, as he continued to speak with a calmness.
"Edwards and Dr. Newton made it back to the Beast before you, Gurrera meanwhile went out in search of you. Could you tell me about that and your return back to the Beast?" Levine asked as he glanced at Michael, continuing the questioning.
"It was by sheer luck, officer. I managed to find a path back to the Beast, and ran like hell back towards it. All the while the insects continued to pursue me, there were so many of them, dozens, maybe hundreds. By some chance I survived, along the way finding Gurrera. He thought I was dead, I grabbed him by the arm and we sprinted back towards the Beast, making it back to safety." He stated, a smirk midway through it.
"Interesting, it is a miracle you made it back in one piece. The orb has remained 'quiet' ever since you took it from inside the larger one?" Levine asked, sensing their meeting was coming to an end soon.
"Yes, the light went out on it and its shown no signs of activity since then. I believe Phillips and the others are going to examine it carefully soon, I already told him everything that happened to me during the mission." The android said as he scratched his neck, not feeling an itch there but his programming simply instructing him to do it to appear that much more human.
"Hm, well you've given me a great deal of information. The orb of interest to a few in the upper echelon of command on the Vitae, I'm sure they will be intrigued to hear what you have told me. I think that concludes our chat, you're free to leave, perhaps we will speak again." Levine stated as he finished typing into his datapad.
Then Officer Levine rose from his seat and moved towards the door and ushered for Michael to leave the room. The synthetic man did as he was instructed, leaving the security station having answered the questions the best he could, feeling he had not given away too much information.
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