Prey

by Jon F. Merz

  "Could be. We can't tell from up here, of course."

  "Weather?"

  "Supposed to be smooth sailing the entire way in. We're in a window right now. Weather station out of Tierra del Fuego says a big storm's coming in the next twenty-four hours. We get you down and take off again. You guys are on your own down there."

  Julia smiled. "You guys just going to drop the back ramp and shove us off?"

  "We might slow down."

  "Thanks for the effort. Keep trying the station. I'd like to have some sort of welcome wagon waiting for us when we get there."

  "Will do. We're about thirty minutes out."

  Julia ducked back into the cabin. She'd never get used to riding in military transports. The C-130 Hercules was as stripped down as they came. A hollow and noisy interior that consisted of a few cots strung up and a curtained off pseudo-lavatory that she'd tried to avoid using on the way down.

  Over Argentina, she'd had to finally give in. She still thought she smelled the harsh chemical residue clinging to her extreme cold weather parka. But she couldn't let it bother her. Not now. Not here.

  She'd waited too long for this.

  And she'd worked too damned hard.

  Thirty-seven years old and the leader of an exploration team heading down to examine the geological make-up of the Baker Mountain range. Not bad for a gal from Duluth.

  But even if she was the official head of the team that consisted of seven other men, she knew there was some strong resentment already rampant in their ranks.

  Most of it came from Kendall.

  Julia frowned at the thought of his smug self-righteous smile creasing his thin lips and oily skin. At forty he was deep in the throes of a mid-life crisis. The last thing he wants is to take orders from a girl, thought Julia.

  Tough shit.

  She grinned. There was that side of her peeking out again. She felt as thankful for its presence as she was concerned about it. It had never gotten her into trouble, but it had positioned her in some very interesting situations. It was because of that side of her that she was here - in charge.

  She glanced around the interior of the plane again. The other members of her team, including Kendall were wide-awake and bouncing from the turbulence. They looked haggard and travel-weary.

  Everyone that is, except for Mick.

  He was asleep.

  Julia almost grinned. She'd never known anyone who could sleep through the kind of noise the interior of a C-130 made. But it was as if the noise didn't even matter to Mick. His eyes looked heavy and his face perfectly relaxed.

  Despite his being asleep, though, Julia could still see the hard lines etched into his skin. Deep chasms scored his forehead above a heavy brow line. Hard bones framed his face at his cheekbones and jawline. He had the sort of rugged looks that seemed to simultaneously attract and scare most women. He was handsome, Julia had decided a week ago when he'd first joined the team, but there was something else to him. Some sort of veil that surrounded his otherwise open and calm demeanor.

  The fact that he'd only joined the team last week seemed odd enough. But he'd been the only suitable replacement after Wilson's sudden bout with appendicitis had disqualified him.

  Mick.

  His eyes opened then. A flash of bright blue that seemed to hit her like a laser shot from across the fuselage. She jerked, aware she'd been staring at him a little too long and averted her eyes.

  When she risked a look back a moment later, Mick's eyes were closed again.

  Asleep.

  Or was he?

  "So, Boss, what's the good word?"

  Kendall. And the way he'd placed the emphasis on the word "boss" annoyed the hell out of her. But there was nothing he could do to disrupt this mission. Julia had already vowed to herself twenty times she wouldn't let that happen.

  "Pilot can't contact the base."

  "Why - is our radio down?"

  "Says our radio is working just fine. Might be a problem at the base."

  "But they know we're coming, right? We're not flying into someone's party without being invited are we?"

  "Of course they know we're coming. We confirmed it last week during the normal communication window."

  Kendall nodded. "Well, as long as you're on top of things. I suppose I can rest easy."

  "I'm relieved, really I am, Kendall. It warms my heart to have all your confidence invested in me."

  "Just so long as you realize this isn't some shopping excursion we're on. You screw up down here and people will die."

  Julia sighed. "Kendall. Don't presume to tell me how to run this operation. I am well aware of where we are and what my responsibilities are. I'd hope you're as familiar with your own duties on this jaunt as you seem to be with mine."

  "I'm versed in everyone's." Kendall smiled but there was no friendliness in it. "Just in case anyone gets hurt and I need to step in to fill the gap."

  "There won't be any gaps to fill. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on our progress."

  Kendall backed out of her way and slumped back into his makeshift seat across the cabin. Julia felt the rise of heat in her face begin to subside. She hoped it hadn't been too obvious in the darkened interior of the plane that she's been blushing through her exchange with Kendall.

  She made her way up to the pilot deck again. "How we doing?"

  The pilot shook his head. "Still no response from Howard Base." He pointed out the window. Bright sunlight rebounded off the white of snow and ice far below. "We're feet dry, by the way. We made land ten minutes back."

  "Good. How much longer."

  "Maybe fifteen minutes." He tapped the instrument panel. "You want us to keep trying the base?"

  "Their radio must be down. They know we're coming, though. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

  "So you want us to land it?"

  "Yeah."

  Julia ducked back down to the cabin and began readying her team. She tapped Wilkins on the shoulder. He peered out of his hood.

  "Yeah?"

  "Fifteen minutes."

