Arctic Fire

by Paul Byers

  “I’ll want to take a closer look at all the specs later but right now I think I’d just like to take a look around. Can you give me the nickel tour?”

  “Sure thing, but you’ll need this first.” Miles opened up a locker and tossed Pike a dark colored fur-lined parka.

  They stepped out of the office and into an open ended freight elevator. Miles pulled a metal gate across the entrance and pushed the button.

  Feeling the excitement grow, Pike watched as the sheer ice walls passed in front of them as they began to descend deeper into the berg. They reached bottom and emerged into a cavern a little smaller than the one they just left. Here, there were no pallets of equipment lying around; in fact, it was deserted except for two vehicles that resembled golf carts.

  “I thought there’d be more people or equipment around,” Pike said, stepping out of the elevator.

  “Right now there’s not a lot to do other than keeping an eye on the generators and fixing any coolant leaks we may find.” They got into the cart and started down the tunnel. As they were driving Pike noticed that there were two dozen, three-inch pipes nestled in the ceiling with branches jutting out every twenty feet or so and disappearing into the walls. Seeing Pike looking up, Miles explained. “The pipes you see are for keeping the ice cold during transit and then we use them to melt the ice once we arrive. There’s nearly 40 miles of piping spider webbed throughout the barge, sorry, berg. This is the Broadway tunnel I mentioned earlier. It runs the entire length of the iceberg and is the only tunnel large enough to drive through but there are dozens more just wide enough for a man to walk through that we use to inspect the pipes.

  “Okay, here we are.” Miles said as they parked the cart in a small cutout that was just large enough to hold three of the small electric vehicles. The two men got out and walked down the short crystallized passageway and ended up in front of a metal tube that looked like a phone booth. Inside the tube, there were two sets of ladder rungs.

  “This is one of four main tubes that go down to the ships.” Miles said as he climbed onto a rung and began to go down. “There are four more escape ladders that go to the surface and four more that go up just above the waterline and end up on narrow shelves.”

  Pike peered down the tube and was a little surprised to see such a bright light at the end. “Follow the light,” he chuckled to himself as he began to go down. They descended inside the dark tube for twenty feet, then suddenly came out the other end, like a swimmer broaching the surface of a lake, only backwards. Pike felt his fingers tighten their grip around the rungs of the ladder as he suddenly found himself suspended in mid-air.

  The access tube they had been climbing down had ended but the ladder continued down another twenty feet to the deck of the ship below. He had gone from the close confines of a six-foot diameter tube and had emerged into a vast cavern that was nearly three football fields long and almost as wide. He could see all four ships but it was odd not to see them floating in water. Instead, they were surrounded by fog, a solid, frozen fog.

  “Enjoying the view?”

  Pike looked down and saw Miles was on the deck looking up at him.

  “Sorry.” Pike apologized and climbed the rest of the way down. For some reason he took great comfort in the feel of the solid deck.

  The two forward ships each had four large pipes coming up out of their decks, like giant smoke stacks that disappeared into the ice overhead. From the point where the pipes entered the ice, Pike could see smaller pipes branching out, like blood vessels breaking off the main artery, making the iceberg look like it had varicose veins.

  Pike found himself gawking at everything like a little country boy on his first visit to the big city. Suddenly he was aware of Miles standing in the hatchway just looking at him. “We get that from everybody the first time they come down here.” Miles said smiling. “Come on,” he continued with a wave of his hand, “I’ll show you the belly of the beast.

  Pike followed the engineer through the hatch and narrow hallway where they descended three decks. Pike felt the proverbial butterflies swarming in his stomach . He’d seen lots of engineering projects over the years but ones like this came along only once in a lifetime. Suddenly he felt very small and humbled to be a part of something so grand and so important; he only hoped he was good enough.

  He had felt a slight vibration when standing on the deck and heard a low rumble, like a stampeding herd of cattle far off in the distance. The lower he got into the bowels of the ship, the more pronounced both the noise and vibration became. The noise had now turned into a deep bass sound that rumbled in his stomach , the feeling that one gets when pulling up to a stop sign and hearing the blare from a teenager’s radio three cars away.

  As they reached the last hatch, Miles grabbed a hardhat and earmuffs off the wall. “Safety first,” he smiled as he handed them to Pike then put some on himself. For the second time in less than five minutes Pike found himself speechless and standing dumbfounded when Miles opened the hatch.

  He didn’t know quite what to expect, but he knew this wasn’t it. All the bulkheads in the ship’s hold had been removed, leaving one massive room. Pike envisioned the cargo hold to contain gigantic machines large enough to create their own weather patterns that would be surrounded by an array of smaller machines, filling every dark nook and cranny with pipes and wires. He thought he’d see endless panels full of dials and gauges attended by an army of men in white coats carrying clipboards.

  He did find four gigantic machines lined up in rows that were attached to the huge funnels he’d seen sprouting up above the deck but that’s where the similarities to his vision ended. The immense space of the ship’s hold was still surprisingly spacious and there was very little clutter from smaller support machines. The room was well lit and not blast-furnace hot as he expected from all the heavy equipment.

