Free Doctor Who: Fury From the Deep by Victor Pemberton Page B

He thrust the plastic bag into Jamie's hands, and rushed out. Jamie looked disgustedly at the seaweed specimen inside the polythene bag, pulled a face at it, then followed the Doctor. Last to leave was Victoria, who went to cover Maggie properly with the duvet. After a last anxious look, Victoria hurried off to join the others, quietly closing the door behind her.
    Outside, the early afternoon light was becoming thinner. The thaw was still continuing, but there were signs of an approaching breeze, which caused the bedroom curtains at the smashed window to flutter restlessly.
    Maggie was breathing quite normally, her eyes firmly closed.
    She seemed at peace. Suddenly, a movement: her hand slipped from beneath the duvet cover, and dangled to and fro aimlessly.
     
    A frond-like weed formation was beginning to grow down Maggie's exposed hand and arm.
     
    There was shock and fear on the group of faces peering down into the darkness of the impeller shaft. The giant pump itself was still immobile, but the thumping heartbeat sound continued to echo throughout the aluminium pipeline tube.
    'In God's name, what is that sound?' The Chief Engineer was gripping the safety rail around the surface of the shaft, his voice reduced to a faltering whisper.
    Van Lutyens, like the rest of the engineers, was almost mesmerised by the throbbing, pulsating sound coming up from the base of the shaft. It's uncanny,' he murmured. 'Like a... a heartbeat... '
    Robson was clearly affected by the sound. Both his hands were gripping the safety rail, and his eyes were transfixed down into the darkness of the Shaft, as though he alone knew exactly what was going on down there.
    And then, the unexpected happened. The thumping sound came to a sudden, dramatic halt.
    The silence was deafening.
    The Chief Engineer was first to speak. 'It's stopped again. The rest of the crew were looking nervously around, down to the shaft, up to the pipeline tube.
    Van Lutyens turned immediately to Robson. 'This surely must be proof.'
    Robson had not relaxed his grip on the safety rail. He was still staring down into the shaft. 'Proof?' he murmured, as if in a trance.
    Suddenly, he swung around to look the Dutchman straight in the eyes. He hesitated, then burst into scornful laughter.
    Van Lutyens watched Robson as though he was mad. He had to raise his voice to be heard. 'Proof that there is something down there blocking the impeller.'
    'Rubbish!' snarled Robson, waving his hand dismissively.
    'Hysterical nonsense!'
    'But you heard it. That terrible sound...'
    Robson was unyielding. 'I heard a mechanical fault in the base of the impeller!'
     
    Van Lutyens pointed in frustration towards the shaft. 'But the impeller isn't working! Don't you ever believe anything until you can see it?'
    Robson had had enough. He pushed past the Dutchman, and made for the door, yelling to the engineers as he went, 'I want this impeller operational in half an hour!' He stopped at the door and turned. 'Now get to it!'
    Through the transparent door, van Lutyens could see Robson disappearing back amongst the maze of electronic hardware in the Control Hall. The Dutchman was now more convinced than ever that the Refinery was being run by a lunatic.
     
    Back inside the TARDIS, the Doctor dropped his seaweed specimen into a small glass tank. Attached to the side of the tank were two miniature metal cylinders containing two transparent tubes inserted through holes on either side of the tank.
    Jamie peered at the specimen inside the tank and scratched his head in puzzlement. 'What are you doing, Doctor?'
    Before replying, the Doctor covered the tank with its seal-tight lid. 'These cylinders contain a small quantity of natural gas, Jamie. It might be interesting to see what effect it has on the weed specimen -
    if any.' He turned on the cylinder release taps, and immediately the sound of hissing gas could be heard coming from inside the tank.
    This corner of the TARDIS was beginning to look like a medical