He led the men along the pathway that hugged the edges of the room. They hadn’t gone far when Nikolay paused before an area set back from the path and stared at the banks of switches, levers and dials dotted with small green, red and yellow lights that adorned the console at the far edge. He glanced at the captain.
“I think this might be the power control center.”
When his gaze fell upon something on the wall to the left of the long console, he moved over for a closer look. Etched into the metal wall were detailed floor plans of every level and room in the spaceship labeled with strange symbols. He glanced over at the men training their rifles around the room.
“Mikhail, come take a look at this.”
Mikhail, an electrical engineer, walked over to the console and ran his eyes over the hundreds of controls and the small diagrams beside each.
Nikolay pointed at the spaceship floor plan on the wall. “Because those symbols match those labeling each of the console controls, I’m thinking they manage the power to each floor and each room on that level?”
Mikhail glanced between the console and the ship’s floor plan diagrams and nodded. “It’s logical the alien crew would need some way of manually controlling and distributing power around the ship.” He pointed at the larger symbol beside a lever on one of the many raised sections that covered the long console, separating them from each other. “I assume the levers cut the power to the marked level, and the switches in the same section control the power to each room on that level.”
Brusilov was eager to move on. “I’m sure it’s all very interesting, but if it doesn’t help us find what we’re searching for, it’s of no use. We can’t risk remaining in one place for too long.”
“It may not help us find the armory, Captain,” said Nikolay, “But it could delay our competition, the British and Americans.”
He had caught the captain’s attention. “How?”
“If we can kill the power to the levels they are on, it could slow them down and buy us some time.” Nikolay glanced at Mikhail. “Can you work out the power controls for the upper three or four levels?”
After Mikhail had scanned the controls and the floor plans again, he nodded. “I think so. All we have to do is match up the symbols and flick the switch.”
Brusilov liked the idea and smiled. They needed every advantage they could get. “Do it.” He turned to the rest of the men. “While he’s doing that, the rest of you set up a defensive position in case of attack.”
Mikhail moved across the control panel while shooting glances at the deck plans on the wall before he stopped and glanced at Nikolay. “I think I’ve found the controls for the top levels. Shall I kill the power?”
Nikolay nodded.
Mikhail pushed one of the power levers from down to its up position. The lights on the raised panel beside it turned from green to red, an indication something had changed. He did the same with the next three upper level levers he had picked out and stepped away from the console.
“All done,” stated Mikhail. “The Americans should now be stumbling around in the dark.”
“I’m sure even the Americans aren’t stupid enough not to bring some kind of light with them,” said Brusilov, “but the darkness should slow them down and perhaps any closed doors they come to won’t be opened so easily. Now let’s move. We have a lot to do and little time to do it.”
CHAPTER 22
Map Room
RICHARD POINTED AT the open door a short distance along the corridor and, with some relief, stated, “That’s the room you’re looking for.”
Colbert called the SEALs to a halt and scrutinized the opening ahead. It had taken them longer to reach than he had expected. Their damn fool of a guide had led them in the wrong direction twice before realizing his mistake. He looked at Richard. “Are you certain this time?”
Richard nodded vaguely. “I think so. It’s not my fault all the corridors and doors look the same in this part of the ship.”
Colbert picked out two men. “Sullivan, Cleveland, check it out.”
The two men moved to the doorway and peered inside before entering. Their eyes and weapons swept the room as they walked to the balcony and peered into the lower level. They assumed the strange table below was the one they searched for. Ignoring it for the moment, they descended the ramp and searched the room.
“All clear,” called out Cleveland.
The others entered and joined them on the circular platform with the map table at its center.
Richard pointed at the control panel Jane had used to operate the map table. The screen was lit, indicating it still had power. “That’s what we used to operate the 3D blueprint of the ship.”
Ramirez, the team’s computer wizard, moved to the controls and studied the screen. He shifted through a few menus and selected the option to show the complete spaceship. Fingers of the gel-like substance rose into the air, stretched horizontally and morphed into a detailed model of the ship’s interior.
Though the men had been told about the map table, they were still stunned by the amazing technology. Even Richard, who had only seen part of the ship before, was shocked by the ship’s immense size and the amount of floor levels and rooms it contained, some of which were far larger than those he and the team had encountered previously.
Back in the control room, Admiral Thomson, a few others and NASA scientists and technicians, stared in awe at the large screen filled with the different viewpoints from the SEALs head cams of the 3D model.
The SEALs stared at the model for a few moments, but there was too much detail crammed in such a small area for them to get a clear idea of the purpose or layout of the hundreds of rooms laid out before them.
Colbert looked at Ramirez. “Can you zoom in or something so we’re not looking at such a large area?”
“He can,” stated Richard. “When we operated the map before it didn’t show the whole ship, only the sections we needed to escape through. I think the computer set it up for us.”
After a few moments Ramirez found the menu he wanted and the map changed to represent a smaller area of the ship centered on their position.
Richard pointed out the areas the scientists and he had explored. “There was no armory in these parts, not that we went into every room.”
Ramirez scrolled the map to nearby unexplored areas and levels.
While the men examined the constantly changing map, Richard stepped away from the group. He didn’t like staying in one place for too long. “It’s time I was leaving. I’ve filled my part of the bargain.”
Colbert was about to reply when Ramirez interrupted.
“Sir, I think I’ve found what we’re looking for.”
Colbert redirected his gaze at Ramirez. “The armory?”
“Not exactly. A list of the spaceship’s rooms. Though there seems to be no direct translation for everything, thank God most are in English.” Ramirez scrolled down the list.
Colbert moved to get a better view of the screen. “Does it tell us where the weapons are located?”
“I’m looking, sir. It’s a damn long list.” Ramirez stopped scrolling and pointed at one word. “There you are, sir, the weapon store.”
When Ramirez selected the room, the map changed, scrolling and zooming out until it settled into stillness again. The weapon store was longer than it was wide with a door at each end and contained racks filled with weapons of different types and sizes.
Richard moved in for a closer look and pointed at a rack on the wall filled with weapons he recognized. “Those look the same as the light-beam rifle Haax had.”