Chapter 62 - Deirdre in charge
"We'll just 'ave to 'ope for the best!" Ron the Mopple had said.
Just at that moment, it looked like that was all they could do. The shuddering and juddering of the ORF and the pipe and all the wires going into it was getting worse and worse - so bad that Deirdre the owl's big plastic bucket was hopping about on the floor of Adrienne's cockpit, the little wheels underneath it (Dot hadn't noticed them before) squeaking as it went to and fro.
And now there was a different noise to add to all that - a kind of deep humming. It was scary. The sound reminded Dot of the time their washing machine went wrong - just before the door flew open with a bang and ALL the washing and ALL the water came out all over the kitchen floor. Dot remembered how they were still finding soapy bits six weeks later, under the cooker, behind the fridge - everywhere! And it was a year before they found one of her socks that had got lost that day - and it was one of her faves, a Lisa Simpson one.
"JUDDA HUDDA JUDDA HUDDA HUDDA HUDDA!!!" went the ORF. Now the pipe was flapping about on the floor of the cockpit too, looking as if it was sure to split right open. The wires were all jumping up and down as well, coming down with crack after crack like the whip a ringmaster uses in the circus.
"NO way!" went Mr Mouse, heading for his hiding place under the shoulder of Dot's T-shirt. Wizzie was worried too, moving from one paw to another and whining anxiously.
Only Ron and Deirdre seemed totally unworried, even though Adrienne's search engine was beginning to bounce about as the shuddering got stronger and stronger. Adrienne meanwhile was still trying to pretend the Mopples weren't even there - she'd got a magazine called 'Searchers' Special' out of a drawer and was reading it to herself. In fact she'd hidden herself in it almost completely - all you could see was the tip of her bushy red squirrel tail and the tufty bits on top of ears. But they were twitching from side to side and up and down, showing she wasn't feeling as cool as she looked!
"Looks like we're gonna need a bit of that old mop action, Dezza!" said Ron, stepping back as the ORF bounced towards him.
"About time 'n all!" said Deirdre, tightening up the scarf round her head. "Just let me at it, that's all I need!"
" 'Ere we go then!" said Ron. He took a little controller out of his pocket and switched it on, pointing it at the ORF - which was now vibrating so hard it was just a blur. A blue and green light, turning round and round like a corkscrew, came out of the controller and started, very slowly, to beam towards the ORF.
What's going to happen NOW, thought Dot... but she didn't have long to wait. First of all the blue bucket became transparent again - you could see the side of it losing its blue colour, then becoming completely clear. Inside, it now looked worse than ever, with millions and millions of the little spiky "leaves" of data that none of them needed or wanted whirling round faster than ever. There were so many of them now they looked like a solid circle of black, a deep, thick oily band running round the inside of the ORF. And more and more leaves of data were still pouring in through the coiled pipe that Ron had fitted to the strange funnel thing at the top.
"Stand by Dezza" said Ron quietly.
Deirdre nodded and held her mop towards the side of the bucket. "Ready!" she said, looking fiercely at the dirty mass of data zooming round inside the ORF.
"Separation - NOW! said Ron. He pressed a bright red button on the little controller.
"Zeeeeowwwshhh!" It was a grinding noise that reminded Dot of one time she'd been with her Dad to get some wood cut at their local DIY store. Then her heart jumped as she saw what was happening and Wiz let out his strictest warning bark. Mr Mouse squeaked and burrowed even further under the shoulder of her T-shirt.
The ORF was coming apart!
Slowly the top of it was rising up away from the bottom. With a clatter, the locks holding it together sprung open, banging on the side of the "bilge bucket" and making them all jump. Still the black spiky leaves poured into it. And now you could smell them - a sicky, smoky kind of a smell. Dot held her noise and Wizzie grunted in disgust, while Adrienne dabbed some of her special perfume on her wrist.
Dot watched with a growing feeling of panic. She couldn't take her eyes off the glistening oily band going round and round and round, faster and faster and faster, stinkier and stinkier and stinkier. It was obvious there was nothing holding the data in now - any moment it was sure to spin right out and splurge all over them and all over Adrienne's special equipment. It was easy to see - and smell! - how much damage that would do. Then what?
But she'd forgotten about Deirdre...
"10... 9... 8..." went Ron. "7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...1!! Go for it Deirdre!"
And she did!
JOIN US EVERY MONDAY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!
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