by Alex Archer
Annja laughed. Probably not the smartest thing to do, go running outside with wet hair. She took the hair dryer and used it until she was satisfied that her hair was completely dry.
She put on some moisturizer that contained a bit of sunblock. She knew the harsh environment would be hard on her skin.
Back in her bedroom, Annja let the robe slide to the floor and stepped into a pair of thermal underwear. Not exactly glamorous, she thought, checking herself out in the mirror. Over the thermals, she added a turtleneck shirt and then a flannel shirt on top of that before pulling on her flannel-lined jeans. She slid two pairs of thick woolen socks over her feet and then stood again.
She felt a lot thicker now.
And hungry.
The wings she’d eaten last night hadn’t done much to relieve her hunger. She poked her head out of the bedroom and wondered if the rooming house had a galley kitchen where she could find some food.
Annja wandered downstairs. A couple of people slept on couches. Beyond the sitting room, she could just make out the kitchen. The lights were on and someone moved around inside it.
Trevor.
“You’re up early,” she said.
He grinned. “Good morning to you, too. How you feeling today?”
“Actually, not all that bad.”
Trevor looked shocked. “Really? A busted rib would set a lot of people on their heels for a few weeks. But you’re okay, huh?”
“It’s only cracked and I guess it wasn’t as bad as we thought.”
“That so?”
Annja shrugged.
He gestured at the stove. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“There’s oatmeal. I just made a batch. It’s as fresh as we get it down here. Coffee’s in the pot. Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” Annja got herself a bowl and a mug and scooped some oatmeal into the bowl. As she poured herself a cup of coffee, Trevor came back and handed her a bottle of maple syrup.
“Not sure if you like it—”
“I do.”
He nodded. “Here you go, then.”
Annja poured some on her oatmeal and then followed Trevor out to a small laminate table. She sat and started right in on the oatmeal.
Trevor watched her for a few minutes without saying anything. Finally, he cleared his throat. “You’re up awfully early.”
Annja nodded. “I’m headed out this morning.”
“When?”
Annja checked her watch. “In about a half hour.”
“This early? Where’s the fire?”
Annja smiled. “Horlick Mountain.”
Trevor whistled. “Wow, that’s some haul. Gonna be a long day for you, Annja. I hope your ribs are up to it. Those Sno-Cats aren’t the most luxurious way to travel, if you get my meaning.”
“It’s far?”
“About five hundred kilometers. In good weather. With those Sno-Cats, you guys are going to be looking at a full day, maybe a day and a half of travel. Be better if you just flew.”
“Why aren’t we?”
Trevor smiled. “Weather. It rules the roost around here. This time of year, it’s not safe for a routine flight. We only put planes up if there’s no other alternative.”
“I see.” She sipped her coffee and moaned. “Wow, that’s good stuff.”
Trevor nodded. “I import some nice blends down here. It’s my guilty pleasure, I guess.”
“How long have you been here?” she asked.
“Nine months.”
Annja ate another spoonful of her oatmeal. “Quite a haul.”
“Money’s good. You come down here and you can earn more in a year than you do in five back in the real world. It’s a hefty cost, though, being alone and cut off from the rest of the world. Especially this time of year. The darkness can get to you. But there are benefits, too.”
“Such as?”
Trevor swallowed some coffee. “The landscape is utterly amazing. In a lot of ways, it’s like being on another planet. When you’re out there and away from any signs of civilization, you can almost imagine what it’s like to be out in space.”
Annja nodded. “You miss home?”
“All the time.”
“What about your family?”
Trevor shook his head. “Grew up in orphanages. And I don’t have any emotional attachments. I guess that’s why I’m something of a poster boy for Antarctic employees. No strings back home aside from a few friends who think I’m nuts for coming down here.”
“But you do it anyway,” Annja said.
Trevor nodded. “Maybe the real world just isn’t my cup of tea. I think I like it down here better than I ever would back there.”
Annja finished her oatmeal. Trevor stood. “You want some more?”
Annja held up her hand. “I don’t think I have time. Still have to brush my teeth and then climb into my gear. Oh—”
Trevor smiled. “I got your parka from Dunning. I’ll see you off when you come back down, if you don’t mind.”
Annja nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”
She went back upstairs and used the toilet and then brushed her teeth. Trevor seemed like a nice guy and he’d certainly been a big help to her last night. But what would make a guy like that want to run away from the real world? What had driven him down here in the first place? she wondered.
She slid a thick hat onto her head and then climbed into her snow pants and boots. She’d left the parka downstairs. She could put it on when she was headed out the door.
She took a final glimpse at her room. Comfortable, she thought. And it had certainly been a nice place to crash last night. She wondered where she’d be sleeping from here on out.
Trevor was as good as his word and met her at the bottom of the stairs by the front door. “Got everything you need?”
Annja nodded. “I think so. But honestly there’s not much to bring. Just my laptop in my bag and a few articles of clothing and toiletries. Beyond that, what’s the use?”
“You left the bathing suit at home, in other words.”
“Exactly.”
Trevor smiled and held up a small resealable bag. “Here, take this with you.”
