"It is pardoned," Lady Denning said caustically.

"After the viciousness of the attack - yeah, that makes sense now," Selby pondered aloud, "we had to check both the Nemo and the Ahab over, to make sure nothing crucial had been damaged. It was a b.a.s.t.a.r.d of an a.s.sault after all. Then we had to make sure they going to be up to making a journey at these depths. And there were only three of us to do it."

"So which one's sea-worthy?" Carcharodon asked, trying to regain some sense of authority whilst sitting damply within his waterlogged chair, every part of him soaked to the skin.

"They both are, sir. We made sure of it, just in case something else should happen to one of them. We were just getting ready to leave when, well, this happened." He took in the dock again.

"And you reckon both of them could still be piloted out of here?" McCormack asked.

"Yes, Captain, yes I do."

"But what about the pressure gate?" Mr Wates queried, pointing at partially exposed round steel doors revealed by the dislocation of the s.p.a.ce around them.

"Clements?" Selby said, calling on the support of another of the surviving trio of engineers, "you're the one who's been checking out that side of things."

"As far as we can tell there's no damage. We should still be able to access it remotely from on board the Ahab," Clements said, a little too sheepishly for Ulysses' liking.

"Of course," Selby said, "soon as those gates open this place is going to flood completely, within seconds. There won't be any coming back after that."

"That line was crossed long ago." Cheng was the one to point that fact out to all of them, and Ulysses found himself nodding in agreement. Although it was the truth, it didn't make those of a weaker disposition among the party of survivors feel any better.

"So, chaps, the long and the short of it," Major Horsley piped up, "is we load up these tubs, blow the bally doors off and skiddadle across to this underwater science lab thingy before the ruddy Kraken has us all for breakfast. Right?"

"Um, that about sums it up, Major," McCormack confirmed.

"There's a base?" Selby said, a quizzical look on his face.

"Never mind that," Swann said, looking perturbed. "He said there was a Kraken."

"There's a fair bit to fill you in on, later." The captain's tone implied that recriminations and accusations of keeping information from his crew would not be tolerated.

"Right you are, Mac," the chief engineer sighed, knowing his captain well enough to know not to challenge him on this. But he still had his little dig: "Let's just hope there'll still be a later. I take it we're not heading for the surface then?"

"No, not a good idea."

"Not unless you want to become squid-bait," Ogilvy muttered.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Carcharodon spoke up gruffly.

"Yes, sir," said Captain McCormack, sounding suddenly weary again. "It's going to be risky, but not as risky as going head-to-head with that thing out there."

"Are we sure this is the best course of action?" Everyone turned to look at Miss Birkin who had had the confidence to challenge the accepted view of the majority.

"Miss Birkin," the captain began, "we have all now seen, first hand, what that creature can do and we already know the threat it poses to our survival."

There were murmurs from some of the others in the party. Clearly, Miss Birkin was not alone in harbouring doubts about the planned course of action.

"But surely, on board one of these" - now it was the Norwegian's turn to speak up - "we could outrun a monster that size?"

"Are you sure?" Schafer threw back. "Didn't you see how quickly it closed on us on the Promenade Deck?"

"Yes, but something living at these depths wouldn't survive nearer the surface, surely? We wouldn't have to go very far to leave it behind."

"I wouldn't want to bet against those tentacles making a grab for us, sir," Nimrod said with something approaching calm detachment.

"Yes, but we still have to travel the distance from where the Neptune lies now to the base, and hope that we can gain access. Surely the distance we would have to travel upwards to get away from the Kraken would be comparable. The initial risk would probably be equal but then we would be heading back to the surface and long-term safety, not remaining trapped down here with that thing."

"It could be waiting for us, out there, right now," Constance declared fearfully, speaking up boldly in support of her fiance.

"Now that," said Ulysses, "is a good point."

"There is another way, you know? A way we can get out of this little pickle we seem to have got ourselves into," the Major announced cutting through the dissenting voices, a wicked glint in his eye behind his monocle.

"And what's that, Major?" Carcharodon asked, sounding genuinely interested with no suggestion of sarcasm.

