The Sacred Vault_ A Novel - Andy McDermott [69]
Matt glanced at the other laptop, which displayed a graphic of the pipeline system overlaid on a plan of the United Nations. A blinking cursor showed Servo’s position, not far from the outline of the Secretariat Building. ‘What’s the time?’ he asked.
‘Eight oh four,’ Karima told him.
‘Christ, we’ve only got ten minutes to high tide. Pick up the pace, Servo!’ he told the screen as he thumbed the throttle wheel on one joystick. The fibre-optic spool turned faster.
Eddie reached the IHA offices. ‘Working late, Lola?’ he said in what he hoped was a casual tone. There were still a few staff around even this late; the IHA was full of people who could lose all track of time poring over some piece of ancient junk, his own wife one of the worst offenders. He couldn’t go to the vault until his friends completed their work, so this was the least suspicious place to wait.
‘Yes, just finishing some paperwork,’ Lola replied; then she lowered her voice. ‘I used Nina’s security code to give you access to the lockers. Just use your own ID when you get down there - it’s all in the system. As far as the guards will know, Nina’s given you authorisation to open them.’
‘They won’t check and find that she’s not here?’
‘But she is here,’ said Lola with exaggerated innocence as she tapped her keyboard. ‘The computer says she’s had one of the conference rooms booked all day. And computers are never wrong, right?’
Eddie grinned. ‘Thanks, Lola.’ Still carrying the heavy case, he went into Nina’s office.
He checked his watch. 8.10. Come on, Matt!
Karima watched the map intently as the cursor crept across it, painfully slowly. Servo was now beneath the Secretariat Building, but the old pipeline system branched and turned as it progressed inland, the ROV needing to follow a convoluted route to its destination.
She looked at the view on the other laptop. The pipe divided ahead, one leg continuing straight on while the other made a ninety-degree turn. ‘Which way?’ Matt asked.
‘Left,’ she told him. ‘About twenty metres ahead there’s another junction. Turn right, and up.’
The pipe beyond the next intersection ascended at a forty-five degree angle. ‘Go left at the top,’ said Rad. ‘Then it’s a straight line to the junction box.’
‘Time?’ asked Matt as he piloted the robot towards the final turn.
‘Eight twelve,’ said Karima.
‘Two minutes to high tide . . . Christ.’ Another turn of the throttle.
The robot reached the top of the shaft. Alarmingly, it was instantly clear that the new pipeline was not completely full of water - a shimmering line sliced across its top.
The surface. The tide was at its highest. And it might not be high enough.
Matt shoved the throttle to full. On the screen, the conduit rushed past like something from a video game. ‘How far?’
‘Twenty metres,’ said Rad, staring at the map. ‘Fifteen . . .’
‘Watch out!’ Karima cried as something flashed into view ahead. An unidentifiable hunk of flotsam carried there by tidal currents blocked the way—
Servo couldn’t stop in time. The image spun crazily as the robot hit the obstacle . . .
And stopped.
‘Shit. Shit!’ Matt gasped. The view swayed dizzily as Servo reeled from side to side, but couldn’t pull free. He worked the joysticks, trying to make the robot squirm past the obstruction.
The water’s surface churned as backwash from the propeller created ripples - but even through the distortion Karima saw it was lower than before. ‘Matt! The water’s dropping!’
8.15. The tide was inexorably retreating.
Matt frantically jerked the controls. ‘Come on, Servo, you can do it! Come on!’
Still at full power. But still not moving.