As he turned to leave the office the desk phone rang. He picked up the receiver.
‘Bell speaking.’
‘Is that Panorama Chemicals?’ The voice had a strong Welsh accent.
‘Yes,’ said Dr Bell, ‘you’ve come through on a direct line to the Director’s office. Can I help you?’
‘I’m calling from the mine,’ the voice went on. ‘One of the lifts has jammed. There are people trapped. We need cable-cutting equipment. Can you help us?’
‘Is anyone hurt?’ Dr Bell was genuinely concerned.
‘We don’t know that yet,’ said the voice. ‘Maybe they are only suspended near the bottom of the shaft. We need cutting equipment to free the other lift and work it independently if we can.’
‘I’m sure we can help—’
As Dr Bell spoke the office door opened and Dr Stevens walked in followed by Hinks. Dr Bell told the caller to hang on, then quickly relayed the message to Dr Stevens. He expected Dr Stevens to give immediate orders for the company’s cutting equipment to be rushed to the mine. Instead, Dr Stevens crossed to his desk and disconnected the phone.
‘It is not company policy to lend equipment,’ said Dr Stevens. There seemed to be something strange about his voice.
Dr Bell, the now dead telephone still in his hand, could not believe his ears. ‘But people are trapped. It could be a matter of life and death!’
‘I’m sorry, Dr Bell, but as from this moment we have no cutting equipment.’
‘That is ridiculous,’ said Dr Bell. ‘I know where it is!’
‘And there it shall remain.’ Dr Stevens seated himself behind his large desk. ‘What’s more, it may be necessary for you to confirm to other people that we have no cutting equipment.’
Dr Bell began to realise that the Director was being perfectly serious. ‘Would you mind explaining to me why on earth we shouldn’t help these people?’
‘The mine must not be investigated,’ said Dr Stevens. ‘You know that as well as I do.’
‘Because that miner died?’
‘That, and other reasons.’ Dr Stevens noticed the report lying on his desk, smiled and changed the subject. ‘Ah, that looks interesting... ‘ He opened the cover.
‘One death is enough,’ said Dr Bell. ‘I’m going to get that equipment to them.’ He turned to leave and found Hinks had placed himself in front of the door. ‘Will you get out of my way, please?’
‘Stay where you are, Hinks,’ said Dr Stevens. ‘He must not leave.’
Dr Bell swung round. ‘Look here, you have no right to keep me prisoner—’
But his outburst was interrupted by a booming voice that seemed to come from the ceiling.
‘Stevens?’
Dr Stevens looked up, ‘Yes?’
‘Process him.’
‘Is that wise?’ asked Dr Stevens, speaking to the ceiling.
‘It is necessary,’ said the booming voice. ‘Do as I say. Process.’
‘Who on earth was that?’ asked Dr Bell, mystified by the brief exchange.
‘Our boss,’ said Dr Stevens. ‘Yours and mine.’
‘I... I don’t understand.’
‘You will,’ said Dr Stevens. ‘Very soon.’
Jo lowered herself slowly down the rope. As she swung to and fro the beam from her helmet played like a search-light as it swept the sides of the lift shaft. Looking down she could see the light from Bert’s helmet as he looked up towards her.
‘You’ve got another three feet of rope,’ he called. ‘Then you’ll have to fall the rest of the way. I’m here to catch you.’
She continued to ease herself down the rope. Then, as she expected, she felt no more rope between her legs. She lowered herself another couple of feet and let go, bringing up her knees a little to make her legs more springy for the final impact. For a moment she fell through space, then hit the ground. Bert caught her to steady her.
‘Where is he?’
‘Over here.’
Bert led the way to where Dai Evans lay moaning on the floor of the mine.
‘Look,’ said Bert. ‘Look at his arm.’
Jo looked down, her helmet light playing on Dai Evans.
His hand and arm were glowing a bright green.
The Brigadier’s jeep screeched to a halt outside the Panorama Chemicals building. He leapt out, ran up the steps. A uniformed attendant rushed to hold open one of the glass doors.
‘I need to see Dr Stevens,’ said the Brigadier. ‘A matter of the utmost importance.’
The urgency in is voice impressed the attendant, and he hurriedly escorted the Brigadier to the Director’s office and tapped on the door.
Dr Stevens was sitting at his desk, in conference with Mark Elgin. They broke off their discussion and listened attentively while the Brigadier explained what had just happened at the mine and the pressing need for cable-cutting equipment. The Brigadier also mentioned that Dr Stevens’s phone seemed to be out of order. Apparently Dave Griffiths made contact when he dialled, but then the line went suddenly dead.
