by R. E. Weber
He had also been offered an alternative treatment to control his panic, which involved micro surgery to install an anxiety suppressor into his skull. Yet he had refused the process. Aside from hating the idea of having further holes drilled in his head, he preferred to try to control his fears himself through sheer force of will. ‘I’m not scared of heights,’ he had once said to First Mentor, ‘I’m just scared of falling from heights.’ And although he knew that it wasn’t completely true, he did console himself with the thought that his fear was just an overactive human instinct designed to protect him from falling to his death. And Theo had learned to trust his instincts. They had saved his life on more than one occasion.
The craft banked sharply to the left, slowed its approach and dropped its altitude to just a few tens of metres above the ice sheet, and immediately Theo noticed a change in the texture of the ice. There were giant, parallel ridges cut into the surface, stretching for hundreds of metres in every direction. A glacier. He stared ahead of the ship, following the glacial ridges into the distance, and he could see that they ended abruptly at a white jagged cliff edge. It took just a few seconds to reach the cliff edge, but instead of drifting to a halt, the ship carried on moving and suddenly the ground dropped away beneath them.
As the dizzying view of the abyss filled the spherical observation window, the group gasped openly at the sight which met their eyes. Aside from being far higher than any they had seen before, the gigantic frozen waterfall beneath them was staggering, both in its depth and complexity. Enormous spires of ice hung from the cliff edge, curving and twisting their way into the mist enshrouded depths below. Instead of just the expected brilliant whites, there were also streaks of pale blue, grey and brown, with even hints of what looked like luminous green within the twisted cascades of ice. Was some form of micro-organism actually living within the ice? The waterfall was about half as deep as it was wide, and the overall impression was that of a vast, fast flowing river that had been flash-frozen in time.
It took a moment for the enormity of the view to register with Theo, and to his surprise, the sensation that filled his mind was not the panic of vertigo but an overwhelming sense of spectacle and wonder. Even though he had seen images of frozen waterfalls on Earth, the sight that now met his eyes was many times larger and more complex than anything from his home planet. Even though it was, in many respects, familiar, the gigantic structure looked truly alien.
The craft dropped past the cliff edge and continued to descend parallel to the twisted spires of ice for several seconds. Then it turned away to the right, swung past the edge of the waterfall and headed towards a landing pad and primitive-looking building complex several hundred metres away. As the ship touched down on the pad with a light thud, a flurry of ice and snow, disturbed by the craft, gently settled back to the surface. Then Weng rose from his seat, turned to face the rest of the group and grinned.
‘OK folks, end of the line. All change for Ice Station Zebra. It’s gonna be cold out there, so pull your face protectors across before you leave the ship. Any questions?’
The group remained silent.
‘OK, boys and girls, let’s go.’
Then without waiting for a response, Weng headed excitedly towards the exit ramp at the back of the vessel, with the rest of the group close behind.
*
As soon Theo stepped out of the ship, a wave of cold, so powerful that it almost froze the air in his lungs, hit him and even his environment suit took several seconds to adapt. But once the warmth returned to him and his transparent face mask had sealed itself to his skin, he looked towards the building complex to see two approaching Polisians.
Weng stepped forward to greet the Polisians, who stopped about three metres away, looking them up and down with what looked like contempt. The traditional warm polisian greeting. One of the Polisians then rolled its eyes and spoke.
‘You have all received instructions as to the correct way to view the structure.’
Structure? One of the most stunning sights in the Universe and to them it was just a structure. Were they really so unmoved in such an amazing place? Or had they just seen it so many times that it no longer impressed them?
‘Do not deviate from the paths and viewpoints specified, otherwise your permits will be withdrawn and you will be instructed to leave.’
‘Understood,’ replied Weng abruptly, copying their cold and emotionless manner.
‘Very well, you may proceed. Follow the pathway fed into your companions to the first viewpoint. Context points will activate at points of interest.’