“What’s this?”
“Some of my coffee. You seemed to like it an awful lot, and I can’t imagine where you’re going there’s anything nearly as good as this. So, please, take the bag of it. I insist.”
“Thanks, Trevor, that’s awfully nice of you.”
“Just remember me when that coffee’s the only thing keeping you from freezing your ass off out in the woolly cold.”
Annja smiled. “I will.”
From outside, she thought she could hear an engine somewhere off in the distance.
Trevor seemed to hear it, too. “Sounds like your ride,” he said.
“Guess so.”
“You be careful out there, Annja. Okay?”
She looked at him. “Why so concerned?”
Trevor shook his head. “You seem like a smart woman. I don’t like seeing good people get into things over their heads, you know?”
“Okay.”
“All I’m saying is be careful. I’ve heard what happened out there—the environmental spill and all. I just hope it’s not all that bad. Spoiling the natural beauty of this place would be a great shame. And I’d hate for you to get mixed up in any of that crap.”
Annja squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“All right, then.”
The engine noise grew louder. Annja turned for her parka.
“Let me help you with that,” Trevor said.
“Thanks.” Annja slid into the parka and then zipped up the front. Trevor eyed her. “Ribs still feeling okay?”
“Pretty good, actually, yeah.”
“Okay then, Miss Creed, I hereby pronounce you ready for Antarctic exploration. Godspeed to you.”
Annja smiled and pulled her hood up. The engine noise had diminished to an idle right outside the door.
Annja stepped outside and felt the Antarctic morning greet her with a solid one-two punch in the blast of frigid air. She hustled over to the Sno-Cat and heaved her bag up into the cab.
She climbed up on the track and slid inside, pulling the door shut tight behind her.
“Good morning,” Dave said. “How are you feeling?”
Annja smiled. “Oh, let me tell you about that.”
Dave slid the Sno-Cat into gear. Annja looked out the window at Trevor, who still stood silhouetted in the doorway.
Just as she was about to wave goodbye, he closed the door.
9
“Someone attacked you?”
Annja nodded. “That’s right. It happened right after I left the bar. As soon as I turned onto Main Street.”
Dave shook his head. “Sometimes, I tell you, this place seems less and less like the Antarctica I fell in love with and more like Dodge City.”
Annja shrugged. “Well, whoever it was, they definitely wanted me out of the way. And they did it in such a way that it would have looked like an accident. A strange one, but an accident nonetheless.”
Dave steered the Sno-Cat farther out of McMurdo. “You talk to anyone about it?”
“Uh, yeah. I needed medical attention for my ribs and then the marshal came to see me. And he was a bit peeved that I hadn’t had my in-briefing with him as of yet. Apparently, someone neglected to tell me it was standard procedure for all new arrivals.”
Dave cleared his throat. “Yeah, sorry about that. Zach told me he wanted you brought into McMurdo as quickly as possible. Plus, it was suppertime. I didn’t see much point in bothering Dunning about it.”
Annja watched the dark sky lighten just a little. “Any other procedures or protocols I need to know about?”
“Nope. I think that’s it.”
Annja nodded. “Good.”
“So who do you think it was? I mean, you weren’t exactly in town all that long. Certainly not long enough to make any enemies—unless, of course, you count those two guys at the bar.”
“I’m counting them,” Annja said.
“Yeah, but you really think they’d do something like that? I mean, it just seems a bit extreme for a couple of lug nuts like them. I can’t see them wanting to kill you just because you had some words.”
Annja took a breath and didn’t feel much pain in her side. “Dave, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my various travels, it’s that you can never overestimate how low someone might be willing to sink.”
“I suppose,” Dave said. “Just makes me kind of sad, that’s all. I don’t want to think about crime infecting my home here.” He flipped on the wipers to whisk away the snowflakes that had started falling. “Guess it just bums me out.”
“Well, I was bummed out, too, but for obvious reasons—I was lying in the middle of the street with a Sno-Cat bearing down on me.”
“Death by Sno-Cat,” Dave said. “That’s a new one. Especially considering how slow these things trundle along. Not exactly a high-speed rundown.”
Annja looked out of the window. “We really have a long way to go, huh?”
“It’s a good stretch, yeah. But we’ll be all right. We’ve got plenty of provisions and equipment with us.”
“But we won’t get there tonight?” she asked.
“It’s impossible to say. It all depends on the weather. As long as we arrive by late tomorrow Zach will be happy.”
“Where is he, by the way?”
Dave pointed over his shoulder. “In the cat behind us. He joined us as we left Mac Town. He’s got the equipment so we deemed it best that we take two cats instead of just trying to burden one of them. This way, if we run into trouble—one of them breaks down or something—we can hitch a ride on the other.”
“Makes sense,” Annja agreed.
“Plus, we can always radio for help. It might not be quick in getting to us, but at least they’ll know what’s going on.”
Ahead of them, through the window, Annja could see very little in the darkness. The sky seemed to melt into the landscape, leading her to wonder how Dave would know how to reach their objective.
“I don’t suppose there are any gas stations out here, huh?” she said.
