by RJ Corgan
She wasn’t certain, but she thought she could see Fernando frowning in disapproval, as if irritated.
“Needed to get you out of the way and off the ice.” He smiled, but his words lacked the certainty of before. “I just want to get out of here, like you.”
She poised to run but paused. One chance. One last chance to find out. “That thing... what is it doing here?”
Fernando just shook his head, casually slinging the ax to rest on his shoulder. “Didn’t exactly go to plan. Didn’t count on the winds... nor the rivers.” He took a step closer.
Kea felt the familiar tang of sulfur burn her nostrils.
Oh, for God’s sake, she realized, this was really happening. Christ. Adrenaline, already pumping through her veins, raged through her body. Every instinct shouting, Go! Go! Go!
“You wanted to sell it, didn’t you,” she pressed impatiently. “You’re doing this all for some goddamn corporate espionage, aren’t you?” Her eyes darted up and down the valley. Out of time, she thought. We’re running out of time. “Who are you working for? Who wants it?”
Fernando didn’t answer. He took another step closer, the crackle of his boot on the ice a sinister whisper.
Kea hesitated. If she turned and ran up the slope behind her, she knew for certain that he would overtake her. She only had one other option.
She forced herself to exhale slowly.
She wondered if this was how the witch Katla had felt in that moment before unleashing the fury of the mountain on the villagers.
Dear gods, Kea thought. That woman had some balls.
An echo of thunder cracked through the valley.
Now!
She bolted toward the camel pack that lay in the middle of the valley. She ran as fast as she could, her limbs flailing, her shoulder screaming. She was dimly aware of Fernando following behind her, the heavy tread of his boots on the ice gaining on her with every step. As she neared the pack, she angled her path to step just around it, where she remembered being able to walk safely, then sprinted for the valley wall opposite.
From behind her, she heard Fernando crunching through the crust of the ice followed by a splash. He shouted in anger, but the sound of his footsteps barely slowed. Glancing back, she could make out that he was closing the gap. He seemed to have lost the axe at least.
That wasn’t the trap. Just the distraction. She was waiting for something else.
The dark green cliffs bordering the easternmost edge of the glacier promised safety as they loomed out of the clouds in front of her. She sprinted toward them, her breath exploding out of her lungs in gasping coughs. She didn’t have to make it all the way to the edge of the glacier. She just had to make it out of this valley, out of this channel.
A toxic belch of sulfur engulfed her, causing tears to stream from her eyes and scald her lungs. She kept running, hearing Fernando close the gap between them, the sound of his boots thudding on the ice right on her heels. Panic urged her forward. She ran up the valley’s icy wall and lunged for the lip. Dangling from her one good arm, she kicked against the ice with her feet, desperate to gain purchase. She shoved her other arm over the edge, screaming as pain shot through her shoulder.
In a span of less than two gasping breaths, Fernando was on her, pulling at her legs, trying to yank her down into the valley. She kicked and screamed and wept in frustration as she felt herself sliding back down.
The world around them roared in fury.
In the valley below, a wall of ice and water, a jökulhlaup, tore through the little valley, ripping apart the glacier ice and scouring the walls of the outlet channel. The waters roiled against them, battering Kea’s legs with blocks of ice and gravel. Her feet jerked free suddenly as Fernando was forced to release his grip. She rolled up and over the edge of the valley, scrambling away on all fours, driven by primal terror as she tried to escape the noise, the destructive power of Skeiðarárjökull, and the horror of what she had just done.
Chapter 18
Kea lay on her back, looking up at the leaden clouds that hovered in the sky. She’d wrapped herself in a silver emergency blanket from her medical kit and, after a protracted fight with her sodden laces, tucked her boots underneath her to keep them warm. She chewed a candy bar, slowly, as it was the only bit of food she had left. The sweet and salty taste of the caramel, peanuts, and chocolate were simultaneously profound and mundane.