  “These are the generators that supply the refrigerant, keeping the berg cold. The other forward ship has an identical set up.” Miles explained. “When the time comes for the meltdown, these two stations will convert from cooling to heating and begin thawing out the ice while the plants in the aft two ships begin processing the water and pumping it out.”

  “Very impressive.” Pike said, staring at the massive machinery.

  “Do you want to see the processing ships now?”

  Pike shook his head slowly. “I would like to see them but what I think I should do now is go back to my room, study the specs and formulate an inspection plan and check-off list. I’ve got the Coast Guard regulations so there really shouldn’t be a problem; the only snag we might run into is the sheer size of this thing.”

  “All the specs are on here. I thought you might want to see them.” Miles handed Pike a thumb drive then continued. “I’ve got work to do here so I’ll have one of my men take you back topside. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

  “Thanks.” Pike replied as he shook Miles’ hand. “I’ll leave the coat back in the office.”

  “Keep it, you’ll need it.”

  Pike nodded as he followed his guide back through the labyrinth.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Williams was blowing steam like a locomotive as he stormed away from Cain’s office. He was angry that Cain had outmaneuvered him by cleverly dismissing him before he was ready to go. He did have to admire him though, Cain was good. He just hoped the billionaire didn’t get bored spending all his money and decide to run for office.

  Williams chugged down the hallway and burst into his makeshift office. Thornton was sitting at his desk, surrounded by several stacks of papers.

  “Senator?” Thornton said as his boss came storming in. “You’ve had three phone calls from Washington while you were gone.”

  “Not now Bobby!” He shouted.

  “But sir…”

  He’s up to something, I can smell it.”

  “Sir?”

  “You don’t get to a position like mine without developing a sixth sense about things like th
is.”

  “Who sir?”

  “Cain, Cain! Who else you idiot? Haven’t you been paying attention?” Williams threw his hands up in the air out of frustration as he stared at his aid.

  Thornton sat there quietly biting his lip and biding his time. Before he took this job, he’d heard all the stories from Capitol Hill about Williams and his reputation for chewing up interns and aids for breakfast and spitting them out before lunch, but he took the job anyway. He didn’t need a job, he wanted this one. Despite what Williams thought, he had been paying attention and he did know what was going on. Williams had the experience and the connection and even if he was a Class A jerk, he was the one to learn from if he wanted to get anywhere in the political world.

  “Of course sir.”

  Williams transformed from the thundering locomotive to a caged animal, pacing back and forth in the office, tapping his chin, thinking as he walked. Thornton had seen his boss act like this before but not very often so he knew something big was up. Thornton sat quietly as he watched his boss criss-cross the room, talking to himself. Slowly the furious pacing began to subside to a gentle walk and Thornton knew he could talk now without disturbing the beast.

  “How can I help sir?”

  “That’s it.” Williams said, snapping his fingers. “I’ll work through channels on my end and I can have you play the end game with Beth.”

  “Beth?

  “Beth Mallory, Cain’s assistant. I want you to work that angle. I want you to get as much information out of her as possible. You know, one subordinate to another, that sort of thing, it may get her talking.”

  “Anything in particular you’re looking for sir?”

  “I don’t trust our benefactor as far as I can throw him. This iceberg thing has to be a cover for something else. No one goes through this much time and expense just to help their fellow man.”

  “That’s a sad thought sir.” Thornton blurted out.

  Williams looked at him with a disappointed scowl. “You’ve got a spark of potential, Robert but don’t let misguided, useless emotions make decisions for you. This is the real world here. Lead, follow or get out of the way. I intend to lead. If you want to sit in the big chair, you’ve got to make the tough calls. Politics is like a giant game of chess. You’ve got to know who to sacrifice and when in order to win the game. Sometimes you sacrifice people you just met, sometimes it’s friends you’ve known for years; remember, the end justifies the means.”

  Williams looked long and hard at his aid. “Well Bobby, are you a pawn or something bigger?”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Thornton replied with a conviction that made Williams smile.

  “Excellent my boy, excellent. Now then, you said I missed some phone calls?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Well let’s get the mundane duties of running this country out of the way so we can get to the real fun and see what our friend Mr. Nigel Cain is really up to.”

  It was 6:30 by the time Pike realized he had worked through lunch and dinner, his growling stomach confirming that fact. Pouring over the plans, he had formulated a workable timetable that should allow for a thorough inspection and yet leave enough leeway to get into New York harbor on time. Pike was amazed at the simplicity of Cain’s idea yet impressed with the complexity it took to bring it to life.

  He stood and stretched then grabbed his coat and was heading out the door to grab a bite to eat when the phone rang.

  “Hello?” He said, grabbing it just after the third ring.

  “Hey Gabe.”

  “K.D.!” Pike said excitedly.

  “Have you done any work yet or are you still having caviar and oysters?”

  “Ha ha, very funny. I’ve been studying the schematics for this place all day, besides, you know I don’t like oysters. You should see this place K.D., it is absolutely amazing.” Pike spent the next several minutes describing the barge and the day’s events.

