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第12部分（第1页）

girders。

Beth　said；　〃Its　like　being　in　an　oil　refinery。〃　She　shone　her　light　on　one　steel　beam。　Stenciled　was　〃AVR…09。〃　All　the　stenciling　was　in　English。

〃Most　of　what　you　see　is　structural；〃　Barnes　said。　〃Cross…stress　bracing　for　the　outer　hull。　Gives　tremendous　support　along　all　axes。　The　ship　is　very　ruggedly　built；　as　we　suspected。　Designed　to　take　extraordinary　stresses。　Theres　probably　another　hull　further　in。〃　Norman　was　reminded　that　Barnes　had　once　been　an　aeronautical　engineer。

〃Not　only　that；〃　Harry　said；　shining　his　light　on　the　outer　hull。　〃Look　at　this…a　layer　of　lead。〃

〃Radiation　shield？〃

〃Must　be。　Its　six　inches　thick。〃

〃So　this　ship　was　built　to　handle　a　lot　of　radiation。〃

〃A　hell　of　a　lot；〃　Harry　said。

There　was　a　haze　in　the　ship；　and　a　faintly　oily　feel　to　the　air。　The　metal　girders　seemed　to　be　coated　in　oil；　but　when　Norman　touched　them；　the　oil　didnt　e　off　on　his　fingers。　He　realized　that　the　metal　itself　had　an　unusual　texture：　it　was　slick　and　slightly　soft　to　the　touch；　almost　rubbery。

〃Interesting；〃　Ted　said。　〃Some　kind　of　new　material。　We　associate　strength　with　hardness；　but　this　metal…if　it　is　metal…is　both　strong　and　soft。　Materials　technology　has　obviously　advanced　since　our　day。〃

〃Obviously；〃　Harry　said。

〃Well；　it　makes　sense；〃　Ted　said。　〃If　you　think　of　America　fifty　years　ago　as　pared　with　today；　one　of　the　biggest　changes　is　the　great　variety　of　plastics　and　ceramics　we　have　now　that　were　not　even　imagined　back　then。　。。。〃　Ted　continued　to　talk；　his　voice　echoing　in　the　cavernous　darkness。　＇＇74＇＇　But　Norman　could　hear　the　tension　in　his　voice。　Teds　whistling　in　the　dark；　he　thought。

They　moved　deeper　into　the　ship。　Norman　felt　dizzy　to　be　so　high　in　the　gloom。　They　came　to　a　branchpoint　in　the　catwalk。　It　was　hard　to　see　with　all　the　pipes　and　struts…like　being　in　a　forest　of　metal。

〃Which　way？〃

Barnes　had　a　wrist　pass；　it　glowed　green。　〃Go　right。〃　They　followed　the　network　of　catwalks　for　ten　minutes　more。　Gradually　Norman　could　see　that　Barnes　was　right：　there　was　a　central　cylinder　constructed　within　the　outer　cylinder；　and　held　away　from　it　by　a　dense　arrangement　of　girders　and　supports。　A　spacecraft　within　a　spacecraft。

〃Why　would　they　build　the　ship　like　this？〃

〃Youd　have　to　ask　them。〃

〃The　reasons　must　have　been　pelling；〃　Barnes　said。　〃The　power　requirements　for　a　double　hull；　with　so　much　lead　shielding　。。。　hard　to　imagine　the　engine　youd　need　to　make　something　this　big　fly。〃

After　three　or　four　minutes；　they　arrived　at　the　door　on　the　inner　hull。　It　looked　like　the　outer　door。

〃Breathers　back　on？〃

〃I　dont　know。　Can　we　risk　it？〃

Without　waiting；　Beth　flipped　up　the　panel　of　buttons；　pressed　〃OPEN；〃　and　the　door　rumbled　open。　More　darkness　beyond。　They　stepped　through。　Norman　felt　softness　underfoot；　he　shined　his　light　down　on　beige　carpeting。

Their　flashlights　crisscrossed　the　room；　revealing　a　large；　contoured　beige　console　with　three　high…backed；　padded　seats。　The　room　was　clearly　built　for　human　beings。

〃Must　be　the　bridge　or　the　cockpit。〃

But　the　curved　consoles　were　pletely　blank。　There　was　no　instrumentation　of　any　kind。　And　the　seats　were　empty。　They　swung　their　beams　back　and　forth　in　the　darkness。　〃Looks　like　a　mockup；　rather　than　the　real　thing。〃

〃It　cant　be　a　mockup。〃

〃Well；　it　looks　like　one。〃

Norman　ran　his　hand　over　the　smooth　contours　of　the　console。　It　was　nicely　molded；　pleasant　to　feel。　Norman　＇＇75＇＇　pressed　the　surface；　felt　it　bend　to　his　touch。　Rubbery　again。　〃Another　new　material。〃

Normans　flashlight　showed　a　few　artifacts。　Taped　to　the　far　end　of　the　console　was　a　handmarked　sign　on　a　three…by…five　filing　card：　It　said；　〃GO　BABY　GO！〃　Nearby　was　a　small　plastic　statuette　of　a　cute　animal　that　looked　like　a　purple　squirrel。　The　base　said；　〃Lucky　Lemontina。〃　Whatever　that　meant。

〃These　seats　leather？〃

〃Looks　like　it。〃

〃Where　are　the　damned　controls？〃

Norman　continued　to　poke　at　the　blank　console；　and　suddenly　the　beige　console　surface　took　on　depth；　and　appeared　to　contain　instruments；　screens。　All　the　instrumentation　was　somehow　within　the　surface　of　the　console；　like　an　optical　illusion；　or　a　hologram。　Norman　read　the　lettering　above　the　instruments：　〃Pos　Thrusters〃　。。。　〃F3　Piston　Booster〃　。。。　〃Glider〃　。。。　〃Sieves〃　。。。

〃More　new　technology；〃　Ted　said。　〃Reminiscent　of　liquid　crystals；　but　far　superior。　Some　kind　of　advanced　optoelectronics。〃

Suddenly　all　the　console　screens　glowed　red；　and　there　was　a　beeping　sound。　Startled；　Norman　jumped　back；　the　control　panel　was　ing　to　life。

〃Watch　it；　everybody！〃

A　single　bright　lightning　flash　of　intense　white　light　filled　the　room；　leaving　a　harsh　afterimage。

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