Doctor Who_ The Sea-Devils - Malcolm Hulke [45]
Captain Hart was talking to the Naval Base. He asked for ambulances to be sent to take away the dead prison officers. Then he listened intently as he was told something by the person he was speaking to. When they had finished he replaced the ’phone and spoke to the Doctor. ‘The submarine has been traced, leaving here and making straight for the oil-rig.’
‘The Sea-Devils must have taken it over,’ said Jo.
‘No doubt,’ said Captain Hart, clearly sceptical that lizards could be in command of a British submarine. ‘It has now disappeared from the radar screen again close to the oil-rig, so that means it’s submerged.’
‘Then there’s only one course open to us,’ said the Doctor. ‘Can you provide me with a diving-bell?’
‘Whatever for?’ asked the captain.
‘Somebody has got to go down there and try to make contact with these creatures,’ said the Doctor.
Jo watched as Naval ratings prepared the diving-bell. It was a huge cylindrical object, the shape of an oil-drum but large enough to carry two or three people. Right now it hung suspended a few feet above the deck of the special diving-bell mother-ship. They were anchored about two miles out at sea, exactly over the last point where the submarine was traced by sonar.
The Doctor and Captain Hart came along the deck. The Doctor smiled when he saw Jo. ‘The captain’s still trying to convince me that I shouldn’t go down.’
‘You’re not a trained diver,’ said the captain.
‘But I am a scientist,’ said the Doctor. ‘So what I don’t know I should quickly learn.’ He called to the petty officer in charge of the preparations. ‘Ready for me, yet?’
‘Ready we are,’ said the petty officer. ‘Will you climb in now, sir?’
‘Gladly,’ said the Doctor. He turned to Jo. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be back in no time.’ He gave a wave to Captain Hart then climbed into the hole at the bottom of the diving-bell. As soon as the Doctor was inside, ratings slammed home a stout metal hatch that covered the hole and pulled tight clamps all round it. The Doctor’s face appeared at one of the little observation portholes in the side of the bell, and smiled down at Jo. She waved, not with great enthusiasm.
‘Ready on the winch,’ called the petty officer.
The diving-bell hung from a deck crane. First this was swung round, so that the bell now hung over the sea. Then the sailor at the winch pulled a lever: a drum of coiled metal rope started to turn, and the diving bell slowly descended into the sea. Jo went to the side rail to watch as the bell touched the water, sank into it, was visible for a few moments through the water, then disappeared altogether.
‘You’ll get cold here,’ said Captain Hart. ‘Come into the communications cabin. We can chat to the Doctor by telephone.’
Jo followed the captain along the deck and into a small cabin filled with electronic equipment. The captain sat himself at a desk and switched on a loudspeaker and microphone. ‘Hart speaking,’ he said into the microphone. ‘Can you hear me all right?’
‘Extremely well,’ came the Doctor’s voice. ‘There are some fish here taking considerable interest in me.’
‘You must make a pleasant change for them,’ said the captain. ‘Life down there must get pretty monotonous.’
The Doctor did not reply.
‘Are you all right?’ asked Captain Hart.
The Doctor’s voice replied clearly. ‘Fine. But I was looking through the porthole. I thought that I saw something. How deep am I?’
‘You’re on rapid descent,’ said Captain Hart, ‘so you’re almost at sea-bed now.’
Again, no reply. Captain Hart smiled to Jo, and Jo smiled back.
‘Must give him a chance to look through the porthole,’ said Captain Hart after some seconds had passed. ‘Like a cup of tea?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Jo. She waited a few more seconds. ‘Hadn’t you better check if he’s all right, again?’
‘Suppose so,’ said Hart. He turned back to the microphone. ‘What did you think you saw, Doctor?’
No reply.
‘Doctor,’ said Hart, ‘are you still hearing me all right?’
No reply.
Jo went to the microphone. ‘Doctor! Will you please answer!’
Silence.
Captain Hart jumped