by Benson, Tom
“I’d prefer it to be just the two of us,” Sandy said. “That’s what Flint was going on about. We just wondered if Bill would agree it was the right thing to do.”
“I do agree,” Bill said. “As long as you’re both armed. You must be ready in case any wild beasts are wandering around when you go down the mountain.”
“We could take a walkie-talkie,” Flint said. “I know the range isn’t extensive, but after the descent, we wouldn’t be too far in terms of comms distance for those little radios.”
“Good idea, mate,” Bill said. “When were you thinking of performing this survey?”
Sandy said, “We agreed to keep today as a rest day but set off on Tuesday or Wednesday for the first outing.”
“Why not Monday?” Fiona said.
“We have those two new laser rifles to check out. We’re allowing ourselves a day to take them apart, inspect the mechanisms and power-packs and see if we can make them operable. We can bring them out here for test-firing if we can fix them up.”
Flint said, “We know that Bill has got his antique hunting rifle and we could leave our laser pistols, but we’d rather that you guys had the extra firepower if it were needed.”
Fiona slowly shook her head. “Once a soldier ….”
The three ex-Servicemen laughed, soon joined by Fiona.
6 - Planning and Preparation
Wednesday 13th July
Following an early and substantial breakfast, Sandy and Flint gathered all that they’d need for their two-day outing. Sandy had left his young son with Harry and Victoria on the previous evening. At four years old, Peter was a year younger than their daughter Laura, but the two children got on famously. In preparation for such occasions as this, Sandy had his son in the habit of having a sleepover with one of his friends. Apart from the child treating a sleepover as a regular part of life, it gave Sandy peace of mind.
Flint embraced Noreen outside the clinic, where she held a brief consultation service every morning. As a trained nurse and qualified midwife, she was always especially ready for the worries of the mothers. Before Flint headed to the cafeteria, where he was meeting up with Sandy, he gently brushed a tear from Noreen’s handsome ebony features and kissed her. “Be a brave girl for me now,” he joked. “We’ll only be gone for two days.”
“You take bloody good care of each other and be careful.”
“Trust me, my love, there aren’t many who could tackle Sandy and me together … and we’ll be well prepared.” He tapped the laser rifle which was slung over his shoulder and the laser pistol in his underarm holster. Reminding her that he also carried a hunting knife didn’t seem appropriate.
“Keep in mind; we want to take the children outside for the first time soon, so you two need to be fit and well-rested. We girls will all be expecting you boys to be showing the little ones how to climb a hill.”
They kissed again. “Right,” Flint laughed, “go and have a cup of tea or something.”
Sandy had no sooner reached Flint outside the cafeteria door when Bill arrived on the scene.
“Are you guys about ready?” Bill said, adjusting a coil of rope which was over his shoulder.
“We’re waiting for a pre-patrol check.” Flint grinned. “We’ve checked each other, but another pair of ears would be good.”
“Okay, Flint, let’s hear it … or not,” Bill said.
Flint held his rifle steady and jumped up and down on the spot several times. The only noise was the soft thump of his boots on the ground.
Bill nodded. “Good … Sandy.” He handed the coiled rope to the more senior of the soldiers.
Sandy threw the rope over his head to rest across his body, and then he performed the same simple drill as Flint, with the same result—soft thumps of boots on the ground.
“Anybody would think you two had done this before.” Bill grinned at the two professional soldiers, or as circumstances denoted, ex-soldiers. “Are you carrying the same supplies?”
“Yes,” Sandy said. “Two water bottles, the water-testing powder made by Harry, a pouch of fruit and nut protein bars custom-made by Ramona, freeze-dried tea and fresh fruit and veg.”
“Weapons test-fired?”
“Yes,” Flint said. “We’re both carrying laser pistols, Sandy is taking his personal laser rifle, and I’m taking one of the two we rescued from the wildlife reserve.”
“You’re confident that the new one is okay?”
“Yeah, no worries with that, mate. We overhauled both of them and explained to Cherry how the mechanism and power-pack ought to work. It took her a couple of hours on Monday, but she’s a whizz with electrics. Both new weapons test-fired okay yesterday up to four-hundred metres.”
Sandy said, “We’re both carrying hammocks and capes to use as bashas. We also have two pairs of binoculars because I know Flint hates to share.”
Bill and Flint both laughed, not so much at the joke but to see Sandy relaxed. His squaddie humour was finally kicking in again after a long time missing in action. This brief outing might help him to come to terms with how life had turned out.
“Sandy has the map and compass,” Flint said. “I’ve got one of the walkie-talkies so I’ll give a radio check when we get out onto the ladder and then again on the summit before we descend.”
“I’ll follow you up into the balcony and secure the door when you’ve gone out.”
Ten minutes later the three men were standing in the glass balcony overlooking the region to the south over a 180-degree angle.
“Take care,” Bill said. “I’m already looking forward to the debrief.”