"We could actively hunt the blighter down!"

"Are you serious?" Carcharodon riled, as if disappointed at having trusted the Major to come up with an effective alternative solution.

"But of course I am. I'm sure there's enough of what we'd need around here to rig these beauties out to turn them into mini strike cruisers or even to turn one of them into an overgrown torpedo."

The escapees stared back at the Major with stunned expressions on their faces. Incredibly, apparently oblivious to their disbelief and incredulity, he went on with expounding his scheme.

"We take it out via remote control or some such clever technical wizardry - I'm sure you fellows could come up with something," he said, addressing the chief engineer, "and then we'd have all the time in the world to pootle back up to the surface and be there in time for tiffin."

"Give me strength," McCormack muttered.

"But I've hunted these beasties before."

"Have you really, Major?" McCormack looked around the group and, judging the party's mood better than Horsley, he took a bold step. "We need to act quickly or all such discussions are going to prove merely academic. All those in favour of taking the subs across to the base Neptune found for us?"

Loyal to their captain, the purser and Mr Wates shot up their hands straight away, as did Ulysses. Following his master's example, Nimrod also raised a hand. Anxiously a.s.sessing how their fellows might vote, others among the party slowly raised their hands - Carcharodon, the silent Miss Celeste, John Schafer and Constance Pennyroyal, Lady Denning and a seemingly resigned Professor Crichton.

"Votes for" - McCormack took a quick count - "eleven. Those in favour of attempting to return to the surface?"

Despite the obvious way the poll was already going, Miss Birkin stubbornly raised her hand, along with Haugland and the twitchy Dr Ogilvy. Ulysses noticed Selby and his compatriots shooting each other meaningful glances but none of them had the confidence to vote against the wishes of their captain, and hence apparently abstained.

"Three. Anyone in support of the Major's idea?"

Major Horsley boldly put up his own hand, but was still the only one who thought taking the beast on head-to-head was a sensible idea. "d.a.m.n you all, you lily-livered cowards," he grumbled, cheeks and nose reddening in frustration.

Ulysses noticed that four had abstained from giving an opinion: Selby, Swann, Clements, and the taciturn Harry Cheng.

What's your game? he found himself wondering as he looked upon the narrow-eyed Chinaman.

"So the plan remains the same," the captain said indignantly, his tone barely hiding the fact that he believed they had done nothing more than waste precious time by even having such a worthless debate. "We take the subs out to the base."

"Agreed," Ulysses said, "although Miss Pennyroyal raised a good point."

"I-I did?" The young woman sounded as surprised as anyone at this revelation.

"Indeed. Everything we have seen so far regarding the beast suggests that it is actively hunting us, so we'll still be taking a big chance - possibly too big a risk if you ask me - if we attempt anything more than the shortest journey. As soon as we blow the pressure gate it's going to be on to us."

"d.a.m.n it, Quicksilver, I didn't have you down for a paranoid b.u.g.g.e.r!" Major Horsley gasped, making his own little retaliation against all those who had pooh-poohed his idea. "I've never heard such rubbish!"

"Paranoia is it, Major?"

"He could be right, Marmaduke," Lady Denning said. Ulysses couldn't help being a little surprised at hearing the biologist speak up in his defence, against the Major.

"Go on," Carcharodon said, suddenly prepared to listen to all and every reasoned opinion if it would get them - or rather him - out of this mess.

"If we're going to avoid becoming just another course on the menu at the Calamari's Revenge, what we need is a distraction."

"To give us a head start, you mean," Chief Engineer Selby said, a grin forming on his pug-face to match that now being sported by the dandy adventurer.

"Indeed."

The grin spread wider across Selby's face, revealing crooked nubs of teeth.

"Leave it to me!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

The Abyss It didn't seem that important a matter to Ulysses which of the two submersibles the individual escapees should board, but it appeared that Jonah Carcharodon was seizing the opportunity to recover some of his flagging self-confidence. Having been so helpless - nay, useless to the point of being an utter nuisance - during their flight through the wrecked liner, he seemed to feel the need to justify his existence again, and so had put himself in charge of group selection. Ulysses wondered if, as a child, the young Jonah had always been the one left to last when others were picking teams on the rugger field.

