The terrain was challenging in every way. It was little wonder it had never been explored. It was dry, hot during the day, and cold at night, but the most difficult condition they faced was the toxic gas that escaped through the geysers from an underground volcano chamber. Besides the physical constraints, the human factor didn’t make things any easier. Fraya was met with open hostility and her orders were challenged from the word go.
The men were constantly bickering and arguing with her, questioning her judgment and grudgingly giving in, only because of the gravity of her threats. Twice she had to ward off unwelcome and disrespectful advances. A week later they were running behind schedule due to the disharmony in the group. Tim complained that the men stole provisions, making him run short and having to drive back to the observatory for new orders. Mason had fallen ill with some inexplicable virus that looked like a heat rash, but thankfully recovered twenty-four hours later.
According to Fraya’s calculations they had to dig down and under a sandstone formation, with which Andrews agreed. Stix Shaw was in charge of the mechanics of the digging, while Demetrix Panagakos headed the construction of a scaffolding overseen by Cramer to create a tunnel that would take them under the small mountain of sand that had solidified on top of Fraya’s acclaimed lost city. Besides Professor Andrews and the six men in charge, they had brought with them a complement of sixty workers who did the manual labor and who rotated on a weekly basis, making Fraya’s job even more complicated. With every rotation, she had to explain the job from scratch, working with men who knew nothing of what was expected from them, and every time she was met with the same skepticism. As soon as they laid eyes on her, their expressions filled with disbelief and mistrust. Fraya had banned alcohol from the site over which the men were brooding. It was the custom to end the day off with a bottle of lethal imitation whiskey or at least a few beers, but Fraya was too familiar with the stories of how such evenings got out of hand.
Their first priority was to erect a workstation in the toxic gas area. For this purpose they used a container that Panagakos fitted with an air purification system and two suction safety doors. The tents were set up thirty miles from the site in a gas free area, which meant that the designated teams had to drive up and down, and the hydraulic hybrid trucks had to transport the equipment over a rocky terrain. When not in the container, they had to wear gas masks or smaller mouthpieces. The mouthpieces allowed more freedom of movement and perennial vision, but a limited period of time before the filters had to be replaced. The workmen mainly used the gas masks, while Andrews, when he surveyed the terrain, preferred a mouthpiece. Fraya had drafted and enforced a strict set of safety rules over which she worried night and day.
Another three weeks later, after the construction of the office, they had managed to start the construction of the framework for the tunnel. Andrews had advised against the use of explosives. It would have been quicker than drilling, but it could damage valuable archeological remains. Hence, the progress was slow. The mouth of the cave they were creating had to be reinforced with bricks hauled up by a robotic cable lift. When Fraya saw the equipment list, she wasn’t happy with the steel chains that Panagakos suggested and ordered him to change it for wire rope instead. She was no technical expert, but everyone knew chains were risky, even if they were more economical.
Tanson Scarrabo was in charge of environmental protocol. It was during their fourth week that Fraya watched him surveying the area of construction, inspecting the terrain. He stood in the shade of the roof of the tunnel entrance when Fraya, standing a few feet away, caught a movement from the corner of her eye higher up where the men were supervising a robotic forklift offloading bricks onto the lift platform. One of the four cables holding the platform jerked, and a pile of bricks started to slide toward the edge as a corner dipped. Fraya caught her breath. In the same instant that she started running, she shouted Tanson’s name. She shouted repeatedly until he looked up, a puzzled expression on his face. He followed the direction of her pointed finger and when he saw the impeding danger he dived, throwing his body sideways. A second later the cable snatched, and the remaining three cables, unable to carry the load, gave way. The steel platform with the stacked bricks came down in a thunderous plummet. The noise was like a whiplash in the dry air. Dust filtered up and around, blinding Fraya for a few moments as she battled to breathe through the mouthpiece and see through her special UV goggles. Men came running, cursing. She could hear Cramer’s profanities in his strange language coming through the communication system mike in her ear. Her heart beat furiously as she sprinted toward Tanson. The dust settled minutely, and she saw him crawling away from the tons of bricks on all fours.
She got to him just as Cramer did. Tanson shook his head and swore. Thankfully he was unharmed. Fraya ordered him to the tent they used for tea breaks and motioned for Cramer to follow her. On closer inspection, she discovered the reason for the accident. What she had thought to be wire rope tension cables were chains. It didn’t take a genius to guess that the load of the bricks outweighed the capacity of the chains. A link probably snapped. The workmen surrounded them now. Fraya looked around. She waved Mason over and told him to dismiss the workers. The work had to be laid off until an investigation had been conducted. She swore even more profusely than Cramer and headed straight for the office.
Son of a bitch! Panagakos would not sabotage her project and get away. Fraya pushed her UV goggles over her head, keeping her mouthpiece intact, and untied her bandanna while her boots kicked up dust all the way to the main container that acted as their office.
The men stood aside, letting her pass, their glances both curious and apprehensive. Let them watch. Let them hear. Nobody will stand in her way.
