Doctor Who_ The Ice Warriors - Brian Hayles [3]
His plans were interrupted by a shrill signal from the video-communicator strapped to his wrist. He snapped it open impatiently. Atmospheric conditions were so bad that sound and picture were incomprehensible. He squinted at it for a moment—and then gave up.
‘Base can wait.’ he said impatiently. ‘This is more important than some routine message...’
‘What’re we going to do then, sir?’ asked Walters.
‘Excavate,’ replied Arden. ‘This could be the find of the century!’
Keen though he was to share Arden’s excitement, Walters was still a basically cautious man. ‘What about our schedule, Mr Arden? We must stick to that.’
‘Must we? Just because Base computer says so?’
Walters continued to look uncertain. ‘Leader Clent will be furious, sir.’
‘Damn the computer’—Arden grinned boyishly—‘ and Leader Clent! For once let’s do something on our own account. eh?’
Walters grinned bark at him.
‘Can’t see what Base can do about it. sir. The way things are, we can’t ask permission—and they can’t tell us not to. can they?’
‘That’s what I like to hear, Walters!’ Arden slapped Walters on the shoulder, and then moved towards Davis, who was bringing the heavy drill to bear on the ice face. ‘Come on, Davis, I’ll give you a line to work on—’
The geologist quickly gouged a simple, coffin-shaped outline of approximately the site and shape of the mighty form within the glacier. He turned to Davis. The technician was looking at him with an uncertain expression.
‘Don’t worry, Davis—’ Arden said firmly. ‘I’ll take the responsibility before Leader Clent.’
‘It isn’t him I’m worried about, s answered Davis. He glanced upwards at the massive ridge of snow towering above them. ‘There’s going to be a lot of vibration, you see...’
‘We’ll keep an eye on that. Anyway, we have to take that chance. Now hurry, man, hurry!’
In the Grand Hall, the stand-by units were still on Phase One alert. Leader Clent, in a typical move to establish order and confidence, had called a snap inspection of the Control Area. Accompanied by Miss Garrett, he strode calmly along the line of technical operators and recited their functions.
‘Emergency evacuation phasing?... Yes. Ioniser stage fault check? Good. Reactor safety sequence in operation?
Excellent.’ He turned to face Miss Garrett with a confident smile that embraced all her staff. ‘First class, Miss Garrett.
You’re to be congratulated—and, of course, your technicians, too.’
He then moved across to the computer communications deck, drawing Miss Garrett with him. As he drew alongside he murmured a dry aside. ‘You’ll make a qualified First Class Technical Organiser yet, Miss Garrett...’
‘Thank you.’ she replied with a tired smile, adding firmly, ‘but we need Scientist Penley.’
Clent didn’t alter his expression or even look in Jan’s direction—but his voice took on an edge of cold steel.
‘That person is no longer a member of this Base...’ He looked sharply at Jan, his eyes chilly and commanding. ‘I look to you to ensure that the Ioniser works properly, because you are loyal. Am I correct?’
The look in his eyes dared her to disagree.
‘Yes, Leader Clent,’ she nodded. the moment of uncertainty gone. ‘You are an example to us all.’
Clent relaxed and, nodding his acknowledgement of Jan’s polite submission, brought ECCO to life with a brisk tap of his finger.
‘What is the latest report from the Intercontinental Ioniser Programme HQ?’
ECCO’s sleek head revolved to face its questioner, and answered flatly: ‘ All bases on phase interlock. America—glaciers held. Australasia—glaciers held. South Africa—glaciers held.
USSR—some improvement claimed... ’
Clent pulled a face, and flicked a politely amused look at Jan, who didn’t respond. ‘They would be better than the rest of us,’ he muttered. His face changed as ECCO continued coldly.
‘ Brittanicus Base, Europe slipping out of phase. Glacial advance imminent unless condition stabilised immediately—’
Dent cut the voice short. His face tightened angrily.
‘Nonsense!’ he snapped. ‘We’re holding our own!