Teardrops In The Night Sky (Steven Gordon series) by J W Murison Page A

specialist scientific teams buried deep within the Government structure.
    The leader of the team swept around the walls and consoles running his hands over everything, occasionally knocking them with a small metal hammer.  Sales watched him in fascination.
    He went round once more then came back to a particular spot.  ‘Right here.’
    His companions unzipped their black duffel bags.  The first approached with a cutting tool designed for fire fighters to cut people out of car wrecks.  The second stood back hefting a large sledgehammer.
    Mary’s hand flew to her mouth, ‘oh no, you can’t do this,’ her finger punched the intercom button, ‘don’t you dare Sales.’
    His head flicked towards the camera, then nodded at one of the men.  Mary saw the head of the sledgehammer for a fraction of a second before the screen went blank.
    Her finger punched the intercom again, ‘for God’s sake someone get to the engine room and stop Sales.’  She turned to the Soldier who hovered near, ‘did you just see what he was going to do?’
    ‘Yes ma’am.’
    ‘Then go get my husband and Colonel Howe and tell them; quickly.’
    They left the control room together and went in different directions.  The Soldier quickly located both men and returned with them to the control room.
    Brian squeezed in between two operators, ‘what's happening Malcolm?’
    The bespectacled operator; was sweating and looked frightened, ‘Sales has taken wrecking gear to the engine room.  He’s trying to force off a panel.’
    ‘You can’t be serious?’
    He moved aside, ‘look for yourself Brian.  He’s taken out every camera in the Engine room, except this one.  They’ve missed it so far.’
    It took a few seconds for Brian to comprehend what he was seeing, two men laboured with sledgehammers at a single spot.  ‘Oh my God, he’s gone mad.’
    Colonel Howe leaned over his shoulder, ‘not a good idea?’
    Brian looked at the Colonel as if he were stupid, ‘do you know what's behind that panel Colonel?’
    He shrugged, ‘no, do you?’
    ‘No and that’s exactly the point.  What if there's sensitive equipment behind there, the vibrations could smash it.  What if they are meant to operate in a vacuum, or if there's some form of cooling gas behind that panel.’
    The Colonels eyebrows shot up in alarm, ‘you mean like a gas not manufactured on Earth, potentially lethal.’
    ‘Potentially lethal Colonel, what happens if there's some form of harmless bacterium behind that panel?  Harmless to the aliens that built it that is. Come on you’ve been hanging around us long enough to know that.’
    ‘It could cause a plague, one we couldn’t control.’
    ‘With the potential of wiping out every living thing on Earth.’
    ‘That’s bad Doctor , but wouldn’t you have had to do something like this anyway … eventually?’
    Brian squeezed his temples, ‘yes Colonel, eventually, after many months of study, or maybe years.  With every single precaution that could be taken and recorded in minute detail in case something went wrong.  Tell me, do you notice the deliberate error here?’
    ‘The ship isn’t sealed.’    
    Brian turned back to the monitor.  ‘You got it in one.’  ‘Hasn’t anyone tried to stop him?’ he asked Malcolm.
    ‘Yeah but …’ a screech of metal, halted the flow of words as both men craned forward to get a better look at what was happening.  Two of the men bent to the task and seemed to come away with something in their hands.  Sales moved forward cautiously and peered inside. 
    Just then Mary burst into the room.  She stopped for a second to get her bearing s, ‘get the hell away from that panel Sales.’
    She advanced on him a small ball of fury.  Malcolm got halfway to his feet, grabbing for the intercom button, ‘for God’s sake keep away from him Mary, he’s got a …’
    Sales had got insolently to his feet, reached behind him and lifted his arm towards Mary.  A flash of yellow