Over the ridge, she could hear the floodwaters receding as the jökulhlaup drained into the depression, flowing out through the newly active river channels and, eventually, out to sea.
I should probably be taking notes. She still felt lightheaded as the adrenaline high began to fade away.
It hadn’t been a particularly large flooding event, not by Skeiðarárjökull’s scale, but that was the closest she had ever been to a jökulhlaup. The recession of the glacier upslope meant that the outlet had shifted away from the usual Skeiðará outlets. If the drainage channels had shifted any further, she would have been trapped on the glacier. As it was, she could cross through the abandoned Skeiðará channel and head back to the jeep, although it would take some time.
She groaned at the thought.
More walking.
***
Her soggy feet squished with each step as she walked across the outwash plain. She pictured a mug of warm tea waiting for her in the main tent, calling to her. That was all she wanted. That and a long shower. In a hotel. At the resort by the airport.
It was only as she mounted a small rise that she realized that she had lost the walking stick. It was probably washed out to sea, along with Fernando.
Dr. Carlyle’s going to kill me.
The thought made her giggle again.
Exhausted, she thought. I’m exhausted, and possibly suffering from hypothermia. Again.
As she walked, the wind, cold and sharp, blew in great gusts, nearly toppling her into a kettle hole. Having lost the feeling in her toes and feet, she felt drunk, watching in wonder as her legs seemed to move of their own accord, as if they belonged to someone else.
Come along, come along, she sang to herself repeatedly. Keep moving. Must keep moving.
The journey across the proglacial depression was much shorter this far east, where the sandur and the glacier pinched together. The floodwaters had indeed drained into the Gígjukvísl river, allowing her to walk across the narrow point where the ice still abutted the outwash plain. As she climbed up the slope to the elevated outwash plain, the winds grew stronger, the gusts more frequent. The rain continued to drizzle down, sapping the last of her energy reserves.
Jon.
The thought of him dangling unconscious in the crevasse kept her moving. She had to get to a radio, get help, and get him out of there.
When the red blob of the jeep finally came into view, she nearly gave a shout, but she was too tired to manage anything more than a quiet “Wheee!” as she stumbled down the hill. After fishing the key out of the rear wheel well, she unlocked the door and crawled into the driver’s seat. She started the engine and put the heat on full blast.
The radio had been ripped out of the console.
Thank you, Fernando.
Rummaging in the glove compartment, she pulled out her spare glasses. They were five years old, with scratched lenses and an out of date prescription, but would do the job of getting her home, albeit with a migraine. She pulled off her waterlogged boots and socks, and rested her bare feet on the warm vents, taking a moment to savor the warmth.
Knowing Jon’s life was in her hands, she reluctantly placed her feet on the pedals, released the brake, and slipped the jeep into first gear, starting the long journey back home. As she steered the vehicle down the embankment, she let the feel of the tires in the worn tracks guide her. With this much rain, it was slow going. Clenching her hands on the wheel, she peered ahead as the jeep rolled downhill, the old shock absorbers allowing her to feel every rut and hole.
As awareness returned to her limbs, her mind started
to spin again. There was little that she could do for Jon until she reached the main road and flagged someone down. She shook her head, still unable to process that Tony was really gone and irrationally angry that he had left her with such a mess.
Dammit, Tony. Now I’ll have to tell Ísadóra everything, and Jennifer too, you stupid…
Her head slammed into the window, knocked sideways by the force of the impact. The Jeep rolled onto its side, before settling onto its roof. Kea fell upward against the ceiling, the engine still revving, the heat still blasting. The horn bleated a single unending tone as the world twisted and screeched around her.
Stunned, she found herself lying on her side, her glasses miraculously still on her face, staring out of the shattered windshield. She had landed on her injured shoulder, causing her to cry in agony. Over the sound of her own screams, she heard the roar of an oncoming vehicle. Panicked, she clawed her way out of the cab and pulled herself out into the mud. She rolled into the ditch beside the road and tucked her head into her knees just as a tremendous hammering pounded the earth around her. Sprawled in the muck, she watched in shock as a shiny blue SUV rammed into her jeep for a third time.
