Thirst

by L. A. Larkin

  ‘Look what I did.’ Jason disappeared from view. A few seconds later he returned with what looked like a boat made of cardboard, painted orange with black portholes, which he placed between himself and the monitor so that Luke could barely see the boy’s face. ‘The Big Orange!’ Jason shouted and giggled.

  As it was Sunday and only 7:22 am in Melbourne, Jessica was probably still asleep. But Luke didn’t want to dampen his son’s excitement. ‘The Aurora Australis. That’s fantastic, Jase! Did you make it at school?’

  Jason nodded, his face bobbing in and out of view. ‘Tell me the story, Daddy.’

  Luke checked the screen clock. He didn’t have time, but his son’s eager face won him over. Luke’s fondest memory was of storytime, when Jason would snuggle under his arm and gaze up at him, open-mouthed.

  ‘There’s a very big ship that’s painted bright orange, and it’s called…’

  ‘The Big Orange!’

  ‘That’s right. And it travels to a land of ice called …’ He waited for Jason to chip in.

  ‘Antarg … diga.’

  ‘Antarctica, yes. And the ice-breaker goes up onto the sea ice and then it crashes down and cracks it—’

  ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’ Jason shouted. Jessica wouldn’t be asleep for much longer.

  Luke raised his finger to his mouth, as if to say, Hush, and continued. ‘And on the sea ice live lots of seals and—’

  A woman’s voice cut in. ‘Keep the noise down, will you?’ Then she leaned over Jason and pushed aside the cardboard ship so she could see Luke.

  ‘If you have to talk this early, can you try not to get him so excited?’ Despite her scowl and their unhappy history, Luke was still drawn to her translucent skin and full lips. Before he could say anything, she continued, ‘We need to talk. But not now. Finish up, will you?’

  ‘Jess?’ called Luke.

  Luke heard her voice and then a man’s. Or was it the radio?

  Jason frowned.

  ‘What’s the matter, Jase?’

  Jason looked down and wriggled about in his chair.

  Luke knew he shouldn’t ask his son the question, but he had to know. ‘Does Mummy have a friend staying?’

  Jason looked around the room, chewing his lip, and then nodded.

  ‘Time to stop,’ said Jessica from the doorway. ‘Say goodbye.’

  ‘Bye, Daddy.’

  ‘Bye, Jase. Love you.’

  Jessica severed the connection. Luke glanced at his hand on the mouse. It was shaking.

  ‘Briefing,’ Maddie called from the door. ‘In the dining room, now.’ She was gone.

  Luke stood. His legs quivered as if he’d run a marathon. He had broken out in a sweat and his thermals clung to him.

  Craig passed his doorway. ‘Hurry up, mate.’

  In a daze, Luke changed his top and then ran down the corridor.

  In the dining room, the tension was palpable. Even Luke, who was calm when it came to rescues, felt his stomach tighten when he entered. Tubs was leaning against the wall, his folded arms resting on his ballooning stomach. Luke slid onto a bench. Sue Sadri, the plumber, plonked down next to him. He received a static shock as her arm brushed his. She stayed close regardless, gnawing at what remained of a fingernail. Short and squat, with a tattooed neck, she resembled a wrestler in pink. Craig was opposite them, with a mug of tea in his callused hands.

  Maddie stood in front of the group, hands on her hips. The doctor, Frank Stone, was not far from her side. He was a man who took particular pride in his long, bushy beard, trimming it each morning as if he were training a bonsai. As a result, he’d earned the nickname Bluebeard, shortened to Blue.

  ‘It’s now four hours of zero radio contact,’ Maddie began, ‘and an hour and a half since Mac and Dave missed their midday return-to-station deadline. Given how reliable Mac is’ – Maddie glanced at Luke, as if to emphasise the difference between the two men – ‘we’re now into SAR.’ A search and rescue. ‘At this stage, I’m not going to send more than three people out.’ Her voice reverberated across the near-empty dining room. It was built to seat forty. The six who were present scarcely filled one corner. ‘Luke is leader. Blue, I’d like you to go on this one, and Craig.’

  Luke looked up, frowning in surprise. She looked at him again. ‘Yes, Luke, I’d like you to lead. You know the Walgreen Crevasse better than anyone, and you’re the most experienced abseiler. If they’re in trouble down there, we’ll need your skills to get them out.’