‘Thanks,’ said Theo. But the Polisians had already turned away and were heading back towards the building complex.
‘OK, gang, let’s move like we’ve got a purpose,’ said Weng in an authoritative military styled voice.
‘Aye, aye, cap’n,’ said Theo, grinning.
The group trudged through the light covering of snow on the landing pad and off down a narrow walkway illuminated by two glowing red lines superimposed on their companions. As they headed towards the imposing waterfall several hundred metres away, a distant cracking noise began echoing around them, causing Theo to stop for a moment and look around to determine where it was coming from. It was directly in front of him. Excited, he raced ahead of the group, almost slipping a couple of times on the compacted ice. Just before he reached the metallic viewing platform, he stopped and waited for the rest to catch up. The cracking noise, which was occurring every few seconds, was much louder now and seemed to be coming from every direction.
Once the rest had caught up with him, Theo stepped onto the platform and then looked up at the vast wall of ice. The top of the waterfall was perhaps five hundred metres above them, glinting in the mid-morning sun, while the area directly ahead was about a hundred metres away. The sections of waterfall in direct sunlight seemed to be enshrouded in a light mist, and Theo guessed that the cracking noise was being caused by the sun as it hit the ice. The remainder of the group stepped onto the platform, then turned their gaze upwards, following the vast icicles towards the cliff top.
‘That noise is a bit worrying,’ said Larissa. ‘I hope we’re safe.’
‘The noise,’ said Lara ‘is caused by the sun heating the ice. As I am sure you know, ice contracts when heated. However, the temperature is too low for the waterfall to collapse. We will be safe in our current location.’
Theo stepped towards Larissa and slid his arm around her shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,’ he said smiling.
‘I always feel safe with you around,’ she whispered in his ear, before kissing him lightly on the cheek. But although Theo barely felt the sensation through the transparent membrane across his face, the gesture still made him tremble with excitement.
‘It’s just incredible,’ said Cristos. ‘It’s everything I imagined it would be.’
The group continued to stare at the stunning sight for several minutes. Then Weng turned to the others, rubbed his hands together and grinned.
‘OK, you lot. Anybody for a little hike?’
Theo looked along the red, superimposed lines, which led towards a gentle slope a couple of hundred metres away. Then he followed the trail as it zig-zagged through the snowscape towards another platform about a hundred metres above them. As he focused on the platform, he spotted a tiny black figure perched on the edge, seemingly looking straight down as if it were about to jump. Turning his zoom up to maximum, he brought the platform into sharp focus. Then, to his horror, he realised that he recognised the person balancing precariously on the edge. It was Ruby.
8 – Girl on a Ledge
Gasping for breath, Theo finally staggered to the top of the winding path and stopped for a moment, his hands resting on his thighs while he caught his breath. Why was there never a flying platform when you needed one? Then he stood up, turned towards the platform, which was about a fifty metres away, and stared at Ruby, who was standing dangerously close to the edge. Disturbingly, the platform
had no barrier around it to prevent her from falling. He sincerely hoped that it was surrounded by a force-field.
Theo opened his companion and tried to start a conversation with Ruby. There was no reply. Slowly, and attempting not to startle her into losing her balance, he started walking towards her, watching intently as he approached. When he was about ten metres away, he stopped, pulled open a hole in the transparent, breathable membrane over his mouth and called out to her. Still no response. Edging closer still, he called to her again, and this time she turned her head as if responding to a distant noise. But she didn’t look at him. His heart thumping hard, he called to her again, not raising his voice but instead repeating her name until she turned to look at him. For what seemed like an eternity, she stared at him, in silence, clearly surprised at his sudden appearance. Then finally, she pulled open a hole in her membrane and spoke.
‘Theo?’ she said, almost as if she wasn’t sure it was him.
‘I... in the flesh,’ he replied, shaking with both cold and fear.
Again, they stared at each other in silence. Ruby appeared to be wearing just her environment suit, which clung to every curve and indentation of her body. She had, it seemed, become more womanly than Theo had ever realised. She had grown up.
