Breakthrough (20 page)

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Kathryn sat on the ground, her knees raised to her chest with her head between them.  The large handheld radio lay on its side in the ice next to her, silent.  Tadri sat next to her with an arm wrapped around.  Kathryn raised her head just long enough to wipe more tears away.  She was devastated.  Pierre was gone.  Andrew searched for over an hour but could find no trace of him, sight nor sound.  Judging from the depth of the chasm, now he was likely buried beneath twenty feet of ice if not more.

Even worse was the news from the other teams.  Upon Andrew’s return they found that six others had fallen in and been lost as well.  Just as he had said, all of the other guides went down after them but only two were brought back up alive.  Three bodies were recovered, but four could not be found, including Pierre. 

It could not have been worse, Kathryn thought to herself.  It was all her fault.  Seven people were dead because of her.  She brought them all, practically forced them to come, and for what?  All so she could show those bastards in Washington! 

Andrew finished tying their gear to the snowmobiles and walked over to her and Tadri.  “We’re ready.”

She stared at him silently, saying nothing.  She reached for his hand and he pulled her up.

A voice came across the radio, and Andrew reached down to pick it up.  The three of them listened in on a short conversation.  “Base, this is Team Nine.  We are moving out and headed for the rendezvous.  Over.” 

The reply was immediate.  “Roger that Nine.  Estimated touchdown at your location in approximately two hours twenty minutes.”  Kathryn recognized the second voice as Steve Anderson, Andrew’s commanding officer and the head of the small New Zealand research team stationed at McMurdo.

After Andrew had returned from his search for Pierre, it was Steve Anderson to whom he reported the grim news.  Their other guides did the same, and as each report of a fatality was heard over the radio, Kathryn’s heart sank deeper and deeper.

“Are you ready?” Andrew asked her and Tadri.

She gave a painful nod, and he raised the radio to his mouth.  “Team Ten ready to head out.”

“Roger that Team Ten.  We should be at your rendezvous in approximately three hours.”

“Copy.  Ten out.”  Andrew lowered the radio and clipped it to his thick nylon belt.  He scanned the area again and then turned back to the ladies, following their gaze back to the monstrous crack in the ice.  Most of the white haze had cleared and the enormity of the second quake was breathtaking.  More than that, it was painful knowing that one of their group would remain there entombed.  He walked over to the lead snowmobile and waited.

Kathryn stared for a long time at the place where she had last seen Pierre.  The longer she stared, the harder it was to turn away.  This was it.  This was ground zero of her decision and people had paid with their lives.  They were not coming home, ever, because of her.

She felt Tadri’s hand on her shoulder and turned to look at her.  Neither said anything.  They simply turned around together and walked back to the snowmobiles.  Kathryn climbed silently aboard behind Andrew, while Tadri got onto the second machine.  They started both engines and slowly pulled away.

The trip to the rendezvous location was over thirty miles away over flat icy terrain.  The quake had been so great that they were still detecting aftershocks on the seismic sensors.  Even though Anderson and his pilots were airborne minutes after the reports began coming in, without knowing how deep the crack now was, the last thing they needed to do was to land a few loud, giant airplanes close by.  Instead, ten different sites were identified that each of the teams were able to reach based on their remaining personnel, supplies and fuel levels.  The risks were low, but Anderson’s team was not about to take any chances.

The ground was challenging, but their progress was steady.  Andrew and the two women carefully navigated several depressions and gaps in the ice without much danger.  They reached their destination almost forty five minutes before their pick up.  Andrew opened a pack and offered Kathryn and Tadri something to eat while they waited, but neither accepted.  Instead, they sat near the warm engine of his snowmobile and tried to shield themselves from the increasing wind.  Not long after, he dropped down next to them.  They all sat silently for the hour it took to finally hear the sound of the plane in the distance.

The silver glint of the familiar C130 aircraft became visible in the bright sky from several miles away.  Andrew reached into his pack and retrieved a landing flare.  Walking away, he ignited the small tube and let it spew a thick red smoke, blowing away from him along with the cold breeze.  When he reached the flat area identified as their makeshift landing strip, he threw the flare as far as he could out onto the ice.  He turned and walked back to Kathryn and Tadri.  Together they watched the large plane bank slightly toward the smoke signal.  The pitch of the engines slowed as it began dropping in altitude followed by the landing gear slowly unfolding out from under its belly like a giant bird stretching its legs.

With a couple hundred feet left, the plane leveled out and passed overhead giving the pilot a chance to assess the surface of the frozen ground.  A moment later Anderson’s voice came over the radio.  “Landing site appears acceptable.  Stand by for touch down.” 

The aircraft made a wide circle and approached again from the same direction which was against the wind.  The engines slowed even more, and it dropped steadily until reaching just ten feet above the ground.  Finally, less than a half mile out, it gently fell and bounced onto the ice.  The engines suddenly screamed as their thrust was redirected forward to slow the plane.  It bounced and shuddered several times as the wheels hit uneven ground until it seemed to
slow to a halt.

Andrew and the two women mounted the snowmobiles and started forward, heading for the beginning of the strip while the large plane slowly turned around and followed them.   Andrew brought them around in a large arc waiting to see where the tail of the C130 would line up after turning yet again into the wind and readying itself for takeoff.  When the giant aircraft stopped, the specially modified tail folded down and the large hydraulic ramp extended over the tail section and then down to the ground.  Andrew pulled them forward slowly and motioned Kathryn to dismount behind him.  He swung his leg over after her and left the engine idling.

Steven Anderson and Kyle Bassen, the guide of Team Eight, descended the ramp and approached.  Anderson raised his eyebrows slightly at Andrew who nodded and then motioned to the two women.  Anderson understood and walked directly to Kathryn. 

