Slaves of Elysium Read Online Free PDF Page A

still working.’
    She brought the radio back quickly, but though the power light came on nothing was received on any channel.
    â€˜Burnt out as well,’ Devereaux said.
    Ash pressed a button and the cassette in the machine began playing normally. ‘I’d have thought something powerful enough to burn out the radio would have killed the rest of the electronics as well,’ he said.
    There were four more portable radios on board. They tested all of them with the same lack of success.
    â€˜Maybe we can still send out, though,’ Devereaux said, returning to the helm. He punched some more keys. ‘That’s the automatic distress beacon activated. Maybe somebody’ll home in on it. We can’t do any more because we don’t know our position.’
    â€˜You said the Galatea had GPS, or something, and you could always tell where she was to a few yards,’ Rebecca said, an accusative edge entering her voice as her initial shock gave way to her natural impatience.
    â€˜Yeah, we have satellite navigation, but right now the system can’t get a fix on anything.’
    â€˜But what about the compass?’ she pressed. ‘Doesn’t that help?’
    â€˜We’ve got a backup magnetic and gyrocompass, miss Lamont,’ Ash answered. ‘And they’re both spinning loops. Lots of things might screw up a magnetic compass, but this gyro system is about as reliable as it’s possible to get. That storm must have been a record breaker. Possibly it screwed up radio reception at the same time.’ He frowned. ‘There might be a lot of people in our fix right now, perhaps worse. Depends how big an area was affected. Search and rescue teams have probably been alerted, but they might be spread thin.’
    â€˜But what about us?’ Rebecca demanded, showing scant sympathy for the larger picture.
    â€˜We can help ourselves by getting clear of this fog. That’ll make it easier to see and be seen.’
    â€˜Then do it!’ Rebecca snapped.
    Ash pointedly looked at Devereaux. ‘What heading?’
    â€˜We can set a rough course by the sun,’ Devereaux said. ‘It can’t be exact without knowing the right time, but its better than nothing. Once we clear this fog we’ll be okay. If we’re still going come dark we’ll steer by the stars.’
    â€˜Assuming the engines are still working,’ Ash said. ‘We’d better check them out first.’
    The two men opened up the deck hatch and squeezed down into the crowded engine compartment. They emerged ten minutes later looking hopeful.
    â€˜Seems okay,’ Ash announced. ‘They’re not flooded and we’ve got plenty of fuel. Let’s see...’ He pressed the starter, and after a few uncertain coughs the engines growled into life. In the stillness the sound seemed unnaturally loud.
    â€˜At least we’ve a chance of making landfall under our own power,’ Devereaux said. He forced a rueful grin. ‘That might buy me a few plus points when my father gets to hear about this. What was our last position?’
    Not trusting the electronic navigation equipment, Ash had laid out an old-fashioned paper chart. ‘Before the storm hit we were about here.’ He indicated a point approximately seventy degrees west by thirty north. ‘We can’t have been blown far off that.’
    â€˜If we can’t plot a precise course we’d better make for the nearest big target,’ Devereaux said. ‘If we head a little north of west we should strike the US coast somewhere near Charleston. As we go we keep watch for any other ship or aircraft and be ready to make a signal.’
    â€˜Can we start now?’ Rebecca said irritably.
    â€˜In a moment, Miss Lamont,’ Ash said. ‘We’ve got to mount a lookout for anything ahead of us. The radar seems to be working, but it might not be smart to trust it too far, at least until we’re