The Skeleton Clock Read online

  ‘Why?’

  Jake eased the door open. The corridor outside was still deserted. ‘I don’t know. He’s not like any other Watch men I’ve met. But he seems to be on our side.’

  ‘Do you know the way out?’

  Jake took her arm and helped her into the corridor. ‘I think so. But if anyone sees us… What we need,’ he decided, ‘is a distraction. Something to keep everyone busy so they won’t worry about us.’ He looked at the door across the corridor. ‘I’ve got an idea.’

  *

  Marrianna Patterson led Revelle down the metal stairway to the damp stone floor. Immediately Doctor Stammers came hurrying over. He was carrying a clipboard, and gave Revelle a curt nod of recognition.

  ‘Miss Patterson, you’re just in time. This shift is about to end, we’re opening the airlock in a moment.’

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘Let’s see what my children have found.’

  The man glanced at the pile of bits and pieces. ‘I’m afraid we haven’t finished sorting the last lot yet. They bring so much now,’ he added quickly.

  ‘Then the experiment is a success.’

  ‘What experiment?’ Revelle asked, intrigued.

  ‘Officer Revelle won’t be staying with us, Stammers,’ Miss Patterson said sternly.

  ‘Just visiting this time,’ Revelle said.

  ‘Right then. Um… Yes.’ Stammers turned and hurried after Miss Patterson, who was striding purposefully towards the huge circular door at the end of the chamber.

  She turned as Stammers and Revelle approached. ‘Well, open it then.’

  Stammers nodded, and gestured to a Defeater standing nearby. The Defeater immediately started shouting orders, and in a few moments a group of the uniformed guards had lined up, their machine guns pointing at the metal door.

  ‘I guess you didn’t tell me the whole story about the Head, and about what you are doing here,’ Revelle said, as more Defeaters took up position round the room and on the gantry above.

  ‘Albright tells me you are his best officer, which makes you the greatest threat. Keep your enemies close.’ She glanced at Revelle and smiled. ‘Also, there was always the possibility that, as Albright’s best detective, you might actually work out what the Head is and how it works. Asking the Toymaker was an inspired idea, if ultimately fruitless.’ She turned away, her attention back on the circular door.

  ‘Nice to feel wanted,’ Revelle murmured.

  Stammers examined a dial set into the metal wall beside the door. There was a large red light enclosed in a wire cage above it. ‘Pumping the water out now.’ Moments later the light went out. Stammers gestured to two other men in white coats to come and help. It took all three of them to turn the locking wheel.

  Together, the three men swung open the heavy circular door. Revelle was aware that everyone else in the chamber had stopped what they were doing to watch. They seemed as fascinated as he was himself, though they must know what was about to happen – what lay behind the door.

  ‘How does it feel to live in a dying city?’ Miss Patterson asked without turning.

  Behind the door was a large metal cylinder with thick walls. A similar door at the back of the airlock was tightly closed, but Revelle could see the water beyond through the portholes set into it. The floor was a metal mesh, awash with water which spread in a large puddle across the floor of the main chamber. Several of the waiting Defeaters shifted nervously and glanced at each other.

  Inside the airlock stood a dozen or more of the creatures Revelle had seen through the observation window. Their scales glistened in the harsh light as they stepped out. Webbed feet slapped wetly on the floor, leaving a trail of wide shapeless footprints. Each of the creatures was carrying something – a broken, rotting plank of wood, a dented metal jug, the torn remains of a plastic bag, the calloused encrusted barrel of a small cannon…

  They moved slowly, in a rolling ungainly manner that contrasted with the elegance Revelle had seen in their swimming. He covered his nose with his hand as a smell like rotting fish filled the air. He could hear the rasping, scraping of their breathing as they adjusted with difficulty from water to air.

  ‘We call them Phibians,’ Miss Patterson said. She was watching closely as the creatures deposited what they had brought from the water on the pile on the floor. ‘The latest stage of the Poseidon Project. Though I am afraid we have a way to go yet. These creatures are so short-lived, they die after just a few months. And they can be rather rebellious, but we keep them under control.’

