The Writer. Danilo Clementoni

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СКАЧАТЬ right there, Sir. All I can tell you is that our scientists are still analysing the data we’ve received in order to identify who or what caused it."

      "So basically, you haven’t the faintest idea what it was.”

      "Well, I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but I think your inference can be considered a fair one.”

      â€œJust listen to this guy” said Jack, turning to Elisa who had joined him, as he covered the microphone of his mobile phone with his hand. “Okay. Thank you for the information,” he continued. "As soon as you have further news kindly contact me immediately.'

      "Yes Sir, with pleasure. Goodbye have a good day," and he ended the conversation.

      "What did they say?" asked the doctor.

      "Well, it looks as though something strange actually happened up there, but nobody has found a decent explanation yet.”

      "I’m increasingly convinced that something happened to our friends."

      "Come on, don’t say that. With their fantastic spacecraft who knows where they’ll have got to by now.”

      "I really hope so, with all my heart, but I still have a strange premonition."

      "Listen, to get rid of any doubts, why don’t we use that thing they left us and try to contact them?"

      â€œI don't know ... They said we would only be able to use it after they arrived back on their planet ... I don’t think ...”

      â€œJust go and get it,” the Colonel cut her short. Then realising he had perhaps been a little too abrupt, he added a gentle ‘please’, followed by a dazzling smile.

      â€œOkay. At worst it won’t work,” said Elisa as she set off to retrieve the portable H^COM. She returned almost immediately and, after rearranging her long hair slightly, she put on the kind of weird and bulky helmet.

      "He said to press that button there," said Jack indicating the button. "Then the system would do everything by itself."

      â€œWhat shall I do, shall I press it?” asked Elisa hesitating.

      "Go on, what do you think is going to happen?”

      The archaeologist pushed the button and, perhaps exaggerating the words a little too much, said "Hello? Anybody there?”

      She waited but didn’t receive an answer. She waited a little longer, then tried again. “Hello... Hello... Petri, are you there? I can’t hear anything.”

      Elisa waited a few more seconds then spread her arms and shrugged.

      â€œPress the button again,” suggested the Colonel.

      They tried repeating this process several times, but the communication system failed to give them even a measly rustle.

      â€œNothing doing. Perhaps something really did happen to them,” whispered Elisa as she removed the H^COM from her head.

      â€œOr perhaps they still haven’t arrived within this thing’s range of action.”

      The Colonel hadn’t finished his last sentence when a strange noise from outside caught their attention.

      â€œJack, look” exclaimed Elisa amazed as she looked out of the tent. “The spheres... They’re being reactivated.”

      With their hearts in their mouths, they both ran outside and, to their amazement, saw the virtual landing pyramid that was again taking shape. Their friends were returning.

      "See they didn’t explode," said Jack greatly cheered-up.

      "Perhaps they forgot something.”

      "The important thing is that they're okay. Let’s try and keep calm. We’ll soon find out what really happened.”

      The landing procedure went ahead without problems and, in no time at all, the large figures of the two aliens appeared on the descending platform.

      â€œHello guys,” bellowed Petri, waving his big hand above his head.

      "What on earth are you doing here again?" asked Jack, as the two aliens were carried down to ground level by the moving structure.

      "We were missing you," replied Petri jumping down from that sort of lift, even before it had touched the ground, immediately followed by his travelling companion.

      "We were worried" said Elisa finally reassured. "We witnessed a strange event that occurred on the moon a little while ago and we seriously feared that something terrible had happened to you.”

      "Unfortunately, my dear, something terrible really did happen," said Azakis with a forlorn air.

      "There you are, I knew it," exclaimed Elisa. “A little voice inside me kept telling me so. But what happened?"

      "It all happened really suddenly.”

      â€œSo, are you going to tell us? Come on, don’t keep us on tenterhooks. Just tell us everything, now.”

      "Our spacecraft no longer exists," Azakis announced all in one breath.

      The two terrestrials looked at one another for a moment, absolutely stunned. Then Jack spoke, saying "Are you joking? What does ‘no longer exists’ mean?”

      "It means that, right now, the biggest piece of the Theos could quite easily fit on the tip of your index finger.”

      "But what happened? And the rest of the crew, where are they? Are they all well?"

      "Yes, they're fine, thank you. Right now, they’re on the other three shuttles and very soon they’ll be here too. If you don't mind, we will set up an emergency structure around here and we’ll try to organise ourselves somehow."

      "But of course, that's not a problem," said Jack. "We’ll give you all the help we can. You don't even need to ask."

      â€œSo,” blurted out Elisa who could no longer hold back her curiosity. "Are you going to tell us yes or no what the devil happened up there?"

      "It's rather a long story," said Azakis seating himself on an upturned tin pail. “Make yourselves comfortable.”

      After about ten minutes, the alien had pretty much told them the whole story. From the loss of the remote-control system, to the attempt to deactivate it. From the recklessness of having given up on its recovery, up to the sudden reactivation of the instrument which had then caused the launching of the self-destruction process.

      "But that’s shocking," said Elisa appalled. “Whoever can have caused a disaster like that?”

      "Probably," said Azakis, “somebody must have found that strange object and began to study its features. Then they must have found some information among all the data СКАЧАТЬ