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Colder Than Ice

Page 13

by MacPherson, Helen


  Rob scanned the area where the camp was to be established. “So, boss, you want me to run power to each of these huts?”

  “If you could. The other building to be set up is the toilet.” Michela made a mark in the snow. “This is to go about thirty yards downwind of Rick and Alli’s apple. A reinforced blizzard rope will be put out to the toilet and it’s to be checked every day.”

  Ewan rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. “Bugger me, could you imagine it, dying because you got stranded on the toilet in a blizzard. What a way to go.”

  Rob laughed and slapped Ewan’s back. “Don’t worry about it, mate, it’ll never happen.”

  “While Rob’s seeing to the power, the rest of us will focus on setting up our accommodations. Because the googie’s a bit bigger than the two apples, if you finish first then please go and give Sarah and Ewan a hand. Rick, once your hut’s up, could you ensure the field toilet is erected?” Michela wasn’t surprised by the sour look on Rick’s face.

  “You want me to set up the toilet? You’ve got to be joking,” Rick said.

  “It shouldn’t take you very long and then you can help the rest of us establish the working and eating areas.” Michela ignored the disgusted snort from Rick. “There’ll be a task rotation for the duration of our stay. Probably the most unattractive of these is bottle washer and slops person. They’re responsible for washing up after each meal and ensuring the kitchen waste is appropriately bagged for when we return to base. Law requires us to leave here as we found it. That means all our rubbish, both food and body waste will need to be bagged for the return journey. So, the final task of the slops person will be cleaning out the toilet every second day.”

  Dianne screwed up her nose. “That’s gross. You can’t mean we’re all going to have to do that.”

  Michela shrugged. “I’m afraid so. Once the toilet’s erected we’ll do a dry run, so you can all get an idea of what’s required. For the first seven days, I’ll be the slops person. We also have to reallocate the cooking. I’m going to need a volunteer for that as well.”

  Rick cast his hand at the females. “That’s women’s work. You should be able to easily spread that amongst yourselves.”

  Keep calm. He’s an idiot but that’s no reason to want to do him bodily harm. “That’s not the case, Rick. Everyone will get a go at cooking, no matter how bad they are. Now, do I have any volunteers for the first week’s shift?”

  Rob nudged Michela. “I’ll do it, boss. I’m a reasonable hand at cooking even if I do say so myself.”

  “You’d be the only bloody one saying it,” Sarah said in jest.

  “Thanks for the offer, Rob, but I want you to focus on the electricity, at least in the first few days. This is an experimental system and it will no doubt have its problems. Any other volunteers?”

  Dianne sighed and held up her hand. “I’ll do it. But don’t expect five star cooking. And if you don’t like what you get, then you can go without.”

  Michela smiled. “Thanks, Di. I’ll make up a slops and cooking roster and post it in the next few days. Okay team, let’s get to work.”

  ALLISON MADE YET another trip from the pile of stores to her hut and opened the door to find Rick asleep, spread-eagled on one of the two single beds. She put her bundle on the small desk in the middle of the room, went to Rick, and gently tugged on his foot.

  “Come on, sleepyhead. There’s a heap more to be brought over here before you can doze, you know.”

  Rick turned his head toward her and opened one eye. “I’ve done about as much as I’m going to do today. The rest can wait. And talking about tomorrow, why can’t someone else bring our gear here? We’re archaeologists for heaven’s sake. Why can’t the workers set up camp and let us get down to business.”

  Allison sat down on the bed. “It doesn’t work like that here. As Michela said, we’ve all got to pitch in and get the camp established before we can do anything else.”

  Rick sat up, leant against the wall, and drew his knees to his chest. “I don’t care. I didn’t come here to be employed as a lackey. And what’s with you anyway? Why are you agreeing with her all of a sudden? It wasn’t so long ago that you couldn’t string the words together to speak a civil sentence to her.”

  Allison rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “It’s not about personalities, it’s about getting the job done. If we all pitch in together then there’ll be ample time to get the dig under way.”

  “I don’t care. I’ve done all the moving I’m going to do today. You can suit yourself.” Rick lay back down and made himself comfortable.

  Allison shook her head and stood. “Fine. I’ll do that.” She said in clipped tones as she walked to the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Where do you think I’m going? I’ve still got gear out there that I need, including my clothes.”

  Rick crossed his hands to make a pillow for his head. “Could you pick up my backpack while you’re out there?”

  Allison wheeled. “Listen, you bloody lazy mongrel. I turned a blind eye earlier today when you skulked off for an hour, leaving me to tighten the bolts of our hut. I didn’t even say anything when you came back with one cup of hot chocolate and then drank it all, without even offering me a sip. But, if you think for one minute I’m going to get your gear because you’re too lazy to get it yourself then you’ve got another thing coming. Get off your lazy ass and get it yourself!”

  Rick stood and towered over Allison. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been like a bear with a sore head for most of this trip.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with me that wouldn’t be fixed by you pulling your bloody weight, rather than expecting everything to be done for you.” Allison closed her eyes in an attempt to rein in her temper. “Listen, if you want to spend the whole time here in those same clothes because you’re too lazy to get your backpack, that’s up to you.” Allison opened the door, stepped outside, and slammed it behind her. Looking across the compound, she caught Michela’s questioning eyes and then she turned and skulked toward the stores area.