“How
ya going there, Ms. Lokke?” he asked.

She struggled as she felt her emotions suddenly well up inside.  She managed a nod only.

Anderson frowned after reading her face.  He waited a few moments, giving her a chance to compose herself, fighting his instinct to reach out.  She was under a great deal of stress and likely very cognizant of how she appeared in front of her team, some of whom were now watching her through the opening in the rear of the plane.   When he continued, he spoke a little more slowly.  “The rest of your team is headed back to McMurdo, aside from those inside. We also have one of the recovered bodies aboard.”  There was no easy way to say that, but she appeared to take it well enough.  “Are you okay?”  he asked.

Kathryn’s gaze strengthened, and yet she answered with surprising honesty.  “No.  Not really.”

Anderson nodded and motioned to Kyle next to him.  “Can we help you aboard?”

Her answer was exactly what he expected.  “No.”  With that she walked past them, followed by Tadri, and climbed the slippery ramp in short controlled steps.  When she got to the top, she looked into the fuselage of the plane to find teams Seven through Nine huddled together at the far end, with all eyes on her.  The other snowmobiles and packs had been secured to the sides of the hull leaving a tight path through to the other end. 

She and Tadri slowly navigated through, toward the others.  As she passed some of the gear, she suddenly saw the shape of the wrapped body and froze.  She knew from the reports that it was Jason, the youngest and newest addition to her team.  Kathryn could hear Tadri behind her, and she forced her herself forward again.

When she reached the front of the plane, the others squeezed closer together to make room on the narrow bench seat.  They were all bundled in their parkas for warmth.  Kathryn looked at the others; their gazes were a mix of sympathy, contempt, and sheer disbelief that any of this had happened to them.  She looked at the faces of Leo
Torbin and Gale Preece, the two researchers who were onsite at the Halley research station when the first major quake hit.  Gale was leaning gently against Leo.  What Kathryn did not know was that Leo had saved her, grabbing Gale and keeping her from falling under the collapsing ice as some of the others had.

After the last of their gear was loaded, Anderson and the others re-boarded and closed the tail section.  He gave the thumbs up to the pilots who were looking back through the cockpit door.  Moments later the engines roared back to life, drowning out everything else inside.  The plane shuddered and picked up speed and the ride progressed from bumpy to almost violent as the aircraft jumped and plowed through the uneven terrain.  Inside Kathryn and her team instinctively held onto one another until the pounding disappeared, and the plane was airborne.

After several minutes, they leveled out and Anderson came forward.  He motioned for Kathryn to join him.  She stood and shuffled back to where he was standing, looking over his shoulder at Jason’s body bag again.  She leaned next to Anderson against two giant bags of gear.

“There is something I didn’t get a chance to tell you outside,” he said in a lowered voice.

She leaned in expectantly.

He looked at the others and lowered his voice even more.  “We’re not heading back to McMurdo.”

She raised her eyebrows surprised.  “Where
are
we heading?”

“It sounds like someone pretty high up in my government got a call from someone in yours,” he said with a slight frown.  “We have been asked to return you directly back to the Falklands.”

“You were asked?”

He shrugged.  “Let’s say asked firmly.”

“This is probably going to sound like a dumb question, but can this plane make it that far with all of this equipment on board?”

“Barely.”

“Well,” she said, looking back at the other team members.  “I don’t think anyone is going to object.  It just gets us back to civilization that much faster.”

He nodded.  “Right.  I just thought you should know.  Apparently there will be another aircraft waiting for you when we land.”

“I guess someone really wants to get us home in a hurry.”

Anderson shook his head.  “No, the plane isn’t waiting for everyone.  It’s waiting for you specifically.”

Kathryn woke up when she felt the plane bank hard to the right.  She looked out the window and could see land beneath them.  Some of the others looked even more excited than she was to see brown land instead of white.  Kathryn watched as the plane passed over nearly a hundred small lakes before lining up for its approach.  The sky was dark blue with the sun just sinking below the western horizon.  One of Anderson’s men sitting nearby reminded everyone to fasten their harnesses and prepare for landing.  Hopefully, a much smoother landing this time.

The touchdown was uneventful, and the C130 slowed and taxied down one of the long runways of Britain’s Royal Air Force station.  The area was a focal point in 1982 during the war over the Falkland archipelago between Argentina and the United Kingdom.  The war lasted just two months but cost the lives of over 900 Argentinian and British soldiers.  After the victory, the British greatly reinforced the defense of the island
s, particularly on the East Falkland Island where they had just landed.

The plane came to a stop, and all of Kathryn’s team eagerly unbuckled and stood up.  The air that rushed in when the side door was opened was noticeably warmer, and she waited for everyone to exit before following them down the
ladder.  As they walked toward a large waiting bus, Kathryn looked around and spotted the two other planes which had picked up the rest of her team.  She reasoned that everyone must already be inside which gave her some solace.  It was over, at least for them.

“Ms. Lokke?” a
British officer standing nearby asked.

“Yes.”

He reached out to shake her hand.  “I’m Captain Dyson. Welcome.”

Kathryn watched the bus close its doors and slowly pull away.  Tadri stared at her through the window with a confused look on her face.  She gave a small wa
ve and turned back.  “Thank you,” Kathryn said.

“We have a plane waiting to take you to the US.  I trust you were briefed.”

“Yes,” she said.  “I was briefed.”

“Very good.  The flight back will be faster, but I’m afraid the accommodations are rather tight.  I recommend that you take a few minutes to stretch and perhaps use the loo before you leave.  Can I get you anything?  Maybe something to eat?”

Kathryn nodded.  “Yes, thank you that would be fine.  I mean the stretch and a trip to the ladies room.  I’m not really hungry.”