Chase Me Faster
Catherine Gale and John Steed and Emma Peel
THE AVENGERS
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by Caroline Miniscule
Prelude: Lost Rocket Summer...page 4 II: The Bahamas Catherine Gale hung suspended in the warm water that surrounded her body like the all-embracing caress of a lover. The two heavy steel tanks on her back were weightless now, and she had never been more aware of being alive for she could hear every breath she took and see it bubbling up over her head toward the sunlit surface above. And the life around here! Brilliant-colored fish of all species, beautiful coral populated by millions of creatures...she must invest in a camera so she could record all this beauty. Cathy turned her head to find her ''buddy.'' The man who called himself Dan Dare was equally unmoving just a few feet away from her and she could see the same joy in his face as she felt in her own. He turned and saw her. Cathy pointed forward with one finger a couple of times and he nodded, and slowly they began to flipper forward through a school of fish that swirled about them. It ended all too soon, and Cathy and Dan swam back to their drop off point and then rose to the surface, where their dive boat, the Dolphin was waiting for them. Dive hands helped them onto the boat and relieved them of their now-cumbersome tanks. They accepted towels and then went to the deck forward to enjoy the sun and the view while the captain of the boat revved its engine and then turned in a wide arc to return to port. ''Dan, that was magnificent." Cathy told him enthusiastically. ''I have never seen so much natural beauty all gathered together in one place. And the feeling of freedom, of weightlessness, it was simply fantastic.'' ''You took to it like a fish to water,'' Dan replied approvingly. ''You're a natural.'' Cathy nodded absently. ''It's quite a revolutionary invention, this aqualung of Messieur Cousteau and Messieur Gagnan. Just think of the sites that are underwater, the ships from Roman and Greek times up to the planes of the present day in the East. Archeologists and anthropologists have to learn how to do this. A whole new world is opened up. I'm wondering about Crete myself. I've always been fascinated with the legend of Atlantis. I believe it must be the tale of a real disaster - the disaster of the Minoans. With this equipment and a little bit of luck....'' ''You're thinking of mounting an expedition?'' Dan said, with interest. ''An ambitious plan, to search for the lost continent of Atlantis.'' Suddenly his face darkened. ''And you'd probably be able to get funding for it, too. Searching for a mythical continent will always garner more interest than the search for a way to reach the stars.'' Cathy stared at her friend. Dan Dare flushed. ''I'm sorry, Cathy. I didn't mean to denigrate your theory or your ambition. All of a sudden though my own troubles rose up, like bile in my throat. Please, go on.''
Cathy held up a hand. ''Don't be silly, Dan. You're obviously very upset. To be candid I noticed a difference in you the second I arrived - you've lost weight but frankly you don't look healthy with it. What's wrong? I thought things were going well at BIS?'' ''The British Interplanetary Society?'' Dan smiled wanly. ''Oh, things are very jolly there. The Black Knight, the Blue Streak...our plans for the wave rider and the Mustard....they're all on the drawing board...'' Cathy smiled. ''Mustard? What on earth?'' ''Oh, no, Cathy, not on earth.'' Dan leaned forward eagerly, his customary enthusiasm back in his voice. ''Multi Unit Space Transport And Recovery Device. In essence it's a space shuttle...a delightful piece of equipment. It'll put Great Britain at the forefront of space exploration...'' his voice faded... ''at least it should. But it's not going to happen. The plodding politicians are going to ruin it all, Cathy. All the work we're doing, all the designs, all the plans, hopes and dreams...it's going to be all for naught. They're going to sell us down the river, if I may use an American phrase.'' ''The Americans are certainly going great guns with their plans right now....mustn't let the Russians beat them at the space game, eh?'' ''Yes, and it's so foolish. Space must be used for peaceful reasons, not as a game of one-upmanship. But tell that to the policitians. They don't care about peace. All they care about is keeping their jobs!'' Cathy leaned toward him and placed a comforting hand on his arm. ''What matters is the exploration, not who is doing it. If England is going to cut out its space program, can't you go to America? They'd welcome you with open arms.'' Dan Dare laughed harshly. ''I'm the Charles Babbage of the Twentieth Century, Cathy. I have plans...such great plans for interstellar travel...and they will work! When the technology catches up to my ideas - they will work! But only the dreamers at the BIS believe in me now...even if our government were to continue our space work they'd ease me out...and do you think the Americans would welcome me? I think not.'' Cathy glanced upward and saw their destination hoving into view. Dan looked up to. ''We're here,'' he said. ''Let's go somewhere and get a pint.''
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