‘What are you doing here?’ she said finally.
‘Before we go any further, do you mind coming away from the edge. You’re making me nervous.’
‘Scared, are we?’ replied Ruby, rising up onto her tiptoes.
‘Ruby, stop!’ yelled Theo, his heart beating so hard the throbbing pulse in his temple was clearly visible through his hood.
Ruby dropped her heels down, then smiled back at Theo. But there was something in her expression that made him feel even more nervous. It wasn’t her usual warm smile. Instead, it somehow seemed to be mocking him.
‘Ruby, please. Don’t do it.’
‘Do what?’ she said, bouncing up and down on her toes. ‘Jump?’
‘Whatever it is you’re doing.’
Ruby looked back at him and sighed. ‘Like I said, what are you doing here? I came on my own. I wanted to be on my own.’
‘OK, I get it. But please…’
‘Oh, you get it, do you? You get me?’
‘Yes, I do.’
‘So where were you, Theo?’
‘Where was I, when?’
‘Where were you when I resigned my position – when I needed a friend to talk to?’
‘I was here. I’ve always been here... your best mate.’
‘No, Theo. You haven’t been here for a while. You’ve been somewhere else, with somebody else.’
‘Is this about Larissa?’
‘Ah, well done, Einstein,’ said Ruby, clapping slowly.
‘What do you want me to say, Rubes? Aren’t I allowed to have other friends?’
‘Other friends? Why don’t you just be honest, Theo? Then we can stop all this.’
‘I am being honest. Larissa’s great but she’s not you. She’ll never be you. You’re my best mate, always.’
Ruby let out an audible sigh – her icy breath misting in the freezing air – then re-sealed her face mask. Theo did the same.
‘So anyway, you never said. What are you doing here?’ continued Ruby through her companion.
‘Well, we came looking for you. We were worried about you – all of us. We heard you were having a bad time. I did hear about you leaving your job. Then I heard you’d disappeared.’
‘I’m on my Ascent. It’s traditional to do it alone, Theo, or haven’t you bothered to find out?’
‘Yeah, I know. But we decided to do it together. We’re doing it too – all of us. We’re all here.’
Ruby’s mouthed curled down at one side – a sign that she knew that Larissa was also with them, even though she hadn’t yet reached the platform.
Suddenly, there was a loud cracking noise from beneath them, and Theo stared at the ground in horror. A narrow crack had crossed the icy ledge between him and the metal platform.
‘Ruby, please come away from the edge. It’s not safe, it’s…’
‘That’s just the sun hitting the ice, Theo. I thought you would know that, being a science geek and all.’
He looked at the crack between them. It was about a centimetre wide and didn’t seem to be growing.
‘I’d still like it if you got off that platform.’
‘What did you think I came up here for, to jump?’
‘N...no, Rubes. Never.’
‘You did, didn’t you? I can tell when you’re lying. Your voice goes all funny.’
‘Alright, yes. For a minute, I admit, I wasn’t sure.’
‘That just tells me you don’t really know…’
There was another loud crack, and Ruby wobbled as the platform lurched backwards.
‘Whoooaah...’ said Ruby, stumbling and almost losing her balance. ‘I think you’re right.’
‘Step towards me, slowly,’ said Theo as he put a leg either side of the crack and reached towards her.
Carefully, Ruby edged towards him, the tips of their outstretched fingers brushing against each other. Theo took another step forward, lunged for Ruby and grabbed her hand. Instantly, the hyper-skin bonding mesh on his hands locked on to her. With a swift yank, he pulled Ruby hard towards him, and she was hoisted off the metal platform, across the crack and past Theo to fall flat on her face. But with the effort of pulling Ruby and nothing to anchor him, Theo was pulled forwards and toppled over, hitting the metal floor of the platform with a resounding clang, his arms flailing away above the massive drop below.
