Attacked Beneath Antarctica

by Dave Robinson

  DOC VANDAL

  in

  Attacked Beneath Antarctica

  by Dave Robinson

  A Doc Vandal Publication

  Copyright 2017 by Dave Robinson

  Cover Illustration by Carlos Balarezo

  Cover Design by Queen Graphics

  This is a work of fiction. All similarities to any persons living or dead is purely coincidental. All events, locales, and incidents are either purely the product of the author’s imagination or used for fictitious purposes.

  The Doc Vandal Series

  Against the Eldest Flame

  Air Pirates of Krakatoa

  Attacked Beneath Antarctica

  Giant Robots of Tunguska (Forthcoming)

  This novel is dedicated to Kim, without whom I would never have written a word; to Kyrie, and to my brother Neil, who always believed I was a writer even when I didn’t. Also thanks to my late parents, Lyn Robinson, and Clive Robinson. You’re both gone now but I hope you would enjoy these adventures.

  I would also like to thank everyone who has helped me on this writing journey from the moment I first decided I wanted to create my own pulp heroes to the last word I typed; especially those who have read my works and given the kind of feedback you need to get the best out of a story: Jules Ironside, S.L. Huang, Vincent Collins, Jaap Geluk, and Ian Gill.

  Any errors are mine alone.

  Table of Contents

  A Lost Expedition

  Iceward Bound

  Abandoned in Antarctica

  Into the Ice

  Nazis Beneath the Ice

  The Enemy Below

  War with Nothingness

  Afterword

  Cast of Characters

  CHAPTER ONE

  A Lost Expedition

  HANSEN ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION FEARED LOST!

  “He never should have tried to winter over,” Gus muttered as the newsreel headline flashed on the screen in front of him. Augustus Q. Ponchartrain held twelve degrees, none of them honorary. He was also one of only two gorillas currently resident in New York City, the other being his wife, Kehla. She squeezed his hand, probably to shush him, as the expedition's preparations unfolded on screen. Gus knew all of it; he had been there for most of the preparations, and if it had not been for his work with Doc Vandal, he probably would have gone.

  There was just something about Antarctica that appealed to him, perhaps it was the solitude. It certainly wasn't the weather, he preferred his warmth and comforts. Still, he couldn't resist the questions Aldous Hansen brought up, especially when he showed the carvings that were supposedly older than humanity. There were none in the newsreel, but even the rough rubbings were fascinating.

  Unfortunately, the news from Europe was much less so, especially Spain. It was a pity there was nothing they could do about it, so Gus just gritted his teeth as he waited through the end of the reel.

  The main feature was a comedy called Topper, and Kehla had been looking forward to it ever since she read the book. Movies had very quickly become one of her passions, something that had been unknown in their home city back in Africa.

  Gus put his arm around her and settled in to enjoy the show.

  #

  It was a quiet Friday night on the 87th floor of the Republic State Building. Gus and Kehla had gone to the movies, leaving Doc alone with the human members of the team. Victoria Frank, his pilot, better known as Vic, sat in her usual corner of the couch swirling a glass of coke while her girlfriend Li Ming made dinner. Vic had tried to help a few times, only to be driven back at the point of a wooden spoon each time. On the other hand, Gilly Chanter, Doc's driver and diver, was clearly welcome in the kitchen, as he sautéed some onions.

  Doc shook his head. There was obviously some relationship dynamic between the three of them that he could not quite understand. Oh well, it was probably no different than some of the jokes they made. At least the food smelled good.

  He was just about to go back to his journal when the radiofacsimile on the skywave beeped. Putting the journal down, he headed over to the machine, only to find Vic blocking his way.

  “Vic? Do you mind?”

  “Oh, sorry.” She stepped aside so that he could see the printout as it came in. The header page showed that it came from the Hansen expedition in the Antarctic, which had been out of contact for almost a month. The printer paused for a moment, giving Vic time to empty her coke, though she didn't move.

  Seconds later, the printer clattered and Vic leaned forward, almost blocking Doc's view. As the page came up into view, the top was entirely black, almost dripping with ink. Then slowly, white lines came into view like a photographic negative. It was a vaguely humanoid figure, with a tentacular head that looked like an octopus, and what looked like rippling wings running the length of the body. Two pairs of tentacles apparently served as arms, while a third pair looked to act as legs.

  What struck Doc the most though, was the expression on the creature's face; it wasn't simply alien, it was pure hate. He had never seen anything quite like it, especially from such a crude image.

  Vic stepped back, dropping her glass. “What is that?”

  “I don't know.” Doc took another look at the image. “It definitely looks unearthly.”

  Vic just stared at the image, her normally pale skin at least three shades lighter than normal. After a moment, she shook herself and took a deep breath. “Whatever it is, I don't like it; and somehow I know it doesn't like me either.”

  The commotion must have caught Ming's attention, because she was there too, now. She wrapped an arm around Vic, and then took her own look at the image. Ming didn't say anything, she just bowed her head and averted her eyes.