  MICHELA SHIVERED AS a blast of wind signaled the opening of the mess hut’s door. Sarah struggled to close the door against the wind and then flopped down opposite Michela.

  “Hey, there. What are you up to at this time in the morning?”

  Michela smiled. “Just completing a few entries in my diary. My duties as slops person have kept me otherwise occupied.”

  Sarah removed her gloves and squeezed some warmth back into her fingers. “So how do you think it’s going?”

  “I have to admit I was a little worried by that temperamental solar powered unit. After all the effort to get it here, I thought it was going to be a white elephant. Thank God for Rob’s ingenuity and perseverance with the damned thing.”

  Sarah nodded. “Yeah. There’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.”

  “And then there was the drama with the recharging of equipment. I swear to God, for a group of academics, they certainly lack common sense.”

  Sarah threw her head back and laughed. “I know what you’re talking about. I thought Dianne was going to have a cow when Rob told her there’d be a forty-eight hour delay before they could start digging, to allow the equipment to fully recharge.”

  Michela joined in the laughter before looking around the hut. “They seem to have spent the time making a darn great mess of this place. I mean, the office is supposed to be at the far end, the kitchen area in the middle and the eating area here.” Michela picked up a bag of electronic equipment she’d moved to the side of the table when she sat down. “I’m sure this thing should be down at the other end. It’s interfering with my research.”

  Sarah leant forward, attempting to read Michela’s tablet. “So, have you analyzed us to death yet?”

  “I’ve already signed your admittance papers to the funny farm.” She laughed at the look on Sarah’s face. “Seriously though, it’s a great test bed for the Mars expedition. Take for example the group
working together. There are some definite personalities in the team and some which are already interfering with group cohesion. But, like space, we don’t have the luxury to change them and so we have to make the best with what we’ve got.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look at the dynamic, in particular the men. Rob is mister flexible and nothing seems to phase him. Ewan craves acceptance among the three archaeologists and has just about bent over backwards in trying to please them.”

  Sarah leant forward and crossed her arms on the table. “So what do you make of Rick?”

  Michela rubbed her eyes and then ran her fingers through her hair. “Now there’s a problem if I ever saw one. I’m sure he’s gifted in his profession, but he’s changed since we’ve arrived.”

  Sarah let out a breath. “Thank God you said that. I thought it was just me. Since we’ve got here he’s become demanding, almost dictatorial in his moods. The other day Rob had to physically coax him into checking the blizzard lines.”

  Michela wryly smiled. “If I didn’t know you any better I’d say you’ve been reading my notes. He’s really changed and become incredibly chauvinistic as well. I can’t believe this didn’t surface during the training. One of my report recommendations will be a much longer training camp to hopefully weed out the likes of him.”

  “It looks like you’ve got your work cut out for you finding any positives.”

  Michela tapped her tablet to a page. “It’s not all bad. I was pretty impressed with the way everyone coped with Michael’s early departure. I’ve got to say, I don’t understand how he ever passed the physical in the first place.”

  “I agree. I don’t know about you, but it’s obvious some people are finding the confined spaces difficult to cope with. At this rate, it’ll be interesting to see how they’re coping by the end of the dig.”

  Michela recalled the minor issue Rob and Ewan had argued over at breakfast that morning. “I know Rob and Ewan have been at it, but like most men, they seem to have resolved it pretty quickly. I’m more concerned over the shouting that’s coming from Rick and Alli’s apple. Even with the wind, they can be heard clear across the compound.”

  “It can’t be anything to do with the sleeping arrangements. With the increased size of the single beds, I’m sure they can fit on one bed. Last night I actually rolled over and didn’t touch the edge.” Sarah looked at her watch. “So tell me, why aren’t you getting any sleep?”

  Michela shrugged. “I’m not all that tired. I usually exist on about four hours a night and this constant daylight isn’t helping.”

  “I know what you mean,” Sarah said. “If there’s anything I can give you for it let me know.”

  Michela yawned, stood up, and gathered her papers into a neat bundle. “Thanks for the offer. I might try and get some of that sleep you obviously think I need.”

  “That’d be about right. I start to chat up a pretty woman and she leaves me.” Sarah raised her hands above her head in mock supplication. “What’s this going to do to my reputation?”

  Michela laughed, knowing Sarah was one team member she wouldn’t have to worry about.

  ALLISON SILENTLY CHUCKLED at the confused look on Ewan’s face as he looked at the myriad of wires spread on the ice.

  “What exactly is this electronic spaghetti?” Ewan asked, eyebrows furrowed.

  “It has a technical name, but its common name is the Web. It’s a series of electronic nodes that are counter-sunk into a surface, this one being ice. The nodes are connected by an infra-red beam, hence its name.” She picked up the wiring. “This wire is then attached to the mother node, which feeds all the other nodes, and vice-versa. The other end of the wire is attached to a digital tablet. The program sends electro-magnetic pulses through the network, causing a sound wave to bounce below the surface of each node causing a ripple effect, like when you drop a pebble in a pond. The digital tablet’s program’s configured so that it can remove the surface from the picture. The end result is a shadow, which in this case I hope will be the outline, or part of Finlayson’s hut.”

