“As for working conditions, since you’ll all be working in Level 2, that’s where you’ll work out schedules.
“You’ll also find that many staffers work multiple jobs. For example, our dentist, Marylou Stebbins, doubles as an oral hygienist when you need a teeth cleaning, and she assists site biologists in their studies.”
Ralph raised a hand. “Uh . . . sorry to interrupt, but something’s been worrying me. Polar bears. Are you sure they don’t come this far inland? Are these buildings bear-proof, and what if one comes around? Are there any firearms?”
“Not to worry,” said Lindskold. “We’ve never had a bear sighting near the site. You probably heard the story about a half-eaten musk ox carcass and bear spoor . . . sometimes the story gets told as bear tracks, but it’s spoor . . . bear droppings. In this climate, the droppings will last almost forever. We estimate it’s been twenty years since a bear got lost from their normal range on the north and east coasts of Ellesmere. However, in the remote chance another bear stumbles on us, a formal security detachment is always on site. It’s usually five military personnel here for training under Arctic conditions. They’re members of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force special units. At the moment, it’s five Army Special Forces from Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Lieutenant Ramon Montaro is in command. They spend half their time doing whatever training they plan over the surrounding terrain. And, in case you wonder, they are assigned as Level 1 for site interactive purposes.
“We’ve also decided to bring on board a person to oversee general safety and security issues on site. Zach Marjek here is filling that position and will be authorized to freely traverse both Levels 1 and 2. He’ll be bugging you for every single safety-related rule and protocol. If you go outside without proper gear for the weather, expect Zach to be up your ass. It’s the same with not logging in and out if you leave the site’s immediate vicinity or fail to properly maintain any equipment.
“What we don’t have issues with here is people stumbling on us. Canada keeps this area under restricted access, claiming the area is being reserved for future studies left undefined. That means you won’t be out walking and encounter a stranger. Of course, if that were to happen, you’d hustle back here and report to Zach or Major Jefferson.
“Now . . . what do you do if you’re not working? Our library contains several thousand books, ranging from technical encyclopedias to picture books and novels. For security purposes, we don’t have direct Internet connections, but we receive regular dumps of books you can read on Kindles, available for all staff. We might not find the absolute latest bestseller, but we’ll probably get it within six to eight months of its coming out.
“We encourage anyone who brings their own books to loan them or donate to the library. We also have an extensive selection of movies, TV shows, documentaries, and lessons you can either watch in group facilities or take back to your room, although we encourage you not to spend too much time alone.
“There are also activities for off hours. Bre serves as a social coordinator. What kinds of activities are largely up to the staff. We have a fairly good exercise facility that includes a large-enough space for half-court basketball, tennis, racquetball, and handball on a sign-up basis. It has also served for dances or other activities requiring more room.
“We have book clubs, movie nights where we watch movies and talk about them, and any classes that someone is interested in giving. The only mandatory class is basic first aid.
“As I said, the other classes come from specific interests. For example, there’s a basic two-month Inuit language and culture course that repeats. You may ask why Inuit, if the nearest speaker is at Grise Fiord? However, you’ll find that when you look at maps, so many locations are named in Inuit or use names of explorers who are covered in the course. Many staff people like to be able to say they can pronounce these names correctly and learn a few phrases in case they ever run into an Inuit.” He smiled.
“Among other classes are origami, Russian literature, photography, and comparative humor, team-taught by people with backgrounds ranging from anthropology to cooking. I’ve taken the humor course. I recommend it. It’s taught by three people—Harry Houdin, a cook who goes by ‘Houdini’; Zooty Wilson, a computer programmer and aging hippie; and Jeff Rotham, a linguist.
“Next topic. Substance abuse. As far as we can tell, it’s not an issue for any of the existing staff. Hopefully, it’s the same for all of you. Of course, for anyone who does indulge, this is the wrong place to be. That no one here smokes is deliberate. It lets us avoid having to supply cigarettes, keeps us from exposing others to secondhand smoke, and for the simple fact that the working and living conditions are so close.
“Alcohol. We have a bar, but drinking is not allowed in quarters, which might contribute to people withdrawing. So, if you want to drink, you do it in the bar, in the lounges, and at those meals where alcohol is available.
“You’ll find that we all have general duties besides those of our specialties. This is necessary to keep the total staff number as small as is functional. After some experimentation, we’ve settled on a system where everyone contributes to general camp operations. We have a maintenance crew that does the nuts and bolts of keeping the facility operating, but on occasion they need some additional help. You might be called on to help a mechanic, if only to hand him tools he can’t reach while he’s working.
“Meals are prepared by our three cooks. Each one works a full day and assists on a second day, but that’s not enough to run the dining facility. So, every person here works one day a month on KP, just like in the military. There are no exceptions. Each day there are two cooks on duty, assisted by three helpers from the general population. They help the cooks as needed and do cleanup, dish washing, and anything else necessary. So . . . once a month you will draw GASH duty. GASH stands for ‘Galley and Scullery Help.’ It’s called that by a custom started at the U.S. McMurdo station in Antarctica.”
