It hissed up.
'Mick!'
He lay there on a gurney. He was strapped into place, his hands and legs held fast by some type of metallic collars placed at four points. He lifted his head.
'Hey you.'
She smiled and wanted to cry. 'I've been looking all over for you. We've got to get out of here, I think they're planning on leaving.'
'You feel the engines?'
'Yeah.' Julia studied the collars. 'How the hell do these things release?'
'I don't know,' said Mick. 'I've been laying here trying to figure that out myself. I think they're controlled by the computer over there.'
Julia ran to the console and saw the keyboard with bizarre writing on it. She looked up. 'Should I just punch some buttons and see what happens?'
'Guess it's not written in English, huh?'
'Nope.'
'Oh well.'
Julia frowned. Punching buttons would take too long. There was no time left! 'Hang on, Mick.'
She jerked the M16 up and sprayed off several rounds into the console's belly. A massive spark jumped out. Fizzles and pops crackled in the air.
'Shit.'
'Do it again,' said Mick. 'I think I felt something tug the collars.'
Julia fired again and this time, a small fire started in the computer console. It seemed to lick at the wiring. Black smoke billowed out.
'Anything?'
'Yeah. They're gone.'
Mick stood there, smiling. He pointed at the M16 on Julia's back. 'Is that for me?'
She slid it off and handed it to him. 'Glad to have you back.'
He grinned. 'Time for kissing later, okay?'
She nodded. 'Yeah.' She thrust a few grenades into his hand. 'I thought you might know how to make this ship go boom if you positioned these right.'
'I see you left the device where it was.'
She looked at him. 'I couldn't do it, Mick. I couldn't stand the thought of seeing a nuke used on Antarctica.'
He nodded. 'Yeah. Well, there's nothing to be done now except getting the hell out of here.' He looked at the grenades. 'I can rig something up real quick but we won't have a lot of time. Do you know the exact way out of here?'
Did she? She sure as hell hoped so.
'I followed sort of a straight line across the rings of corridors. I used the rooms as crossovers instead of trying to follow the corridors around and around.'
Mick nodded. 'Good plan. Okay, let's do this.'
Julia watched him go back to the computer console and rip out several wires. He knelt under the console and opened up a panel, placed the grenades in there with the wire, did a few things and then stood back up.
'Okay, let's go. We've got maybe three minutes at best before those grenades start going off.'
'You sure it will bring down the ship?'
'Nothing to do but try.' He nudged her forward. 'After you.'
Julia opened the door and looked out. A laser blast shot past her face, almost singing her skin.
'Shit!'
Mick ducked out and sprayed the corridor. Julia heard shrieking. Mick pulled her out with him. 'Which way?'
She pointed. 'Up there.'
'Run!'
They ran for the bullet-scarred door. Once they got through it, Julia felt better. She led them from room to room. Each time they crossed a corridor, they checked to make sure there weren't any aliens waiting for them. They ran into a few but there seemed a greater sense of urgency now than ever before.
Mick frowned. 'Hear the engines? They're cranking them up. We don't have much time.'
'How long until this thing blows?'
'Maybe one minute.'
Julia led them back to the last corridor.
Five dinocreatures stood by the door.
Mick shook his head. 'Fuck this.' He took a grenade from Julia and lobbed it at the dinocreatures who tried to scramble out of the way. Julia and Mick ducked back as the blast caught the dinocreatures and scattered their bodies like seeds.
They hurried out, almost sliding in the goo staining the floor.
'The door!'
Mick reached it first and pounded the door release. It hissed open and they fell through into the jungle.
'Hurry!'
They ran down the path now, harder than Julia had run so far today. She could see the cloying mist issuing up again from the plants.
'Don't breathe the mist. Hod your breath!'
They sped past the plants. And then at last Julia could see the rock ahead of them.
Almost there!
She expected to hear more thundering footsteps of dinosaurs running after them, But nothing sounded behind them. Mick reached the rock and hauled Julia through after him. They fell into the cave, gasping for breath.
But Mick wouldn't let her rest.
'We have to keep moving!'
They scrambled down the tunnel.
And then Julia heard it.
A series of booms from back the way they'd come.
'The grenades!'
They toppled back to the cave entrance. Mick threw her coat at her and scrambled into more of the winter clothing.
'Come on!'
They scrambled out of the cave entrance and Julia almost forgot they were a good fifteen feet above the ground. Mick helped her though.
They fell down into the snow at the base of the mountain. Julia got to her feet and ran for the Snowcat. She prayed it would start up.
Mick hopped into the cab and Julia into the driver's seat. She jammed the starter button and instantly the Snowcat sprang to life.
Mick pointed at the mountain. 'Look!'
The entire top of the mountain seemed to lift off slightly. Julia could see the ship now, shrugging off tons of rock and snow as it lifted out of its carefully designed hiding place.
'They're leaving.'
The ship tilted, exposing its circular body laden with lights. It seemed to pulse and the underside of it glowed a deep red.
Julia could see smoke. 'Did the grenades work?'
Mick frowned. 'Doesn't look like it.'
'You think they see us?'
'I don't know,' said Mick. 'I hope they're more preoccupied with getting that thing out of here.'
A deeper shade of black smoke poured out of the underside. Then the craft tilted again sharply the other