Dave laughed. “Not quite. If you have to take a pit stop, I’d suggest you get used to using the jerrican behind your seat. It’s a lot more comfortable than taking a powder outside. The conditions aren’t exactly merciful to those who obey nature’s call.”
“How do you know when we get there?” Annja asked.
Dave patted the dashboard. “Global positioning system. We had them installed in all the cats a few years back. The things are a definite lifesaver. For years we had to go out with maps and take our chances. But now we know where everyone is right down to a yard or so.”
“Anyone ever been lost since you got GPS?”
“Nope.”
Annja nodded. The landscape looked incredibly foreboding. She could see small hills and peaks and long, irregular lines of ice sheets that jutted out of the ground. Snow seemed to fly at them from all sorts of odd angles.
“I can’t imagine getting lost in this stuff,” she said.
“Yeah, your chances of survival aren’t great if you do. But people have done it before. And then when you think back to those early explorers, well, they didn’t have much in terms of fancy gear with them. Just a willingness to go the extra mile and stake a claim for humanity in this frozen wasteland.”
Annja smiled. “That was almost poetic.”
Dave looked at her. “Don’t let that get out. It’ll ruin my reputation as a complete loon for staying down here as long as I have.”
“And how long is that?”
“Ten years.”
Annja looked at him. “You’ve been here for a decade?”
“Yep.”
Annja shook her head. “You weren’t kidding. You are a loon.”
“Considering I came from Alaska, it’s not too much of a stretch. And besides, in the summer, we get an almost balmy forty degrees outside. That’s practically warm enough to go for a dip in the harbor.”
“Well, sure.” Annja rolled her eyes. “How long has Zach been here?”
“Oh, not long. A few months. He’s green by comparison to a lot of folks. The research stations work primarily on rotations of crews who come down. There’s overlap so everyone has good continuity on the various projects.”
“And you were assigned to help Zach?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
“By who?”
“Pardon?”
Annja looked at him. “Who assigned you to help Zach?”
Dave smiled. “My uncle. And yours.”
“Ah. You’re one of those guys, huh?”
Dave shook his head. “Nope. Not a spy or a soldier or anything like that. I’m just one of the few who have been down here long enough to know his way around and be able to safeguard the interests of the country. I’m not a zealot or ultranationalist. In fact, I’m much more liable to vote my conscience about keeping this place beautiful than for some political agenda. But I have my uses anyway.”
“Such as looking after Zach.”
Dave took a turn and brought the Sno-Cat onto a new ice sheet. The engine groaned, then the tracks gained purchase and they jerked forward again. “I get him to where he needs to be. This dig is an important one, as you can see from what he showed you last night. It’s my job to make sure he does what he’s being paid to do.”
“Which is?”
“Figure out exactly what that necklace represents.”
Annja nodded. “And do you believe that it could be from another planet? That aliens made it?”
“I don’t know. This continent has a lot of history to it. Who knows, maybe some early tribe of humans made their way down here at some point. They could have dropped it and then we find it thousands of years later.”
“So you’re not into aliens.”
Dave smiled. “If I see somethi
ng conclusive, then sure, I might change my mind. Until that happens, though, I’ll be a bit skeptical about its origins.”
“Is that a view shared by your uncle?” Annja leaned back, trying to stretch. Her ribs felt tender but pretty good.
“I don’t know, Annja. I’m not privy to a lot of what they talk about. I get my orders, and do what I’m asked to do. They deposit money into my bank account. That’s how our relationship works.”
“But Zach seems to trust you.”
“Yeah, well, he’s got no reason not to trust me. I wouldn’t do anything that would hurt the guy. He’s a good apple.”
Annja let the conversation stall for the moment. She yawned and fought to keep her eyes open. The sleep last night hadn’t revived her as much as she’d hoped it would. Plus, the injury had given her body more work to do, even if it had been helped by the power of the sword.
A nap would really be great.
“How long until I spell you at the wheel?”
Dave smiled. “You know how to drive one of these things?”
“Nope. But I’m a fast learner.”
“Is that so?”
“Ask Zach.”
Dave smirked. “All right.” He reached forward for the radio handset and keyed it. “Zach, you back there?”
There was a pause and then Annja heard Zach’s voice. “Yeah. What’s up?”
“Annja here says that she’s a quick study on vehicles. Is that true?”
“Why, is she asking to take a turn at the wheel?”
“Something like that, yeah.”
Zach’s laughter floated through the speaker. “I wouldn’t if I were you. There was this one time, in Paris, where she tried to work the controls of this giant wrecking ball and ended up—”
Annja grabbed the handset. “We don’t need to go into details about that just now, Zach. Why don’t you just be a good guy and tell Dave that I am perfectly capable of working the Sno-Cat so he can get some rest when he feels tired?”
Zach paused. “Well, I guess she could relieve you if you explain how those controls work.”
Dave smirked. “That’s quite a vote of confidence you got yourself there.”
“Zach’s always been like that. He’s convinced I can’t drive, either. And that Paris thing was just a big misunderstanding. Really. I’m much more accomplished now on heavy machinery.”