Fraya slammed both her palms onto the metal door. It swung open effortlessly and winged back smoothly. She felt like kicking the damn door to close it faster. But there was nothing to do but wait until the lock was in place, sucking out the gas and filtering oxygen in its place. She threw her goggles on a bench and exchanged her mouthpiece for a gasmask that she grabbed from a hook. Before she had pulled it onto her face, she was already staring Panagakos down on the security camera.
The red light blinked five times before the green signal came on. She pushed through the door and ripped the mask from her face. Fraya flung the mask onto the nearest chair without slowing her pace. Panagakos sat behind his desk, watching her with brooding eyes while Stix, Smit and Tim stood wide-eyed in the open space. She stopped in front of Panagakos, bringing her hands down on the wooden surface.
“What the hell was that?” She pointed in the direction of the door. “A man could have been killed. I gave you an order which you ignored.”
“Your order was inappropriate.”
“Inappropriate?” She laughed and straightened, propping her hands on her hips. “A dead man would have been inappropriate.”
“We told you not to do it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Since when do you give the orders around here?”
Panagakos simply stared at her.
Fraya turned slowly around the room, giving Stix, Smit and Tim each a measured look.
Panagakos lifted his hands. “You’re the boss. But we told you we disagreed.”
Fraya turned back to him. “And since when is this a democracy? If I tell you to jump, I expect you to ask how high.”
She was beyond herself. Tanson had almost died under a ton of bricks and a metal lift. When was this bunch of chauvinists going to understand that there was no replacing her? Sure, they had a problem reporting to a woman. Today was the day they were going to get around that problem for once and for all.
Fraya put her nose inches from Panagakos. “Who told the men to ignore the order?”
“Ms. Larraín, you have to understand–”
“It’s Dr. Riber to you. And I asked you a question, Mr. Panagakos. Don’t make me repeat it.”
His eyes went hard, his face cold. “I did.”
Fraya no
dded. “You’re fired.”
He jumped from his chair. “What? You can’t fire me.”
“No?” she said in a mocking voice. “Watch me march your ass out of here faster than it ever landed in that cushy chair. I’ve got carte blanche on this project.”
Panagakos moved around his desk. At almost seven feet tall he was an impressive man, someone not to be messed with, and the stance he took as he came to a halt a breath away from Fraya was meant to demonstrate it. She tilted her head up at him, and pointed at the door.
“Out. Now. Dismissed with immediate effect. You have one minute to get your stuff together. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll get the guards to make my command clear. After I’ve kicked your ass.”
From the corner of her eye she saw Stix’s lip lift in one corner. The look he gave Panagakos was one of disgust. Fraya made a mental note of Smit’s glare in her direction. Although, with this gang of assholes you never knew who was really with, or against you.
If Panagakos could have sliced her up and minced her with his eyes, she swore he would. He all but growled as he stomped around the desk and almost pulled the drawer off its hinges. She watched him take his gas indicator and electronic pad.
“The pad stays,” she said.
He look like he wanted to argue, but Tim and Stix moved forward simultaneously.
“You’ll be sorry,” Panagakos said. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”
Fraya watched him leave the container with her hands on her hips, her body shaking. When the door locked behind him, she relaxed her shoulders. She became aware of the men staring at her.
“All of you, out!”
They turned slowly, one by one, taking their gasmasks and following in Panagakos’s footsteps, until only Tim was left.
Fraya flopped down in the chair behind the desk that Panagakos had occupied until a minute ago. She rubbed her forehead.
“Boss?”
Fraya looked up. Tim only ever called her boss when he was in trouble, or when he was worried.
“What?” she snapped.
“You can’t afford more enemies than what you already have.”
“Panagakos disobeyed a direct order. I’m within my rights to fire him on the spot.”
“You’re pushing too hard.”
She crossed her arms. “I’ve asked for wire rope and instead Demetrix ignored my order and went for chains. If Tanson hadn’t managed to jump from under the framework, he would have been crushed. A man’s life was at stake.”
“Demetrix is the equipment manager. You should have discussed changing the chains to wire rope with him. He needed to have been part of the decision making process. He said he couldn’t get the wire rope on time and you nevertheless gave the green light for the digging to continue.”
“I told him to make a plan. I said to get the damn rope even if it cost his balls. He should have told me that it hadn’t been done, or he could have instructed the men to decrease the brick load, but he chose not to disclose the information.” She rested her head in her hands. “Tanson could have been dead, damn it.”
“Boss, we’ve been out in the field for four weeks. The men are going bonkers. We’re all a little bit crazy at the moment from lack of sleep, exhaustion and heat.”
“We have a deadline. Anyone who can’t take it, can pack up his things and go now.”
“What I’m trying to say is that you’re not being yourself, either.”
Fraya knew it was true. Ever since she had left Emilio in Santiago after their fight she had been in the foulest of moods. Physically, she ached. The need was pure agony. But it was nothing compared to how her heart was hurting. Could she blame Emilio for not being able to trust her? On top of that, she had to face Andrews on a daily basis, feeling his eyes on her wherever she moved. Andrews was a constant reminder of the new weight that rested between her and her mate.