  “What a great piece of kit,” Sarah said. “I wonder whether it could be adapted for research on the ice domes down here.”

  Allison shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. As a geologist, Di would be the best person to give you an idea whether the Web could be adapted for other use. I just know it makes my job as an archaeologist so much easier.”

  Sarah turned and scanned the vicinity. “I might do that. You don’t know where she is do you?”

  “She’s setting up the electronics for the equipment in the mess hut,” Allison replied. “There’s no real point in standing out here in the cold with a digital tablet if you can as easily do it in the warmth and comfort of a hut.”

  “Thanks.” Sarah strode to the mess building.

  “So, you set up the Web, but how do you work out where to start?” Rob asked.

  Allison slapped Rob on the back. “That’s where you and Sarah come in. The GPS reading you guys took when you were out here all those months ago will be the datum point where I position the mother node. I’ll spread the rest out in a circular radius of about five yards, to see what we pick up. From there it’s like a jigsaw puzzle, only you work your way outwards. If we can find the edge of the building, we mark it and trace that line until we come to a corner. We’ll continue to trace the next line until we finally have the rough outline of a building. This is then pegged out and we take the dig from there.”

  Rob nodded. “Bloody amazing. Now I know you guys normally go at this sort of stuff with shovels and the like. I suppose that’s where these blades fit into the picture.” He pointed at the blades resting up against one another.

  “Right again. I hadn’t seen these used until we gave them a trial in Sydney, but I reckon they’ll speed up things quite a bit.” Allison turned a blade over and revealed a small switch. “They’re battery operated and work much like a delicate flat-bladed jackhammer. The difference between this and a normal jackhammer is that the actual blade is super-heated, allowing it to cut through the ice like a knife through butter. You adjust the heat and power by flicking these two switches.” She pointed to a green and purple switch.

  Ewan carefully took the blade out of Allison’s hands. “I can’t wait to give this bad boy a try. But isn’t metal brittle? What’s to stop it from being affected by the extreme cold conditions?”

  “You see how light they are?” Rob and Ewan took turns holding the tool and nodded. “The metal in the casing and the blade is aircraft grade titanium. This means it’s non-corrosive and can withstand extreme variations in temperature as well as pressure. Super light and super strong and I might add super expensive. That’s why Rick will run you through a couple of lessons before we unleash you on the dig site.”

  Rob handed the tool back to Allison. “Well, Skip, tell us when you’re ready. I better get back to the daily power check. You coming, Ewan?”

  Allison grinned at their enthusiasm and returned her attention to the Web.

  TWENTY-FOUR HOURS later Allison was pleased to see a partial picture of the hut begin to take shape. As the picture built up, she adjusted the position of the Web. Engrossed in the correct placement of the mother node, she almost missed Rick’s excited voice over the ever-present wind.

  “Dianne, Alli, come here!” Rick detached his ice axe from his belt and made a cut in the ice as Allison and Dianne strode to him.

  Rick stood up and stepped away from the hole. “Look. I was placing out one of the nodes when I noticed a discoloration in the ice off to my right. When I got closer I realized it could only be wood. This is obviously some part of the roof of the hut. There’s no need to continue on with the plotting, we can start here.”

  “It’s great that the building isn’t as deep as what we thought it was, but don’t you think we should find another access way?” Allison asked.

  Rick raised his brows and blinked in surprise. “Are you crazy? This could cut days, maybe weeks off
our excavation and give us the opportunity to explore other remote sites or caches that might be around here. If this building’s configured like most of the other huts of this era, then it will have reinforced skylights for use when the normal entrances were snowed-in. These could form our access points.”

  “That may be the case if the building wasn’t buried under so much ice,” Allison said. “I’m worried about the integrity of the structure. Your idea may result in the building caving in on someone who’s in it.”

  Rick threw his hands up and walked away before turning back to Allison and Dianne. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Alli, don’t be daft. What happened to your spirit of adventure? You weren’t so cautious last year during that cave dig in Perth.”

  Allison forced herself to remain calm. “That was completely different and you know it. We weren’t in the middle of a continent whose closest surgical help is over nine days away.”

  Rick turned to Dianne. “Come on, Di. Can’t you see how much time we could save here? It’s a bit risky but we’ve all been in tighter situations.”

  “Sorry, but I have to agree with Alli. There’re safety issues at stake, not to mention what a collapse would do to the possible artifacts inside. Plus, not all of the workers here are skilled at digging. Take Rob and Ewan. I’d hate to see their enthusiasm accidentally result in injury.”

  Rick angrily shook his head. “Bloody women, you’re all the same. I’d be surprised if we ever manage to find a way into this damn hut. Christ, at this rate, it’ll be time to go home before we even have a building framework. If you want to play it super safe then suit your bloody self. But if you think I’m going to spend any more time laying out these bloody nodes in the freezing cold, then you’ve got another thing coming.” Rick shoved his ice axe back on his belt and stomped away.

 

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