Polar Shift

'Yes, I'm fine,' she said. 'My uncle needs help.'

Austin dug a first-aid kit out of his pack. The man was still conscious. He lay on his back with his eyes open. He could have been anywhere from sixty-five to seventy-five years old, but it was hard to tell because his long-jawed face was covered with blood that flowed from lacerations on the cheek and brow.

Austin knelt by his side, cleaned the wound and applied antiseptic on the raw flesh. His ministrations must have been painful, but the man didn't flinch. His arctic blue eyes watched every move Austin made.

Austin had barely started his first aid when the man said, 'That's enough. Help me up.' With Austin's aid, Schroeder struggled to stand. He was a tall man, several inches over Austin's six foot one.

Karla put her arm around her uncle's waist. 'Are you all right?'

'I'm a tough old lizard,' he said. 'It's you I'm worried about.'

'I'm okay, thanks to these two men.'

Austin noticed the evident bond between the older man and the young woman. He introduced himself and Zavala.

'My name is Schroeder,' the man said. 'Thank you for your help. How did you find us?'

'We talked to a woman named Maria Arbatov.'

'Maria. How is she?' Karla said.

'She's going to be fine, but her husband and two other men were murdered. I assume they were your fellow scientists. There was another man we couldn't identify.'

Karla glanced at Schroeder, who said, 'He attacked Karla. I had to stop him.' He squinted toward the boulder field. 'This is a dangerous place. They'll be back. They have automatic weapons, and we're totally exposed out here.'

'This is your neighborhood,' Austin said. 'Where can we find cover?

Schroeder pointed to the base of the slope that came down from the rim of the caldera.

'Down there in the city.'

Austin wondered if the man was delirious from his injuries.

'Did you say 'city'?' He saw only the low bluffs at the base of the slope.

'That's right,' Karla said. 'Oh no, the dwarves are gone. The gunfire must have scared them.'

It was Zavala's turn to wonder if he was hearing things. 'Dwarves?'

'Yes,' Karla said. 'Dwarf woolly mammoths.'

Austin and Zavala exchanged glances.

'Enough talk. We've got to get moving,' Schroeder said.

Clutching Karla by the arm, he limped toward the edge of the bowl. Austin and Zavala took up the rear. Schroeder's insistence that they start moving proved to be sound advice. The group had almost reached the edge of the green area when Grisha and his men suddenly broke from their rocky cover and began firing their guns.

Fountains of dirt erupted in the grass about a dozen feet behind the fleeing group.

It would take only a second for Grisha and his men to get the range. Austin yelled at the others to keep going. He turned and threw himself belly-down on the ground and took careful aim with his Bowen at the nearest Russian.

He cracked off a couple of shots that fell short. Grisha and his men were taking no chances. When Austin fired, they stopped shooting and went belly-down as well.

Austin turned and saw that the others were nearly at the face of the bluff. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted after them. Grisha's men started shooting again. The bullets were practically hitting the ground at his heels as he ducked the others into an opening in the face of the cliff.

Karla shook her flashlight, and the batteries apparently still had a little juice left in them because the bulb glowed dimly. They picked their way through the winding path. When the flashlight finally sputtered and died, they had entered the area where some buildings still stood among the rubble and were beginning to see the glow from the underground city. They followed the beckoning light like moths toward a flame and soon came upon the subterranean metropolis.

Austin gazed at the shimmering streets and buildings.

'What is this place, the land of Oz?' he said.

Karla laughed. 'It's an underground city built of some sort of light-producing mineral,' Karla said. 'We don't know who built it, but these are only the suburbs. It's quite extensive.'

Schroeder hushed Karla and said they could talk about it later, and then he led the way through the maze of streets until they were back at the plaza where they had first come upon the mammoths.

The dwarf mammoths had returned to the plaza and were huddled around the pyramid. They seemed restive, snorting frequently as they milled around the square.

Karla saw Austin reach for his gun. She put her hand on his arm. 'It's all right. They won't hurt you. They must have been spooked by the noise.'

Austin had seen many strange sights on missions that took him to remote places around the world and under the oceans. But nothing like the creatures moving around the plaza. He was looking at smaller versions, from the tips of their tails to their curved tusks, of the ancient behemoths he had seen pictured in textbooks.

Zavala was equally dumbfounded. 'I thought these things were extinct.'

'They are extinct,' Karla said. 'Rather, they were. These animals are the descendants of full-size mammoths that once lived on the island.'

'Karla,' Schroeder said. 'We should be talking about how to get away from those murderers.'

'He's right,' Austin said. 'Is there another way out of here?'

'Yes, but it's long and treacherous,' Karla said.

'I can't make it, but that's no reason for you not to try,' Schroeder said. 'If I can borrow a gun, I'll pin them down here while you and our new friends escape through the cave.'

Austin grinned. 'Nice try, Uncle Karl. Martyrdom went out of style in the Middle Ages. We're sticking together.'

'I'm just starting to like this place,' Joe said. 'Warm. Romantic lighting. A unique, uh, fragrance in the air.'

Schroeder smiled. He didn't know who these men were, but he was glad for Karla's sake that he had them by his side. 'If you are going to be foolish, we'd better get ready.'

At Austin's suggestion, Zavala went to stand watch where the street entered the plaza.

Austin turned to Schroeder. 'Any suggestions?'

'It's useless to run. We can take positions in the square and try to get them in a cross fire.'

Austin was glad Schroeder wanted to go on the offensive. The city provided a protective maze that offered dozens of places to hide, but, like Schroeder, he knew that the constant movement would eventually take its toll.

'I don't know how much firing I'll be doing,' Austin said. 'We brought extra ammunition, but we didn't expect the Little Bighorn.'

'They only have to wait until we run out of ammunition and they can pick us off one by one. Too bad I used my hand grenade.'

Austin gave Schroeder an odd look. The old man didn't look like the type who walked around with a grenade in his pocket. Austin was reminded that looks were deceiving. Schroeder was old enough for Medicare, but he talked as if he were part of a SWAT team.

Zavala trotted over from his lookout post. 'Showtime. Our pals are coming down the street.'

Austin took a quick look around the plaza. 'I've got a crazy idea,' he said. He quickly outlined his scheme.

'It might work,' Schroeder said with excitement in his voice. 'Yes, it might work.'

'It better work,' Austin said.

'Isn't there another way?' Karla said. 'They're such beautiful creatures.'

'I'm afraid not. If we do this right, they won't be hurt.'

Karla sighed, but she knew they had little choice. At Austin's direction, Karla and the others moved quietly around the perimeter of the plaza, leaving the side nearest the street open. Then they waited.

The mammoths had picked up their heads when they saw the humans on the move, and became more nervous at the harsh voices of Grisha and his men. The ivory hunters were making no effort to keep the noise down. They may have done it deliberately to frighten their prey, or were just plain stupid. But whatever the reason, their arrival