第一小说网

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第35部分（第4页）

He　covered　his　surprise。　〃I　think　so；　too。〃

〃Somebody　has　to　watch　the　array；〃　she　said。　〃And　I　can　give　you　warning　if　the　squid　is　ing。〃

〃Right；〃　he　said。　Thinking；　Hell；　shes　serious。　〃I　dont　think　this　is　one　for　Harry；〃　Norman　said。

〃No；　Harrys　not　very　physical。　And　hes　still　asleep。　I　say；　let　him　sleep。〃

〃Right；〃　Norman　said。

〃Youll　need　help　with　your　suit；〃　Beth　said。

〃Oh；　thats　right；　my　suit；〃　Norman　said。　〃The　fan　is　broken　in　my　suit。〃

〃Fletcher　fixed　it　for　you；〃　Beth　said。

〃I　hope　she　did　it　right。〃

〃Maybe　I　should　go　instead；〃　Beth　said。

〃No；　no。　You　watch　the　consoles。　Ill　go。　Its　only　a　hundred　yards　or　so；　anyway。　It　cant　be　a　big　deal。〃

〃All　clear　now；〃　she　said；　glancing　at　the　monitors。

〃Right；〃　Norman　said。

＇＇238＇＇　His　helmet　clicked　in　place；　and　beth　tapped　his　faceplate；　gave　him　a　questioning　look：　was　everything　all　right？

Norman　nodded；　and　she　opened　the　floor　hatch　for　him。　He　waved　goodbye　and　jumped　into　the　chilly　black　water。　On　the　sea　floor；　he　stood　beneath　the　hatch　for　a　moment　and　waited　to　make　sure　he　could　hear　his　circulating　fan。　Then　he　moved　out　from　beneath　the　habitat。

There　were　only　a　few　lights　on　in　the　habitat；　and　he　could　see　many　thin　lines　of　bubbles　streaming　upward；　from　the　leaking　cylinders。

〃How　are　you？〃　Beth　said；　over　the　inter。　〃Okay。　You　know　the　place　is　leaking？〃

〃It　looks　worse　than　it　is；〃　Beth　said。　〃Trust　me。〃　Norman　came　to　the　edge　of　the　habitat　and　looked　across　the　hundred　yards　of　open　sea　floor　that　separated　him　from　DH…7。　〃How　does　it　look？　Still　clear？〃

〃Still　clear；〃　Beth　said。

Norman　set　out。　He　walked　as　quickly　as　he　could；　but　he　felt　as　if　his　feet　were　moving　in　slow　motion。　He　was　soon　short　of　breath；　he　swore。

〃Whats　the　matter？〃

〃I　cant　go　fast。〃　He　kept　looking　north；　expecting　at　any　moment　to　see　the　greenish　glow　of　the　approaching　squid；　but　the　horizon　remained　dark。

〃Youre　doing　fine；　Norman。　Still　clear。〃

He　was　now　fifty　yards　from　the　habitat…halfway　there。　He　could　see　DH…7；　much　smaller　than　their　own　habitat；　a　single　cylinder　forty　feet　high；　with　very　few　portholes。　Alongside　it　was　the　inverted　dome；　and　the　minisub。

〃Youre　almost　there；〃　Beth　said。　〃Good　work。〃

Norman　began　to　feel　dizzy。　He　slowed　his　pace。　He　could　now　see　markings　on　the　gray　surface　of　the　habitat。　There　were　all　sorts　of　block…printed　Navy　stencils。

〃Coast　is　still　clear；〃　Beth　said。　〃Congratulations。　Looks　like　you　made　it。〃

He　moved　under　the　DH…7　cylinder；　looked　up　at　the　hatch。　It　was　closed。　He　spun　the　wheel；　pushed　it　open。　He　couldnt　see　much　of　the　interior；　because　most　of　the　lights　＇＇239＇＇　were　out。　But　he　wanted　to　have　a　look　inside。　There　might　be　something；　some　weapon；　they　could　use。

〃Sub　first；〃　Beth　said。　〃Youve　only　got　ten　minutes　to　push　the　button。〃

〃Right。〃

Norman　moved　to　the　sub。　Standing　behind　the　twin　screws；　he　read　the　name：　Deepstar　III。　The　sub　was　yellow；　like　the　sub　that　he　had　ridden　down；　but　its　configuration　was　somewhat　different。　He　found　handholds　on　the　side；　pulled　himself　up　into　the　pocket　of　air　trapped　inside　the　dome。　There　was　a　large　acrylic　bubble　canopy　on　top　of　the　sub　for　the　pilot；　Norman　found　the　hatch　behind；　opened　it；　and　dropped　inside。

〃Im　in　the　sub。〃

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　befo