Even though the ships engines no longer turned, the momentum kept them gliding relentlessly forward for longer than he’d anticipated. The resistance of the ice floe slowed them, but it was gradual, and as their weight pushed them through fissures in the ice, it took an age to finally halt.
Rope ladders were thrown over the side. They scaled down them slowly. The rope was kinder on their grip than the iron ladder that ran part way down the hull. They wore thick fleece lined mittens with inner cotton linings, but the cold of the metal could have penetrated even that and frozen their gloves in place long before they reached the ice, and each rung on the ladder already thick with treacherous ice.
“This is it then?” Maddock asked when they finally stood on the ice. Bones and Willis seemed even larger in their protective clothing with thick soled boots and fur-lined hooded coats, like giant polar bears rearing up on the ice, and in the case of the two big men, every bit as intimidating. The captain had warned them about the danger of real polar bears, but looking at this pair, there was no way they’d want to go toe-to-toe for territory no matter how threatened they felt. He grinned, the smile lost in the rime around his chin. Beside Maddock, Pete Chapman, nicknamed “Professor” both for his intelligence and his broad knowledge of mostly useless trivia, shivered inside his own cold weather gear, slapping his hands against his arms as if it’d get his blood pumping.
“You all right, Professor?” Maddock asked.
Professor nodded, the gesture almost lost in his heavy hood. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
“I’m ready when you are.” Lieutenant Leopov assured them. “No need for special treatment, gentlemen.” The Arctic clothing she’d been provided with smothered her slender frame.
“We really don’t need you with us, Lieutenant,” Maddock said. “We’ve got this one covered if you want to sit it out?”
“I’ve got my orders, just like you, and they say that I have to go with you wherever you go.”
Maddock nodded. He looked into her eyes for a moment, her pale blue stare unblinking as she held his gaze. She was one determined woman.
“Say, Lieutenant, mind if I ask if you’re here to spy on us?” Bones asked.
“Spy?”
“Yeah, you know, check up on us to make sure that we do things by the book. I mean, I figure you’re not here to give lap dances or anything.”
“There’s a book?” She ignored the latter comment, obviously trying to pitch in with some levity in what could easily become uncomfortable, given the fact they’d be spending a lot of time together on the ice.
“So what are you doing here?” Bones pressed.
She took a second to answer that brutally direct question. She went for honesty in her reply. “I’m not sure why I’m here, solider, other than the fact that my being able to speak Russian might prove useful.”
“Looking Russian can’t hurt, either,” Bones said.
“Must be in the genes,” she said, the humor now absent from in her voice. “You know, given that my parents were Russian. I take it that’s not going to be a problem?”
Maddock scanned their faces, trying to read their minds: they were about to head out into one of the most hostile climates in the world and the one thing they all needed to be able to do was trust their teammates. So much rested on what Bones said next.
“Not with me. You know which side you’re on. That’s all that matters.” Bones gave her a wink.
“I do indeed. My father died getting my mother and me out of Russia. I know where my allegiance lies.”
Bones nodded. And that was that. No dissent. She was more than capable of speaking up for herself. That was all the boys needed to know. Still, there was something about her that Maddock wasn’t completely happy about, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It would have to wait. It would help to know why she was really there, because it couldn’t be purely a language thing, no matter what Maxie had said. But if Maxie trusted her, it was enough for him.
A thoughtful look passed across Bones’ face.
“What is it?” Maddock asked.
“I was just thinking. Leopov’s got the Russian looks, you look Aryan with your blond hair and blue eyes, Willis and I have our obvious ethnic charms, but Professor,” he turned to face Professor, “doesn’t look like anything at all. What the hell are you, anyway?”
Indeed, there was nothing remarkable about Professor’s lean build or light brown hair to make him stand out in a crowd.
“Scotch-Irish with a little French and a bit of…” Professor began.
“Nevermind.” Bones raised a gloved hand. “I’m already bored.”
“Let’s roll,” Maddock said. “But let’s be clear about this, no making the natives restless if we can help it. The last thing we want is to have word of our arrival reaching the Russians before we’ve done our job. Our primary objective is getting the hell out of here in one piece.” Maddock didn’t need to say any more than that. They all knew what was expected of them — even the two new additions to the party. He motioned for them to lead the way. Nate Shaw and Seb Lewis had run missions like this even if they’d never run into Russian territory. They might not have the combat experience, but they were hostile environment experts. That made them worth their weight in gold here. He was glad to have them with him.
He gave one last glance at the ship. The risk was that the fog would make it difficult to find their way back. He took a bead on the coordinates. Looking up, he saw the Captain standing at the rail watching them head out on to the ice.
“Keep close together,” he shouted, keen to make sure that he kept them all in sight. It was going to be hard enough to make their way across this surface without having to worry about losing anyone in the fog.
“This fog’s thickening.” Tension stretched Shaw’s words. “It’d be smart to rope ourselves together, especially as the ice pack is shifting underfoot. We don’t want anyone getting caught between the sheets. It’s a lot less fun that it sounds.”
“Is there a chance of that?” Bones asked.
Professor spoke up. “The ice isn’t tightly packed, and it’s constantly shifting, so yes, it could move under our feet at any time.”
“Thanks for that.” Bones looked down at the ground with an uneasy grin on his face. “I feel nice and calm now. How come you know so much about ice? I didn’t think you’d been north of the Hudson?”
“He hasn’t,” Willis said. “But you know the Prof. If there’s a book somewhere, he’s read it.”
Ragged laughter rippled through those assembled. The men knew each other well. It broke the tension, which was the whole point. They formed a link with the ropes to allow them to walk in single file. Everyone except the first and last man connected to two others who were no more than six feet away. They made their way forward slowly, stumbling from time to time. It took more than thirty minutes to cover less than a mile of shifting ice, and with every step it threatened to shift and pitch them into the icy water.
The first part of their journey ended when the feel of sold rock replaced the ice under their boots. Snow and ice still covered the landscape, but had the comforting feel of solidity.
Without the team even realizing it, the fog had thinned as they marched. They could see considerably farther than they’d been able to when they’d disembarked the ship, even with corkscrews of breath misting in front of their faces. Not that there was a lot to see beyond the whiteness of ice and snow. Only the occasional jagged edge of darker rock spearing up through the white surface broke the monotony.