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A few moments later, the autogyro taxied to a stop on the parking lot of the ruined warehouse. Pat and Monk had climbed up the ladder into the cabin of the vehicle during the short trip back to shore. Pat had collapsed, exhausted, on the floor of the autogyro, but had smiled her thanks to her cousin. Monk removed his coat and wrapped it around the cold woman, whose clothing was soaked from her watery adventure. Though the twin globes he had delighted in so many times were revealed in all their perfect glory to his gaze, the coverall and utility vest now in ruins, for the first time in his life the sight didn't make him horny. He was just relieved that, other than some minor cuts and bruises, Pat appeared to be alright.
Ham and Renny ran to meet the plane as it came to a stop. Considerably slower, Dr. Howard Murray hobbled up behind them. Assisting Pat out of the plane as well, Doc and Monk disembarked. Hair in shambles, wearing an amalgam of Monk's coat, the coveralls and the utility vest, oil smudged on her face, Pat was not exactly at her radiant best.
"Holy cow, Pat!" exclaimed Renny. "Are you alright?"
His question set off a barrage of others, as they began to pepper her with queries about her health and what had just happened. Finding that Dr. Murray had not yet been introduced to Doc and his men, Pat did so, before swiftly retelling the events of the past few days. Of course, she left out such details as her activities with Melissa and Chuck the warehouse guard. She also glossed over her treatment at the hands of her captors, though it was clear from the grim expressions on their faces that Doc and his men guessed at least some of what had occurred.
Monk hung by her side during the entire story. Though neither he nor Pat did anything overt, the Man of Bronze glanced reflectively between his cousin and his aide on occasion, but whatever thoughts filled his mind behind his gold-flecked eyes remained known to him alone.
The bronze woman neared the end of recollecting her adventure. "Holding on to the railing of the submarine's conning tower with one hand while it submerged, I quickly took a few of your grenades out of the utility vest. I lodged them against the hatch and set the timers as best I could, before kicking free from the sub and heading back for the surface. I had just poked my head above water when they blew. Then I guess the sub's boiler or something exploded as well. I thought the force of the blasts was going to crush my ribs! I was tossed about for a moment, then I saw the speedboat and just managed to swim over to it. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up soon--I was just about done in! Thanks loads, all of you!" she concluded, flashing a pearly smile at Doc and his men.
Turning to Doc, she asked, "I take it you got my message?"
The Man of Bronze nodded. "Yes. Luckily we wrapped up the bulk of our business yesterday--and to think we didn't tell you where we were going so you wouldn't follow and get yourself into trouble! We left Long Tom and Johnny behind to finish straightening up a few loose ends and just returned to New York a few hours ago. I noticed that someone had visited headquarters and found the message you'd left written on the mirror. Proceeding to the warehouse, Charlie told us that you had talked him into taking the autogyro." At that statement, a faint blush suffused Pat's cheeks but in the dark it passed unnoticed.
Doc continued. "From that point on it was easy to home in on the autogyro's homing device. When you weren't there we searched the area. We spotted the men gathered here and figured this was where you probably were. Then we saw you standing at the wharf and...well...you know the rest."
Pat's voice cracked with emotion. "Thanks Doc...thanks all of you, Monk, Ham, Renny. You guys are swell. I'm sorry to have put you to so much trouble though."
"Aww, it was nothin', Pat," Monk voiced on behalf of Doc's men. "If anything happened to you, none of us would ever be able to forgive ourselves."
"Monk's exactly right, Pat," Doc Savage gravely interjected. "None of us would have ever been able to forgive ourselves. Now's not the time to go into it, but our work--the work you did tonight--is just too dangerous. If you keep doing this sort of thing, sticking your nose in trouble and seeing where it leads you, you're going to get seriously hurt or worse."
Seeing the stricken expression coming over his cousin's face, Doc moderated his tone, "I will say, however, that in the wrong hands, Doctor Murray's invention would have been devastating. Though it was too bad you had to sink the submarine, far better that than that the plans had been obtained by a war-hungry country. I'll make some dives tomorrow and see if I can locate them, though they were probably swept out to sea. But in a few days when you're feeling better, we are going to have a serious talk, young lady!"
Pat smiled. "Don't worry, cousin," she replied. "This little episode has cured me of my love for adventure. From now on, the most exciting thing I'm going to look forward to doing is my nails."
Seeing the disbelieving looks that were taking shape on the faces of Doc and his men, Pat laughed and concluded her statement. "At least for a little while!"