Her ears rang from the impact and she was dimly aware of a stinging sensation coming from her hands and feet. Kea was horrified to see a dozen small glass fragments from the windshield glistening in her skin.
There was a screech as the other vehicle came to a stop. The driver emerged to inspect the wreckage of the jeep. Even from behind, Kea knew that silhouette: Lexie.
What the hell?
Kea must have made a gasping sound that caused Lexie to turn toward her. The woman stomped down the muddy embankment, brandishing a tire jack.
Before Kea could say anything, Lexie lunged at her.
Instinctively, Kea dodged to the right. The blow slammed into the ground beside her, more due to Lexie misjudging the depth of the ditch than Kea’s evasive maneuver.
The jack thudded into the mud with a wet squelching sound.
Kea kicked out in a panic, trying to crawl away, but only managed to entangle her legs with Lexie’s as the woman worked to lever the jack out of the mud. Lexie came crashing down on top of Kea in a sprawling, cursing heap.
Kea rammed an elbow into Lexie’s throat and rolled over her attacker, scuttling away on all fours. In her haste, she wound up sliding further down into the ditch, landing with her back wedged against the jeep’s ruined fender.
At the sound of groaning, she turned to see Lexie curled up in a ball, both hands clutching her neck and sobbing.
It was her, Kea realized. Lexie had been the one who set the trap at the lake, who had slicked the shower with grease. She had been working with Fernando on this. She had been his ride out here today. She had been here waiting for him to get back this whole time. She must have seen Kea coming and rammed her jeep.
Still dazed, Kea stared at the battered grill of Lexie’s vehicle. She wondered if Lexie had even been on the bus when the team arrived that first day, or if she had just been waiting in the parking lot and joined the crowd.
How far back did this go? Were there others?
“Give it to me,” Lexie’s voice was a feral growl as she uncurled and rounded on Kea.
“What?” Kea shouted in frustration. “What is it you want?”
“Give it to me.” Lexie was poised to pounce, her teeth bared like that of a rabid dog. “Now.”
“I don’t have anything!” Kea raised her bloodied hands, splaying them out to show that they were empty. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lexie levered herself up off the ground and wrenched the tire jack free. She held it up with both hands above her head, ready to slam it into Kea’s skull.
“Wait!” Kea pleaded. Every inch of her body ached with pain. She knew she couldn’t survive another attack.
Talk it out. Keep her talking.
“We found the thing, the drone,” Kea admitted. “Then Fernando attacked us. Tony’s dead. Fernando killed him.”
Lexie paused, waiting.
Kea couldn’t discern her expression. She tried again. “Why is it worth killing for?”
“The chip,” Lexie spat at her. “Where is the chip? He wouldn’t have left without the chip.”
Kea felt herself slump further into the mud. It was all so pointless. So many dead for money, for industrial espionage. She felt the vast weight of exhaustion settling on her.
So tired. I’m so tired. Just leave me alone, I just want to lie down and sleep and never wake up.
Instead, weary beyond caring and just to screw with Lexie, Kea asked, “How much is it worth to you?”
“Give it to me!” Lexie demanded, spittle flying from her mouth.
Kea could tell the woman was on the edge of losing whatever sanity she had left.
I’m going to die here, she realized. She’s about to kill me, and all I want to do is roll over and fall asleep.
Kea started babbling, trying to talk herself out of her shock, trying to reason her way back into reality. “Fernando was willing to steal the tech and sell it to a rival company and split the money with you, right? If he was willing to kill for it, to do all that, I’m thinking my price is going to go up the longer you talk.” A thought slipped into her head. “Are you even a real reporter? Did you set this whole thing up? He told you it would be an easy retrieval, didn’t he? Just didn’t count on not being able to get up on the glacier.”
