Shadow over the Ark 7

The space station Arcadia drifted peacefully at the edge of the solar system. Inside, three teenagers - Lena, Michal and Zuza - were finishing their chores: tightening screws on solar panels and automatically testing hydroponics. For them, Arcadia was a whole world, enclosed but infinitely interesting. On this day, however, something was different. Michal noticed that one of the small service drones, which was always parked in the technical dock, had disappeared. He checked on the panel - drone #C7 had not reported a presence for more than two hours. - Maybe some kind of error in the system? - suggested Zuza, wrinkling her eyebrows. But Lena preferred to check everything in person. The three friends set off through the station's long, illuminated corridors, passing seemingly unchanging panels and screens. The further they went, the more often they encountered locked doors - the security system was blocking access to certain sections for unknown reasons. Eventually they reached segment C, where the spare parts stores and just - drone #C7 - were supposed to be located. When Lena opened the door using the emergency code, their eyes revealed chaos: tools and equipment scattered all over the floor, the empty space left by the drone, and in the corner... something else. Something that shouldn't be on board the Arcadia. It was a metallic object, barely visible in the semi-darkness - a piece of unknown technology that pulsed with a soft blue light. At the same instant, their communicators began to make distorted sounds, and the entire segment was plunged into a strange, flickering shadow. - Can you see it? - whispered Zuza, stepping back reflexively. Suddenly, the door behind them slammed shut with a bang, and the light flickered even faster. A message appeared on the control panel: "Alien object detected. Black box protocol activated. Minimal access." The friends looked after each other in horror and fascination. What was this object? Where had it come from on Arcadia? And would they dare get any closer?