Colder Than Ice Part 10

"Yes," Michela said.

"If that's the case we'll send the long range helos out to you. They should be there in just over an hour. Do you have a GPS reference for me?"

"Yes, Rob's pa.s.sing it to me now."

"Got it. Hang on a minute." Maddi shouted a series of instructions to someone. "Right. They've got the info and they'll be there as soon as possible. There's no sign of bad weather so it should be smooth sailing. I'll send the station's doctor so he and Sarah can do a quick medical a.s.sessment before Michael's transported back here."

"What's the plan once you get him back there?" Michela asked.

"The Yank Chinook we've been using to ferry some of the stores from the ship to the station's still here. There's a medical facility at Kennedy Station with a surgical capability and it is better equipped to handle such cases. I'll speak to the pilots about the possibility of flying him there for treatment. Depending on how he responds will determine what happens next. Suffice to say, I strongly doubt he'll return to the expedition."

"I sort of expected that. We'll have to reallocate tasks and share the cooking. My main interest is his health."

Heavy static echoed down the line. "I'm losing you so I'll sign off. The helos will be there shortly. Have the guys mark out a landing zone for them. Both Rob and Sarah know how to mark out a LZ. I'll keep...ou...osted on Mi...aels...dition."

Before Michela could reply, the line went dead. She returned the hand-piece to its cradle and went to make preparations for the helo's arrival.

In little over an hour the helicopters landed on the makeshift LZ created by Rob and Ewan. While Michael's condition hadn't deteriorated, it hadn't improved. After Sarah's quick briefing with the Wills Station doctor, Michael was put on a stretcher and loaded onto the first helicopter for the return journey to Wills Station.

When the helicopters were no more than specks on the horizon, Michela marshaled the team and refocused them for the journey ahead.

Over the ensuing days Michela received regular updates from Maddi about Michael's condition. Some days she managed barely thirty seconds of discussion with Maddi before the communication link went dead. But it was enough for Michela to relay to the rest of the members that Michael had stabilized and was going to be okay.

Michela was relieved at further good newsa"that the U.S. Army had volunteered to fly him out in about a fortnight on one of their re-supply flights to Christchurch. From there he'd be repatriated to Australia.

WELL INTO THEIR ninth day Rick shook Allison awake.

"What?"

Rick pointed out the window. On the horizon, they could just make out the orange rectangle that would be their mess and work area over the ensuing weeks.

Allison smiled. "After so many d.a.m.ned months, we're finally here."

Chapter Six.

My Darling Charlotte, It seems so much has happened since my last entry. After five days of continual unloading, we managed to have all our stores on solid ground. There was time for one final festive dinner on the craft that had so bravely ferried us here. The following morning we watched as it slowly made its way through the pack ice and onwards toward Tasmania. The captain has agreed to rendezvous with us in four months time, before the colder weather closes in and makes movement by water impossible. This should give us sufficient time to make our observations of this great white land.

Our movement to the camp was slow and not helped by the prevailing winds that seemed to blow from the continent's inner regions. The dogs that survived the sea journey proved a blessing, speeding up what would have been a long traverse if made by men alone. The establishment of our base has been my first priority, however this hasn't always been the focus of the rest of my crew. I can hardly blame them and their eagerness to explore, however we must finish our accommodations before we can even consider exploration. All my love, ERF.

Antarcticaa"2009 DIANNE, RICK, AND Allison scrambled out of their sno-trak before it had barely come to a halt and scanned the landscape in an attempt to see the remains of the building. Ewan joined in the excitement, kicking the ground, as if trying to unearth hidden treasure.

Michela and Sarah waited until Rob shut down their vehicle before joining the rest of the team.

"Where is it? Is this the right spot?" Dianne asked.

Sarah nodded. "We're in the right location but the hut's completely buried by over one hundred years of snow and ice."

Rick headed back to the BOB-trak and the team's stores. "Let's break out the blades and start digging."

Michela lightly grabbed his arm. "Not so fast. There's a list of things that have to be done before you even start digging, not the least of which is setting up our camp. There's no point in starting to dig if you've got nowhere to sleep and eat." She looked at the disappointed faces of the group. "I know how you feel but trust me. Finlayson's hut's going nowhere."

