exploded inside the ear-phones.
Clem saw it and frowned. He'd been thinking about the cloud of sediment he'd seen on the monitor, wondering if it had anything to do with what was happening and whether he ought to say something to Jack about it. The last thought was a passing one only - Pierce had enough troubles already. In fact, Clem felt pretty useless like so much dead weight, and there was enough of that around the place already. He put out a massive hand and touched the toolpusher's arm gently. Bromley turned. Clem made a hitch-hike thumb back over his shoulder. "I'll be at the stack controls if I'm needed." He caught Bromley's nod and left.
Clem Berry wasn't the only one to feel useless. Jack Pierce was babbling away into the microphone stalk, but there was no way of knowing whether anyone had heard him until he released the talk button. When he did, he was still none the wiser. First there was cackling, then a series of hysterical shrieks, followed by what sounded like gargling screeches. If he didn't know better, he would have said that MacFarlane was drowning in his own blood!
"Jesus!" Bill Rose's voice was a metallic, but welcomed rasp. "He's...."
"He's what?" Beads of perspiration were running down Pierce's drawn cheeks in never-ending streams. "What's he doing, Bill? Bill, what's wrong with Eddie? Bill!!"
Rose's eventual reply was squeaky and disbelieving. "He's gone bloody troppo!"
"Okay, Bill, steady. Just tell me what's happening."
"Eddie's dancing!"
"What do you mean? Is he having a seizure, a fit, what?"
"He's dancing, I said! He's doing a fuckin' jig!" Rose was panting. "And there's stuff all round him.
"What kind of stuff?
"I don't know. Like phosphorus, blue or purple, it's hard to tell the bottom's so stirred up. Oh, Shit! It's inside his hat! I can see the face-plate glowing. The hat must have flooded. I've got to get to him!"
"Hold it, Bill," Pierce cut in hastily. "Stay where you are."
"But he needs air, for Christ's sake!"
"Wait!" snapped Pierce. "You don't know what that stuff is! Just wait a moment." He wiped angrily at the sweat that was stinging his eyes. "Eddie, listen to me, Eddie. This is Jack on the Olympian." Pierce felt utterly helpless. Talking to the boy was just a waste of time - MacFarlane wouldn't be able to reply, not with a flooded rat-hat! No wonder he was gurgling. The poor kid was choking on sea water! But if he didn't try to get through to Eddie, maybe get him to swim out of the phosphorus, or whatever it was, then Rose would have to go into it and the same thing might happen to him! "Eddie, move away from the stack. Try to swim away, Eddie."
"Jack?" wailed a pathetically weak and terrified voice.
"Was that you, Bill?" asked Pierce hurriedly.
"Not me, Jack."
"I thought you said he'd flooded?"
"Jack?" wailed the voice again. "Help me!"
"Sorry, Jack," said Rose. "It just looked like..."
"Eddie," cut in Pierce, "Listen to me. We will help you, but you must listen."
"Oh, Jack, please! Jack!"
"Okay, Eddie. We're coming. Now, remember where you are. You're two hundred feet below us, but you are not alone. Bill's there, very close to you."
"Oh, Jesus, Jack! It's inside me!"
Inside? What's inside? Every hair on Pierce's body was standing bolt upright. Get a grip on yourself, Jack, he warned. For Eddie's sake, don't go to pieces. He's just rambling. He's scared, that's all. "It will be alright soon, Eddie. Bill's coming. Bill will help you, Eddie. You have to come up to the surface. Do you understand? You must come up. Bill will help you. Don't try to do it on your own. Let Bill bring you up." Pierce was running out of breath. "Eddie, you must come up. There's nothing to be afraid of. We're all waiting for you topside. Come up with Bill. He's down there with you. Do you understand? Eddie? Eddie, talk to me."
Eddie started whimpering again, then, the pathetic sound cut off and was replaced by a hiss. Pierce cocked his head instinctively. The sound faded, then came again, louder, clearer the second time. "Jack ... anyone!" MacFarlane's voice was becoming more distraught, if that was possible. "For pity's sake, he-e-lp mmeee-eeee....!
Shivers ascended Pierce's spine and lingered at his neck. He was vaguely aware that his eyes were bulging. "Bill?" He gasped out the name. "Bill, what's he doing now?"
"Nothing," Rose came back incredulously. "Just standing."
"Okay, get over to him."
"On my way, Jack."
"Listen, Bill," added Pierce hastily, "Take it easy going into that stuff. If you start to feel anything - light-headed, burning, anything - just get out. Leave Eddie and abort the dive."
"I'm nearly there, Jack," panted Rose. "A few more feet. I was right - it's a sort of purple colour. I'm just touching the edge of it. There's only a tingle like a small electric current. I think I'll be okay...
"Get out, Bill!
"But it's just a ting..."
"Abort the dive! Right now!
"I can't leave him, Chief!"
"You do as you're damn well told!" Pierce was yelling into the microphone stalk.
"I'm almost there. Reaching out."
"That's a negative, Bill. Do not, repeat: do not touch him!"
"It's alright, Jack I'm there. I've got him. It’s okay, Jack, we're ....ooommphhh!"
"Bill?" It sounded as if Rose had just lost all of his air in a single rush. "Bill, what happened? Are you...?" A peculiar cry reached Pierce. The unearthly wail rose in key and volume until it was a high-pitched whistle. It continued to slide up the scale until it surpassed audible reception, at least of any human ear.
Rose cut in as the sound faded. He was gasping, fighting for air. "Jack__ He's gone__ up." He continued breathing deeply for a few seconds. "Sorry. Not making much sense. He hit me. Fetched me a beauty. Knocked me silly and just went. He's going up, Jack. Don't know if I can catch him."
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I can manage, but Eddie...."
"Leave him, Bill." Meyer was almost touching Pierce. He had only been subjected to the same level of suspense as Doug Bromley, but the one-sided conversation was apparently too much for Les to bear. He reached over the diving supervisor's shoulder for the switch to the speaker button. Jack Pierce slashed the hand away. "Let him go, Bill. Let him come up."
"I don't think he'll stop, Jack. He took off like a cruise missile."
"Don't worry about Eddie. The chamber's ready. We'll put him straight in as soon as he surfaces. You just look after yourself. Are you alright?"
"Bit winded. Jeez, that little Scotch bastard packs a wallop. But I'm okay now.
