by Bryan Dunn
“Think you can hold her okay?” Harry asked.
“Nothing to worry about,” Lockwood responded. “She’s light as a feather.”
Harry secured the other line to his climbing harness, took the tension off the rope, and began to haul himself up the ice toward Amy.
Five minutes later, Harry gave one last pull – and found himself dangling fifteen feet up in the air alongside her.
“Dr. Tyler, I presume,” Harry said, flashing a big grin.
“God, Harry, being this close to the thing gives me goose bumps.”
“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you’re plastered against a giant slab of frozen water.”
“I’m sweating, Harry.”
“Right.”
She reached down, and retrieving the coring rod that was dangling from her harness, positioned it directly over the creature’s back.
“Harry, do you know how exciting this is?”
“It’s pretty freaky. Hard to believe,” Harry said, staring at the shadowy form.
“Okay, let’s do it.”
Amy held the rod in both hands, guiding the shaft as Harry turned the handle. They both watched as the razor-sharp augur bit into the ice and sank toward the creature.
“We’ve got to be careful, Harry. We want to get the biopsy without disturbing the surrounding environment.”
“It’s your call. I’ll stop on your signal.” Harry continued to crank the drill, then said, “Hey, this thing has to be valuable.”
Amy gave him a, “don’t even think about it” look.
“After you guys are through probing it and draining its fluids or whatever – we could stuff it and sell tickets to see the real abominable snowman. When I was a kid there was a casino that had a stuffed grizzly bear in the window. Kids loved it.”
If Amy had the time she would’ve rolled her eyes. “C’mon Harry, pay attention. We’re almost there.”
A couple of seconds later she looked over, giving him a direct look. “Whatever this thing is, Harry, it belongs to science – and not in some carnival sideshow.”
“You mean, it belongs to Cryolabs. Isn’t that what you and Lockwood have in mind?”
“No. I mean the scientific community.”
“What are you two going on about?” Lockwood called up, wondering what all the arguing was about.
“Science,” Harry said with a laugh.
“Harry, stop! Stop turning,” Amy cried out. “We’re almost there.”
Harry released the handle and leaned forward for a better look.
“Okay, very slowly now, keep turning until I say stop.”
“Here we go,” Harry said, then slowly began to rotate the coring rod.
A few more turns – and they both felt the augur come to a stop against the creature’s back.
“That’s it,” Amy said. Then she began to slowly draw the coring rod out of the ice. When the drill had been completely, removed all that was left was a quarter-sized hole that ran directly up to the creature’s back.
“It’s perfect,” Amy said, reaching out and clearing away some ice shavings at the lip of the hole.
“Okay, before my legs start cramping, what’s next?”
Amy clipped the coring drill back onto her harness, then came up with a long flexible instrument that she inserted into the hole, carefully letting it run right up to the creature’s body.
“I get a skin plug with this nifty little scientific instrument –” She began to manipulate a handle at one end. “There. And then we’re on our way back to the lab.”
Amy drew the biopsy out of the ice, then carefully placed it in a specimen container. “Gotcha.” As she was about to snap the lid shut, she noticed one of the hairs protruding out of the skin plug. She raised the container to her eyes for a closer look, studying the biopsy.
“Harry, the hairs – they’re the same as the ones taken from Porter’s body.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. This is getting very weird, Harry. I just got the chills.”
“All I know is, if somehow one of these creatures was alive and it attacked Porter, it’s good and dead now.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because nothing survived after that iceberg rolled. If there was a creature on it – and I’m still not prepared to believe some five-thousand-year-old creature came back to life and whacked Porter – it’s really dead now.”
“I don’t know what to believe,” Amy said, snapping the lid shut on the specimen container and slipping it into her parka.
Harry reached a hand towards her. “Here, let me help you with the biopsy doohickey.”
Amy handed him the device, reached into the end of the coring rod, removed a small cylindrical chunk of ice, and then carefully inserted it into the hole, plugging it tightly.