"McCormack, I want you on board the Ahab with me."

"Yes, sir." The captain sounded weary of his employer's att.i.tude but wasn't about to do anything disloyal and challenge him now.

"I want Selby too. One of the others can man the helm of the Nemo."

"Yes, sir. Mr Wates, if you would be so kind as to see the Nemo out."

"Yes, captain."

"And Mr Swann, if you would go with him, to provide technical support?"

"Aye aye, cap'n," the more gangly of the two remaining engineers said, attempting what Ulysses took to be a smart salute.

"Mr Quicksilver, if you and your manservant could join them on board the Nemo then I would know that each team had at least one person on board who knew what they were doing, just in case we somehow become separated."

"Indeed, captain, very wise." Ulysses consented.

"Lady Denning, Major Horsley, Professor Crichton," Carcharodon said. "I would consider it an honour if you would join me on board the Ahab."

Just for the briefest moment Ulysses thought he saw something pa.s.s between the magnate and the other three: some dark look, pregnant with meaning, but one which he was unable to determine.

"Captain, the Ahab needs another crewman, it being the bigger boat. There's more to keep an eye on," Selby warned.

"Very well, Selby, Mr Clements comes with us as well, and you purser."

The two new recruits to the Ahab's crew nodded.

"Miss Birkin, Miss Pennyroyal, Mr Schafer, Mr Haugland, Dr Ogilvy and Mr Cheng. You will all travel on board the Nemo." It wasn't a request.

"I'm not going on that sub!" Miss Birkin declared in something approaching an hysterical shriek. "I'm going to travel with you, Mr Carcharodon, on board the Ahab, and if you've got any sense, Constance my dear, you'll come with me."

The ageing spinster was making no bones of the fact that she was looking at Ulysses as she made her demands.

"Why, Miss Birkin," he said with a sneer, "a chap could get the idea that you don't like me."

"Constance? Are you going to see sense and come with me, young lady?" Miss Birkin pressed.

"Aunt you go where you like," her niece replied, sounding like she had had enough of being bossed around by the nagging old woman, "but John and I are staying put."

Her maiden aunt looked like she was about to commence a tirade, but Carcharodon cut in before she had finishing drawing breath. "That's settled then. Are we ready to go now? Or are we going to wait around here until h.e.l.l or high water does for us?"

It went without saying that Carcharodon intended that Miss Celeste would travel with him. And indeed it did go unsaid, so unimportant seemed the most important person in his life to the arrogant old sod.

Led by the Neptune's evacuating crew, the two groups moved towards their respective vessels.

"Look, why don't we all just travel in the one vessel?" Thor Haugland asked, hanging back.

Selby looked meaningfully at the captain, who glowered back at him. "Well, Mac?" the engineer challenged, testing his trusted relationship with the captain to the limit.

"It increases the odds of at least some of us getting out of here alive. It improves our chances of survival."

"What?" Schafer exclaimed, indignant. "You would play the odds with our lives?"

"We're all gambling with our lives, every step of the way," Ulysses pointed out with a heavy heart.

"Ulysses, you can't tell me that you're happy with this course of action," Schafer exclaimed in utter amazement, and clutching Constance's hands so tightly in his that his knuckles turned white.

"I'm afraid I do. Think about it for a moment, John. If we all bundle into just one of these tubs, if something goes wrong, it's over, for all of us. If a hull plate cracks under pressure, or if the beastie catches up with us, it's over."

John Schafer returned Ulysses honest open-eyed expression with an intense grimace of his own as he tried to reconcile all manner of emotions that were in turmoil beneath his ever so staid facade. And he had maintained it so well, without questioning any of the decisions made so far, and yet he now appeared to be on the verge of crumbling at this crucial time.

"However," Ulysses went on, "with two crates out there, if one fails, half survive. If the Kraken comes after us there are two targets to confuse it, meaning it's more likely all of us will make it to safety before it can seize either one of the subs."

"And Selby's ensured that there are a couple of little surprises for the wee beastie, should it come a-hunting," McCormack smiled.