Fraya sighed tiredly. “Leave me, Tim. I need to speak to Saunders.”
He hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and left.
When she was alone, Fraya opened her ePad and dialed Saunders. His face appeared on her screen after a heartbeat.
“Fraya?”
“We had a situation. I’ve fired Panagakos. Scarrabo almost suffered a fatal accident.”
He frowned. “Tanson?”
“Yes. You’ll want to do a formal investigation.”
“I’m pulling you in. We’ll talk then.”
“I’m not ready to leave the site, Saunders.”
“Andrews can be on duty.”
“Andrews is not in charge.”
“Fraya...” His voice held a warning. “I’m sending in a vehicle. Tomorrow. First thing.”
She slammed the ePad shut and gathered her maps and graphs. She secured a gasmask, left the container and told Tim that she was driving back to her tent. She gave instruction to Daniels to tell the men to call it a day. She was aware of the worried look he gave her as he turned to follow her order, but he didn’t comment. It was a pity that she had to make an example of Panagakos, but no one would dare question her again.
She drove thirty miles east, to clean air and their campsite. She parked and jumped from the vehicle, taking long strides to her tent. Adrenalin from the shock still had her shaking. She scooped water from the purifying barrel in the corner of her tent into the metal basin and washed her face and her hands. Before she could take a much needed outdoor vapor shower, she wanted to talk to Tanson, to make sure he was alright. Her body was covered with red dust and her skin hot from the sun. She dipped a cloth in the water and held it at the back of her neck. A warm wind blew back the flap of her tent. Through the gap she saw Andrews approach and gritted her teeth. He didn’t ask permission to enter, but flicked the fabric aside and crossed the dirt floor as if he owned it.
“You were wrong,” he said, his eyes cool.
“About what?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach those cold eyes. “About firing Demetrix. He’s the best man for the job.”
“If he was so good, he wouldn’t have just almost caused a man’s death.”
“He told you to wait. Said it was too soon.”
“And I disagreed. He never said he didn’t follow out the command.”
Andrews’s eyes moved to her shoulder, lingering on the birthmark as it so often did. He reached out slowly and took the cloth from her hand.
“Dr. Riber, you should have confided in me.” He drew the rag along her collarbone. “This accident could have been avoided.”
She stepped back and snatched back the rag. “You’re in charge of excavation, not operations. I don’t have to discuss anything with you.”
“Your inability to work with a team is going to cost you this project.”
Fraya’s heart went cold. Andrews had repeatedly thrown masked threats at her ever since they had first put up camp, but this was an undisguised attack. She knew what he was trying to do. He wanted to run the operation, to take over. A complaint to Saunders was all that was needed to initiate an investigation into her capability of running the project.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to change.” She glared at him, waiting.
Andrews took his time to bow, and then turned and walked away.
The minute he was gone, she radioed Tim. “Is Tanson on his way?”
“Yes, boss. He argued, like you said he would, but I told him it was an order, like you instructed me to.”
“Good.”
She cut the communication and went outside to wait on the vehicle. It arrived a few minutes later with Stix in the driver’s seat. Fraya waited until Tanson had gotten out of the passenger side before she ordered him to the communal tent with a flick of her head.
She pointed at a camp bed. “Sit.”
“I’m fine,” he said with a sigh.
Her eyes looked for cuts or bruises, but all she could see was sand caked on his arms. “We’ve got a vehicle coming in to take you back to the ob. You need to be examined by a doctor.”
&nb
sp; “I know the procedure, but I’m telling you, it’s not necessary.”
She regarded him with her hands on her hips. “It’s not my call, Tanson. It’s protocol.”
He nodded. “I know.”
When she made for the exit, he said, “Dr. Riber?”
She turned back to face him.
“It wasn’t your fault, Doctor. It was an accident.”
She arched her brow. “There will be an investigation.”
He smiled. “You’ve stood your ground. Some of us are glad you fired him.”
She didn’t answer. Her camp was divided and it wasn’t always easy to know who was against her.
It was late morning when Fraya arrived at Saunders’s office. She put her head around the door and he waved her in. He pointed at the chair facing his desk.
“You shouldn’t have pulled me out. We’re running behind schedule as it is,” she said.
He tipped his fingers together. “The schedule can wait.” He studied her. “So you fired Panagakos.”
“Which was within my rights.”
“It was. I just never thought you had the balls.”
She raised her brow. “Then why did you give me the job?”
“I didn’t. Welser did. Seems like he knew what he was doing.”
“Is this some way of telling me that I’m doing a good job?”
“Don’t flatter yourself just yet. There’ll be an investigation.”
“But you agree with me?”
He sighed. “As much as I hate to lose Panagakos, he was in the wrong. His negligence could have cost a life.”
“Then why am I here?”
“You’ve been in the field for four weeks. Some of the men say you’re getting edgy.”
“Bullshit.” She leaned forward. “It’s Andrews, isn’t it?”
The Astronomer Page 32
