Polar Quest

“Nope. I think that’s it.”

Annja nodded. “Good.”

“So who do you think it was? I mean, you weren’t exactly in town all that long. Certainly not long enough to make any enemies—unless, of course, you count those two guys at the bar.”

“I’m counting them,” Annja said.

“Yeah, but you really think they’d do something like that? I mean, it just seems a bit extreme for a couple of lug nuts like them. I can’t see them wanting to kill you just because you had some words.”

Annja took a breath and didn’t feel much pain in her side. “Dave, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my various travels, it’s that you can never overestimate how low someone might be willing to sink.”

“I suppose,” Dave said. “Just makes me kind of sad, that’s all. I don’t want to think about crime infecting my home here.” He flipped on the wipers to whisk away the snowflakes that had started falling. “Guess it just bums me out.”

“Well, I was bummed out, too, but for obvious reasons—I was lying in the middle of the street with a Sno-Cat bearing down on me.”

“Death by Sno-Cat,” Dave said. “That’s a new one. Especially considering how slow these things trundle along. Not exactly a high-speed rundown.”

Annja looked out of the window. “We really have a long way to go, huh?”

“It’s a good stretch, yeah. But we’ll be all right. We’ve got plenty of provisions and equipment with us.”

“But we won’t get there tonight?” she asked.

“It’s impossible to say. It all depends on the weather. As long as we arrive by late tomorrow Zach will be happy.”

“Where is he, by the way?”

Dave pointed over his shoulder. “In the cat behind us. He joined us as we left Mac Town. He’s got the equipment so we deemed it best that we take two cats instead of just trying to burden one of them. This way, if we run into trouble—one of them breaks down or something—we can hitch a ride on the other.”

“Makes sense,” Annja agreed.

“Plus, we can always radio for help. It might not be quick in getting to us, but at least they’ll know what’s going on.”

Ahead of them, through the window, Annja could see very little in the darkness. The sky seemed to melt into the landscape, leading her to wonder how Dave would know how to reach their objective.

“I don’t suppose there are any gas stations out here, huh?” she said.

Dave laughed. “Not quite. If you have to take a pit stop, I’d suggest you get used to using the jerrican behind your seat. It’s a lot more comfortable than taking a powder outside. The conditions aren’t exactly merciful to those who obey nature’s call.”

“How do you know when we get there?” Annja asked.

Dave patted the dashboard. “Global positioning system. We had them installed in all the cats a few years back. The things are a definite lifesaver. For years we had to go out with maps and take our chances. But now we know where everyone is right down to a yard or so.”

“Anyone ever been lost since you got GPS?”

“Nope.”

Annja nodded. The landscape looked incredibly foreboding. She could see small hills and peaks and long, irregular lines of ice sheets that jutted out of the ground. Snow seemed to fly at them from all sorts of odd angles.

“I can’t imagine getting lost in this stuff,” she said.

“Yeah, your chances of survival aren’t great if you do. But people have done it before. And then when you think back to those early explorers, well, they didn’t have much in terms of fancy gear with them. Just a willingness to go the extra mile and stake a claim for humanity in this frozen wasteland.”

Annja smiled. “That was almost poetic.”

Dave looked at her. “Don’t let that get out. It’ll ruin my reputation as a complete loon for staying down here as long as I have.”

“And how long is that?”

“Ten years.”

Annja looked at him. “You’ve been here for a decade?”

“Yep.”

Annja shook her head. “You weren’t kidding. You are a loon.”

“Considering I came from Alaska, it’s not too much of a stretch. And besides, in the summer, we get an almost balmy forty degrees outside. That’s practically warm enough to go for a dip in the harbor.”

“Well, sure.” Annja rolled her eyes. “How long has Zach been here?”

“Oh, not long. A few months. He’s green by comparison to a lot of folks. The research stations work primarily on rotations of crews who come down. There’s overlap so everyone has good continuity on the various projects.”

“And you were assigned to help Zach?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“By who?”

“Pardon?”

Annja looked at him. “Who assigned you to help Zach?”

Dave smiled. “My uncle. And yours.”

“Ah. You’re one of those guys, huh?”

Dave shook his head. “Nope. Not a spy or a soldier or anything like that. I’m just one of the few who have been down here long enough to know his way around and be able to safeguard the interests of the country. I’m not a zealot or ultranationalist. In fact, I’m much more liable to vote my conscience about keeping this place beautiful than for some political agenda. But I have my uses anyway.”

“Such as looking after Zach.”

Dave took a turn and brought the Sno-Cat onto a new ice sheet. The engine groaned, then the tracks gained purchase and they jerked forward again. “I get him to where he needs to be. This dig is an important one, as you can see from what he showed you last night. It’s my job to make sure he does what he’s being paid to do.”

“Which is?”

“Figure out exactly what that necklace represents.”

Annja nodded. “And do you believe that it could be from another planet? That aliens made it?”