3
'The most curious thing,' said Wilkins, 'is that both the Snowcats are fully gassed up.'
'Meaning what?' Julia stomped her boots into the snow. She didn't want to have to stay outside in the blazing sun and cold any longer than necessary. The quicker Wilkins finished his explanation, the better.
'The station only has two Snowcats. So, whatever happened to the crew, they didn't take the transportation.'
'You think they walked?'
'Well, we certainly won't be able to track them. Not after last night. Besides, we've got no idea how long they've been gone.'
'Had to be some time between their last radio check-in with Tierra Del Fuego and when we arrived. That gives us — what, a week?'
'Four days.'
'Ninety-six hours is an awful long time to get lost in,' said Julia. 'I don't like it.'
'No one does,' said Wilkins. 'Kendall's still skulking around the place looking for what he calls 'clues.''
'What's he think he's going to find?'
'Probably nothing. But he's not really looking for anything solid. He's looking to spread enough paranoia that the crew loses faith in you and turns to him for guidance.'
'Wonderful.'
'I wouldn't worry about it. We all know what kind of guy he is. I don't think anyone's ready to throw their lot in with him.'
'In the meantime, we've got our mission to get going.'
'Have you seen the weather report?'
'Not yet.'
'It's not good.'
'What's not good?'
'Another storm heading this way. Havel says we'll be lucky if we can get a twelve-hour window in today before it hits again.'
'Great. Well, we'd better get going then, hadn't we? If the Snowcats are gassed up, we should be good to go. The range is only forty miles away. Two hours there, two hours back, that leaves us a good solid bit of time to explore.' She looked at Wilkins. 'Is everyone ready?'
'Everyone's up except for Vikorsky. I didn't catch him at breakfast. He might be sleeping in.'
'Better wake him up. I want us saddled up and ready to roll within the hour.'
'You got it, boss.'
Julia watched him walk away. She turned and started off into the distance. The white horizon ended where the bright blue of sky began. Overhead, the sun gleamed in the sky. The was no sign of last night's storm that had dumped a foot of snow on the station.
Today.
She'd see the mountains today.
At long last.
Was it silly, she wondered? Was it silly that she should be so focused on actually seeing the mountains that had occupied her dreams for so long?
Kendall would say so, she figured. But then again, Kendall would say anything to make her look bad and make himself look all the better.
To hell with Kendall.
She had her dreams to follow.
She'd followed them this far; there'd be no sense in turning back now.
She glanced back at the research station. Every one of her crew was here following their dreams as well. Darren, Nung, Havel, Vikorsky, Wilkins, Mick, and even Kendall — even if he would never admit it.
Julia figured Kendall's dreams involved leading the group on some exploration that would uncover a hidden secret thereby granting him untold acclaim and fortune.
But that's what you're after, too.
She laughed. At least she could be honest with herself.
After so many years spent trying to please everyone else, at least Julia could please herself.
A cold wind swept the lined hood up against her cheeks. She felt the sting hit the few exposed patches of her skin and smiled. It almost felt like the huge continent was welcoming her.
The prefabricated units that made up the research station seemed so alien here; stark against the backdrop of white snow. And even though the designers had tried to reduce their profile, the rounded half moons arcing up from the ground still seemed almost grotesque.
While the rest of the landscape seemed so virgin.
She turned upon hearing the main entryway open again. She watched a few of the crew come out and begin loading gear onto the two Snowcats. The big transport vehicles had a cruising speed of about twenty miles per hour over the snow and ice. Their thick caterpillar treads could easily carve out a road with little problem. Seating would be cramped given that the vehicles could hold two comfortable and Julia would ask them to double that load.
But what the hell. If they'd wanted creature comforts, they never should have even come here.
The bottom of the world.
It hit her then in a way it hadn't previously. How bizarre to imagine oneself at the very bottom of the world. Julia grinned. I'm standing upside now, at least in relation to my perspective.
But was there really any true perspective? Gravity made sure no one fell off the planet. But once out into outer space, what was up and what was down? Were those concepts even viable any more?
Nung climbed into the cab of the first Snowcat and turned the engine on. The machine turned over nicely, a deep throaty growl that settled into a smooth purr as the first cloud of exhaust billowed out of its backside and stained the snow behind it sooty gray.
So much for virginity, thought Julia. She walked over and climbed into the cab of the second Snowcat. She pushed the starter button and felt the engine shudder underneath her before smoothing out like Nung's had.
Julia cranked the heater, although she knew it would take a few minutes before the engine would be warm enough to throw off heat. Still, inside the cab she could at least take her hood off.
Mick opened the door opposite and climbed in. 'Good morning.'
She smiled. 'Sleep well?'
'Remarkably so, actually. I stayed up a little late watching the storm settle on top of us. I must have fallen asleep in my chair.'
'You slept in the lounge all night?'
Mick shook his head. 'Nah. I woke up around four, I think. I stumbled into my sleep chamber and conked out there.'
'Was it still snowing when you went to sleep?'
Mick shrugged. 'Don't know. My eyes were so heavy I couldn't even see. I think someone else must have been up, though. I thought I heard someone moving around.'
'Oh?'
'Yeah, down by the greenhouse.'
'You didn't check it out?'
Mick looked at her. 'I would have, but I was too wasted. My head and back were killing me, those chairs in the lounge aren't very comfortable.'
Julia nodded. Outside, she watched Kendall climb into Nung's Snowcat followed by Havel and Darren. That meant Wilkins and Vikorsky would ride with Mick and her.
'It's going to be cramped in the cab here,' said Mick.
She smiled at him. 'I guess so.'
'Will that be a problem?'
Why were his eyes so blue? 'Not at all.'
Mick said nothing but just kept smiling. Julia turned away. 'What's taking Wilkins so long? According to Havel,
