Arctic Enemy Part 6

Diagrams of the Enterprise's hull glowed on the computer screens. Pulsing lights indicated the opening and closing of valves, the speed of the flow into the insulated tanks. They would also indicate, instantly, any hazardous stresses forming in the tanks, or any imbalance of pressure between the ship and the loading terminal.

Suddenly there was a persistent buzzing from one of the panels, and a knot of technicians formed at once around a flashing red light.

'Excuse me, Sarah.' Tony stood and crossed the room in a few quick strides. 'What's the trouble?' he demanded.

The supervisor exhaled slowly. 'There's a snag in the flow, Mr Freeland,' he replied, raking his fingers through his hair abstractedly.

'How can that be-you've checked and re-checked the equipment every day since we left Rotterdam!' His voice was harsh and accusatory, and Sarah saw suddenly just how raw and close to the surface Tony's nerves were. She had misjudged him: he wasn't as calm and in control as she had thought. Troubled for him, she stood and went to his side.

'I don't think the trouble's with us, sir,' the man replied with deliberate calm. 'I'd say it's at the pumping station end.'

'You don't think! A fortune in equipment at your fingertips and that's the best you can do?'

'Mr Freeland, sir, we've just this moment seen the warning. If you'll permit me, I'll get on the line to the sh.o.r.e office and see what they have on it.'

Bravely spoken, thought Sarah, considering the poor man had an alarm screeching in one ear and the ship's owner shouting in the other. She suddenly had another vision of Tony Freeland, of a man who did not tolerate frustration very well.

Apprehensively, she watched him pace the floor with long, restless strides as he listened to the incomprehensibly technical conversation between the supervisor and his land counterpart.

Exasperated, he grabbed Sarah's arm, finally, and propelled her towards the door.

'Where are we going?' she panted, jogging after him.

'To the sh.o.r.e office!' he rapped out, his eyes straight ahead. 'If someone on their side is messing up, I want to know about it!' The Arctic air caught in Sarah's throat like a knife as they skidded unsteadily across the slick, frozen ground.

The workroom was cheerless and functional, crowded with a welter of desks and draughting boards. Sarah paced it restlessly, attracting the curious and admiring stares of the all-male staff. From time to time she glanced into Gus Cameron's gla.s.s-walled office, where a huddle of men bent over a pile of blueprints. Once, she saw Tony gesturing angrily. They were telling him nothing, apparently, to improve his mood.

As the minutes dragged by, she accepted a paper cup filled with coffee from one of the engineers and sank dejectedly into a vacant chair.

The office door opened and Guy came out, closing it quietly behind him. He came and sat on the edge of the desk in front of Sarah.

'Looks as if we're in for a long wait,' he said.

'I gathered as much-do they know what the problem is?'

'More or less. One of the pumps is malfunctioning. But at least it's nothing to do with the Enterprise. Tony should be grateful for that much.'

Sarah turned her head and peered back at the office. 'He certainly doesn't look very relieved,' she observed.

'Well, the bad news is that we'll be tied up at least one extra day-and probably two.'

'Two days! I don't blame him for being furious.'

He shrugged. 'You have to expect a few bugs the first time through.'

Sarah shook her head and swirled the coffee around in her cup. 'I suppose you're right. But still... two days!'

'Think you can come up with some way to put in the time?'

She raised a neatly arched eyebrow. 'To tell you the truth, I don't know. I've pestered just about everybody for an interview. And there's just so much you can write about a completely automated pumping system.'

'Well, there's always the movie theatre,' he tossed out, shrugging his broad shoulders.

She gave a small cry of exasperation. 'If you think I've come all the way to the Arctic just to sit in a dark room and watch re-runs of last year's cinema spectacles, then you don't know me!' She strode to the window and stood with her arms folded across her bosom, looking hungrily out at the icy blue vista. Her natural curiosity was never still for a minute. 'I want to go exploring,' she announced.

He gave her a quick look. 'That's not your ordinary countryside out there you know.'

'I do know that! But it's beautiful, in its own way. I've read all my life about the mystery and grandeur of the Arctic. I just want to go out there for a while and... and... experience it!'