She took one last look at the mysterious creature trapped in the ice, trying not to let her emotions run away with her, and whispered, “Pandora’s Box.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Harry said, giving her a direct look.
“My eyes see, but the brain doesn’t believe. I have to keep telling myself I’m not dreaming. Somebody pinch me.”
“How about a biopsy?” Harry said, holding up the surgical device.
“Excuse me, but if you two are finished up there,” Lockwood yelled up in a strained voice, “then please come down off that wall – my back is killing me.”
Harry looked down at Lockwood and said, “It’s a done deal.” He adjusted his grip on the rope. “I’m coming down first, then I’ll help you lower Amy.” And with a couple of quick movements, Harry rappelled down the sheet of ice and landed next to Lockwood.
Working together they lowered Amy, then got busy stowing gear and preparing for the rendezvous with the helicopter.
“We’ve got to get moving,” Harry said. “Nowhere is an impatient man. If we’re not there when he makes his pass, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Suits me,” Lockwood said. “I’m ready to slip out of these crampons and into a tumbler of single malt.”
* * * *
Amy heard it first. She turned and pointed and they all watched the sleek Black
Hawk chopper come out of the haze and streak overhead, then bank into a tight turn for a final approach to the extraction point.
Last on board was Harry. He slammed the cargo door shut and yelled forward to Nowhere Man, “Let’s head for the barn. It’s Miller time.”
“Deliver us home safely and the drinks are on me,” Lockwood said ebulliently, and then began to loosen the laces on his boots.
Nowhere Man looked back and nodded at Lockwood. “I’m going to hold you to that, doctor.” Then he put the Black Hawk into a gentle turn, increased the thrust, and radioed St. John’s Air Station that they were inbound and gave them their ETA.
“Big mistake,” Harry said, dropping into his seat and tightening his harness. “Nowhere Man’s hollow leg is legendary around the Frozen Coconut.”
Lockwood discounted Harry’s comment by waving a hand through the air. “After what we found today, I feel like buying the whole country a drink.”
“Listen, you two,” Amy said, looking from Lockwood to Harry. “I think we need to be careful about this. I think from now on we should keep this business to ourselves.”
“Aww…” Harry said. “I would’ve looked cool on CNN.”
“You know, in all the excitement, I hadn’t even thought about it. But of course, you’re right, Amy,” Lockwood said. “We’ve got to control this thing.”
“When the news of what we’ve found moves across the wires – it’s going to be a three-ring media circus. It’s going to be a nightmare. We’ve got to keep the lid on this thing until the creature has been safely removed from that iceberg and is in a secure facility.”
Amy turned, giving Harry a direct look. “Agreed?”
“Mummy’s the word,” Harry replied with a grin.
Chapter 25
&nb
sp; Harry and Nowhere Man were having a beer in the mostly empty Frozen Coconut. Nowhere Man was still in his flight suit and looked completely spent from having choppered people back and forth across the Atlantic all day. He took a long pull on his Guinness, relishing the strong malted brew as it slid down his throat and soothed his harried nerves.
Harry, on the other hand, seemed to be distracted and edgy and not at all into the cocktail hour.
“Did you see Boots, Har?” Nowhere asked, placing his beer back on the table but not removing his hand from the glass.
“Tried to. He was asleep. The doc said to come back later.”
“I’ll tell you what – that is one lucky son of a bitch. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people would’ve never walked away from that. And I could not believe that Dr. Tyler. Talk about balls…”
“Yeah…” Harry said, but you could tell he wasn’t really listening to what Nowhere Man was saying.
Harry suddenly pushed back from the table and said, “I’m going to go over to the lab and see what they’re doing.”
Nowhere Man looked at Harry, surprised. “I wouldn’t. I got the feeling they wanted to be left alone. Stay out. No molestar.”
