小说园

第36部分（第1页）

There　was　no　answer　from　Beth。　She　probably　couldnt　hear　him；　surrounded　by　all　this　metal。　He　looked　around　the　sub；　thinking；　Im　dripping　wet。　But　what　was　he　supposed　to　do；　wipe　his　shoes　before　entering？　He　smiled　at　the　thought。　He　found　the　tapes　secured　in　an　aft　partment。　There　was　plenty　of　room　for　more；　and　plenty　of　room　for　three　people。　But　Beth　was　right　about　going　to　the　surface：　the　interior　of　the　sub　was　crammed　with　instruments　and　sharp　edges。　If　you　got　banged　around　in　here　it　wouldnt　be　pleasant。

Where　was　the　delay　button？　He　looked　at　the　darkened　instrument　panel；　and　saw　a　single　flashing　red　light　above　a　button　marked　〃TIMER　HOLD。〃　He　pressed　the　button。

The　red　light　stopped　flashing；　and　now　remained　steadily　on。　A　small　amber　video　screen　glowed：

Timer　Reset　…　Counting　12：00：00

As　he　watched；　the　numbers　began　to　run　backward。　He　must　have　done　it；　he　thought。　The　video　screen　switched　off。　Still　looking　at　all　the　instruments；　a　thought　occurred　to　him：　in　an　emergency；　could　he　operate　this　sub？　He　slipped　into　the　pilots　chair；　faced　the　bewildering　dials　and　switches　of　the　instrument　array。　There　didnt　seem　to　be　any　steering　＇＇240＇＇　apparatus；　no　wheel　or　joystick。　How　did　you　work　the　damned　thing？

The　video　screen　switched　on：

DEEPSTAR　III　…　MAND　MODULE

Do　you　require　help？

YesNo　Cancel

Yes；　he　thought。　I　require　help。　He　looked　around　for　a　〃YES〃　button　near　the　screen；　but　there　wasnt　any　that　he　could　see。　Finally　he　thought　to　touch　the　screen；　pressing　〃YES。〃

DEEPSTAR　III　…　CHECKLIST　OPTIONS

DescendAscend

SecureShutdown

MonitorCancel

He　pressed　〃ASCEND。〃　The　screen　changed　to　a　small　drawing　of　the　instrument　panel。　One　particular　section　of　the　drawing　blinked　on　and　off。　Beneath　the　picture　were　the　words：

DEEPSTAR　III　…　ASCEND　CHECKLIST

1。　Set　Ballast　Blowers　To：　On

Proceed　To　NextCancel

So　that　was　how　it　worked；　Norman　thought。　A　step…by…step　checklist　stored　in　the　subs　puter。　All　you　had　to　do　was　follow　directions。　He　could　do　that。

A　small　surge　of　current　moved　the　sub；　swaying　it　at　its　tether。

He　pressed　the　〃CANCEL〃　and　the　screen　went　blank。　It　flashed：

Timer　Reset　…　Counting　11：53：04

＇＇241＇＇　The　counter　was　still　running　backward。　He　thought；　Have　I　really　been　here　seven　minutes？　Another　surge　of　current；　and　the　sub　swayed　again。　It　was　time　to　go。

He　moved　to　the　hatch；　climbed　out　into　the　dome；　and　closed　the　hatch。　He　lowered　himself　down　the　side　of　the　sub；　touched　the　bottom。　Out　from　beneath　the　shielding　metal；　his　radio　immediately　crackled。

〃…you　there？　Norman；　are　you　there？　Answer；　please！〃

It　was　Harry；　on　the　radio。

〃Im　here；〃　Norman　said。

〃Norman；　for　Gods　sake…〃

In　that　moment；　Norman　saw　the　greenish　glow；　and　he　knew　why　the　sub　had　surged　and　rocked　at　its　moorings。　The　squid　was　just　ten　yards　away；　its　glowing　tentacles　writhing　out　toward　him；　churning　up　the　sediment　along　the　ocean　floor。

〃…Norman；　will　you…〃