Lindskold smiled. “Anyone with a complaint about GASH duty, talk to General Sinclair. He puts in a day now and then, though not as often as the rest of us.
“Water,” continued Lindskold. “Our advantage over most Arctic/Antarctic sites is a plentiful water supply. The reason is that we have more available energy than most sites, which allows more recycling, but also because we have a well down into an underground stream about a quarter-mile from where we’re at right now. Water is drawn from the stream. Wastewater, after at least some basic processing, is pumped back downstream of the intake.
“To answer the question that some of you might wonder about, ‘Why doesn’t the stream freeze up in the winter?’ The answer is that the well goes down about two hundred feet, and at that level the water doesn’t freeze. The surface piping is insulated and warmed. We’ve never had a problem with water availability, but just in case, a 90,000-gallon buried tank serves as a reserve.
“While we have a good supply of water, it’s still not unlimited. At McMurdo and other sites, the policy is ‘Navy’ showers—wet down, turn the water off, soap up, and rinse. Typically, at places like McMurdo, you would be allowed two minutes of shower water a day. Here, you’re allowed five minutes. If you’re among those who like to linger under the shower, and I’m certainly one of them, your shower has a valve that will recycle the water you’ve already used, assuming you don’t mind standing under water that already washed over you. You can stay under as long as you want, or until the recycling system’s water level gets too low and shuts off by itself.
“Where does our power come from? Most Arctic and Antarctic camps, like McMurdo, run on special blends of diesel and aviation fuel. McMurdo can house up to fifteen hundred people during Antarctic summer months, which then shrinks down to two hundred or fewer during the winter. But it takes a yearly oiler ship to come in with the next year’s fuel.
“Obviously, shipping fuel here by land, sea, or air is out of the question. At one time, McMurdo tried to limit fossil fuels by installing a nuclear react
or. It did reduce fuel needs, but the reactor proved too prone to malfunctions and was removed after a few years. Since then, the technology has improved, as evidenced by U.S. Navy vessel reactors running successfully for thirty years without refueling or problems.
“I’ll assume you know where I’m going. Site 23’s main power source is a nuclear reactor similar to those on navy attack submarines. The big difference is it’s an advanced design, what they’re calling fourth-generation reactors cooled by liquid sodium—sometimes referred to as sodium fast reactors. I assume the reactor and/or its parts just fit into C-17s’ cargo bays, but I wasn’t here when it was installed. It’s housed away from the other buildings and is maintained by two nuclear engineers. We’ve never run it at full capacity, and it supplies all the electricity for the buildings, in addition to charging batteries for the vehicles.”
“How the hell did you fly a nuclear reactor up here in secret?” Zach asked admiringly.
Lindskold laughed. “I have no idea, but I would imagine there was some creative accounting accomplished and paperwork hidden somewhere in the Pentagon.”
Andrew raised an arm. “I thought the problem with batteries was losing charge in the coldest weather. Wouldn’t that reduce the already limited range of vehicles like the snowcats?”
Lindskold nodded. “True. However, how far would you travel? The Nanook airstrip is the farthest we ever go. By the time the snowcats make a round trip in the coldest weather, they still have twenty percent power left, including accounting for losses due to the cold.
“It’s true that batteries have a shorter lifetime under conditions like these on Ellesmere. All batteries are replaced every two years. However, battery technology improves every year, and the effect of the cold is not as big a problem as it was even a few years ago. In addition, every flight in contains new batteries, so we’re constantly rotating out older batteries. You’ll also find that we’re slowly replacing current batteries with a far more cold-resistant battery just being developed.”
“What happens if the reactor shuts down for some reason?” asked Harold. “This is a hell of a place to suddenly have no heating.”
“This facility was designed with that in mind. The dormitories and this main building are partially heated by hot water piped through their foundations, which, along with the outer walls and roofs, are heavily insulated. Even with a complete shutoff of power, those buildings would not get cold enough inside to put occupants in serious danger for up to eighteen hours. We also have a secondary system. There are two fifteen-foot bladed windmills about half a mile from here on the ridgeline west. Normally, they’re not in use, with the blades folded and the tower rotated to ground level to camouflage them. Once a month, a crew sets them up and starts them to test functionality. Any one of the windmills can keep the camp safe until the reactor is back on-line.”
Harold started to say something again, but the manager cut him off with a wave.
“And before you ask, even in the extremely unlikely event of total and unfixable power failure, there’s the contingency to airlift out the entire staff on a single C-17 that could be here within seven to eight hours.”
Harold visibly relaxed and murmured something to Ralph, sitting next to him. Both men seemed satisfied.
“All right, folks. That’s about it for my part of your introduction to Site 23. You’ve already heard about the food. Incidents of Arctic explorers starving or eating their dogs may have occurred in the old days of exploration, but for permanent stations, the tradition is to set quite a good table. Even more of an effort is made here to help compensate for the remote location. And before you ask, we have a year’s supply of food on hand. Most of it is canned, dried, frozen, or dehydrated, which would become boring without fresh items coming in on resupply flights. We also have a hydroponics room that continuously yields a small supply of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs.”
