Read Online Doctor Who: Fury From the Deep by Victor Pemberton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Victor Pemberton
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the intruder.
'No! Don't touch it!' yelled the Doctor, grabbing Harris by the shoulder and yanking him back.
'Why?' said the astonished Harris.
'Your wife said she was stung by a clump of seaweed, remember?'
Harris swung a look of incredulity at the clump.
'Furthermore,' continued the Doctor. 'I have a feeling that whoever put that seaweed on top of your file meant you to touch it.'
'Me?' Harris brushed his usual lock of hair from his eye. 'Wait a minute,' he said, suddenly remembering something. 'I was sure I put that file in my briefcase this morning, but it wasn't there when I went to get it. I was on my way home to collect the file, but I met Maggie and... ' He stopped, turned to look at the clump. 'But why?
Why should anyone want me to get stung by a piece of seaweed?'
'I hate the stuff. It's so, slimy and horrid.' Victoria stood well back from the clump. She was still chilled by the memory of her encounter with the Seaweed Creature.
'Och,' said Jamie, teasing Victoria, 'you've seen plenty of seaweed before. The beach near the pipeline was crawling with the stuff this morning.'
'Yes,' replied Victoria, her gaze transfixed on the wet, slimy clump on the floor. 'And that moved too. Just like this one.'
Jamie's eyes widened with horror. ' Moved? '
Everyone was now staring at Victoria.
No-one was standing around idly in the Impeller Area. The place was buzzing with activity, with engineers rushing in and out, checking and adjusting every control valve in sight.
'I want them all checked!' The Chief Engineer was yelling out orders to all the men around him. 'Every remote-controlled release valve on the line. Check and double-check the circuits!' Crewmen bustled to their individual jobs, one of them colliding with van Lutyens as he hurried into the area.
'Chief!' called the Dutchman, who was carrying a rolled-up technical diagram under his arfn. 'This impeller is still not working?'
'Not yet, sir!'
'What about the noise you heard in the pipeline? Have you heard it again?'
'No, I haven't sir,' replied the Chief, then added unconvincingly, 'Mr Robson was probably right. It's just a mechanical fault somewhere.'
The Dutchman cringed. He just refused to believe that someone as skilled as the Chief Engineer would accept such a basic theory. 'And you believe that?' he said.
The Chief Engineer avoided van Lutyen's glance, then answered awkwardly, 'It's not really my job to question someone in authority, sir.'
Van Lutyens sighed despondently. 'Chief, could you come outside for a moment? I'd like a word with you in private.'
The Chief hesitated, nodded, then followed van Lutyens out into the Control Hall.
'I've been studying the layout of the installation,' said the Dutchman quietly, 'and in particular, the impeller intake. I think I know where the blockage may be.' He found the nearest available table, and spread out the technical diagram he was carrying. It showed the complete layout of the impeller intake system. 'Look here,' he continued, indicating a specific set of valves on the diagram.
'This valve at the base of the main shaft: it leads directly into the intake. Is that correct?'
The Chief Engineer studied the diagram briefly, then nodded.
'Yes, sir.'
'Now as far as I can see, there's no other point between that valve and the Control Rig which could cause a blockage sufficient to stop the impeller.'
'Apart from the undersea emergency valves, sir.'
Van Lutyens took a quick look at the Chief. 'But you have remote-control observation of those, and they're free - yes?'
'Yes.'
Van Lutyens took a red pen from out of his pocket. 'Then the main impeller valve is obviously the fault?' On the diagram he drew a red circle around the offending valve.
'It's possible, sir,' replied the Chief without committing himself.
'Possible!' Van Lutyens was losing his patience with the Chief.
'Look, man, it's the only answer. What we've got to do is get down there and clear that valve.'
The Chief Engineer
'No! Don't touch it!' yelled the Doctor, grabbing Harris by the shoulder and yanking him back.
'Why?' said the astonished Harris.
'Your wife said she was stung by a clump of seaweed, remember?'
Harris swung a look of incredulity at the clump.
'Furthermore,' continued the Doctor. 'I have a feeling that whoever put that seaweed on top of your file meant you to touch it.'
'Me?' Harris brushed his usual lock of hair from his eye. 'Wait a minute,' he said, suddenly remembering something. 'I was sure I put that file in my briefcase this morning, but it wasn't there when I went to get it. I was on my way home to collect the file, but I met Maggie and... ' He stopped, turned to look at the clump. 'But why?
Why should anyone want me to get stung by a piece of seaweed?'
'I hate the stuff. It's so, slimy and horrid.' Victoria stood well back from the clump. She was still chilled by the memory of her encounter with the Seaweed Creature.
'Och,' said Jamie, teasing Victoria, 'you've seen plenty of seaweed before. The beach near the pipeline was crawling with the stuff this morning.'
'Yes,' replied Victoria, her gaze transfixed on the wet, slimy clump on the floor. 'And that moved too. Just like this one.'
Jamie's eyes widened with horror. ' Moved? '
Everyone was now staring at Victoria.
No-one was standing around idly in the Impeller Area. The place was buzzing with activity, with engineers rushing in and out, checking and adjusting every control valve in sight.
'I want them all checked!' The Chief Engineer was yelling out orders to all the men around him. 'Every remote-controlled release valve on the line. Check and double-check the circuits!' Crewmen bustled to their individual jobs, one of them colliding with van Lutyens as he hurried into the area.
'Chief!' called the Dutchman, who was carrying a rolled-up technical diagram under his arfn. 'This impeller is still not working?'
'Not yet, sir!'
'What about the noise you heard in the pipeline? Have you heard it again?'
'No, I haven't sir,' replied the Chief, then added unconvincingly, 'Mr Robson was probably right. It's just a mechanical fault somewhere.'
The Dutchman cringed. He just refused to believe that someone as skilled as the Chief Engineer would accept such a basic theory. 'And you believe that?' he said.
The Chief Engineer avoided van Lutyen's glance, then answered awkwardly, 'It's not really my job to question someone in authority, sir.'
Van Lutyens sighed despondently. 'Chief, could you come outside for a moment? I'd like a word with you in private.'
The Chief hesitated, nodded, then followed van Lutyens out into the Control Hall.
'I've been studying the layout of the installation,' said the Dutchman quietly, 'and in particular, the impeller intake. I think I know where the blockage may be.' He found the nearest available table, and spread out the technical diagram he was carrying. It showed the complete layout of the impeller intake system. 'Look here,' he continued, indicating a specific set of valves on the diagram.
'This valve at the base of the main shaft: it leads directly into the intake. Is that correct?'
The Chief Engineer studied the diagram briefly, then nodded.
'Yes, sir.'
'Now as far as I can see, there's no other point between that valve and the Control Rig which could cause a blockage sufficient to stop the impeller.'
'Apart from the undersea emergency valves, sir.'
Van Lutyens took a quick look at the Chief. 'But you have remote-control observation of those, and they're free - yes?'
'Yes.'
Van Lutyens took a red pen from out of his pocket. 'Then the main impeller valve is obviously the fault?' On the diagram he drew a red circle around the offending valve.
'It's possible, sir,' replied the Chief without committing himself.
'Possible!' Van Lutyens was losing his patience with the Chief.
'Look, man, it's the only answer. What we've got to do is get down there and clear that valve.'
The Chief Engineer
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