Rob rubbed his hands together. "Okay, boss. What needs to be done? The sooner we finish, the sooner we can start on this digging stuff."

Michela nodded her thanks to Rob. "First, we have to off-load the stores from the two vehicles returning to Wills Station. Once that's done there's accommodations, electricity connection, toilet construction, establishment of the mess and work area..."

"G.o.d, we'll barely be finished and it'll be time to leave," Dianne said.

Michela held up her hand. "If we all pitch in it should only take a few days to get the base camp completely established. Then there'll be plenty of time for you to start your excavation."

Sarah stamped her feet; her gloved hands firmly wedged in her armpits. "So who's doing what? I'm getting cold standing around here doing nothing."

"We'll all unload the two vehicles returning to base and then the tasks will be as follows. Rob, I'd like you to be responsible for rigging electricity to the mess hut and the accommodations huts." Michela made a map in the light covering of snow. "This is how I'd like the camp laid out. You can all see the mess hut and the solar panels behind it." The group nodded. "I want you to think of the mess hut being at twelve o'clock. At nine and three o'clock, I'd like each of the apples to be set up. Alli and Rick will be in one and Di and I will be in the other. At six o'clock will go the googie and that's where Ewan, Rob and Sarah will bed down. Ideally I'd like to see the distance between the buildings to be no more than thirty yards. I know this sounds close, but once the weather sets in it will make safe movement around the site a lot easier."

Rob scanned the area where the camp was to be established. "So, boss, you want me to run power to each of these huts?"

"If you could. The other building to be set up is the toilet." Michela made a mark in the snow. "This is to go about thirty yards downwind of Rick and Alli's apple. A reinforced blizzard rope will be put out to the toilet and it's to be checked every day."

Ewan rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. "b.u.g.g.e.r me, could you imagine it, dying because you got stranded on the toilet in a blizzard. What a way to go."

Rob laughed and slapped Ewan's back. "Don't worry about it, mate, it'll never happen."

"While Rob's seeing to the power, the rest of us will focus on setting up our accommodations. Because the googie's a bit bigger than the two apples, if you finish first then please go and give Sarah and Ewan a hand. Rick, once your hut's up, could you ensure the field toilet is erected?" Michela wasn't surprised by the sour look on Rick's face.

"You want me to set up the toilet? You've got to be joking," Rick said.

"It shouldn't take you very long and then you can help the rest of us establish the working and eating areas." Michela ignored the disgusted snort from Rick. "There'll be a task rotation for the duration of our stay. Probably the most unattractive of these is bottle washer and slops person. They're responsible for washing up after each meal and ensuring the kitchen waste is appropriately bagged for when we return to base. Law requires us to leave here as we found it. That means all our rubbish, both food and body waste will need to be bagged for the return journey. So, the final task of the slops person will be cleaning out the toilet every second day."

Dianne screwed up her nose. "That's gross. You can't mean we're all going to have to do that."

Michela shrugged. "I'm afraid so. Once the toilet's erected we'll do a dry run, so you can all get an idea of what's required. For the first seven days, I'll be the slops person. We also have to re-allocate the cooking. I'm going to need a volunteer for that as well."

Rick cast his hand at the females. "That's women's work. You should be able to easily spread that amongst yourselves."

Keep calm. He's an idiot but that's no reason to want to do him bodily harm. "That's not the case, Rick. Everyone will get a go at cooking, no matter how bad they are. Now, do I have any volunteers for the first week's shift?"

Rob nudged Michela. "I'll do it, boss. I'm a reasonable hand at cooking even if I do say so myself."

"You'd be the only b.l.o.o.d.y one saying it," Sarah said in jest.

"Thanks for the offer, Rob, but I want you to focus on the electricity, at least in the first few days. This is an experimental system and it will no doubt have its problems. Any other volunteers?"

Dianne sighed and held up her hand. "I'll do it. But don't expect five star cooking. And if you don't like what you get, then you can go without."