  Very few people had ever set foot on the Pine Island Glacier – or PIG, as it was affectionately known. Luke had spent more time exploring its two hundred and fifty by forty kilometre expanse than any other person. Even their Chinese neighbours and friends at Li Bai Station spent most of their time focusing on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and only one of their scientists had ever joined Luke onsite. Luke knew all about the glacier’s dangers, including the Walgreen – or Wal, a jagged crevasse that ran inland for ten kilometres – where Mac and Dave had been shutting up shop for the winter.

  ‘I need you to stick to SAR protocols. No deviations. Got it?’

  ‘Got it,’ Luke replied. ‘Has a locator beacon been activated?’ All Hope Station vehicles had these; once a beacon was activated, any of the other station vehicles would be able to locate them.

  ‘Nope.’

  Curious, he thought.

  Maddie began her briefing. Luke knew she had to issue instructions and run through safety procedures, but time was wasting. ‘Maddie,’ he cut in, ‘we have plenty of light to get there today. Clear skies and the sun’s low angle means we’ll get nice long shadows. So no problem spotting slots. We should get going.’ Shadows from icy peaks and troughs sometimes indicated a crevasse hidden under a shallow layer of snow, sometimes called a slot.

  ‘There’s a storm brewing to the south that could be heading our way. I want to wait an hour to check its direction.’

  ‘I don’t want to wait,’ replied Luke. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Sue’s jaw drop slightly. He shook his head, struggling to be diplomatic. ‘I mean, I’m worried. If there’s been an accident, the faster we get there the better.’

  ‘I agree,’ Maddie replied, ‘but a SAR in a blizzard is too dangerous.’

  ‘It’ll take an hour to reach the camp. We’ve got to get going now. If we wait and the storm hits, we won’t be going anywhere.’ Under the table, Luke dug his fingers into his thighs, exasperated with Maddie and furious at himself. Why hadn’t he made that second call to Mac?

  ‘And if it does hit?’ Maddie asked, pacing back and forth. ‘I’d be putting the three of you in danger, and that won’t help Dave and Mac one iota.’

  Maddie closed her eyes, clearly trying to hide her annoyance. When they opened again they flashed a warning at Luke, a message she’d aimed at him several times over the past few months. Luke ignored the admonishment, momentarily fascinated by the woman glaring at him. He gazed at her stunning green eyes and the light freckles on her skin.

  Luke focused back on his argument. ‘If the storm hits and we’re at the camp, we’ll shelter in one of the apples. Plenty of food and medical supplies there. And we’ll hopefully know more about the boys by then. If we’re caught out on the ice, we’ll shelter in our tent and wait it out. Either way, we’ll be closer to finding them.’

  ‘No, Luke, I can’t allow that. We’ll wait an hour and then decide. Now, let’s run through SAR procedures.’ Her tone allowed no further discussion.

  Frustrated, Luke clenched his jaw and stared fixedly at the wall map, trying to regain his composure. Antarctica looked like a giant stingray, with its ‘tail’ curling up toward Argentina. His eyes traced the coastline to the base of the tail. A tiny dot marked Hope Station. To help locate their field site, Tubs had pinned a tiny plastic pig, the size of a fingernail, that dangled from a key ring. This had been on their second day, and Luke remembered wondering what their new chef was up to.

  ‘Are you trying to tell us something?’ he ha
d asked, nodding at the pig, a wide smile on his face.

  ‘Nah, it represents PIG 1 – you know, our camp.’ Tubs had followed this comment with an oink. ‘It’s my lucky pig. Comes with me everywhere. Thought I’d share the luck.’

  I hope it’s working, Luke thought now. Mac was the worry: as their communications officer, he knew a lot about radios, computers and satellites, but not so much about surviving on an ice sheet. And if Mac was in trouble, why hadn’t Dave – the more experienced field assistant – called for help? Luke fidgeted. Something was definitely wrong.

  Deep in thought, he didn’t hear Maddie’s question. ‘You got that, Luke?’ she asked, waving her hand in front of him to attract his attention. Sue kicked him in the ankle.

  ‘What?’

  Sue pointed at Maddie, who raised her eyes in exasperation.

  ‘Sorry, what was that?’ said Luke.

  ‘I said the key to survival is teamwork. And no heroics, okay?’

  ‘Okay.’

