Ice Hunt

She reached the inner spiral staircase and climbed the steps. The plates vibrated underfoot. Movement drew her eye to the central shaft around which the stairs wound. A steel cage rose from below and passed their spot, climbing toward the upper levels. She turned to Dr. Willig. “They got the elevator working!”

He nodded. “Lee Bentley and his NASA team are having a field day with all this old machinery and gear. Boys and their toys.”

Amanda shook her head. What was once defunct and frozen in ice was now thawing and returning to life. They wound their way up in silence.

Once they reached the top level, she said good-bye to her friend and crossed to the temporary room she had used the previous night. She gathered her pack and changed into her thermal racing suit. With the dispute between the biologists and geologists settled for the next couple of days, she was free to return to Omega.

As she headed out, a blue-uniformed woman crossed the common area, an arm raised to catch her attention. Lieutenant Serina Washburn was the only female among the Navy crew stationed up here, a part of the base team. She was tall, ebony-skinned, her hair shorn in a crew cut. Looking at her, one couldn’t help but think of the old Amazons of mythology, women warriors of grace and strength. Her demeanor was always serious, her manner quiet. She stepped before Amanda, half at attention, respectful.

“Dr. Reynolds. I have a message relayed from Omega.”

She sighed. What was wrong now? “Yes?”

“A group of civilians landed at Omega this morning and are being held by the security team.”

She startled. “Who are they?”

“There are four of them, including a sheriff, a Fish and Game, and a reporter. Their identities have been checked and confirmed.”

“Then why are they being held?”

Washburn shifted her feet. “With the sabotage at Prudhoe Bay…” She shrugged.

No one was taking any chances. “Do we know why they’re here?”

“They know about this station.”

“How?”

The lieutenant shrugged. “All they’ll claim is that some danger is heading our way. Something perhaps tied to the explosions at the oil fields. They refuse to say more until they can speak to someone in authority. And we’ve been unable to raise Captain Perry.”

Amanda nodded. As the base leader, she would have to look into it. “I was about to head back to Omega anyway. I’ll check into the matter once I’m there.”

She stepped away, but the lieutenant stopped her with a hand. “There’s one other thing.”

“What’s that?”

“The reporter and the others are adamant about coming here. They’re raising a real stink about it.”

Amanda considered refusing such a visit, but then remembered her frustration a moment ago with all the secrecy and politicking surrounding the discovery on Level Four. If a reporter was here, someone to document everything…and a sheriff, too…

She weighed her options. If she returned to interview these strangers, the coming storm would trap them all at Omega. And once Captain Perry was back, he’d block the reporter from coming here. He’d have no choice, tied as he was by the commands of his superior. But Amanda was under no such constraint. She took a deep breath. It was a narrow window in which perhaps to break this political stalemate and allow a little truth to shine before the awful discovery was clouded in rhetoric and lies.

Amanda faced the stern lieutenant. “Have the civilians brought here.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll interview them here.”

Washburn’s only reaction was to lift one eyebrow. “I don’t believe Lieutenant Commander Sewell will agree with that decision.”

“They can be secured here just as readily as over there. If the commander wants them under guard, I have no objection. He can send as many men with them as he would like. But I want them brought over here before the storm hits.”

Washburn paused a moment, then nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” She turned and headed back across the central common area, aiming for the cabin that housed the station’s shortwave hookup to Omega.

Amanda glanced around the station. Finally someone from the outside world would learn what was hidden here, a small bit of assurance that at least some of the truth would come out.

Still a twinge of unease crept through her. Before she could trace the sudden anxiety, a tall shadow fell over her, startling her. It was one of the things she hated most about being deaf. She could never hear anyone approaching from behind.

She turned to find Connor MacFerran looming over her, a bewildered expression on his face. “Have you seen Lacy?”

“Ms. Devlin?”

He nodded.

She scrunched her nose in thought. “I saw her when I entered the Crawl Space. She was carrying her skates.” Amanda and the geology student shared a common interest in ice racing and had chatted for a bit.

Connor checked his watch. “She should’ve been back from her run an hour ago. We were to meet…to…um, to go over some data.”

“I haven’t seen her since we separated in the ice tunnels.”

The Scotsman’s face grew concerned.

“You don’t think she could’ve gotten lost down there?” Amanda asked.

“I’d better go check. I know the course she runs.” He left, stalking away like a giant black bear.

“Take some others with you!” she called to him. “Let me know when you find her.”

He lifted an arm, either acknowledging or dismissing her.

Amanda stared after him. Anxiety grew to worry. She hoped the young woman hadn’t injured herself. She headed back toward her cabin, zipping down her thermal suit. She spotted Dr. Willig at one of the tables.

He waved a hand, motioning her over. “I thought you’d be gone already,” he said as she strode up.

“Change in plans.”

“Well, I was talking to Dr. Gustof.” Oskar motioned to the Canadian meteorologist, also seated at the table. Erik Gustof was recognizable by his Norwegian heritage. He wiped his clipped beard of sandwich crumbs and nodded to her. “He has been analyzing some of the data from his outlying arrays. The storm coming is building into a true blizzard. He’s registering winds in excess of seventy miles an hour.”

Erik nodded. “A true barnbuster, eh? We’ll be locked down but good.”

Amanda sighed. She remembered the warning of the newcomers: Danger is headed our way. It seemed these strangers knew what they were talking about, but she sensed it wasn’t the weather that was the real threat.