Doctor Who_ Left-Handed Hummingbird - Kate Orman [99]
‘We’ve got about two hours before she goes down.’
‘That’s it? We hit it? We did?’ The Doctor nodded. ‘Shouldn’t there be an alarm or something?’
‘Soon the stewards will be knocking on the first class doors,’ said the Doctor. ‘And the band will begin to play. And Huitzilin will go on eluding us.’ He held out a hand, and Cristián could see the wall through it. ‘He only needs to wait a little longer. Just a little longer.’
* * *
Ace came into the console room. She was freshly showered, wearing a frayed grey and blue dressing‐gown, her hair hanging down over her shoulder in a single brown wave.
Bernice was standing next to the console, frowning. ‘What is it?’ asked Ace.
‘I can’t get the scanner to work,’ replied the archaeologist. ‘It was working before.’
‘She’s probably just sulking again,’ said Ace lightly, running a finger along the console. She pulled the lever that opened the door.
Nothing happened.
Bernice said, ‘Should that red light be flashing?’
‘Crukcrukcrukcruk!’ shouted Ace. She pounced on the console and glanced left, right, scrabbling at the controls.
‘What? What?’
‘This little light here,’ Ace pointed, ‘indicates that the automatic take‐off controls have been set. He’s set us up!’
Benny said bitterly, ‘It’s kill or cure. Either he finds the codex and destroys Huitzilin, or everyone ends up at the bottom of the sea. The idiot. How long have we got?’
‘I can’t tell.’ Ace was already furiously tapping the keys of the Index File, trying to get the computer to give the information in English. ‘But we’re not going.’
* * *
Monday, April 15, 1912
12.00 midnight
Harold Bride yawned and opened the curtain that separated the sleeping area from the telegraph room.
‘Oh, hullo,’ said Phillips. ‘You’re early.’
‘Oh, it’s been a hell of a night,’ said Bride. ‘You might as well go to bed. How’s it coming along?’
‘I’ve just finished the last of the Cape Race messages. But you’ve been missing the excitement. Apparently we’ve hit something – maybe we’ll have to go back to Belfast for repairs.’
Bridge laughed. ‘And on the maiden voyage too. How embarrassing! Right, let me get presentable.’
Phillips waited by the telegraph while Bride pulled on his uniform. There was a loud noise coming from outside which he couldn’t place, like some great machine being started up. He put his head outside the door, to see the Titanic’s boiler funnels jetting great plumes of steam like a trio of mammoth tea‐kettles.
Bride re‐emerged. ‘Off you go, then.’
‘They’ve shut down the engines.’ Phillips yawned and went behind the green curtain. Bride sat himself down at the telegraph, sorting through the remaining bits of paper. Engine trouble, he thought. I hope we don’t end up adrift in the middle of the Atlantic. In this weather!
A head appeared around the doorway. Bride was so startled that he forgot to salute.
‘We’ve struck an iceberg,’ said the captain. ‘I’m having an inspection made to see what it has done to us. Get ready to send out a call for assistance.’
‘Yes, sir!’ Bride pulled on his headphones.
‘But don’t send it until I tell you.’
‘No, sir.’
The Captain disappeared again, his fading footsteps lost in the sound of the funnels.
Phillips re‐emerged, half‐undressed. ‘What was that?’
‘You won’t believe this,’ said Bride, ‘but we’ve gone and hit one of those messages.’
* * *
12.10 am
Ace clung to the edge of the console.
Bernice said, ‘There has to be a way to stop this thing.’
Ace said, ‘Come on.’
Bernice said, ‘Couldn’t we break something – sabotage the circuit?’
Ace said, ‘Come on.’
Bernice said, ‘A code. There must be a locking code we have to decipher.’
Ace said, ‘Come on, you bitch.’
Bernice stopped to look at her.
Deep within the console there was a curious noise.
* * *
12.15 am
The steward knocked on the door, waited politely. Knocked again.
‘What’s the matter?’ said a figure, coming through the dark.
‘Everyone is to put their lifebelts on, sir,’ said the steward, whose hair was in disarray.
‘I’ll see to Miss Anna. You go on.’ The figure opened the door a fraction.