  Maddie continued with her briefing. Damn protocols, Luke thought. Precious minutes were ticking by. He stood up abruptly. ‘Maddie, no disrespect, but I’ve done more search and rescue than anyone here, and I know how dangerous this glacier is to cross—’

  It was Maddie’s turn to cut in. ‘Yes, Luke. We all know you think the PIG is the next Larsen B. So its instability is exactly why it’s not safe to cross without good visibility.’

  The other station members’ faces moved from Luke to Maddie and back, as if following a tennis match.

  Luke shook his head. ‘What I’m trying to say is that I can get us there. If they’ve had an accident or they’re hurt, they’re going to need a doctor as soon as possible. Tomorrow could be too late.’

  Blue spoke up. ‘I know it’s against protocol, but Luke is right. If they’re injured and we wait out a storm, they may not survive the night.’

  Maddie folded her arms, eyebrows raised in surprise. The doctor was cautious by nature.

  ‘Craig, Sue? What do you think?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m with you, Maddie,’ Craig drawled. ‘No point having five in trouble instead of two. But if they’re not safely inside the apple, the boys are unlikely to survive a blizzard.’

  ‘Sue?’

  ‘I’m with Luke. He could be there and back by nightfall, and we’d all sleep better knowing the guys are okay.’

  Maddie looked up to the ceiling and chewed her lower lip. ‘Okay, get kitted up and we’ll reconvene in fifteen minutes. Craig, can you check the latest forecast? If it’s okay, you guys can go.’ She looked at Craig, who nodded his approval. ‘Make sure you carry extra fuel and check over the tent before you pack it. And call in on the hour, every hour.’

  Luke headed for the door.

  ‘Wait,’ Maddie called. ‘I want you to double-check the recovery kit and each one of you to go through your survival bags. And harnesses on. I want you all attached to your snowmobiles and the snowmobiles linked. Don’t go losing any of my expensive gear,’ she joked, trying to defuse the tension.

  Blue rose to his feet.

  Luke turned to him. ‘I’ll meet you and Craig in the garage. Sue, can you get the snowmobiles ready?’

  ‘Sure,’ she said.

  ‘Blue, you got everything?’ Maddie asked. ‘You’ll need a stretcher in case we have a serious injury.’

  ‘Yup, got one. I’ll be able to do most things, except operate,’ he replied, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

  ‘Doc, the guys will be fine,’ Luke said. ‘Don’t worry.’

  T MINUS 4 DAYS, 22 HOURS, 5 MINUTES

  5 March, 1:55 pm (UTC-07)

  Luke took long, determined strides down the corridor to his room. Sue followed, at a trot.

  ‘Luke,’ she called.

  He slowed but didn’t stop.

  ‘Give Maddie a break,’ Sue said, working hard to keep up with him. ‘She’s just looking out for you guys. It’s her job.’

  Luke stopped. ‘I know, I just want to get moving. I can’t help thinking something is wrong, and it’s my fault. I should never have let Mac go.’

  She grabbed his arm. ‘He asked, remember? But that’s not the point.’

  ‘Look. Maddie was frosty with me from the day we met. On the Aurora Australis. And that was before we discovered our very different approaches to station life.’ He started walking again and Sue bustled down the corridor with him.

  ‘I know, but she is the station leader and you just can’t do whatever you want. She’s responsible for us all.’

  Luke placed his arm around Sue’s shoulder and gave her a hug. ‘Mate, I appreciate you looking out for me. But I need to focus now. What Maddie does or doesn’t think of me doesn’t matter.’

  Within minutes, he was dressed in multiple layers and on his way to the drying room to collect his boots. He passed the mess. ‘Tubs,’ he called out.

  Tubs’ head shot up like a jack-in-the-box from behind a sofa where some small boxes were stored. Luke guessed he was rummaging through the party supplies crate.

  ‘I appreciate the thought, but let’s find Mac and Dave before we think about a party.’

  Tubs stumbled to stand, hands in his pockets. ‘Right you are.’

  ‘What’s up?’ asked Luke.

  ‘Nothing.’ Tubs looked down and then shuffled sideways.He handed Luke the tiny pink plastic pig. ‘Take this, mate.’

  Luke smiled and put the pig in his parka pocket. ‘Thanks, Tubs, but we won’t need luck. It’ll be fine.’ Luke gave him a playful punch on the arm. ‘I’ll be back for dinner, so get those steaks marinating.’