‘First things first,’ said Dr Stevens when the Brigadier had finished. ‘Thanks for letting us know about the phone. However, the immediate problem is the equipment you need, and we shall be glad to help you in any way possible.’ He touched a button on his desk inter-corn and spoke towards the microphone. ‘Dr Bell, could you come in here a moment, please?’
‘At once,’ said Dr Bell’s voice over the tiny loudspeaker.
‘Dr Bell is our scientific and technical officer,’ Dr Stevens explained. ‘Very meticulous worker, an idealist in his way. Many’s the time I’ve had to tell him not to work all night—to go home to his wife and children.’
‘How excellent,’ said the Brigadier, although he wasn’t at all interested. His mind was fixed on the people who were trapped in the mine. ‘Will he take long to get here?’
‘Hardly,’ Mark Elgin smiled. ‘He works just down the corridor.’
There was a tap on the door and a spare ascetic man in a white coat entered. ‘You wanted me, Dr Stevens?’
‘Our good friend the Brigadier needs our help,’ said Dr Stevens. ‘Apparently there’s been another accident in the mine.’
The Brigadier swung round to greet Dr Bell. ‘Good afternoon, Doctor. We desperately need cutting equipment—oxyacetylene, that sort of thing, and we need it fast.’
Dr Bell shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, Brigadier, but we have nothing of that kind here.’
The Brigadier was astounded. ‘In an industrial undertaking of this size?’
Dr Stevens also seemed most surprised. ‘But surely, Dr Bell, we should have all sorts of emergency equipment? What’s happened to it?’
Dr Bell shrugged. ‘The emergency equipment was withdrawn some time ago, sir, to be replaced by thermic lances. They haven’t arrived yet.’
‘But that’s incredible,’ said Elgin. ‘I’m no technician, but I’m sure I saw oxyacetylene equipment in the stores only last week.’
Dr Stevens gave him a hard piercing look. ‘As you said, you are no technician. I’m sure Dr Bell knows what he is talking about.’ He turned to the Brigadier and smiled. ‘You must think we are woefully ill-equipped.’
‘I do find it rather surprising,’ the Brigadier commented.
Dr Stevens rose from his desk. ‘I hope you won’t accuse us of being deliberately obstructive, Brigadier.’ He took the Brigadier’s arm and started to propel him out of the office in a friendly way. ‘Have you thought of asking Professor Jones? Ah but no, I remember. They tried to borrow our equipment some weeks ago, so presumably they don’t have any themselves.’
Dr Stevens led the Brigadier away, still talking. Elgin found himself staring at Dr Bell.
‘I can’t believe this,’ said Elgin. ‘We must have some sort of cutting tools here.’
‘I had given an exact account of the position,’ said Dr Bell. He spoke as though he had rehearsed the sentence.
Elgin looked closely at Dr Bell. ‘Are you feeling all right?’
‘I feel perfectly well, thank you. ‘
‘But your voice,’ Elgin persisted. ‘It doesn’t sound like
you
.’
‘I must get on with my work,’ said Dr Bell. He moved towards the door.
‘No, hang on a moment. I think it’s time we had a chat about our revered Director, Dr Stevens.’
Dr Bell paused by the door. ‘What about Dr Stevens?’
Elgin had always liked Dr Bell and felt he could speak his mind to him. ‘It strikes me as odd how he wants to hush up the death of the miner who turned green. Is there something going on that no one’s told me?’
‘I cannot discuss our Director with you, Elgin.’
‘Elgin?’ Elgin went up close and looked Dr Bell in the eyes. ‘You always call me Mark. What’s the matter with you?’
Dr Bell put his hand on the door handle, ready to go. ‘Your attitude will be reported. Disloyalty cannot be tolerated.’
‘Disloyalty?’ said Elgin. ‘You’re talking like a robot!’
‘The Director will hear of this,’ said Dr Bell. He turned the handle, opened the door, and marched off down the corridor.
Elgin watched as Dr Bell went away. Even his walk seemed different. Elgin suddenly shivered. He felt most uneasy.
‘Are you scared?’ Bert’s voice was gentle.
‘I am a bit,’ said Jo. ‘What’s that creaking sound?’
Bert listened. From the depths of the mine came a slight creaking noise. ‘That’s nothing,’ he said. ‘We say the old girl—the mine, that is—is snoring in her sleep. It’s the roof moving a bit.’
Jo felt her knees shaking. ‘It’s going to fall in?’
‘Shall we say it’s
trying
to.’ He grinned. ‘That’s what all the props are for.’