Sandy nodded, adjusted the sling on his laser rifle so that it was secure across his body and set off out of the glass balcony onto the untested, precarious-looking metal hand rail which led to metal rungs. The short rail and series of rungs had been embedded into the mountain face many years before for emergency use. After a quick tug and test of his weight on the first few narrow metal hoops, he was climbing steadily.
Flint winked at Bill. “He’ll be okay, mate.”
Bill nodded to the younger man and patted him on the shoulder as he too left the glass balcony to go up the mountain and out of sight. Bill watched until the soles of Flint’s boots disappeared over an outcrop, and then he gently closed the door and secured the latch mechanism. The outside of the glass balcony was flush-fitted. Unless the door were opened from the inside, it didn’t allow for access.
For a moment, Bill looked at the view and hoped that one day they’d see the whites, greys and browns of the not-too-distant land to the south once again becoming shades of green. He opened the hatch, went down the spiral stairs, through the cafeteria and along to the Control Room to await Flint’s call.
“Good morning, Bill.” The firefighter brushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulder.
“Hi Tracey, the boys are on their way up the ladder.”
“It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes to reach the top.”
“I know the metal rungs were fitted, but meant purely for an emergency. From what I could see, it would be a frightening experience for most people to use them.”
“Those rungs were put in place when the glass balcony was built. The only literature referring to the escape route is that the emergency route goes up for one hundred metres in two stretches. Then you are climbing the mountain.”
“Flint laughed when I told him the metal ladder had been in place for over one hundred years.” Bill pulled up a seat at the central console to wait for the first radio call. “Even if there had been a simple mountain path up there, it will be long gone.”
“Yes, I said that to Sandy and Flint, but they were determined to exit that way.”
“It was probably down to a conversation I had with them one day recently,” Bill said. “I was saying how good a view it would be for mapping if we could survey the area from the summit.”
“Yes, I agree. The view from the balcony is pretty awesome, but we can only see one hu
ndred and eighty degrees. If those guys can reach the summit, it will help us to understand just what we’ve got out there.”
“Hello Control, this is Flint, radio check, over.”
Bill nodded for Tracey to respond. “They’ll be using a simplified version of the voice procedure I told you about—the roger, over and out stuff so that you both recognise when to respond or end the call.”
“Flint, this is Control—okay. How is it going … over.” Tracey increased speaker volume.
“We’ve only climbed the first set,” Flint’s upbeat tone was unexpected but welcome. “We had more difficulty locating the metal bars than we did using them, over.”
“Where are you now, over.”
“There’s a long lateral rail, so we’re pausing five minutes before we go on. The next section is a bit steep, over.”
“Roger that. Bill has whispered in my ear that you two have to remember it’s not a competition, over.”
“Oh yes, it is,” Flint said. “I’ll call again at the next stage, out.”
Tracey turned to Bill as she hung up the handset. “In other circumstances, I could imagine Flint being a fun companion out there.”
“That guy is the perfect person to have with Sandy on this little escapade for so many reasons.”
“Yes, and I don’t know about emergency use—it sounds positively scary on that escape route, and I’ve faced my share of danger.”
“Just think how much nature would have changed on the outside of this mountain in such a long time. The rungs were probably fitted to suit some antiquated Health and Safety policy. I doubt if they were ever intended for use.”
“It was still a hell of a risk for those guys to go out that way when they could have gone out the front door and then around the mountain.”
“They’re both experienced climbers and have done mountain and arctic warfare training. Dealing with difficulties and danger are second nature to them, and they’re together now in an environment that they’ll appreciate.”
“Well, I suppose when you put it like that they’re probably enjoying themselves.”
Bill nodded. There was no need to tell Tracey the real reason Sandy and Flint had gone out of the balcony to climb over the top. There would be less chance of them being seen. The idea was that they would be long gone before they might be spotted by anyone living far down the mountainside—someone in the forest, for example.
“Hello Control, this is Flint, over.”
“Hello, Flint,” Tracey said, “you’re still loud and clear, over.”
“We’ve reached what might have been a narrow mountain path a long time ago so we’ll use it as much as we can. We’ll be leaving it to climb up instead of descending from this point, over.”
“Roger. Bill has asked if you guys have a clear idea now regarding reaching the summit, over.”
“Big hole in the blackness overhead as you know and yes, it looks good. We’re estimating two hours climb to the top, over.”
“Take it easy,” Tracey said, “and please call after an hour to check your radio, over.”
“You’ve got it, out.”
Bill stood. “I’ll go and see who is in the cafeteria and I’ll be back before the first hour is up.”
“I’ll call you on the intercom if … if I have to .”
“They’ll be fine, Tracey.” Bill briefly placed a hand on her shoulder.
“What was all the jumping around for?” Fiona said.
Bill smiled as he sat opposite his partner in the cafeteria. “Are you talking about what the guys were doing out in the main passageway earlier?”
“Yes, I saw them both tap the various equipment they were carrying, but I didn’t understand why they had to jump up and down.”
