Upon nothing

Ch 9

A few minutes earlier...

Deeper inside the facility, there were two scientists that were in one of the labs.  One of them was a lead scientist that had been working for many years while the other one was new here and was learning from the other.  The room had many microscopes and beakers on the table, but they were neatly organized to reduce the space taken up. 

"So this is how they should work."  The lead scientist said as he was using one of the microscopes. 

The microscope wasn't one that you would find at a high school.  This one was more advanced and had more complicated features.  Instead of only three different objective lenses, the ones in the lab had two more, both being capable of zooming in much deeper compared to the normal three. 

The lead scientist gestured the new one to the microscope to try out.  He approached it and looked down at a small plate to see a field of microscopic things moving around.  There were so many there that it would take more than a few hours to see them all.

Looking through a microscope and seeing the things moving around always amazed the young scientist.  He would be doing a lot more harder work than this, but he was willing to work hard.

"It is with these tools that we are able to gather clearer data and make our job easier.  It is important to treat them carefully and report any damages, big or small, so they don't impact the next person to use it."  The lead scientist explained. 

"I understand.  It wouldn't be good if someone acquired inaccurate data because of a small crack in one of the lenses."  The younger one said.

"Precisely.  It's important to know what to be careful of, but it's also important to know what can happen as a result of a mistake to help prevent it from happening."  The lead scientist said. 

"There are a few more things that we need to go over, but before that, there is something that needs to be done.  Something that I believe you can be able to watch."  He said, catching the young scientist's attention.

His head was quickly filled with curiosity and excitement, some of it showing on his face.  He was prepared to learn the ropes and rules of working, but potentially seeing something in action wasn't what was expected to happen today. 

"M-may I ask what you will be doing?"  The young scientist asked while trying to keep calm.  The man looked at a watch on his wrist to see the time. 

"I will explain in just a moment.  My partner should be arriving here in a minute with what I will be working on."

The lead scientist was correct as the door to the lab opened up.  Another scientist walked in while pushing a cart in front.  On the cart was a stand with a medium-sized black sphere.  The sphere had neon green patterns all around it, making it appear to be a strange basketball. The neon lights were in a cycle of glowing bright to dimming.  The young scientist's excitement dimmed partially, but his curiosity didn't falter. 

"Time to begin weekly checkup of number 0."  The recently introduced scientist said aloud. 

The lead scientist turned on a nearby light and approached the small stand.  He picked up a magnifying glass and looked closely at the alien object.  The young scientist slowly walked towards them, not wanting to startle anyone during...whatever they were doing.

"The surface of number 0 shows no signs of change or cracks."  The man said as he carefully placed a small device on it.  He pressed a button, and after the sounds of beeps and whirring noises, a temperature came up.

"Temperature remains around 99.1 F, .2 degrees higher compared to last week's checkup."  He then picked up a simple ruler and measured the diameter and height of the thing.