  Vic knelt down and cleaned up the glass, while Doc tried to respond to the signal. Voice was impossible at such a long range, but Doc's equipment could usually get Morse through by bouncing it off the Heaviside layer. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell this time. Doc sent plenty of messages, but there was no response. Whoever was at the other end had sent the one image and that was it. As Doc worked the key, both Vic and Ming just stood there, silently looking at the picture.

  “I think that's enough,” Doc finally said, taking the page and rolling it up so the image was hidden. “We can discuss this after we eat.”

  They made their way to the table, where Gilly had already laid out the food. “Here you go, dig in.”

  Vic, who seemed to have recovered faster, helped Ming to her seat, and dished her out a plate before getting her own. Doc himself stayed silent, putting all his attention to the meal. As usual when Ming cooked, it was delicious, though very spicy. The women ate slowly at first, but their appetites soon returned and Vic had her plate clean in a matter of minutes.

  No one talked as they ate, though everyone kept stealing glances at the rolled up printout beside Doc's plate. For himself, Doc focused on the food; the paper could wait and he could visualize it whenever he wanted anyway. Good food was one of the things he had enjoyed most since his original arrival on Earth almost twenty years earlier. The artificial minds that had raised him had done the best they could, but Earthly cooking was not one of their strong points. The Archonate's programming enabled the minds to make nutritious meals, but taste had not been a priority.

  Ming had just brought out dessert when the elevator opened to reveal Gus and Kehla.

  “Chocolate torte?” Kehla could be heard from across the room. “I'm so glad we didn't stop for a drink.”

  “Can someone put the kettle on?” Gus called. “I could use some Earl Grey.”

  He took Kehla's wrap and hung it up while she made a beeline for the table. He unbuttoned his suit jacket but left it on as he followed more sedately. Vic
was already up, so she started the kettle.

  “The movie was great,” Kehla told everyone around a mouthful of torte. “You really should see it. Oh, and the newsreel had a feature on the Hansen Expedition; I wonder what happened to them.”

  Ming's face stiffened, though Doc was sure Kehla didn't notice; she was intent on her dessert. Sipping his coffee, he waited until everyone was at the table, Gus with his tea and Vic with her Coke. Kehla had just finished her torte and was following it up with fruit juice.

  Moving his cup aside, Doc unrolled the paper, revealing the image. Gilly recoiled immediately, as did Kehla. Gus studied it a little longer before looking up and meeting Doc's eyes.

  “And what would that be?” Gus spoke through bared fangs, though his voice was as even as ever. “It looks like some sort of sea creature, although not related to any species with which I'm familiar.”

  “That,” Doc told him, “is the entirety of the last message from the Hansen Antarctic Expedition. I received it not more than an hour ago.”

  “That's it?” Kehla drained her juice in a single swallow. “That's the whole message?” She kept stealing glances at the picture and then looking away. “It's hideous.”

  “Well, it doesn't look like the winter was their only problem,” Gus said at last.

  Doc flipped it over, so no one had to look at the picture. Everyone seemed to relax a little the moment the image was out of sight.

  “So, what's the plan, Doc?” Gilly broke the silence.

  “I think you already know,” Doc replied. “We're going down to Antarctica to find out what really happened to the Hansen Expedition.”

  #

  Sunday morning had dawned cool. Doc didn't have much trouble with extremes of temperature; his body had been modified shortly after his birth. The others had been glad to get out of the city after Friday's heat. They had taken the train out of the city, first to Albany and then to Utica. From there they had taken one of Doc's cars out to the estate.

  He had picked up quite a bit of land during the worst of the Depression years, and none had been more useful than this area outside Utica. With just over two square miles, he had more than enough space for both a major research facility and three of the largest airship hangars in the country.

  One of the hangars held the ZL-38, a German destroyer Vic and Gus had captured a few months earlier in Africa. Doc had no immediate use for it, but one never knew. For the moment he had settled for a new paint job, one that bore no traces of the Nazi regime that had built the vessel. They had stolen his technology, so he had no compunctions about holding on to their airship.

  The other two hangars held ships of his own design and construction, and it was the largest one that he led the group towards. Opening a small door in the hangar wall, he stood aside so that the others could enter.

  Vic was the first in, and she just gasped and stopped, standing there with her mouth open. Ming barely squeezed by her, and then Gus had to pick her up and bodily move her out of the way so that the rest of them could enter.

  “What is that?” Ming asked.

  The building itself was huge, well over a thousand feet long and three hundred feet high. Ten thousand candlepower lights were just spots in the darkness, throwing circles of light on the hull of one of the largest airships ever built. The ship within it was a thousand feet long, and its silver grey skin glowed wherever the light touched it. Six engines lined the near side, smooth cowlings hiding ducted fans for propulsion. It wasn't visible, but the ship's lift cells all contained lyftrium, an aerogel Doc had developed from Archonate technology. The simple application of electric current could make lyftrium transparent to gravity, or even reflect it. The aerogel didn't just provide several times the lift of the same volume of hydrogen; it provided controllable, and variable lift.

  “That is the ship we'll be taking to the Antarctic,” Doc told her.