Michela smiled. "Thanks, Di. I'll make up a slops and cooking roster and post it in the next few days. Okay team, let's get to work."

ALLISON MADE YET another trip from the pile of stores to her hut and opened the door to find Rick asleep, spread-eagled on one of the two single beds. She put her bundle on the small desk in the middle of the room, went to Rick, and gently tugged on his foot.

"Come on, sleepyhead. There's a heap more to be brought over here before you can doze, you know."

Rick turned his head toward her and opened one eye. "I've done about as much as I'm going to do today. The rest can wait. And talking about tomorrow, why can't someone else bring our gear here? We're archaeologists for heaven's sake. Why can't the workers set up camp and let us get down to business."

Allison sat down on the bed. "It doesn't work like that here. As Michela said, we've all got to pitch in and get the camp established before we can do anything else."

Rick sat up, leant against the wall, and drew his knees to his chest. "I don't care. I didn't come here to be employed as a lackey. And what's with you anyway? Why are you agreeing with her all of a sudden? It wasn't so long ago that you couldn't string the words together to speak a civil sentence to her."

Allison rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "It's not about personalities, it's about getting the job done. If we all pitch in together then there'll be ample time to get the dig under way."

"I don't care. I've done all the moving I'm going to do today. You can suit yourself." Rick lay back down and made himself comfortable.

Allison shook her head and stood. "Fine. I'll do that." She said in clipped tones as she walked to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think I'm going? I've still got gear out there that I need, including my clothes."

Rick crossed his hands to make a pillow for his head. "Could you pick up my backpack while you're out there?"

Allison wheeled. "Listen, you b.l.o.o.d.y lazy mongrel. I turned a blind eye earlier today when you skulked off for an hour, leaving me to tighten the bolts of our hut. I didn't even say anything when you came back with one cup of hot chocolate and then drank it all, without even offering me a sip. But, if you think for one minute I'm going to get your gear because you're too lazy to get it yourself then you've got another thing coming. Get off your lazy a.s.s and get it yourself!"

Rick stood and towered over Allison. "What's wrong with you? You've been like a bear with a sore head for most of this trip."

"There's nothing wrong with me that wouldn't be fixed by you pulling your b.l.o.o.d.y weight, rather than expecting everything to be done for you." Allison closed her eyes in an attempt to rein in her temper. "Listen, if you want to spend the whole time here in those same clothes because you're too lazy to get your backpack, that's up to you." Allison opened the door, stepped outside, and slammed it behind her. Looking across the compound, she caught Michela's questioning eyes and then she turned and skulked toward the stores area.

MICHELA SHIVERED AS a blast of wind signaled the opening of the mess hut's door. Sarah struggled to close the door against the wind and then flopped down opposite Michela.

"Hey, there. What are you up to at this time in the morning?"

Michela smiled. "Just completing a few entries in my diary. My duties as slops person have kept me otherwise occupied."

Sarah removed her gloves and squeezed some warmth back into her fingers. "So how do you think it's going?"

"I have to admit I was a little worried by that temperamental solar powered unit. After all the effort to get it here, I thought it was going to be a white elephant. Thank G.o.d for Rob's ingenuity and perseverance with the d.a.m.ned thing."

Sarah nodded. "Yeah. There's a lot more to him than meets the eye."

"And then there was the drama with the recharging of equipment. I swear to G.o.d, for a group of academics, they certainly lack common sense."

Sarah threw her head back and laughed. "I know what you're talking about. I thought Dianne was going to have a cow when Rob told her there'd be a forty-eight hour delay before they could start digging, to allow the equipment to fully recharge."

Michela joined in the laughter before looking around the hut. "They seem to have spent the time making a darn great mess of this place. I mean, the office is supposed to be at the far end, the kitchen area in the middle and the eating area here." Michela picked up a bag of electronic equipment she'd moved to the side of the table when she sat down. "I'm sure this thing should be down at the other end. It's interfering with my research."

Sarah leant forward, attempting to read Michela's tablet. "So, have you a.n.a.lyzed us to death yet?"