Carefully, Theo rolled himself over and looked back at Ruby, who was rising to her feet. Then he felt the platform lurch again, and he started sliding backwards. Desperately, he began to claw away at the loose ice and snow on the platform, hoping to find something to grab hold of. But his hands found nothing solid. Then the platform lurched violently again, and Theo slid backwards until there was nothing beneath him. And as Theo disappeared over the edge, Ruby let out a blood-curdling scream.
*
Seconds after Theo had disappeared over the edge of the platform, Weng raced up from behind Ruby and stopped beside her, panting. At that moment, the ground lurched again and the entire platform twisted sideways before falling away into the abyss, along with the remainder of the ice shelf.
‘Wha… what’s happened?’ said Weng breathlessly.
‘Theo,’ wailed Ruby, her hands over her face. ‘He’s gone, he’s...’ Ruby could barely talk for sobbing.
His mouth hanging open in shock, Weng walked over to where the crack in the ground had been, and tentatively peered over the edge. But all he could see was a thick, grey mist stretching into the dark recesses at the bottom of the massive frozen wall of water.
‘I can’t see anything, Rubes. Are you sure he’s…’ Weng didn’t finish his sentence.
Suddenly, the rest of the group appeared from the footpath.
‘What’s going on?’ yelled Cristos.
Weng took a deep breath, then turned to face the group, a tear welling in the corner of one eye.
‘It’s Theo,’ he said, his voice weak and shaky. ‘He’s fallen. He’s gone over the edge.’
None of the group said a word as they stared towards where the platform had been.
*
As Theo tumbled into the abyss, he opened his eyes to see a dense grey mist rushing past him. Even with the transparent mask stretched across his face, the freezing air stung hard at his features, so much so that he could barely feel his face. How could he be falling to his death again? How could the same thing happen to the same guy, twice?
Desperately, the possibilities raced through his mind. He was falling. Gravity was pulling him down and fast. It couldn’t be long before he hit the bottom – perhaps only seconds. There was no way he was going to get rescued this time. All he had was his wits. Was there anything he could do to save himself – anything at all? What about his suit? There was the hyper-sk
in bonding, which could cling to any surface. His only chance to use it would be to try to grab an outcrop of rock or ice as he fell. But he was falling way too fast for that – that only worked in Hollywood movies anyway. So what else was there? What about the reactive hardening? As soon as he hit the ground, the suit would harden to protect him. But would it react quickly enough? Or would he just slam into the ground and die instantly? And even if it did harden enough to protect him, how would that help? It would be like hitting the ground in a suit of armour. The impact would still be too hard to survive.
Theo stared beneath him to see the mist clearing from his view, but the enhanced visibility wasn’t good news. Instead, it told him only one thing. He was about to hit the ground. The word gravity was about to be his final thought.
*
‘Where are they?’ yelled Ruby angrily, tears streaming down her face.
‘Where are who?’ said Weng.
‘The security drones, the floating platforms, all the technology they have to protect you. Where is it all when you need it? On Polisium Prime, if you so much as breathe in the wrong direction, security drones appear.’
‘I don’t get it,’ said Cristos. ‘I mean, how can they let this happen? Where was the safety barrier? Where are all the force-fields?’
‘I believe,’ said Lara, ‘that this monument is rarely visited. Therefore, they did not deem it of sufficiently high priority to deploy suitable safety measures. They…’
Gently, Abs grabbed Lara’s wrist – an unspoken sign that she needed to stop talking because she was about to say something inappropriate.
‘Somebody’s gonna pay for this,’ said Larissa angrily, her red eyes full of tears.
‘I thought they said this place was stable,’ said Weng. ‘I mean, it’s bloody freezing. It’s like, minus thirty or something. How can it just crack like that? The ice is supposed to be rock hard, literally.’
‘Bloody Polisians,’ said Ruby. ‘They think they’re perfect, but they’re not. They’re indecisive and useless. All this technology and they let somebody fall to their death like this. Where the hell were they?’