  ‘Really? How?’

  ‘If they disobey their instructions or step out of line, we might have to whip them, or beat them. If they persist, we shoot them. Or we shoot a different one. The Phibians seem to have some affinity or even friendship with each other. So we always keep a few locked up to ensure the others do as they are told.’

  The ease with which she talked about the torture and execution of the creatures made Revelle angry. But it also told him just how much danger he was in, so he tried not to show it.

  Stammers was supervising the closure of the airlock, ready for another group of Phibians to come in from the water. The door was locked and Stammers opened the valves to flood the cylindrical area behind before opening the outer door.

  ‘Society has to evolve,’ Miss Patterson was saying. ‘It was a serious question – the City is dying.’

  ‘I hadn’t noticed,’ Revelle said, still watching the Phibians as they stacked up their finds.

  ‘Oh it will take time. The water rises so slowly. But every high tide brings it slightly higher. Every month the water recedes a tiny bit less. Little by little the buildings are drowning. And their foundations are rotting and decaying – like the heart of the city itself.’

  ‘If you say so.’

  ‘I know so.’

  ‘So how does this help?’ Revelle pointed to the new group of Phibians emerging from the airlock. ‘They can’t hold back the water. If they could, you’d be calling it the Canute Project.’

  She laughed. ‘I thought Canute’s problem was that he couldn’t hold back the tide.’

  ‘That was his courtiers’ problem, not Canute’s,’ Revelle said. It was probably a dangerous thought, but he wanted to say something that would wipe the self-satisfied smile from the woman’s face. ‘He sat in front of the incoming tide to prove to them he was human, that he couldn’t hold back the sea.’

  ‘Neither can we. Oh I know they tried barriers across the river, force-freezing the polar caps, even raising the level of the land. But after the slippage there was no hope for any of that. The human race is drowning,’ she said, and she wasn’t smiling now. ‘Unless we start to do something now, we won’t be here in a century or so.’

  ‘You’re planning to live that long?’

  She smiled again – sickly and smug. ‘I know someone who is,’ she said. He couldn’t tell if she was joking. She turned to watch the Phibians adding their finds to the growing pile on the floor of the chamber.

  ‘So how does this help? Going to open a stall at the wet market?’

  ‘Oh we do find things of interest, things of value in amongst the junk.’

  ‘The Head,’ Revelle remembered.

  ‘Amongst other things. But really it’s a test. A training exercise. A way of finding out how clever and intelligent our friends are. Whether they can follow instructions. If they can discern what is of interest and what is not.’

  ‘But what are they?’ Revelle asked again.

  ‘They are our future. We can’t go on forever climbing away from the rising water. There are only so many storeys even in the Watch Tower. What happens when your offices are on the roof? There is no escape. And so we must adapt, learn to use what we have. Learn to live in the water, not over it. of course, I’m happy to satisfy your curiosity like this,’ she said levelly, ‘because you will never leave this room.’

  Her words jolted Revelle back to his immediate problem – how to get out of here. ‘So where did you find them?’
he asked, looking round for a way out and trying to keep his concern – his fear – out of his voice. There was the steps up to the gantry where he had come in, but he could see no other doors apart from the airlock.

  ‘Find them? Oh we didn’t find them. We found – or rather, a colleague of mine found something. Something we could use, adapt, exploit. The Kraken, we called them, after the old legends. But we didn’t find the Phibians.’

  ‘What then?’

  She was looking at him as a teacher might look at a child who had missed the point entirely. ‘We made them,’ she said.

  *

  Maybe it was asleep. Jake had to rely on the memory of his quick glimpse of the creature. He didn’t dare put the light on – that was what had woken and angered it. He felt his way across the room, Sarah holding the door open as much as they dared.

  His hand brushed against the end of a thick chain. He felt along, searching for the bracket where it was clipped to the wall. The clasp was stiff and rusty, but he managed to undo it. The chain was so heavy it slipped from his grasp and rattled to the floor.

  At once the creature in the near-darkness stirred. Tentacles uncoiled, probing the gloom. Jake moved quickly along the wall, feeling for another chain. One more would do it. He hoped.