"I've already signed your admittance papers to the funny farm." She laughed at the look on Sarah's face. "Seriously though, it's a great test bed for the Mars expedition. Take for example the group working together. There are some definite personalities in the team and some which are already interfering with group cohesion. But, like s.p.a.ce, we don't have the luxury to change them and so we have to make the best with what we've got."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at the dynamic, in particular the men. Rob is mister flexible and nothing seems to phase him. Ewan craves acceptance among the three archaeologists and has just about bent over backwards in trying to please them."

Sarah leant forward and crossed her arms on the table. "So what do you make of Rick?"

Michela rubbed her eyes and then ran her fingers through her hair. "Now there's a problem if I ever saw one. I'm sure he's gifted in his profession, but he's changed since we've arrived."

Sarah let out a breath. "Thank G.o.d you said that. I thought it was just me. Since we've got here he's become demanding, almost dictatorial in his moods. The other day Rob had to physically coax him into checking the blizzard lines."

Michela wryly smiled. "If I didn't know you any better I'd say you've been reading my notes. He's really changed and become incredibly chauvinistic as well. I can't believe this didn't surface during the training. One of my report recommendations will be a much longer training camp to hopefully weed out the likes of him."

"It looks like you've got your work cut out for you finding any positives."

Michela tapped her tablet to a page. "It's not all bad. I was pretty impressed with the way everyone coped with Michael's early departure. I've got to say, I don't understand how he ever pa.s.sed the physical in the first place."

"I agree. I don't know about you, but it's obvious some people are finding the confined s.p.a.ces difficult to cope with. At this rate, it'll be interesting to see how they're coping by the end of the dig."

Michela recalled the minor issue Rob and Ewan had argued over at breakfast that morning. "I know Rob and Ewan have been at it, but like most men, they seem to have resolved it pretty quickly. I'm more concerned over the shouting that's coming from Rick and Alli's apple. Even with the wind, they can be heard clear across the compound."

"It can't be anything to do with the sleeping arrangements. With the increased size of the single beds, I'm sure they can fit on one bed. Last night I actually rolled over and didn't touch the edge." Sarah looked at her watch. "So tell me, why aren't you getting any sleep?"

Michela shrugged. "I'm not all that tired. I usually exist on about four hours a night and this constant daylight isn't helping."

"I know what you mean," Sarah said. "If there's anything I can give you for it let me know."

Michela yawned, stood up, and gathered her papers into a neat bundle. "Thanks for the offer. I might try and get some of that sleep you obviously think I need."

"That'd be about right. I start to chat up a pretty woman and she leaves me." Sarah raised her hands above her head in mock supplication. "What's this going to do to my reputation?"

Michela laughed, knowing Sarah was one team member she wouldn't have to worry about.

ALLISON SILENTLY CHUCKLED at the confused look on Ewan's face as he looked at the myriad of wires spread on the ice.

"What exactly is this electronic spaghetti?" Ewan asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"It has a technical name, but its common name is the Web. It's a series of electronic nodes that are counter-sunk into a surface, this one being ice. The nodes are connected by an infra-red beam, hence its name." She picked up the wiring. "This wire is then attached to the mother node, which feeds all the other nodes, and vice-versa. The other end of the wire is attached to a digital tablet. The program sends electro-magnetic pulses through the network, causing a sound wave to bounce below the surface of each node causing a ripple effect, like when you drop a pebble in a pond. The digital tablet's program's configured so that it can remove the surface from the picture. The end result is a shadow, which in this case I hope will be the outline, or part of Finlayson's hut."

"What a great piece of kit," Sarah said. "I wonder whether it could be adapted for research on the ice domes down here."

Allison shrugged. "I wouldn't know. As a geologist, Di would be the best person to give you an idea whether the Web could be adapted for other use. I just know it makes my job as an archaeologist so much easier."

Sarah turned and scanned the vicinity. "I might do that. You don't know where she is do you?"

"She's setting up the electronics for the equipment in the mess hut," Allison replied. "There's no real point in standing out here in the cold with a digital tablet if you can as easily do it in the warmth and comfort of a hut."

"Thanks." Sarah strode to the mess building.