The recording began and the red spot moved up and down the length of the Kosiev and then went under the bottom of the ship only to emerge again at the top of the ship next to the rear engine mounts at the conclusion of construction. Then everyone saw the section move slowly forward until it stopped directly above the bridge and there it remained.
Twig pointed to it and said, “Those particular Coronado Power Cells seemed to be able to move around the surface of this ship as if they had a mind of their own. It’s almost like they were looking for the place where they would be most comfortable.”
Sprig pointed straight overhead with one of his branches and said, “It is directly above us.”
Everyone looked at the ceiling and then at each other; finally Cassandra said, “Do you have a way to explain how this happened?”
Twig and Sprig turned toward each other and both said simultaneously, “No.”
Tommy looked at them and said, “Would you care to speculate how this happened?”
Sprig looked at Twig and both of them said simultaneously, “No.”
Rose said, “Why not?”
Twig looked at Sprig again and after a long pause said, “We know that inanimate objects do not have intelligence. This purposeful movement by those cells opens possibilities that are quite disturbing. If they did what we’ve observed, then it tips all the laws of the universe out of whack.”
Cassandra was silent while the group questioned the adolescents and after ten minutes she said, “Alexander Kosiev is in there.”
The Adolescents were in mid argument with Tag and Danielle when Cassandra made her announcement. Everyone stopped and stared at her. “Those cells were not most comfortable in that place, Kosiev was.”
Sprig and Twig stared at Cassandra and Twig said, “That would explain why they moved over the bridge; the bridge is where the Admiral was most at home.”
Tag stood and said, “I think you’re right, Cassandra. His consciousness was locked in that hull and I suspect he wandered around until he found a place that felt best to him.”
Cassandra said, “I have to tell you that I’ve thought this was all a wild escape into some kind of fantasy until I watched those power cells move through the other cells until they found the bridge. I agree that inanimate objects do not have intelligence; therefore, there had to be some kind of intelligence directing it.”
Tag looked around and said, “Ok, how do we do this?”
Cassandra looked at the bridge crew and said, “Everyone off the bridge. You are relieved of your duties until I issue other orders.”
The bridge crew stared at her and then she said, “Right now, unless you want to see what the inside of the brig looks like.”
The Crew rushed for the door and the three engineers standing by began removing the roof and insulation from the ceiling. Sprig said, “We should be ready to begin within the hour.”
Tag looked at Danielle and thought to her, “I love you. No matter what happens, I’ve loved you from the moment I took you hand and I’ll love you until my life is over; and if the creator has a place for us after death, I’ll love you there, too.”
Danielle said, “Shut up; you’re scaring me. You sound like this is the end; it’s not. I will not leave you in there. We will go together or not at all.” Tag embraced his wife and felt his love for her just as strong as it had always been.
Tommy and Cassandra watched Tag and Danielle and felt what they were feeling. Cassandra thought to Tommy, “That is us, Tommy. See what we have to look forward to as we grow older.”
“Tag, go slow when you go in; make sure you maintain contact with Danielle.”
“Hi, Atlas, have you been listening in on what we’re doing,” Tag asked?
“Yes, I have. I must say that I agreed with Cassandra about this until I saw those cells moving purposefully on the hull. Just be careful, old friend.”
“Thanks, Atlas; I will.”
Cassandra sat in the command chair and watched as the engineers removed the insulation from the ceiling. She could actually feel the materials as they were removed. “This ship is a part of me,” she thought. “And I am a part of this ship.” She looked up at the ceiling and closed her eyes. Her mind could feel the space above the skin and she sensed how vast that space was. Then she knew what had to be done. She looked at the Gardners sitting and waiting for Tag to enter the skin and she said, “There is going to be a change in plans.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and Tag said, “What do you mean?”
“You will not be going into the skin; I will.”
Tag, Tommy, Danielle, and Rose all began speaking at once objecting to her idea. She waited for them to run down and finally Danielle asked, “Why do you think you have to go?”
Cassandra looked up at the ceiling and said, “I know this ship like my own body. It is a part of me and I feel everything in this ship. I’ve just discovered that I can even feel things inside the skin. I can see where the negative matter is located and where the stars matter was stored when the ship absorbed it. I can feel all of the space inside the skin and it is vast beyond your wildest imagination. The section above us contains space larger than a galaxy and when someone enters that space it is probable that they could move a distance of more than a light year is less time than a micro second.” She then looked at Tag and said, “You have absolutely no chance of finding your way around in there.”
Tag looked at Cassandra and the silence was deafening. “And you think you can.”
“I am not going to look for him, Mr. Gardner. I am going to have him find me.”
“How are you going to do that, Cassie,” Tommy asked?
“By letting my thoughts find him and directing him to my location. That space has grown since you and Danielle entered the skin at the end of the Algean conflict. It is nothing like what you experienced and I’m certain that the gloves will not have the range to keep track of you.”
Rose thought about what Cassandra was saying and said, “Then how are we going to keep track of you if you go in?”
“Tommy will hold my hands with a set of gloves as I enter and will not let go of me while I’m in there. If he gets tired he will pull me out and rest until he can continue. I suspect that if this works, then it will happen immediately. Time doesn’t exist inside that skin and what may seem like weeks to me in there will be less than a second here in the control room. If I need to come out, I will pull myself out.” She looked at Tommy and saw his concern. “I want you anchored on this side of the wall so I don’t pull you in.”
Tag interjected, “Cassandra, we can’t risk you; you’re too important to our fight against the Captors.”
Cassandra smiled and said, “Then tell me how your plan is safer than mine and I’ll back off.”
Tag struggled with what she was saying but after a minute said, “I guess I’m not the only one to ask difficult questions.”
Cassandra looked at the engineers and said, “I want a chair elevated next to the ceiling and anchored to the floor. Tommy, I want you belted into the chair and I want our gloves locked together.”
The engineers continued working on the ceiling while two of them left and returned with a high strength alloy pole and welded it to a chair and then to the floor. After forty five more minutes Rose handed Cassandra a pair of electronic gloves and a matching pair for Tommy. They looked at each other and Tommy embraced Cassandra and said, “You know I will never let go.”
“I know, my love.” Cassandra put on her gloves and Tommy put his on with a small struggle with the left hand.
Rose said, “Those are the same gloves that Mom and Dad wore. Maybe they will bring us good luck.”