Episode 5 — The Descent Sphere

Mission Log 13. Pip recording.

Clack.

Something small bounces down the basement stairs and rolls fast across the concrete floor. Pip jumps sideways at once. The route slate slips from his tail and strikes the floor flat while Brisk freezes beside the central route with both front legs raised.

“Object in motion,” he says.

The bright blue sphere rolls past the storage shelf, curves around a floor crack, and slows beside the paint containers. Nola hurries forward with both antennae lifted high.

“No Ceiling Tremor before descent,” she reports.

Fern lowers herself from the ceiling pipe.

“It came through the stair gap,” she says quietly.

Pip retrieves the slate and circles the object carefully. The sphere is smooth, bright blue, and perfectly round. Brisk taps one side gently. The sphere rocks once.

“Heavy,” he says.

The Descent Sphere blocks most of the route beside the paint containers. Pip squeezes sideways through the narrow wall gap with the slate pressed against his chest.

“Tight clearance.”

Nola touches the blue surface carefully with one antenna.

“Cold.”

Fern hangs lower above the route.

“Still unstable,” she says quietly.

Nobody moves for several seconds. Then the sphere rolls backward one small turn on its own. Brisk steps away from it immediately with one front leg lifted higher. Pip looks down at the floor crack beneath the sphere.

“The route slopes here,” he says quietly.

Brisk lowers himself close to the concrete.

“Retrieval possible.”

“Wait,” Pip says.

Brisk pushes anyway. The sphere shoots across the floor much faster than before. Pip jumps backward as the blue object rushes past his paws. It strikes the wall with a hard crack and dust bursts outward behind it. Then the sphere rolls slowly back toward the route again.

Nobody moves.

The blue object settles beside the workbench leg with half the route still blocked. Fern does not climb back toward the pipe. Nola lowers one antenna toward the floor.

“No movement,” she says quietly.

Brisk keeps one front leg raised. He does not touch the sphere again. Pip walks the narrow opening beside the wall. The slate scrapes once against the concrete.

“Tighter clearance,” he says.

Dust still circles one side of the sphere where it struck the wall. Pip writes one line on the slate.

Descent Sphere: route partially obstructed.

He closes the slate. The sphere stays beside the workbench leg.