  He nodded. "You want me to get the rest of them ready to go?"

  "Yeah."

  She watched Wilkins get to his feet and stomp his boots to get some circulation going. Wilkins was a good man. A dependable number two - family man with a wife of fifteen years and three kids back home in the States. Julia wondered what made him go off for months at a time on dangerous journeys like this. Whatever it was, Wilkins didn't say much aside from the fact that he loved his job.

  He checked on Nung next, the team's resident technogeek who could hotwire a toaster and receive satellite photography from the Hubbell telescope if need be. He was a former dot-commer who'd decided that creating websites and state-of-the-art technology was too lame for his life. At twenty-five he'd changed course and how was apart of the team.

  Wilkins moved on to Havel, over from Russia as part of the joint-cooperative exploration missions the two countries had established a few years back. Most people Julia knew thought the joint-cooperation involved only the space station high above Earth. She knew better. Russians and Americans routinely got involved in every aspect of scientific exploration.

  To Julia, it made good sense. The closer the two nations became, the less chance they'd ever revert to their former Cold War enemy status. Plus, Havel was an expert in meteorology, something forever handy to have in the sort of inhospitable land they were about to land on.

  Vikorsky was the team's microbiologist, on loan from MIT where he routinely studied deep bore drillings from five miles below on the ocean floor. He'd brought enough drilling equipment to make the expedition resemble some sort of grass roots oil refinery. But if they took borings at the mountains, Vikorsky would be the one to decipher what they brought up.

  Wilkins finally moved down to check on Darren. The rest of the team called him the ladies man. Wherever there were women, Darren would inevitably be in the middle of them, chatting his way into as many beds as he could. How he'd managed
to do it for so long without contracting any sexually transmitted diseases was the stuff of legend as far as Julia was concerned. And while Darren might have the pretty boy looks that garnered him sexual favors, he was also a damned good horticulture specialist. Another asset when it came to unearthing possible prehistoric finds at the mountain range.

  Mick slid into the seat next to Julia so smoothly and quietly she almost jumped. He chuckled. "Sorry."

  "S'okay. What's up?"

  "You sleep at all during the flight?"

  "Not a wink. You didn't seem to have much of a problem, though."

  "I've ridden these birds before. They don't bother me much." He nodded toward the cockpit. "How long?"

  "Maybe ten minutes."

  "Everything okay?"

  "Pilot can't contact Howard Base. I'm a little concerned."

  Mick frowned. "They know we're coming?"

  "Yes."

  "Might be the weather, eh?"

  "Weather's good right now. It won't get bad until tonight. Big storm coming."

  "We'll be down and tucked away safely before then," said Mick. "I'm sure it's just a glitch."

  Julia watched him go back and check his equipment. I hope you're right, she thought.

  A red light appeared overhead. Julia pulled a set of headphones on and spoke into the microphone. "What's up?"

  "Still no answer. You want us to go in anyway?"

  "Yes."

  "Roger that. Two minutes. Tell everyone to strap themselves in. Ice landings can be kinda rough."

  Julia pulled the headset off and motioned for the team to sit down and strap in. They all did quickly, except for Kendall who seemed content to stretch his legs until the last possible second.

  The plane banked sharply and Julia felt a popping sensation in her ears. They were descending fast. She started straining to listen to the landing gear coming out, but since the wheels had been converted to ski skids, it was already down.

  She could feel the pull on her body as the plane nosed down toward the earth. She always got nervous just before landings. Take-offs were fine, but landings always made her nervous. She glanced across the cabin at Mick who smiled at her and then closed his eyes.

  Was he praying? Or was he going to sleep again?

  Julia heard a grinding sound from the wings and figured the flaps were engaging at last.

  This was it.

  The end of the journey.

  The start of her leadership role.

  And hopefully...success.

  The plane touched down with a sudden jolt that would have bounced her head against the bulkhead if she hadn't been strapped in tightly. She heard a rushing sound underneath the plane and knew the skids were slipping along the snow and ice.

  They were down.

  The plane gradually came to a stop. The overhead light turned green and Julia unbuckled and made her way quickly to the cockpit.

  "Nice landing guys."

  "I don't see anybody out there, Ms. Devereaux."

  Julia peered out of the cockpit but the intense white made her blink rapidly. The pilot handed her his sunglasses.

  "Glare's pretty bad, don't forget to wear your snow goggles or you'll go blind."

  Julia thanked him and slid the frames on her face. They were too big but she held them on and peered again.

  Outside the window, a blank sheet of white as far as she could see. To their left she could make out the cylindrical buildings that made up Howard Base. A lone orange windsock pointed in the direction of the ubiquitous wind.

  But otherwise there was nothing.

  "You see any footprints?"

  "If there were," said Julia, "they must have been covered up by the fresh snows." She frowned. What the hell was going on? "I'd better get us sorted out and see what the hell is going on."

  She handed the sunglasses back to the pilot and went back to the cabin again. All the men stood there looking at her. This was it. The first real test. She could feel Kendall's eyes on her. She supposed he was quietly wishing for something bad to happen that would strain her leadership skills.

  Screw him.

  She felt Mick's eyes on her, too.