  Vic looked to be in a state of shock. She wasn't saying a word, but her eyes said it all. She was in love, and at least for the moment Ming didn't look jealous. Gus had already seen it, he'd helped Doc with the design, so he was enjoying watching the others' reactions. Kehla seemed the least impressed, but Doc knew technology wasn't one of her interests.

  “That's enough for the outside,” he said. “Let's get aboard and ready to go.”

  “What about our luggage?” Ming asked. “I don't remember bringing it from Utica.”

  “It's already aboard.” Doc smiled. “I had people come in and get everything loaded last night.”

  Ming looked at him slowly, and then finally nodded. “All right, but you're responsible if anything is missing.”

  Vic had finally started moving; she took Ming's hand and led her to the boarding ramp. Doc let them go ahead, he hung back with Gus and Gilly who were deep in conversation.

  “You sure this is better than taking a ship?” Gilly was shaking his head and waving his arms. “Don't want to be blown around with all those winter winds down there.”

  “Of course I'm sure,” Gus told him. “We've got more than enough power to handle the winds, and this will get us all the way to Hansen's inland base. With a ship we would still have to cross hundreds of miles of ice, possibly on foot.” He shook his head. “I would really rather not have to do that.”

  “Neither would I,” Kehla added. She looked down at her feet. “I do not want frostbitten toes.”

  “I'm sure Gus doesn't want your toes frostbitten, either.” Gilly laughed.

  “No, I like them just the way they are.”

  “Time to board, people.” Doc broke up the conversation. “We have a long trip ahead of us.”

  #

  Vic liked the new airship. It was more comfortable than either of the others, and the flight deck was better laid out. Two full sets of controls, and separate stations for engines and the radio operator. Without thinking about it, she let go of Ming's hand and slipped into the left seat. It fit her perfectly; adjusting to her weight and sliding forward. She reached out, and all the controls were perfectly at her fingertips. “I could grow to like this.”

  “I'm glad to hear it,” Doc said from behind her. “I set things up so the seat changes position based on the weight of the pilot.”

  Vic grinned. “So I shouldn't fly with Ming on my lap.”

  Doc shook his head. “No, that would be a bad idea, and not just because of her weight moving the seat. She would hamper your ability to reach the controls.”

  Vic sighed. “Yes Dad, I'll be good.” She winked at Ming and then ran her fingers across the controls. They were simpler than those in the German destroyer, and she wondered how responsive the ship would be in the air. “So, when do I get to fly it?”

  “Once we get safely up in the air.” Doc gestured to the right seat. “I'll take her out and then you can take over.”

  “You can do it from the right seat?” Vic settled into her chair, not wanting to move.

  “Yes, I can do it from the right seat.”

  “Good.” She looked around. “Now is there somewhere Ming can sit up here while we wait for everyone else?”

  “How about the right seat until we're ready to leave. I'll let you know.” Doc rose to leave. Just before he left the cockpit he turned back towards them. “Try to behave, Vic, please.”

  She nodded, hoping she didn't notice she had her fingers crossed behind her back. The moment he was gone, she leaned over and gave Ming a slow kiss.

  “A-hem,” a deep voice broke the silence. “You two have a cabin for that.” Gilly had just come onto the flight deck, a wide grin on his face.

  Vic blushed. “Okay, you caught me.”

  “Good to see you doing something other than playing solitaire, I was getting tired of you cutting yourself on the cards.”

  “It made it more interesting,” Vic muttered, trying to defend herself. “Regular playing cards are boring.” She squirmed in her seat, trying not to meet Ming's gaze.

  Ming raised an eyebrow. “So that's why you insisted on getting a
new deck of cards before you would play cribbage with me?”

  Vic nodded sheepishly. “Guilty as charged.”

  Gilly laughed. “Okay, I didn't mean to reveal one of your greatest secrets.” He looked around the deck before dropping into the flight engineer's seat. “I like this; I can monitor all the engines from here.”

  “Trying to change the subject?” Ming asked.

  “Uh huh, I don't want to get her in any trouble with you.” Gilly shivered. “Even in an airship I don't want a distracted pilot.” He looked around again, as if to check for listeners. “So, what did you really think of that picture that came over the radiofax?”

  Vic shivered. “I didn't like it at all.” She ran her tongue around her teeth as she tried to find the words. “It looked wrong; it looked wrong, evil, and it was frightening in a way I've never felt before.”

  She reached out to squeeze Ming's hand. “Usually, danger makes me feel more alive. The world gets brighter when you're right on the edge. That thing just made me feel uncomfortable.” Vic grinned. “Then again, I don't think I would have wanted that picture to look brighter and sharper.”

  Gilly nodded. “I get that.” He shook his head slowly. “I dunno, though; something about the thing draws me.” Gilly furrowed his brow, the lines clearly visible against his dark shaved scalp. “It's like I can't look away, like I don't really want to look away.”

  Ming chuckled. “Somehow I think you'll get your wish.” She squeezed back on Vic's hand. “I haven't known any of you that long, but I'm sure that if there's trouble, you can all find it.” Ming leaned over and kissed Vic on the cheek. “I've never met anyone as good at finding trouble as you are.”

  “Shouldn’t that be we?” Vic grinned. “It's the spice of life.”

  “If you insist.”