‘Have you ever been trapped?’ she asked.
He nodded, the beam of his helmet light playing up and down the mine wall as he moved his head. ‘Eight years ago next November. I’d just finished my snap—lunch, as you would call it. Then a section of the roof came down. We didn’t see daylight again for the next two days.’
‘But you were all safe?’
This time he shook his head, his helmet light playing horizontally to and fro across the mine wall. ‘Six of us never saw daylight again.’
Jo was shocked. ‘That’s terrible.’
He shrugged. ‘You know how many miners are killed a year in the pits? Fifty, on average. Makes you think, doesn’t it? Anyway, I shouldn’t be telling you these terrible things when we’re stuck down here!’ He walked over and looked at Dai Evans. Dai had stopped moaning. His face was turning bright green.
‘Do you think they’re doing anything to get us out?’ Jo asked.
‘Must be by now,’ said Bert. ‘But I’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s time we started to get ourselves out.’
‘How?’
‘That fall eight years ago,’ he said, trying to remember. ‘They finally got us out through an old shaft. Of course, it may have fallen in by now—it wasn’t in regular use. I don’t want to lead you on a wild goose chase if I can’t find it again...’
‘Anything’s better than sitting here waiting,’ said Jo, getting to her feet.
‘That’s where you’re wrong. Getting lost in one of the galleries could be a lot worse than sitting on our backsides hoping for help from up top. But if I could remember the way we went... ‘ He haunched down, and started to draw a map of the mine in the coal dust on the floor.
‘We’d take Dai Evans with us, of course?’ Jo asked tentatively.
Bert looked up at her. ‘He’d hold us back, miss. In any case, the way he looks, I don’t think he’ll be seeing daylight again. Ever.’
In the pit head office Dave Griffiths dialled the phone number of the National Coal Board offices in Cardiff. Watching him was Professor Jones, who with a few other local people had come running to the mine on hearing of yet another accident. A girl answered the phone.
‘This is Llanfairfach here,’ said Dave into the phone. ‘Let me speak to Mr Ron Owen, if you please.’
‘I’ll try to find him for you,’ said the girl and went off the line.
‘Surely,’ queried Professor Jones, ‘there must be another way down into the mine?’
‘Uneconomic to have more than one shaft,’ said Dave, waiting for Mr Owen to come to the telephone. ‘The old private owners were in coal for profit, weren’t they?’ He heard Mr Owen speaking on the phone. ‘That you, Ron? Dave Griffiths here. There’s been another accident—’
The Doctor stepped through the door from the room containing the lift machinery. ‘That’s where you’re wrong,’ he cut in.
Dave asked Mr Owen to hold on for a moment. ‘What are you talking about, Doctor?’
‘I’m saying that what happened was not an accident,’ the Doctor repeated. He put a metal cotter pin on the desk for Dave to see. ‘That was lying on the floor near the cages. It had been removed from the brake linkage. What’s happened to the lifts was deliberate sabotage!’
‘You could be right,’ said Dave. ‘Anyway, we still need cutting equipment.’ He turned to the phone to report the latest incident at Llanfairfach colliery.
As he did so, the Brigadier returned from Panorama Chemicals. He threw his swagger cane down onto the desk, next to the cotter pin. ‘Can you believe it, Doctor? A place the size of that chemical works, and no cutting gear!’ Then he noticed the cotter pin. ‘What’s that?’
The Doctor explained his discovery. There was no way the cotter pin could have fallen out of the brake linkage. It had been pulled out by someone who wanted to create an ‘accident’.
‘You say Panorama have no cutting gear?’ asked the young Professor Jones, puzzled by this news.
‘I saw both the Director there and their chief scientific and technical officer,’ said the Brigadier. ‘May I ask who you are, sir?’
Professor Jones didn’t bother to-answer the question. He turned to Dave Griffiths, who had just put down the phone. ‘Dave, didn’t you borrow cutting equipment from Panorama only a fortnight ago?’
Dave nodded. ‘They let me collect it and put it back myself. It’s in the storage shed at the back of the power house there.’
Professor Jones turned back to the Brigadier. ‘You should have insisted.’
‘Should I?’ said the Brigadier, who did not take kindly to being told what to do by a stranger. ‘If I may repeat my question, are you connected with this mine in some way?’
‘This is Professor Jones,’ said Dave, with a touch of pride. ‘He’s come to live in the village.’
‘Professor Jones?’ said the Doctor, beaming and extending his hand. ‘I never realised. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. Your paper on DNA synthesis was quite remarkable for your age.’