OK let's see what we have so far.
Tastes like metal, but not like metal - Although Bette says "It" is not alien, I think we must be dealing with some material that is unknown to our technology and therefore indescribable by Earth-built probes. Could be similar to "composites" which are coming into common use today. Have strengths as good as or better than metals. Have better heat resistance than metals. Not sure about ability to carry data (electric impulses).
Click-shift, like a reboot - does this refer to all metal/not metal things or just the "TV" in the entrance to the cave? If just the TV, it very well could be a control panel for the fan and other items in the cave/shaft.
Touching it make Bette blind for a half second - hmmmm, a force-field maybe?...a short, a shock, a warning perhaps?...how about a sensor scan?...
"It" is not alien - What have we told the probes that "alien" means? Does it mean "not from Earth" or "not from Mars", all of the above, none of the above? Could "it" be Daniel? Since Daniel is not communicating, they might not recognize him. Perhaps he has been altered in some way. I get the feeling that "it" is a sentient (NOOO - not that kind of sentient) being of some sort either living being or probe.
It is bad - According to Enoch, almost everything is bad, but Bette and Andrew have also said that metal/not metal is bad. We need to somehow figure out what "bad means.
OK, so what is metal/not metal? It would seem to me that we are dealing with an alien material that is somewhat energized either with some type of protective field or some type of communicative abilities. Now, how can we go about finding out more about metal/not metal and about "it"? I will propose the metal/not metal finding "game" to the probes as activity for the weekend. Do we want Enoch to try and go around the "fan"? Can we try and get Bette and Enoch to tell us more about "it"?
Well, that's all for now. My brain hurts. I'm going to the MessHall for some coffee and some of those muffins Murphy made for me.
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Zero
0=o