“It’s part of the buddy system to prepare for patrol. Sometimes all the stealthy movement in the world can be ruined by a piece of loose equipment.”
“Yes, but Sandy and Flint are not going into hostile territory.”
Bill held her gaze and nodded. “They might be, my love. That’s one of the reasons they set off to aim for the summit before descending to the reservoir and the lowlands on the other side.”
“You’re not worried about wild animals—it’s that crazy woman who might be out there?”
“She might or might not be out there, but if she didn’t see the guys go up the mountain, there could be other people roaming around.”
“You said yourself that it would be a miracle if anyone survived, but it sounds like you believe there might be people in the wilderness.”
“I don’t want it to be common knowledge just yet, but apart from the huge and dense forest, there are cave systems in this mountain range.”
“Cave systems?”
“Yes. A lot of people used to think of caves as being single holes in the side of a hill or mountain. On many occasions, the entry cave leads into a network of natural tunnels which may or may not exit as other cave mouths.”
“I must admit I’ve probably only ever thought of a cave as a large or small hole in the side of a mountain.”
For a few minutes, Bill talked about how caves were sometimes not only created by but also maintained and increased in size relative to the watercourse within. He told Fiona of systems he’d been in which could claim lives if those exploring were careless.
Fiona paused the educational session for two minutes while she went to the counter and organised a couple of teas. She sat down again. “I would have thought that if people were careful, they’d be okay, apart from the darkness and the slippery surfaces.”
“The worst cases I recall were always those when two people went caving, and one got injured, or they got lost. I took part in a few rescue missions, and more than once, we found the bodies within a few hundred metres of freedom.”
“How could that be—if they got that close then surely—”
“In those cases, their helmet lamps had run out of power, and they had no idea how close they were to freedom. They might have been climbing and crawling for hours, rested and moved on in different directions. Without a source of light to follow or indication of the surface, they’d go on until they were exhausted.”
“That’s so sad, Bill.”
“I know it will sound heartless, but most of those fatalities are caused by carelessness. For example, you’d never go caving without reporting it to a recognised authority. You would be best advised to have at least four people in your group, and you’d say who was going underground and where the entry point was, plus, of course, you’d take all necessary equipment and precautions.”
“I suppose you’re right, and it’s like a lot of adventures—the sense of excitement can overrule common sense?”
Bill nodded. “Excitement can eliminate common sense in so many circumstances, but that’s why I’m confident in our two friends out there. What they’re doing over the next two days might be viewed by some as an adventure. To Sandy and Flint, it’s a mission, and that’s where the difference comes into it.”
Fiona was always enthralled when she got Bill talking about such things because he seemed to drift off into a world where he’d once been content putting his life in danger. It was a world away from where they both were now.
They chatted for a while about the terrain in the local region and Bill said he anticipated one-day trips for members of the community when the major projects were completed. Of course, there were always new things to do right around the corner.
“I’ll be back shortly,” Bill said, “it’s time to go and listen for a Sitrep—that’s a Situation Report for your information.” He was grinning as he stood to leave the table. “Are you working with the pathway team today?”
“Yes, and you’re meeting up with Marie to draw up some designs, are you not?”
“Yes, I said I’d see her in here at about mid-day.”
“I reckon if anybody can help you build a house on a hill, it will be Marie.”
Bill leant forward and kissed Fiona before he set
off for the Control Room.
“Nothing yet,” Tracey said as Bill entered.
“Don’t worry; I wouldn’t set my watch using Flint’s call while he’s climbing.”
Bill looked around the large room at the multiple consoles along one wall and the CCTV monitors which they’d adapted to be security cameras. They had views of places like the far end of the old tunnel, both ends of the glass corridor and the most recent development; the portal used as the front door. A camera wasn’t required on the glass balcony because having a heavy, glass door with a flush-fitted metal frame it was inaccessible from the outside.
“Bill, do you ever sometimes feel that what we’ve achieved here is unbelievable?”
“Are we talking about survival or our lifestyle and the amendments we’ve made in the installation?”
“The whole scenario I suppose,” Tracey said. “If you guys hadn’t made it to the other end of that tunnel with your coach and then explored, it would have been so different. This place would have been home to me, Ramona, Des and those two brave guys who are out there climbing the mountain.”
“You wouldn’t have had Des for long either from what he’s admitted to us.”
“Yes, of course, he’d already considered the quickest way to finish things on a personal level. It would have left this place like a tomb because back then none of us knew how to run this room or any of the equipment.”
“Des has been fine psychologically since we all settled in, although I know that for his own reasons he prefers not to have a partner. It’s good that Ramona and Alan are happy and you and Steph found each other.”
“Yes, it seems that we were fated to meet special partners, although neither of us could have envisaged it being under such circumstances.”
“At the other end of the scale, we have the tragedy of Sandy gaining a son but losing Chloe. He was still carrying guilt because he managed to save himself and Flint, but all their comrades were lost. To finally find peace and know that he was going to be a father was so good for him, and he became a single parent immediately after the birth.”