“They meant you, not me.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t get that feeling,” Nowhere said and took a sip of beer. “They didn’t even want to see Inspector Hyde. They had Cush run that hair sample you got over to the police station with a note that said positive match.”
“Bullshit,” Harry said and stood up.
“That’s my whole philosophy, man,” Nowhere Man said, staring up at Harry.
“Sorry, Nowhere, but I gotta go.”
“I can’t believe it,” Nowhere Man said, shaking his head. “Lockwood leaves us an open tab – and you’ve only had one beer. Now that’s bullshit.”
Harry was already moving towards the door. He waved back to Nowhere Man without turning and stepped out of the Frozen Coconut.
* * * *
Harry stood outside Hanger One, knocked, then tried the door handle. Locked. He could hear voices on the other side of the door. He waited, then knocked again and wiggled the handle, trying to make noise. Still no answer. Harry gripped the handle and was about to pound on the door, when it was yanked inward and Harry was suddenly face to face with Lockwood.
“Mr. McNills, this door is locked because Dr. Tyler and I are working and wish to be left alone.”
Ignoring him, Harry pushed passed Lockwood, stepped into the lab and smiled at Amy.
“This is private property, Mr. McNills!” Lockwood threatened.
“Please, Hayden – its Harry,” Amy said.
I just came by to make sure Dr. Tyler was okay.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a biologist, you figure it out.”
“Oh, come on, Hayden, let him stay,” Amy said. “Without Harry none of this would be happening.”
Lockwood shook his head. Biting back his anger, he said, “Mr. McNills, Harry, anything you hear or see in here, must stay in here. Just for now, it’s top secret. It’s Cryolabs’s business.”
“Oh, is that right? I seem to remember Dr. Tyler mentioning something about it belonging to the entire scientific community.”
Lockwood let out a sigh and rubbed his neck. “Eventually, yes. But Cryolabs is here now and has already made a sizeable investment. And Harry, Cryolabs can guarantee that America will be the primary beneficiary of the science it yields.”
“Well, that sounds great for you and Cryolabs and the good old USA – but what about the rest of us? And let’s not forget who actually found the creature.”
“Trust me, I’ll never forget. Don’t worry, Harry, if Cryolabs benefits from this find, you’ll be handsomely compensated. You’ll be able to write your own ticket.”
Amy stepped up to Harry and took his arm. “Harry, come look and see for yourself. The results are better than we could’ve dreamed.”
Harry followed her over to one of the microscopes. He leaned over the eyepiece, letting his eyes focus on the hidden microscopic world.
“You’re looking at a cross section of the biopsy we recovered earlier today. The cells you’re viewing are proof positive that this large organism can tolerate ice forming within its body. It means –”
“It means that the creature you found trapped in that iceberg could theoretically be capable of being thawed out, reanimated, and restored to life,” Lockwood said, cutting Amy off.
“So, we’re back to that theory. A creature back from the dead, waking up and killing people,” Harry scoffed. “Give me a break, Dr. Frankenstein.”
Harry turned to Amy. “He’s starting to sound just like you. Creatures being defrosted after five thousand years buried in ice and walking around like nothing happened.” Harry glanced over at Lockwood, then back to Amy. Both of their faces were dead serious. “Oh, come on you guys – this sounds like some hokey sci-fi story.”
“I can assure you it’s science, not fiction,” Lockwood insisted.
“Harry, this might be the find of the century,” Amy said, glancing over at the biopsy sitting in the specimen dish.
Lockwood crossed the lab and stood in front of a small freezer. “Stick around, Harry…”
He opened the freezer and carefully removed a stainless steel tray containing a small white mouse. “I’m about to do my Frankenstein imitation.”
“Warm and serve?” Harry said, as he stared at the mouse.
“Harry,” Amy said through her teeth, then gave him a jab in the arm.
“Before our little friend was super cooled to zero degrees,” Lockwood said, looking down at the tiny mouse, “We removed half its blood volume and replaced it with synthetic blood infused with cryoproteins taken from the creature’s biopsy.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard about that,” Harry said. “Mick Jagger did the same thing in Switzerland awhile back.”
