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Jane carried  the now-limp body down the ramp with cautious care.
“DICC, please stop malfunctioning long enough to get the specimen sector ready.”
“CERTAINLY, JANE. SPECIMEN SECTOR BOOTING NOW. OXYGEN FILLING SECTOR 19G.”
“Thank God for small miracles.”
She had not yet removed her suit and helmet, per protocol. She was concerned for the cold thing in her arms at that moment. She dared not set it down outside the specimen sector.
She considered an autopsy. It would be months before anyone could get a decent look at the body… If she cleared it with Base…
The doors to 19G slid open before her. She heard a minute hiss with this movement, but did not register it. She laid the body gingerly upon a table meant for such a purpose. She then turned to initiate a scanning sequence at the nearby interface panel. She now had the opportunity to remove her helmet.
The air smelt stale… plasticine, almost. She reckoned this sector hadn’t been used in some time. She looked back at the boy. For a moment, his shrouded form reminded her of leftovers wrapped in old-fashioned aluminum foil. She pushed this grotesque image from her mind, wincing as she did so.  She focused instead on the readout.
The diagnostic displayed about what she’d expected. Asphyxiation, local minerals, all the chemical attributes of a human boy’s body. What was not expected…
Jane had to contact Base. She could not do so from this sector.
“DICC, please respond.” reverting her speech to classic AI interaction lingo…
“YES, JANE. STATE YOUR QUERY.”
“Boot surveillance for sector 19G, make available access of specimen diagnostic interface from central control.
“SURVEILLANCE MONITOR OPEN; DIAGNOSTIC ACCESS OPEN IN CENTRAL CONTROL. PROCEED.”
Jane did so, leaving the sector with visible relief. She unzipped her suit as she went, pausing at a metal bench to remove the leggings.

Page 9

Back in central control, she tapped into Base contact, and began typing with nervous haste. She attached her video recorded on surface, and sent the message off. Her physical unease began as a timid vibration in her chest, and escalated to a full-body shudder. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes and placing her head in her hands.

Jane did not notice the lack of transmission confirmation.

The surveillance window showed the cold light in sector 19G reflecting off stoic foil. She opened up the diagnostic interface, and continued to run tests remotely. His bodily fluids were still in evidence beneath his unsettlingly pale skin (she was silently grateful she didn’t have to look at it). His stomach still contained his last, undigested meal. A hot dog and a small hot fudge sundae, both were dated circa Earth decade 1980. That explained his outdated and stained garments… but what could explain his existence 950 parsecs* from his natal world?

The carbon date test confirmed the boy was, indeed, older than the Earth itself. Impeccably preserved. She wondered if there was any other evidence on surface to explain this phenomenon, doubted it. She packaged the data into a condensed report and added that to a second transmission to Base. She rose from her seat to pace the spacious cockpit, hands over flushed face. Her back was to the monitor screen, and that is why she did not see the thermal wrapping quiver.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~To be Continued...~~~~~~~~~~~~~



*1 parsec = 3.3 light years. 1 Light year= appx. 10 quintillion km.