After giving people an opportunity to ask questions, Lindskold excused himself and left the room, along with Bre Huttleston.
Level 2
Left were the newcomers, plus Sinclair, Huxler, Wilderman, and a man not yet introduced.
“This is Dr. Ed Scofield,” said Sinclair, pointing to a grizzled, short-haired man to his left. Scofield gave a small wave and a nod.
“Ed wears two hats. He’s the senior meteorologist on site and, as such, is responsible for the weather-related projects carried out in Level 1. In his misspent youth, Ed was navy, who medically retired out with a ruptured eardrum, so don’t feel ignored if you’re talking to Ed’s left side, and he seems to be ignoring you. He then sponged off the taxpayers, who paid for him to go to school to learn a useful trade.”
Scofield smiled. “Well, at least I’m not still adding to the national debt by pretending the army actually serves a useful purpose.”
“Whatever,” said Sinclair, laughing. “Ed did somehow manage to graduate from UC Berkeley with a BA in physics, then a doctor’s degree in atmospheric sciences from the University of Washington. He has worked on several sensitive projects for the U.S. and happens to speak a smattering of Russian and Mandarin Chinese.”
“Both were more by circumstance than planning on being any kind of linguist,” said Scofield. “My family lived in the Brighton Beach part of Brooklyn until I was about twelve years old. It’s one of the largest Russian communities in the U.S., and many of my friends were new immigrants who spoke little English. Being that young and constantly hearing Russian, I picked it up like only a child can. The Chinese was thanks to a wife I meet in school. Initially, I memorized some Mandarin phrases to impress her and then learned more in self-defense to understand what her relatives and friends were saying about me.”
Sinclair resumed. “Ed’s language knowledge and prior experiences made him a good choice to also oversee Level 2, which we assume you already were told or figured out on your own is not meteorology or radar. Level 2 is a listening post for Russian, Chinese, and North Korean communications. The U.S. has numerous efforts underway to spy on these three countries, but fortuitously this area of Ellesmere gets good reception from communications bouncing off atmospheric layers. What they overhear is mainly from the far east of Russia and the northeast of China. The Level 2 staff is divided into technical supporting staff and language experts. They sort through what our equipment picks up and pass on information and reports for further analysis back in the U.S. We have eight analysts and eleven technical support staff members. Both Emily and Ed are aware Level 3 exists but don’t know what goes on. They have access only in emergencies, and that more likely would be for medical reasons.”
“How much can Level 2 really hear over the pole?” asked Jason.
“Quite a lot, as it turns out. For details, ask Ed about bouncing off the ionosphere. Many days, it’s almost like you’re listening from only a mile or so away. The main problem is sorting through the volume of intercepted traffic, which is why the Level 2 IT support is as large as it is. The analysts’ job is to identify the most promising intercepts, focus on them, and write reports.”
“Can we ask what exactly are some of the things they hear?” queried Harold.
“Without going into any details, let’s just imagine that you pick up a conversation from several Russians talking about their trucks constantly breaking down and hoping to get time to go into the local town for some alcohol and female companionship. From multiple individuals with the same dialect, you determine they are part of a group from near the city of Okhotsk, and their trucks are a type used by Russian tank repair units. We then pass on the suspicion that a Russian armored unit is now near the coastal city of Okhotsk and either has been restationed there or is on maneuvers. For China, the reception is not as extensive but pretty good for the most northern parts of the country—think of the part labeled Manchuria on a map. Reception is quite good for much of this region, except for dead spots. Again, if you wonder why, see Ed. Same with Russia. One region may give good reception, and just a hundred miles away, w
e never hear anything.”
“You’ll have limited working interactions with the Level 2 staff and their activities as I’ve described—instead, you’ll have only daily social interactions. As you may have surmised, you will be working at another level yet—Level 3. One of Ed’s hats is not only to oversee the smooth operation of Level 2, but to monitor that the Level 2 staff members neither tell anyone in Level 1 exactly what they are doing nor even mention that there is a Level 3. As far as Level 1 staff members are concerned, only Level 1 and Level 2 exist.
“Because Ed and Emily don’t know what happens in Level 3, they’ll now leave us.”
Both of them stood, gave small waves, and left the room.
“All right, that’s the basics of living here,” said Sinclair. “Now we’ll move on to what the hell is really going on here.”
CHAPTER 12
THE OBJECT
Faraday
“Please follow me,” Sinclair said and led them out of the main building into the bright arctic sunshine. They walked seventy yards to the second of two buildings labeled Lab 1 and Lab 2. The entrance to the second building was at the right corner of its narrow side. Inside the door, they entered an anteroom and a double door with small windows through which they could see a hallway at whose end stood another set of double doors.
Sinclair waited until they were all inside. “This entrance leads first to Level 2 in the work areas through the doors on the hallway’s left side. You need no authorization to enter this level, although none of the activities you’ll be directly involved in are within this section.”
Harbinger (The Janus Harbinger Book 1) Page 14
