They leave the Captain to his own devices, little contraptions that whirl and twirl and print out list of numbers and strange symbols. He flits about the room, eyes big and black behind multiple lenses. He pulls the papers and reads them, up and down and sometimes sideways humming to himself at the insights they afford him. His calculations and, indeed, his variables, are unknown.

One day a particularly stocky instrument made its way over to the Captain, trailing a long list of results, like intestines.

As he ran his eyes over the long thin strip of paper, his wrinkled face smoothed in shock. His black eyes looked over-large, magnified. He scrambled towards the nearest device, which flailed slightly as he grabbed it. Frantically, he looked over its train of numbers, his eyes sliding back and forth as he added and subtracted. Checking the equations in his head, his face folded again, like a paper crumpled in frustration.

Days later, when the chaos died down, someone noticed the lack of smoke exiting the Captain's chimney. When they tentatively entered, they found him on his back, limbs curled like a spider, and the solitary, still intact device shuddering in the corner, the symbols contorted and twitching across the paper it continued to spit.

uhm. something new? maybe for the lit. mag. but i dunno if its good enough.