  He paused and finally took a breath. “Hey, what time is it there? Isn’t there like a six hour time difference between here and there?” He glanced at his watch. “So what, it must be close to one in the morning there? How nice of you to stay up so late to call.”

  “Yeah, it’s about one…in the afternoon, so don’t flatter yourself hot shot, I’m not losing any beauty sleep over you… and no wise crackers either.”

  “Yes dear.” Pike replied in mock obedience.

  “But yes,” she replied in a softer tone, “It’s good to talk to you too.”

  “How’s everything back at the office? Does everybody miss me?”

  “Things are fine and everyone is jealous and hates you, though Nate is busy designing your new baseball action figure. You’re wearing a Marines uniform with a white scarf and a leather flying helmet. He wanted to have you wearing your leather flight jacket but I told him that was stupid.”

  “Well thank you for that.”

  “Yeah, besides everyone knows you could never throw a baseball with that thing on.”

  “I’m going to hang up now. And just for that I’m not going to give you that coffee mug I bought you in the airport gift shop at Reykjavik.” They both laughed.

  “Okay, I gotta go now. This call is on the company’s dime and you know how Marilyn likes to watch her pennies.”

  “Well thanks for calling.”

  “No problem. Take care of yourself hot shot, and don’t slip on the ice.”

  Pike smiled as he hung up the phone. That’s twice K.D. had called. After a couple of years working side by side, all of a sudden was a long distance romance shaping up? He’d definitely play this by ear but it was worth thinking about.

  Even at this early hour, as Pike entered the casino, he was greeted by all the usual sound of the Vegas strip. The machines beeped and buzzed, the Keno numbers flashed across the screen and there were the occasional whoops and hollers from someone winning big. From the number of people playing and the stacks of chips sitting on the tables, it looked like Cain was winning back the airfares he paid to get these people here.

  He was hungry and wanted to decompress a little after pouring over the schematics so he went past the small diner and entered the Crystal Palace. It was a first class restaurant where he hoped he could enjoy a quiet meal away from all the noise and glitz.

  The Crystal Palace was decorated in a frosty winter theme with ice sculptures scattered about. The tables were made to look like chunks of ice supported by large pillars and were surrounded by glistening, crystallized chairs. The bar was a huge slab of acrylic ice, complete with frozen creatures captured inside. It reminded him of the ice hotel in the James Bond film, Die Another Day.

  When Pike walked in, he was disappointed to see that the place was packed and that he wasn’t the only one with the idea of a quiet meal. He was just about to turn around and head back to the diner when he saw the maitre d’ approach and call his name. “Mr. Pike, I have a table right this way if you please?” He half expected him to have a stuffy French accent but instead, he had a pleasant, slight southwest drawl . He didn’t question the special treatment as he nodded and gratefully followed. The maitre d’ led him to a table that was in a semi-private room, thankfully quiet and with a magnificent view of the ocean. Apparently he still had a few seconds left on his 15-minute fame clock.

  He had just sat down when he heard a voice behind him. “Care for some company?” Pike turned around and saw Mallory standing there. “I was at the bar when I saw you come in.”

  He stood and pulled out her chair for her. “Please, I’m use to eating alone but I always enjoy good company whenever I can get it. Have you eaten yet?”

  Mallory shook her head. “Not yet.”

  “Then please join me, my treat.”

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  After dinner was ordered, Mallory continued the conversation. “So how did your first day on the job go?”

  Pike nodded. “It went very well. I studied all the schematics to get a basic layout and tomorrow I’ll m
eet with Dean again to get the invoices to check on the building materials to see if everything meets environmental standards.”

  “Don’t bother.” Mallory said as the waiter brought the salad. “I’ll save you a trip to the underworld. I have all the invoices and rec forms in my office as I did all the purchasing of materials for the barge.”

  Pike looked at her funny when she called the iceberg a barge. She read the expression on his face. “Don’t worry Gabe. I know Nigel doesn’t like it being called a barge, but who do you think named it that in the first place?” She smiled.

  Pike just smiled and shook his head as Mallory continued.

  “I also have the lists of construction firms who have worked on the project and their background checks along with every state and federal license and permit needed. And I can answer any question Dean can, short of extreme, engineer techno babble.”

  “Excellent. That will save me a lot of time and trouble and having to bundle up like Nanook of the North.”

  Just then the waiter came and delivered their dinner and the conversation lulled as they both concentrated on the meal. As Pike ate the last piece of his porterhouse steak, he let out a satisfied moan and pushed himself back from the table and ordered some coffee.

  “I have a favor to ask of you and Mr. Cain.”

  “You know, it’s okay to call him Nigel, he doesn’t mind.”

  “I know, but it just feels uncomfortable.”

  “He can be a little intimidating but I’ve been with him so long he doesn’t faze me any longer. Anyway, what’s this favor?”

  “You know I don’t share the same affection for the news media as Mr. Cain does, but there is one reporter in particular that has ruffled my feathers.”

  “Oooo, revenge on the high seas, I like it. Brad?” Mallory called to the waiter. “Please bring me another glass of wine, we’re going to be here a while.”