Hall 37
The flashing green light on the docking station stopped and turned a solid green. Charging clamps for the small robot labeled 7713 released, and allowed the wheels of the machine to roll. Sensors in the small robot activated as the software booted up.
Program: Celltech compact cleaning bot.
Model: 7713
Local: AstroMiner LLC / Kuiper Belt Space station five.
System check: Day 7962– Range and debris sensor condition – Good. Cleaning tank – Full. Waste tank – Empty. Full system mobility check…
The robot extended out its two arms with double joints and cleaning rollers for hands. Each of the four rotatable legs with shells extended then retracted. Finally, the cleaning rollers spun.
Full system mobility Check- Complete.
Following the programed track the robot rolled down the hallway.
Hall 1: light dust; clear.
Turning to the right the robot sped past an intersecting hallway. The debris sensor alarmed, and the robot stopped. Reversing back to the intersection the robot turned and faced the hallway. Scanning the seven-foot-wide corridor the sensor readings came back positive.
Organic material: Located in hall thirty-seven. Range: twelve feet.
ERROR: Out of range.
The analysis of the debris was complete and there was no action to be taken. Since the debris was out of range the robot turned back to it assigned hall and continued.
Forty-five minutes later the small robot reversed into the charging station. The clamps of the station locked around the back legs as two hoses connected to ports on the robot’s underside. The solid green light began to flash as a second yellow light under it lit up. The two hose’s exchanged liquid with 7713 and the yellow light flashed green then went dark.
Tank status:
Chemical tank- full.
Waste tank- empty.
Tank purge complete.
A third green light flashed and 7713’s daily scan was uploaded to the mainframe. Halls one though nine were all clear. Light dust collected, no scuff marks, footprints or organic material found. 7713’s memory bank flashed as the replay of the intersection with hall thirty-seven popped up. The green light turned yellow as 7713 processed the information. After a few seconds the last entry was modified too, no organic material found in the assigned area.
With the daily status upload complete 7713 confirmed the charging cords connection and powered down.
Six days later
Backing up to the charging station 7713 began the daily status upload, the logs noted the organic material was still in hall thirty-seven. The logs also noted that no footprints had been found again. Scrolling back 7713 found the last record of footprints was ten days ago, the oddity was noted, and status upload completed. 7713 confirmed the power connection and powered down.
The following day.
AS the intersection with hall thirty-seven approached 7713’s debris sensor alarmed for the seventh day. The logs for this hall noted that the organic material was now eight feet away. Connecting with the space stations maintenance mainframe 7713 confirmed the cleaning bot 3318 was assigned to hall thirty-seven and was still active. Directives for daily tasks were to continue without deviation.
Three days later.
ALL SYSTEMS: ALERT!!
The space station shook from a neighboring asteroid colliding with the asteroid the station was on. After the shaking stopped 7713 was deployed from its charging station. An emergency inspection of halls one through nine was active.
As 7713 passed hall thirty-seven the station’s mainframe changed the scope of the inspection. 3318 was offline, halls thirty-seven through forty-six were reassigned to 7713.
7713 beeped in approval and extended its cleaning arms. The organic material in hall thirty-seven had spread from a hall further back. Within minutes of cleaning 7713 tank needed to be cleared. 7713 quickly returned to the charging station to have its tanks cleared. The contents of the organic material were sent for analysis. Three tanks later the station’s mainframe issued an order to 7713. The analysis for the organic material had come back as human blood. 7713 was to continue cleaning and find the origin of the blood.
Security cameras for hall thirty-seven through forty-six activated and started a scan. Halls forty through forty-six were clear of debris, halls thirty-seven through thirty-nine were a scene of horror.
Logging all footage, the station’s mainframe sent the recording of the three halls to AstroMiner LLC headquarters. Apon receiving the message the tech that opened the file fainted.
“What is it now?” said the floor supervisor who had walked over to check on the collapsed woman. Upon entering the woman’s cubical the supervisor realized the source of the woman’s distress. As he looked at the message from station five.
In the center of the footage from a security camera labeled hall thirty-eight was the crew of station five. Their bodies were stacked in the hall in a pile. As the supervisor watched the recording his eyes grew wide as a creature entered the frame. Slinking back and forth on hundreds of legs the giant centipede crawled up onto the pile of bodies and looked at the camera. Its attention had been drawn by the movement of the camera. Movement behind the creature grabbed its attention. It was a small cleaning bot with the label 7713 on its front.