Torchwood: Exodus Code

these deep-water crevices has ever recorded eruptions of this magnitude before with the exception of this last one we recorded this morning,’ he said, zooming in on the ocean off the southern coast of Peru.
    Eva was still staring at her wall map, which had red lights flashing in the same places as Vlad was marking on his computer image: one, their most recent, off the coast of South Wales, one close to the southern tip of New Zealand, one north of Scotland and not far from their current position, and now the latest light off the southern coast of Peru.
    ‘The southern coast of Peru,’ added Vlad, ‘has had significant destructive quakes and volcanic eruptions that have been getting worse for decades, especially since the 1920s and 1930s.’
    Eva stared at Peru on the wall map, twisting her hair in concentration while she spoke. ‘I remember when the one in 2007 happened, but the worst quake that area ever had was in 1930.’
    While Vlad was listening to Eva, he initiated a statistical program he’d written. When it was loaded, he dumped their data into it.
    ‘I did one of my first field studies on a high archaeological dig in the Peruvian Andes,’ continued Eva, glad to have the memories take her mind off Vlad. ‘The elders in the local villages still talk about the 1930 eruption. According to their stories, the tremors and eruptions were so powerful that an entire mountain top dropped into the ocean. I can’t remember the name, but—’
    ‘We’ve seen deep-water eruptions and tremors before,’ said Vlad, cutting her off. As much as he appreciated Eva’s geological skills, he was not quite as impressed with her need to over-explain everything. ‘But not like these ones. Look at the way this one in Wales is shifting and spreading.’
    ‘I know. Never this deep and never in these areas.’ Eva slid her glasses up on top of her head and rubbed her eyes.
    ‘Eva, we’re talking trenches running seven, eight miles deep in the ocean that are emitting sonar waves equal to 7 on the Richter scale. Most of Asia and the west coast of the USA should have been hit by a tsunami by now. It’s as if the ocean is not letting that happen. It’s keeping these tremors contained for some reason.’
    Vlad tilted back on his chair, hooking his leg round the table to stop it from sliding against the wall, while keeping his eyes on his computer as it tracked the statistical program running at full speed. No matter how disparate or how unusual these deep-water events, this program would help the
Ice Maiden
see what was toiling in the darkest depths of the world’s oceans.
    ‘I think we should report these findings,’ said Vlad.
    ‘But what do we have to report?’
    ‘A pattern of deep water eruptions,’ said Vlad, watching Eva stare at the map through the lens of her camera. ‘Isn’t that what we’ve been tasked to monitor?’
    ‘True. It’s definitely a pattern, but what the pattern means? I’ve no clue,’ replied Eva, making no eye contact at all with Vlad. ‘And do we really know what we’ve been tasked to do? I mean we never get a straight answer from Cash, and if Dana knows, Cash has her so… so smitten, she’s not going to tell us anything.’
    Laughing, Vlad glanced over at Eva. ‘Smitten. Really? Is that the word in Vancouver?’
    Eva blushed. Again. ‘You know what I mean. If Dana knows anything she’s not going to share unless Cash gives her permission.’
    ‘That makes her loyal,’ said Vlad. ‘Not… smitten. But I get your point.’
    Eva went back to her computer and began inputting data streams coming from the echogram. ‘Give me a few more days. We can run through all the data with Shelley. Maybe then we’ll have something more substantial to share.’
    ‘I still think we should let Cash know we’ve got something now, no matter how tentative. It may change our course,’ said Vlad.
    ‘But we’ve had so many false alarms recently. I don’t think Cash wants the boss, whoever that is, to see us crying wolf again.’ Eva tore the printout from the machine. ‘I think Cash knows better than any of us what should be reported and what shouldn’t. Let’s let him decide.’
    ‘Which, as you keep pointing out, isn’t saying much,’ said Vlad, sliding back across to his station, retrieving his book that had slid off the table to the floor.
    Vlad was flipping through the pages to find his place when a massive wave battered the ship, tipping the vessel onto its side and then back