Title: SPHERE Author: Michael Crichton Copyright: 1987 Main Characters: Harry, Beth, "Jerry", Norman, Ted, Barnes Setting South Pacific under water 1,00 feet under in a cylinder habitat.
My name is Norman Johnson and I am a Psychologist. I am 54 and I am married. I have been called to a crash scene before to administer but this wasn't just any crash scene it would change my life.
I was called out by the military to a site in the south pacific. I didn't hear any reports of an airline crashes so I thought it must be military craft. When I got to the site there were military craft everywhere. The helicopter dropped me off on the main ship where I was meet by Captain Barnes the leader of this project.
I found out I wasn't the only specialist called out on this project. He also called out a marine biologist and science professionals.
Barnes
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BarnesI started to think that this wasn't just any airline crash. I knew something was up. Later Barnes called a meeting where I learned that we were all here for reason. Barnes told us that a UFO crashed. I was skeptical at first and didn't believe it. Then bares said we are going to go down and take a look at it, I thought this meant them but a few hours later I was going to the bottom in a submarine.
The site is 1,000 feet under water which is shallow compared tot he rest of the pacific. At the site there was a huge grid on lights and a massive metallic fin sticking up out of the grid. It was part of the craft and it looked like nothing I have ever seen. We settled into he habitat it was more comfortable then I though it would be it had showers and beds and everything a house had. The only strange thing was your voice⦠The air down here had a more helium concentrate so it made your voice funny. To prevent this we use ' Breathers" a device that goes around you throat to normalize your speech.
At this depth there is almost no sign on life hardly any plants or fish at all. Barnes called a meeting. We have found a craft, which we believe, is 300 years old and may contain life that's why all of u have been called in. Right now we are looking for the "front door" he said. A small probe was sent out to open the door and explore the craft. After it failed at opening the door we were to do it are selves. We all suited up and went to the craft. When we got there on the door in plainenglish there were instruction on how to operate. We all looked at each other is this some kind of joke Beth said. No Barnes said I don't understand it. Well lets follow the instructions then. The door opened and we entered.
The craft was strange it looked totally human except more advanced. The metals were none of this world and were much more advanced. The ship was abandoned so far. We found massive amounts of food that must have been for a long journey. There were huge lead walls that must have been made for blocking radiation of large amounts. But why? Why would a ship that looks human be buried underwater and be built for harsh use? We went to the main control panel and looked around. It seems like normal a ship. Let's find the record box maybe that will tell us something said Barnes. We all looked around and found nothing. We moved on throughout the ship until we came to what looked like an engineering bay. Held up high by arm was a Sphere. A shiny metallic sphere. Hmm I wonder what this is Ted said. It had no apparent opening just lines and grooves on it. Barnes said let's go back to the habitat and rest and we can come back and explore later.
We went back to the habitat. When we got back there was no sign up harry. We looked everywhere. We must have left him in the ship Beth said. I will go back and get him Barnes said. When Barnes went back he was in for a surprise. He found harry on the floor by the sphere unconscious. Barnes brought him back to the habitat. What happen to him I asked? I don't know. Harry woke up shaking. What happened he said? We don't know where did u go Ted said? I- I think I went in the sphere. The Sphere? Harry was shaking and breathing hard. I don't remember anything he said. Well something happened in the sphere and it did something to u, are u sure your ok? Yeah I am fine and I am just shook up he said.
Everyone was mixed up about this whole thing. Then something strange happened. We started getting weird codes from the computer. Numbers in spirals and codes. Ted said I think someone is trying to talk with us but they don't know how to do it. Harry started to decode the message. It's all mathematical he said I think I can crack it. Harry cracked it and decoded it. Well it says, "hi my name is Jerry how are u". WOW we are the first ones to talk with an alien species. This is exciting Beth said. Well what do we want to ask him? Harry said ask him where he is from. Jerry replied "from a entity".
After talking with jerry for a while he seemed to be childish, like he wanted to play with us. Contact with jerry died all of a sudden and we heard a rumbling. On sonar there was a big dot. What is it I asked. I don't know barns said its big whatever it is. Then a huge shake. Through the window I saw a huge squid. Everyone hold one the shaking got worse and leaks started to spurt. Harry was knocked out my the shaking and I hit my head on bars and was grabbing on to everything. Then all of a sudden it all stooped. Harry lie on the ground knocked out. Jesus what was that asked Beth? I have no idea it looked like a giant squid from what I saw, I said. It must have been the aliens or whatever they are.
We rested Ted had an idea. Ted explained: I think this ship is human.. I think that it is from the future and that somehow it got sent back in time on accident or maybe not. The thick metal of the sip I think is to protect it from radiation. Radiation given off by a black hole. I think that these humans from the future went through a black hole to either go in the future or the past and something went terribly wrong. That's why the ship is abandoned. And I think it has something to do with that Sphere.
Well Harry was affected by it. Now lets try to get it open. Ted tried and tried to open the sphere but no luck. I think it opens when it wants to I said. Ask harry how he did it. Harry wouldn't say he said he was still unsure how it all happened. Lets talk to Jerry again. They typed on the computer to jerry and he answered. They asked what the squid was and he said a manifestation. Beth said well it was a bad one it hurt us. Jerry didn't understand don't u like it? Later we found the cook for the ship dead outside she looked like she was ripped at my the squid. Barnes said that the weather is getting bad at the top and all the ships are moving out so u guys are going to have to stay a few days while the storm passes. No no please no Beth said. U have to Beth Barnes said we need to find out about this thing. I started to think maybe the sphere is making us all think this? Maybe harry was jerry? Could this all be true was harry somehow affected by the sphere powers? Ted said that maybe that's what happen to the ship and the crew maybe the sphere crashed the ship and destroyed the crew.
Ted explained that maybe the sphere was an object set out by an alien race to test the finders of it. Sorta like a beacon to find intelligent life forms. And we didn't pass. Later I found out that Beth went into the sphere and didn't tell anyone. It was all happening so fast I didn't know what was real and what wasn't. Everything could have been a manifestation of our minds and were trapped down here until the weather dies down.
We all started to panic. Jerry wasn't an alien it was all of us are own fears manifested. All this because the sphere, it was test a strong mind could use the powers of the sphere and a weak would mind would cause horror on itself. When the weather cleared we were brought up everyone was dead except me harry and Beth. We knew we were going to questioned about the whole thing. We 3 sat there in the room talking. We know w have this power to manifest whatever we want. If this power get used wrong like it did down there the human race will die. We need to do something about it I said. Beth said well we have the power to do whatever we want let's just forget all about it. How do we do that harry said? We just think it I guess Beth said. Lets do it then we will have to give up this extraordinary power to save the human race.
That's exactly what we did Beth, harry and I forgot the wholething. And the sphere disappeared it had done exactly what it was intended to do, find advanced life forms that could handle their own minds.
The supermassive black holes are all that remains ...
barnes bridge
A great circle divides the sphere in two equal hem...
Henagonal dihedron (up-arrow represents vertex).