“Easy?” Lexie spat. “Are you insane?”
Yeah, Kea thought stupidly. I’m the crazy one.
“Fernando was part of the T3,” Kea continued, stalling for time, “What’s your connection to him?”
More silence. A very familiar awkward silence. Kea had caught more than one faculty member with a student in her time. She knew that look. “You’re with him, aren’t you? You were together before all this…”
“The chip,” Lexie said, raising the jack again. “Now.”
“Fernando kicked the whole thing down into a crevasse,” Kea said, the words tumbling over each other “It’s gone. It’s all gone.”
“He would have taken the chip out first.” Lexie looked searchingly at her. “Where is he? What happened?”
“Fernando came after me, but,” Kea paused, uncertain how Lexie would take the truth, if it would push her over the edge. “He got caught in a jok… an outburst flood. He’s not coming back. Not ever. Whatever he had, it went with him.”
Screaming in fury, Lexie slammed the jack down. Kea curled up into a ball, putting her hands up to protect her face. It was all she could do. It was all she had left.
The jack clanged into the jeep and bounced off into the mud.
Kea peered through her hands to see her attacker walking back to her jeep. Dumbfounded, she watched Lexie start the vehicle. A moment later and Lexie was gone, nothing more than a pair of taillights receding into the gray fog that blanketed the sandur.
Chapter 19
Kea squatted underneath the jeep’s rear fender, watching the rainfall. She sat cross-legged in the mud, her bare feet tucked underneath her for warmth. After Lexie drove off, Kea crawled around the gravel and muck in a daze searching for her boots, until the numbness began to fade and her feet prickled with the cold. It was a two-kilometer walk to the main road, and without footwear, she knew she would be hypothermic, not to mention slice her feet to ribbons.
I should get up, she thought. Jon’s out there. He needs help. Now.
“I will,” she told the rain that tapped a gentle rhythm against the metal above her head. “I just need to rest, just for a moment.” She leaned her head against the jeep, her eyelids heavy. “Just for a little while…”
Snap.
She blinked, dazed. A riotous twitch of color tickled her nose.
“That scarf,” Kea couldn’t help but say, “is amazing.”
“My dear, we simply have to take you shopping,” Amirah said as she helped Kea out of the mud. “There’s so much more to the world of fa
shion than Gore-Tex and flannel.”
Kea felt herself being first carried, then tumbled into the back of a jeep.
Another snap of fingers.
Kea groaned, slowly regaining focus.
Amirah stared back.
Kea blinked, shuddering with cold. She was finally aware of the blanket around her, Julie beside her, and Marcus at the wheel. She felt the gentle roll as they slowly rumbled along the dirt road. “Sorry,” she said stupidly. “I think I nodded off there for a bit.” She accepted a thermos filled with lukewarm coffee. “Um… Not that it’s not great to see you, but what are you doing out here?”
“When we got back to camp, she,” Marcus nodded at Amirah, “insisted we come out to find you right away.”
“I noticed Fernando and Lexie hadn’t come back, so I was worried something might be up.” Amirah placed a hand on Kea’s knee. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Okay. Everything’s okay, isn’t it? Kea’s thoughts were as heavy and leaden as her hands.
“Map!” she blurted suddenly. “Give me a map. And a pencil!”
After some rummaging, Julie pulled a natty map out of the glove box. Kea eyeballed the coordinates and scribbled them down along the margin of the map. “Call for search and rescue. Jon’s still up there, in a crevasse, just here, a few meters down. Should be visible from above.”
“And Tony?” Julie asked.
Kea shook her head. She waited until Marcus called for help before informing them of the events that had transpired over the last several hours leading up to Tony’s death. Noting the peculiar look on Amirah’s face, Kea thought it best to leave out specifics about the chip and controller. Instead, she focused on Fernando, the flood, Lexie’s attack, and her subsequent disappearance. She found some consolation in the news that Cole was recovering and resting at the hospital with his mother.