Part 6 (1/2)

Diagrams of the Enterprise's hull glowed on the computer screens. Pulsing lights indicated the opening and closing of valves, the speed of the flow into the insulated tanks. They would also indicate, instantly, any hazardous stresses forming in the tanks, or any imbalance of pressure between the s.h.i.+p and the loading terminal.

Suddenly there was a persistent buzzing from one of the panels, and a knot of technicians formed at once around a flas.h.i.+ng red light.

'Excuse me, Sarah.' Tony stood and crossed the room in a few quick strides. 'What's the trouble?' he demanded.

The supervisor exhaled slowly. 'There's a snag in the flow, Mr Freeland,' he replied, raking his fingers through his hair abstractedly.

'How can that be-you've checked and re-checked the equipment every day since we left Rotterdam!' His voice was harsh and accusatory, and Sarah saw suddenly just how raw and close to the surface Tony's nerves were. She had misjudged him: he wasn't as calm and in control as she had thought. Troubled for him, she stood and went to his side.

'I don't think the trouble's with us, sir,' the man replied with deliberate calm. 'I'd say it's at the pumping station end.'

'You don't think! A fortune in equipment at your fingertips and that's the best you can do?'

'Mr Freeland, sir, we've just this moment seen the warning. If you'll permit me, I'll get on the line to the sh.o.r.e office and see what they have on it.'

Bravely spoken, thought Sarah, considering the poor man had an alarm screeching in one ear and the s.h.i.+p's owner shouting in the other. She suddenly had another vision of Tony Freeland, of a man who did not tolerate frustration very well.

Apprehensively, she watched him pace the floor with long, restless strides as he listened to the incomprehensibly technical conversation between the supervisor and his land counterpart.

Exasperated, he grabbed Sarah's arm, finally, and propelled her towards the door.

'Where are we going?' she panted, jogging after him.

'To the sh.o.r.e office!' he rapped out, his eyes straight ahead. 'If someone on their side is messing up, I want to know about it!' The Arctic air caught in Sarah's throat like a knife as they skidded unsteadily across the slick, frozen ground.

The workroom was cheerless and functional, crowded with a welter of desks and draughting boards. Sarah paced it restlessly, attracting the curious and admiring stares of the all-male staff. From time to time she glanced into Gus Cameron's gla.s.s-walled office, where a huddle of men bent over a pile of blueprints. Once, she saw Tony gesturing angrily. They were telling him nothing, apparently, to improve his mood.

As the minutes dragged by, she accepted a paper cup filled with coffee from one of the engineers and sank dejectedly into a vacant chair.

The office door opened and Guy came out, closing it quietly behind him. He came and sat on the edge of the desk in front of Sarah.

'Looks as if we're in for a long wait,' he said.

'I gathered as much-do they know what the problem is?'

'More or less. One of the pumps is malfunctioning. But at least it's nothing to do with the Enterprise. Tony should be grateful for that much.'

Sarah turned her head and peered back at the office. 'He certainly doesn't look very relieved,' she observed.

'Well, the bad news is that we'll be tied up at least one extra day-and probably two.'

'Two days! I don't blame him for being furious.'

He shrugged. 'You have to expect a few bugs the first time through.'

Sarah shook her head and swirled the coffee around in her cup. 'I suppose you're right. But still... two days!'

'Think you can come up with some way to put in the time?'

She raised a neatly arched eyebrow. 'To tell you the truth, I don't know. I've pestered just about everybody for an interview. And there's just so much you can write about a completely automated pumping system.'

'Well, there's always the movie theatre,' he tossed out, shrugging his broad shoulders.

She gave a small cry of exasperation. 'If you think I've come all the way to the Arctic just to sit in a dark room and watch re-runs of last year's cinema spectacles, then you don't know me!' She strode to the window and stood with her arms folded across her bosom, looking hungrily out at the icy blue vista. Her natural curiosity was never still for a minute. 'I want to go exploring,' she announced.

He gave her a quick look. 'That's not your ordinary countryside out there you know.'

'I do know that! But it's beautiful, in its own way. I've read all my life about the mystery and grandeur of the Arctic. I just want to go out there for a while and... and... experience it!'

An idea formed in her mind. Ignoring Guy's cautions, she turned to the man at the next desk, who had been a reluctant eavesdropper on their conversation.

'Excuse me,' she said, 'but don't you and the other men ever get away from the station-sightseeing, I mean?'

The man put his pen down and smiled at her, delighted with her attention. 'Yes... some of the men like to go out and try to sight birds and animals. As a matter of fact, the last time they went out they came across a native hunting party that had set up a temporary camp not far from here. That's pretty rare for this area-they were really excited.'

'There, you see?' She looked at Guy, and turned to the other man. 'Do you think anyone might be going out either today or tomorrow?'

'I don't know offhand. But I could try to find someone to take you out on a short trip.'

'Could you? I'd be so grateful!' she exclaimed, her face lit up with excitement.

The man grinned. 'Hold on a minute,' he said, standing. 'I'll see what I can come up with.'

Sarah tilted her chin and looked triumphantly at Guy. Old movies, indeed!

But when the man returned, he was apologetic. 'Mr Cameron gave his permission, but I'm afraid I couldn't find anyone qualified to take you. Almost all the leaves have been cancelled while the Enterprise's in port.'

Sarah's shoulders sagged. 'Darn,' she said, giving the desk a little slap.

She was conscious of Guy's eyes on her. 'Well, there's always the-' he began.

'No way!' she retorted. 'Look,' she said to the engineer, 'couldn't I strike out on my own for a while? I wouldn't go far, and I'd be very careful.'

He shook his head. 'I don't think so, Miss Grey. You wouldn't get far enough away from the compound to see much. Besides, we'd really hate to lose you!'

Sarah gritted her fine white teeth in frustration. Two more days of staring at the backs of computer technicians. It seemed like such a waste.

'This hunting camp,' Guy was saying, 'Is it far?'

'No... less than an hour by snowmobile.'

'And the terrain?'

'No problem. It's a pretty straight run along the sh.o.r.e.'

'If we left within an hour, then, we could still be back well before the early dark?'