  And that was just fine.

  "Here's what I want to happen. We're down, but there's no sign of anyone meeting us. While some of us get the gear off-loaded, I want two of you to check out the base. Volunteers?"

  Mick raised his hand. "I've got it."

  Wilkins nodded. "Me, too."

  Julia nodded. "Right, the rest of us will unload. Let's make it quick gentlemen. The weatherman says our good weather isn't going to last long. There's a bad storm heading our way and when that hits, we'd better be snug and warm inside or were finished before we're even started."

  The hydraulic ramp whined and began lowering. A sliver of bright light bit into the dim interior of the plane. Julia pulled on her snow goggles and saw the other teammates doing the same.

  The ramp landed with a final thump and then Mick and Wilkins hopped out and headed right toward the base buildings. Julia turned and nodded to Nung who began pushing palettes of gear toward the edge of the ramp. Kendall and Vikorsky helped him. Havel began moving the gear off the palettes and closer to the building. Darren was going over the cabin with a flashlight to make sure nothing had been missed.

  Julia hopped out of the plane and felt her boots touch the hard-packed snow. At last.

  She smiled. Part of her felt like jumping up and down for joy. She'd dreamed of this for a long time. So very long.

  And here at last, the pull that she'd felt since her teen years. The indescribable sensation that she needed to be down here in Antarctica. It suddenly felt so much stronger.

  Wilkins and Mick came running back toward the plane.

  Wilkins was huffing. Mick seemed fine.

  "What's going on? Did you find them? Where the hell is everybody?"

  Wilkins shook his head and tried to speak but couldn't get enough air. Mick clapped him on the back and looked at Julia, his eyes almost sad.

  "They're gone. There's no one in the station." He looked over his shoulder at the buildings and shook his head.

  "We're all alone."

  Chapter Two

  "Alone?" Kendall's voice again. Julia sighed.

  "Relax a moment, Kendall. Let me get this figured out, okay?"

  "What's to figure out? We're alone. What the hell happened to the station?" He stared at Wilkins and Mick. "Was the inside of the station destroyed? Did something happen to it?"

  Mick shook his head. "Inside's fine. Everything looks normal. There's just...no one there is all."

  Julia turned away and walked toward the C-130. The crew chief was busy pumping fuel into the plane. It loomed giant above her; the dull green a stark contrast to the white that surrounded them on all sides. She could make out the unit lettering on the tail.

  Here five minutes and already problems. Maybe she wasn't cut out for this after all. Maybe she should have just stayed at the university where everything was safe. Maybe she should have just shut up and never aspired to anything. After all, millions of other people aspired to nothing and lived perfectly happy lives.

  Bullshit.

  She'd swallowed that bunk from three sets of foster parents growing up. After the death of her parents, Julia had been passed like stale bread from home to home. Never happy. Never content.

  Never home.

  And all the while, she'd felt something. Something she'd never talked to anyone else about. How would she explain it? She couldn't reason it out herself.

  But despite the confusion, she knew one thing: she needed to be here.

  She couldn't explain it. Not yet. She couldn't grasp or comprehend the invisible tractor beam that drew her here. But there was something about this land. Something about this place. It meant more to her than she knew.

  And so what if the station was deserted? There were eight fresh bodies here now. They could do this.

  She could do this.

  Wilkins came up
behind her. She felt his hand on her shoulder, even through the thickness of her parka. "Chief?"

  "Yeah."

  "We've got a situation here. We got people looking for a little direction, I think."

  She turned. "That include you?"

  He shrugged. "I'll back you one hundred percent whatever you want to do, you know that. I didn't sign on to this jaunt to second-guess anyone. Your word is good enough for me."

  "You're a good man, Wilkins."

  "I try."

  She smiled. "Kendall wants to bail, doesn't he?"

  "Kendall's real good at giving the impression he wants to run away from everything. It's bullshit. He'd play the paranoid routine long enough until we got home and then he'd stab you in the back and say you turned tail and ran when you should have stuck it out."

  "How's the rest of the team feel?"

  "They've stopped unloading. I think they're waiting for some sort of cue from you."

  "We could go home."

  "Someone'd have to come back down eventually."

  She smiled again. Wilkins had said it. He really did want to stay after all. Inwardly, she felt relieved. She needed her second-in-command to back her. She felt better knowing how he really felt.

  "Give me five minutes."

  Wilkins left her. Julia walked the edge of the improvised runway feeling the hard-packed snow crunch further under her boots. The pull yanked at her stomach. Unseen. The way it had always been.

  She looked at the base. What had happened to the members of the research station? Everything inside still intact. That ruled out an attack by penguins, she smirked.

  But what had happened?

  One thing was certain: she wouldn't be able to find the answer to that question if she loaded her team back on the C-130 and headed back to civilization.

  The answer was here.

  As was the source of the unseen attraction to this continent.

  And Julia didn't want to leave either of those questions unanswered. Not now, not after working so hard to get here.

  She felt seven pairs of eyes watching her and she turned around. All the men on her team faced her some twenty feet away. She could make out the pilot of the plane having a smoke near the back of it. She walked over to him.

  "You heard?"