"Where's your sense of self-preservation?" Barnes said.
"I strongly object, Captain Barnes."
"Duly noted," Barnes said, turning away. "Now let's get on with it. Tina, give us the video feed."
Ted sputtered, but he fell silent as two large monitors in front of them clicked on. On the left screen, they saw the complex tubular metal scaffolding of the robot, with exposed motors and gears. The robot was positioned before the curved gray metal wall of the spacecraft.
Within that wall was a door that looked rather like an airliner door. The second screen gave a closer view of the door, taken by the video camera mounted on the robot itself. "It's rather similar to an airplane door," Ted said.
Norman glanced at Harry, who smiled enigmatically. Then he looked at Barnes. Barnes did not appear surprised. Barnes already knew about the door, he realized.
"I wonder how we can account for such parallelism in door design," Ted said. "The likelihood of its occurring by chance is astronomically small. Why, this door is the perfect size and shape for a human being!"
"That's right," Harry said.
"It's incredible," Ted said. "Quite incredible." Harry smiled, said nothing.
Barnes said, "Let's find control surfaces."
The robot video scanner moved left and right across the spacecraft hull. It stopped on the image of a rectangular panel mounted to the left of the door.
"Can you open that panel?"
"Working on it now, sir."
Whirring, the robot claw extended out toward the panel. But the claw was clumsy; it scraped against the metal, leaving a series of gleaming scratches. But the panel remained closed.
"Ridiculous," Ted said. "It's like watching a baby."
The claw continued to scratch at the panel.
"We should be doing this ourselves," Ted said.
"Use suction," Barnes said.
Another arm extended out, with a rubber sucker. "Ah, the plumber's friend," Ted said disdainfully.
As they watched, the sucker attached to the panel, flattened. Then, with a click, the panel lifted open.
"At last!"
"I can't see. ..."
The view inside the panel was blurred, out of focus. They could distinguish what appeared to be a series of colored round metal protrusions, red, yellow, and blue. There were also intricate black-and-white symbols above the knobs.
"Look," Ted said, "red, blue, yellow. Primary colors. This is a very big break."
"Why?" Norman said.
"Because it suggests that the aliens have the same sensory equipment that we do - they may see the universe the same way, visually, in the same colors, utilizing the same part of the electromagnetic spectrum. That's going to help immeasurably in making contact with them. And those black-and-white markings ... that must be some of their writing! Can you imagine! Alien writing!" He smiled enthusiastically. "This is a great moment," he said. "I feel truly privileged to be here."
"Focus," Barnes called. "Focusing now, sir."
The image became even more blurred. "No, the other way."
"Yes Sir. Focusing now."
The image changed, slowly resolved into sharp focus. "Uh-oh," Ted said, staring at the screen.
They now saw that the blurred knobs were actually three colored buttons: yellow, red, and blue. The buttons were each an inch in diameter and had knurled or machined edges. The symbols above the buttons resolved sharply into a series of neatly stenciled labels.
From left to right the labels read: "Emergency Ready," "Emergency Lock," and "Emergency Open."
In English.
There was a moment of stunned silence. And then, very softly, Harry Adams began to laugh.
THE SPACECRAFT
"That's English," Ted said, staring at the screen. "Written English."
"Yeah," Harry said. "Sure is."
"What's going on?" Ted said. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No," Harry said. He was calm, oddly detached.
"How could this spacecraft be three hundred years old, and carry instructions in modem English?"
"Think about it," Harry said.
Ted frowned. "Maybe," he said, "this alien spacecraft is somehow presenting itself to us in a way that will make us comfortable."
"Think about it some more," Harry said.
There was a short silence. "Well, if it is an alien spacecraft - "
"It's not an alien spacecraft," Harry said.
There was another silence. Then Ted said, "Well, why don't you just tell us all what it is, since you're so sure of yourself!"
"All right," Harry said. "It's an American spacecraft."
"An American spacecraft? Half a mile long? Made with technology we don't have yet? And buried for three hundred years?"
"Of course," Harry said. "It's been obvious from the start. Right, Captain Barnes?"
"We had considered it," Barnes admitted. "The President had considered it."
"That's why you didn't inform the Russians."
"Exactly."
By now Ted was completely frustrated. He clenched his fists, as if he wanted to hit someone. He looked from one person to another. "But how did you know?"
"The first clue," Harry said, "came from the condition of the craft itself. It shows no damage whatever. Its condition is pristine. Yet any spacecraft that crashes in water will be damaged. Even at low entry velocities - say two hundred miles an hour - the surface of water is as hard as concrete. No matter how strong this craft is, you would expect some degree of damage from the impact with the water. Yet it has no damage."