Lockwood gave Harry a look of bewilderment.
“Forget it. Rock trivia.”
Lockwood moved to a workbench and picked up a shallow glass container filled with clear fluid. “Dr. Tyler, if you’d be so kind as to assist me.”
Amy joined Lockwood at the workbench, and he handed her the tray containing the mouse.
“You do the honors, Amy. After all, it was your curiosity that led us to that hidden treasure.”
What about me? What about my curiosity? Harry thought, but didn’t say anything. He looked at Lockwood, then rolled his eyes at his over-the-top dramatic tone.
Amy took the tray, lifted the mouse by the tail, then gently submerged it in the bowl of clear fluid.
“Let me guess – dry vermouth,” Harry said in a droll tone.
“Afraid not. It’s very ordinary tap water that has been warmed to body temperature,” she said, not lifting her eyes from the bowl. “If we’re lucky, the transformation of mammalian cryoprotectors will have allowed its cells to tolerate freezing and it will thaw back to life.”
“Wow, this really is like Frankenstein,” Harry said. “There should be lightning and thunder – and the mouse should have a little bolt in its neck.”
Amy did her best to ignore Harry’s comments. They crowded around the bowl, anxious to see what would happen.
Lit by a halogen spot, the mouse floated on the surface of the water. As it warmed, its fur spread out from its body at right angles.
“One minute, fifteen seconds,” Lockwood announced, keeping his eyes on the sweep hand of his Rolex.
Fifteen seconds later, one of the mouse’s rear legs twitched. Then another leg moved. Suddenly all of its legs were jumping and kicking.
Harry thought to himself that it looked like a dog having a running dream.
Amy reached in, lifted the mouse out of the water, and placed it in a warm towel, swaddling it like a newborn baby. “It’s a miracle,” she said, her voice full of awe.
Lockwood finished jotting a note in a steno pad, then looked at the mouse. “The miracle of science.”
“That’s a happy mouse,” Harry said.
Lockwood slipped away, leaving Harry and Amy staring down at the mouse, quietly crossed to a telephone, checked a number written on the pad, punched it in, then spoke softly into the receiver.
Harry watched as Amy gently worked the towel across the mouse’s body, drying its fur.
“What does all this really mean?” Harry asked.
“I’m not sure,” Amy said, looking up at him. “There’s that creature back on the iceberg – and what we just saw – I don’t really know, the implications are breathtaking. It could mean that human tissue – heck, whole human bodies – could be frozen alive and thawed out at some later date. Organs could be donated and saved indefinitely until they’re needed. Space travel. Astronauts could be kept in cryo-chambers, sent to the outer edges of the universe, and be awakened decades later.”
Harry let out his breath, overwhelmed by the possibilities, then reached down and stroked the mouse’s head.
“One squeak for man, and one giant squeak for mankind.”
Lockwood hung up the phone, looked across the lab at Harry and Amy, and said, “Wheels are turning. History is being made.”
They looked up at the sound of Lockwood’s voice and saw him walk to the freezer, pull open the door, and remove the specimen container.
Lockwood turned and faced them. “What is buried on that iceberg and the biopsy inside this jar,” he held up the container for them to see, “is the stuff of Nobel Prizes, Dr. Tyler.”
Then Lockwood was moving swiftly toward the door. “This will make the cloning of sheep fetuses seem sophomoric.”
“Dr. Lockwood, Hayden, where are you going?” Amy called out, but it was too late – he was already out the door.
Harry looked at Amy and squinted his eyes. “Now what is he up to?”
“I don’t know,” she said, grabbing the mouse and slipping it into a cage. “But let’s go find out.”
Chapter 26
Harry and Amy exited the hanger just in time to see Lockwood crossing the tarmac towards an Air Coast Guard Falcon jet that was running up its two engines, preparing for take off.