  As soon as it was unclasped, Jake was running for the strip of light where Sarah was standing. The chain rattled behind him. A shriek of anger pierced the air. Something slimy whipped past his face. Then Jake was bundling Sarah out of the room. The last thing he did as he left was to switch on the light.

  The corridor looked awfully long. Behind them, Jake could already hear the creature tearing loose from its remaining chains and the leather shackles. If they went back the way he had come, the way he knew, it might be free before they were out of sight. The other way, the corridor ended in double doors and he didn’t know what was behind them. But at least they’d immediately be out of sight.

  ‘We’ll try this way.’ He had to shout above the noise of the escaping creature. He keyed in the code, held his breath until he heard the reassuring click of the lock releasing, then pulled Sarah with him through the big double doors.

  On the other side was another staircase. Jake didn’t hesitate. Supporting Sarah as best he could, he started painfully slowly down the stairs.

  ‘You know the way out?’ she asked.

  ‘No idea,’ he admitted. ‘But it has to be down here somewhere.’

  ‘You came prepared, then.’

  He didn’t answer. From above Jake could hear the squeals of the creature and the sound of people shouting.

  *

  The door at the top of the gantry burst open and a Defeater appeared from the observation gallery. He looked round desperately, his gaze finally fixing with evident relief upon Miss Patterson.

  ‘What do you mean by barging in here?’ she shouted.

  ‘Kraken!’ the man gasped, out of breath.

  Everyone turned to look at him. There was very real fear on some of their faces.

  ‘What?’ Miss Patterson demanded.

  ‘There’s one loose on the second floor. I think – I think it’s coming this way.’

  ‘It can sense the water,’ Stammers said. ‘Probably smell the Phibians too, even at that distance.’

  Miss Patterson strode quickly towards the metal staircase. ‘Alert the duty captain. Get a tranquiliser team up there at once. We can’t afford to lose it, do you hear?’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ The Defeater hurried back the way he had come.

  Miss Patterson slapped a man on the shoulder as she passed. ‘You come with me. And you too, Matthews,’ she called to a woman working at a computer. ‘I need at least some people who know what they’re doing.’

  At the bottom of the stairs Miss Patterson turned and pointed angrily at Revelle. ‘If this is anything to do with you…’ She let the threat hang in the air.

  ‘I don’t even know what a Kraken is,’ he told her. Though from his experiences with Jake in the tunnels near Mandrake’s he reckoned he could guess.

  ‘Stammers – look after Officer Revelle till I get back,’ Miss Patterson said. then she turned and hurried up the stairs, heels ringing on the metal treads. The Phibians near the airlock watched her impassively.

  Revelle waited until Miss Patterson was gone. Then he turned to Stammers. ‘You heard what she said.’ Revelle forced a smile, trying to look at ease and in control. ‘I have to go and get something. You wait here for me.’

  Exuding a confidence he didn’t feel, Revelle set off after Marianna Patterson. He hadn’t heard her say anything to Stammers to alert the man to the fact he was supposed to be a prisoner. Would Stammers still think he was Miss Patterson’s guest, and that her order to look after him meant just that?

  He was almost at the steps when Stammers called after him: ‘Officer Revelle!’

  Revelle hesitated. The people nearby turned towards him. The Phibians hissed and rasped with interest. He braced himself, ready to run.

  *

  There were alarm bells sounding now. A group of Defeaters clattered up the stairs and pushed past Jake and Sarah, shoving them roughly aside.

  'They'll be looking for us soon enough,' Sarah said. She seemed to be getting steadier on her feet, but Jake didn't want to let go of her.

  At the next landing he reckoned they must be at ground level. The stairs continued down, but Jake chose a passage leading off – he hoped it led back towards the central courtyard.

  But they hadn't gone far when Sarah pulled him into an alcove.

  'What is it?'

  She put her finger to her lips. ‘Shh!’

  Jake could hear it now – Sarah's hearing must be better than his. There were people heading down the passageway towards them. But the alcove wasn't deep or dark enough for them to stay hidden.

  ‘Back to the stairs,’ Jake whispered.