An idea formed in her mind. Ignoring Guy's cautions, she turned to the man at the next desk, who had been a reluctant eavesdropper on their conversation.

'Excuse me,' she said, 'but don't you and the other men ever get away from the station-sightseeing, I mean?'

The man put his pen down and smiled at her, delighted with her attention. 'Yes... some of the men like to go out and try to sight birds and animals. As a matter of fact, the last time they went out they came across a native hunting party that had set up a temporary camp not far from here. That's pretty rare for this area-they were really excited.'

'There, you see?' She looked at Guy, and turned to the other man. 'Do you think anyone might be going out either today or tomorrow?'

'I don't know offhand. But I could try to find someone to take you out on a short trip.'

'Could you? I'd be so grateful!' she exclaimed, her face lit up with excitement.

The man grinned. 'Hold on a minute,' he said, standing. 'I'll see what I can come up with.'

Sarah tilted her chin and looked triumphantly at Guy. Old movies, indeed!

But when the man returned, he was apologetic. 'Mr Cameron gave his permission, but I'm afraid I couldn't find anyone qualified to take you. Almost all the leaves have been cancelled while the Enterprise's in port.'

Sarah's shoulders sagged. 'Darn,' she said, giving the desk a little slap.

She was conscious of Guy's eyes on her. 'Well, there's always the-' he began.

'No way!' she retorted. 'Look,' she said to the engineer, 'couldn't I strike out on my own for a while? I wouldn't go far, and I'd be very careful.'

He shook his head. 'I don't think so, Miss Grey. You wouldn't get far enough away from the compound to see much. Besides, we'd really hate to lose you!'

Sarah gritted her fine white teeth in frustration. Two more days of staring at the backs of computer technicians. It seemed like such a waste.

'This hunting camp,' Guy was saying, 'Is it far?'

'No... less than an hour by snowmobile.'

'And the terrain?'

'No problem. It's a pretty straight run along the sh.o.r.e.'

'If we left within an hour, then, we could still be back well before the early dark?'

'We!' shot out Sarah. 'What are you talking about?'

He ignored her. 'Do you think you could fix me up with a snowmobile-I'll clear it with the top.'

'No problem that I can see. Captain.'

The man excused himself, and Sarah turned on Guy, whispering furiously, 'Would you please tell me what it is you think you're doing?'

'Giving you your heart's desire, I thought. I'm going to take you on a little tour of the tundra. We might even see a polar bear-a real one this time.'

'And what makes you think I'd trust myself out there with you?' she demanded, jerking her head towards the frigid scene beyond the windows.

'If there's one thing I know about,' he said calmly, 'it's navigation. I've even done a stint in the Arctic with your own armed forces. What happened to the girl who was ready to go out on her own? Still, if you're afraid...'

'Not at all,' she snapped, shaking back her hair. But she did, however, look with misgivings at the closed door of the supervisor's office. Guy followed her glance.

'He'll be tied up with paperwork the rest of the day. I heard him discussing it with Cameron. You think he won't approve. Say so.'

'Don't be silly. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't answer to Tony for every move I make?'

'You're afraid of me, then.'

'Certainly not!' She met his gaze steadily. He was judging her again, she was sure of it. Then she recalled her resolve not to let her emotions, or Guy Court, get in the way of her work. If she turned up this chance to see something of the Arctic just because of him, then she'd be breaking that promise to herself.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Guy was making an honest gesture of reconciliation to her. Perhaps he regretted the angry words they'd exchanged. She looked hard at his firm mouth, his determined jaw, the clear green eyes.

'How soon did you say we could be back?' she asked.

'An hour there, an hour back, and an hour or so to look around... we should be in by early afternoon.'

'Let's get going, then.'

The arrangements took no time at all. Permission was granted, maps, a hot lunch, and suitable clothes a.s.sembled. Guy checked with the meteorology department and received a forecast of clear weather for the next several days.

Sarah stood at the storeroom door and looked across the courtyard at Guy. He stood astride a sleek black snowmobile, one booted foot on the starter pedal. She watched as he drew himself up and came down hard on it. The motor roared to life, and he swept forward in a broad circle to where she waited.