  ‘You reckon the guys are okay?’ asked Tubs.

  ‘They’re okay. I’ll find them,’ Luke said, faking an optimism that he didn’t feel.

  Luke took the lift down one level to the garage. On the way, he zipped up his orange parka and put on his mask, goggles and gloves. Sue had already fired up the snowmobiles. Maddie reluctantly gave them the go-ahead. Luke double-checked the vehicles, then his survival bag and lastly the recovery kit, with its rescue equipment that included an ice hammer, shovel and rope.

  ‘So you scientists have your uses, then. Not just good at winning awards,’ Sue joked, leaning on the handlebars.

  Luke smiled. ‘Well, this one, anyway. Man of many talents.’

  ‘Seriously, mate, well done.’ Sue blushed like a ripe peach.

  Luke winked, then turned to Blue and Craig. ‘Okay, time to harness up.’ Each man stepped into his climbing harness, which was then linked, via three metres of rope, to his snowmobile. Between Luke’s vehicle and Blue’s was a Kalkis sled carrying equipment, and between Blue’s and Craig’s was the stretcher. All the vehicles were linked together by rope.

  ‘Time to get moving.’ Luke nodded at Blue, who was already astride his snowmobile.

  ‘Ready,’ said Craig.

  Luke switched on the ground-penetrating radar, or GPR. Raised above his head on a pole, it was designed to detect sub-surface features such as hidden crevasses. The data was fed to a small monitor on his handlebars. It was working fine. He then tested the two-way radio strapped across his chest. ‘Luke to Blue. This is a test.’

  ‘Read you loud and clear,’ said Blue.

  ‘Luke to Craig.’

  ‘Craig here, go ahead,’ he replied.

  Luke then addressed them directly. ‘Guys, we’ll travel twenty metres apart and keep the ropes taut. The GPR should tell me where the crevasses are, but I’m gonna stop and look around a lot. I’ll be searching for hidden slots. Okay?’

  ‘Luke, I’ll be yanking your chain all the way,’ Blue joked, his chuckle muffled by his bird’s nest of a beard.

  T MINUS 4 DAYS, 21 HOURS, 35 MINUTES

  5 March, 2:25 pm (UTC-07)

  Blue followed Luke like a car behind a tow truck. Five minutes earlier, the sky had been a brilliant, clear cornflower-blue. But they could see the storm building, the clouds ominously dark. Antarctic blizzards were infamous for both their savagery and their sudden and un
expected arrival. Luke slowed and then halted. They had made good progress, but ahead of them the pristine uniformity of the ice shelf was morphing into a swirling mass of airborne ice. Above the monotone of the engines, Luke could hear the winds gathering speed.

  Blue pulled his warm neck tube away from his mouth. ‘We should go back,’ he said. ‘We can’t rescue anyone in that.’

  ‘It’s only another kay to the camp, and we can’t outrun it,’ replied Luke, gazing at the distant storm.

  Craig shook his head. ‘Luke, you know the rules. Not in a blizzard. We either turn back or put up the pyramid and wait for it to pass.’

  Luke stared in the direction of PIG 1.

  ‘Doesn’t look that bad to me.’

  ‘Don’t be so bloody stupid,’ said Blue. ‘Absolutely no way. I say we get inside our tent. Now.’ His voice, a deep baritone, was urgent.

  Luke looked at the ropes that tied their snowmobiles together. As the lead vehicle, if he fell into a crevasse, the other two should be able to take his weight and pull him back out. Alone, he would plummet to his death. And he couldn’t manage a rescue alone. He would need Blue and Craig if someone had to be hauled out of a crevasse. He had to persuade them to keep going.

  ‘I can’t do that, Blue,’ said Luke. ‘If they didn’t make it to the pod, they won’t survive the storm. I need you with me.’

  ‘You’re mad, Luke. You’re putting our lives on the line,’ Craig snapped.

  ‘Then I’ll go on alone.’

  ‘You’re a stubborn bastard, aren’t you?’ Blue said, thumping the handlebars.

  ‘Put yourself in their shoes. What if they’re wounded? Can’t get to shelter? They’d be praying we’d come and find them. In that storm, they won’t last long.’

  At that moment, Maddie’s voice called over the radio. ‘Luke, this is Maddie. Do you read?’

  Luke made no move to respond.