  Sarah hesitated, then nodded in agreement. Together they hurried back to the stairwell, and tried a different passageway. They pressed themselves to the wall a short way along, listening.

  'It's contained on the second floor,' someone shouted.

  'Where's that tranq team,' a woman's voice demanded. 'There'll be hell to pay when this is over, believe me!'

  The voices receded, masked by the sound of feet hurrying up the stairs.

  'That was Miss Patterson,' Sarah whispered.

  'Who's she?' Jake could feel her trembling against him.

  'The woman who was keeping me here.' Sarah was looking down the passageway. 'I think I know where we are,' she said. 'I remember the ceiling.'

  'The ceiling?' Jake looked up. The ceiling of the passageway was lined with carved wooden panels. 'So, which way?'

  Sarah was strong enough to lead the way now, though Jake kept firm hold of her hand. They emerged into what looked like a waiting area. There were several arm chairs and a small sofa. A bookshelf stood against one wall.

  'Yes, I've been here before,' Sarah said. 'This way.'

  Down another, wider corridor, Sarah stopped outside a large wooden door. 'We can get out down there, so long as they're not looking for us.'

  'Come on then,' Jake said.

  'Wait a minute. I want to show you something.' She pushed open the door, and led him into a square, empty room.

  'What?'

  'The reason I was here.'

  On the far side of the room was a plinth, and on top of the plinth was a golden head.

  'What is it? A statue?'

  'Sort of. But it talks. All the time.' Sarah was walking slowly over to the Head, and as Jake followed he could hear it too – just nonsense, short staccato syllables rather than words and sentences.

  ‘Pe re de nu,’ the Head murmured.

  'The thing is,' Sarah said, 'everyone thinks it's just rubbish. That it doesn't make any sense.'

  ‘Tu ri di tu…’

  'The thing is,' Jake told her, 'they're right.'

  'No. You see, I understand it now.' She reached up and stroked her hand down
the golden cheek. 'I know what it means, what it's saying.'

  Behind them, the door of the room swung slowly open. A figure stepped inside, closing the door silently behind them.

  On the plinth in front of Jake and Sarah, the golden Head's empty eyes seemed to darken.

  'Help me,' the Head said.

  Chapter 14

  Jake and Sarah both stared open-mouthed.

  ‘That wasn’t nonsense,’ Jake said. ‘I understood that.’

  ‘Help me,’ the Head said again, its voice cracked and ancient. The dark eyes seemed to plead. ‘You were here before,’ it said.

  ‘It must mean you,’ Jake told Sarah.

  ‘Or it might mean me,’ a voice said. They spun round – and saw Officer Revelle standing behind them. ‘I assume I have you two to thank for distracting Miss Patterson?’

  ‘Yes,’ Sarah said.

  Revelle smiled suddenly. ‘It’s good to see you again, Miss Hickson.’

  ‘You’re not going to arrest me?’ she asked warily.

  ‘I don’t think so. Have you done something wrong?’

  ‘No,’ she said quickly.

  ‘Well then.’

  ‘Help me!’ the plea was urgent now.

  ‘I’ve spent a lot of time in here, listening to its gibberish,’ Revelle said. ‘It’s never spoken any words I actually understood before.’

  ‘Get me away from here. Take me with you.’

  ‘We can’t,’ Jake told the Head. he felt a bit daft talking to a statue. ‘We have to escape. People here – they want to lock us up.’

  ‘Prisoner,’ the Head said.

  ‘We must be able to do something,’ Sarah told them.

  ‘I doubt the three of us can even lift it,’ Revelle said. ‘Let alone get it out of here without being stopped.’

  Sarah nodded, biting her lower lip anxiously. She turned back to the Head. ‘We’ll come back,’ she said. ‘We have to go now, but we’ll come back for you, I promise.’

  The Head was silent for several seconds. Then it said: ‘Pa si pu se. Te ne ce gu…’

  ‘I know,’ Sarah replied quietly. ‘I know what that is, what you are doing. And I promise we’ll come back.’ She turned to Revelle and Jake. ‘Won’t we.’