'Hop on!' he shouted over the buzz-saw whine.

She took one breath for courage, fastened the helmet strap snugly under her chin, and selfconsciously raised her leg over the seat.

'Hold on tight!' he ordered, reaching behind him and pulling her roughly to his back. Her hands slid around his waist, her thighs pressed the outside of his.

'No dogs?' she shouted in his ear.

'No, but you can still say "mush" when I start her up. I have great faith in your powers of imagination!'

Sarah yanked her hood farther down her brow, hunched behind the warming breadth of his back, and obliged. Slapping the clear bubble visor of his helmet down over his eyes, Guy waved to a small group of observers at the storeroom door, and gunned the motor. With an arc of snow spraying out behind them, they hurtled away from the camp.

CHAPTER SIX.

At first glance, the Arctic had a deserted appearance, but Sarah was soon aware of a rich profusion of life. The air held snow geese, ptarmigans, kittiwakes and murres. The land was home to the sleek white fox and the burly musk ox, and the sea sheltered walrus, harp seals, and the white Beluga whale.

Guy raised a plump, mittened hand from the controls and pointed towards the ice-dotted water. Far off sh.o.r.e, on a drifting floe, Sarah made out the powerful, slope-shouldered form of a polar bear, padding agilely on all fours.

She pressed her mouth close to Guy's ear. 'Are you sure we're safe? I've read they're pretty dangerous!'

His voice drifted back to her on the wind. 'Out there, on the ice, yes-they're ferocious. But they're timid on land and don't often venture on to it.'

The bear, as if realising it had a rare audience, reared like a stallion, raking the air with deadly claws. Sarah shuddered, grateful for the huge expanse of water that separated them.

Despite the ground crew's a.s.surances that the weather was unusually mild for this time of year, Sarah felt an alarming cold moving up her legs. A long orange star of sun streaked the sky and tinted the snow around them, but it shed no warmth, and the wind penetrated her parka mercilessly. By the time they spotted the dark curve of pebble beach that was their destination, she had begun to wonder at the wisdom of her decision.

Guy brought the snowmobile to a smooth halt beside a small snow shelter that sat on an icy rise overlooking the beach.

'Looks as if we're out of luck,' he said, lifting the helmet off his head. 'No signs of a boat down by the water. Either they're out hunting, or they've moved on.'

'Maybe they'll be back before we leave,' Sarah said hopefully. She winced as she dismounted cautiously and straightened her cramping legs.

Guy scuffed at a shallow footprint in the snow. 'Not very fresh... I'd say they've abandoned the camp.' He stooped by the snow block tunnel that led into the igloo. 'h.e.l.lo?' he shouted. There was no reply.

'It was still worth it,' Sarah said stoutly, her breath misting the air. 'It's so awesomely beautiful here. I'm never going to forget this as long as I live!'

She stood at the brink of the rise, her hands shielding her eyes, and gazed out at the endless expanse of azure sea strewn with a thousand pure white floes.

He regarded her with narrowed eyes. 'You're half frozen,' he said curtly. 'Let's get something warm into us.'

He retrieved the insulated food container the camp kitchen had provided. Side by side on the snowmobile, they broke off chunks of bread and sipped steaming mugs of soup. Slowly the food pushed the cold out of Sarah's body. She was well aware that they were just two fragile specks of life near the hostile top of the globe, but she had no sense of fear. She felt only peace and contentment, and a strange, overwhelming sense of belonging, as if time had suddenly ceased for them.

But it was evident to her that Guy did not share her mystical calm. He wolfed his lunch, giving distracted replies to her chatter, and searched the horizon restlessly.

'What's wrong?' she asked, hurt. 'Are you bored?'

'No, not bored...' He broke off.

'What, then?' she persisted.

He nodded towards the horizon which had taken on a pale, purplish tint.

Sarah stared at it, then turned her eyes back questioningly to his face. 'A storm?' she asked. 'But the forecast was for clear weather.'

'Storm patterns in the Arctic are extremely unpredictable. I think we'd be wise to cut this short and head back,' he said, already tossing his cup back into the case.

'Just one quick trip down to the beach, Guy- please? I want to gather some stones to take back.'