Gray Lady Down Page #3

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- Thank you, sir.

- Phil, how are you feeling?

- Pretty good, sir.

- Yeah, that's

a professional job.

- Nothing to that.

- Do you have any idea

who hit us, Captain?

- No, not a clue.

- I'd sure like to break his ass.

- I'll hold your coat.

Let's have a look at your patients.

- Up this way.

- Collins.

- I've got most of the

serious injuries up here.

- Well, you think you

can handle it all right?

- Well, sir, I can handle the stitching,

and I can handle the broken bones.

But we got three head wounds up here,

and Richards is no good at all.

That ice pack's about

all I can do for him.

- How bad is he?

- Can't tell without X-rays.

These men need to get

to a hospital, but fast.

- Do the best you can.

We really need you.

- Yes, sir. Captain?

Some of the men have

asked for tranquilizers.

- Just don't get my

crew stoned on me, huh?

Yes, sir.

- Oh, Chief, let's have it, huh?

- Here, sir.

We took it real hard in the stern, sir.

Split right through, I guess.

All compartments were flooded.

But the bulkheads are

holding this far down.

Don't ask me how.

And most of our air system

is still intact too.

- Most of it?

- One of our purifiers is out, sir.

- 41 men exhale a lot of carbon dioxide.

- Well, we'll be okay for

maybe a day and a half.

- Oh, we won't be down here that long.

Where's the storekeeper?

- Hanson?

- Here, sir.

- How are we fixed for food?

- We got plenty of food, sir.

We got a hundred chicken

fricassees, 300 lime Jell-O--

- Yeah, I didn't ask for a menu.

- No, sir.

- Just give the men whatever they want

whenever they want it, huh?

- Yes, sir.

- Okay, fellas, coming through.

- We have to

assume they're somewhere

in the area of that channel.

- Right, sir.

Or, if they've landed in

the canyon, it's all over.

But if they've landed in the neck of it--

- Can we get them out?

- Maybe, sir.

- What do you mean, Ben?

- Have a look at this.

It so happens I'm fairly

familiar with the area.

We've done sonar testing here.

Sinking old cars and tracking them

all the way to the bottom.

Thank you.

Ah.

Here's the neck of the canyon.

As you see, it's shaped like a trench.

Hopefully, Neptune is located

somewhere in this area.

But, Admiral, notice the

slope of that trench.

- It's nearly vertical.

- Which causes gravity slides.

They're frequent, and they're very severe.

Even if she has bottomed out in this area,

one large slide, and it's a

two-mile ride to the bottom.

- When will Nassau arrive there?

- Not for a couple of hours, Admiral.

- I want you the honor to take charge

of search and rescue, Ben.

We've got an aircraft waiting for you.

A DSRV will be flown to New London.

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