“I’m not sure numbers are an advantage in this place,” Lucy said. “They attract too much attention. Have you seen any of the other scientists?”
“Why would we?” said Nikolay. “Those that survived left days ago.”
Lucy, surprised so much time had passed, was about to ask about the survivors, when the spaceship shook again and parts of the walls and ceiling crashed to the floor around them. It seemed like the whole room was about to collapse.
“I suggest you tag along with us, Lucy,” said Brusilov.
Lucy smiled. “I was planning on it.”
Brusilov glanced around at the men’s wounds, but none looked serious enough to prevent them from moving, not that there was any alternative. “Babinski, take the pistol from Nikolay and lead us out of here.”
Babinski grinned. “Yes, Captain.”
They followed Babinski across the room and exited through the door they found on the far side.
The Hunter watched the humans he had heard approach run across the room and head through the ice tunnel. Though it noticed some had weapons, its desperation to escape from its doomed world forced it to ignore caution and follow after them.
As it neared the end of the tunnel, the ice trembled and pieces fell from the walls. It shot its gaze to the ceiling when a crack rang out and tried to dodge the large patch of falling ice but without avail and was knocked to the ground. By the time the ice stopped falling, it was completely buried.
The howling wind funneled through the tunnel had battered and pushed at the SEALs, Jane and Jack as they rushed for the exit as if it were trying to prevent them from leaving.
When they emerged onto the ice ledge, strong gusts threatened to sweep them off their feet as they looked up at the approaching helicopter. As it drew near a loud crack rang out. They turned to the sound and witnessed a large chunk of ice slip from the cliff above. They dodged to the side out of its path. It struck the ledge and exploded into fragments that shot out in all directions. One piece struck Stedman in the chest and another crashed into the side of Jack’s head, dropping him to the ground like he had been poleaxed.
Jane rushed to his aid and knelt beside him. She ignored the blood seeping from the head wound and felt for a pulse. She let out a sigh of relief when she detected one. She nodded to Colbert when he rushed over. “He’s alive, but unconscious.” She glanced at the men gathered around their injured comrade, who groaned in pain. “Is your man okay?”
“A few broken ribs by the look of it, but he’ll be fine. We were lucky.” Colbert looked at the helicopter as its rotor wash swept over the ledge: it wasn’t the CH-47F but the smaller UH-1Y Venom. “We’ll put Stedman on first as he can go in a seat, but we’ll have to lie Jack on the floor between us.”
Jane nodded. “I’ll wait with him.” She turned her attention to the cut on his head.
Fearing more ice falls, the pilot balanced the helicopter with one skid on the ledge. The rear side door opened and the co-pilot peered out and shouted, “Hurry! If the wind gets any fiercer we won’t be able to land on the ship.”
After the SEALs quickly handed the co-pilot the larger alien weapons and he stored them in any space he could find within the cramped cabin, Ramirez and Sullivan carried Stedman onboard and strapped him into a seat.
While Ramirez remained with Stedman, Sullivan helped Colbert lift Jack by the feet and shoulders and carried him over to the helicopter. With the co-pilot and Ramirez’s help they laid Jack on the floor between the seats.
Sullivan and Colbert climbed aboard and Colbert held out a hand for Jane. As she reached out a strong gust lifted the helicopter up and over the ledge. Jane was struck by a skid and knocked to the ground as the helicopter swept over her. Just before the rotors touched the ice wall the pilot pulled it away, back over the ledge and into the air.
“Stop,” Colbert yelled.
The pilot, who had his headphones on, didn’t hear. Colbert grabbed a headset and slipped it on. “We have to go back down―Jane’s still on the ice!”
The pilot fought the controls as the increased wind tossed it from side to side and glanced down at the prone unmoving figure on the ice and the chunks of ice breaking off from the unstable ice wall that could collapse at any moment. They had already pushed their luck to its limit and the woman looked dead. “Sorry Commander, if I do there’s a good chance we’ll all die. My orders are that once the alien weapons are on board, everything else is expendable.”
“Including lives,” challenged Colbert.
“My orders are very explicit, Commander. Compared to the safety of the alien weapons, everything and everyone is expendable.”
As the pilot guided the helicopter out over the churning sea towards the ship, the others looked down at Jane lying on the ice, but saw no sign of movement.
“The helicopter gave her a good whack…” said the co-pilot, leaving the rest unsaid.
Colbert continued staring at Jane until the windborne snow hid her from view.
The Russians sped through corridors, up and down staircases and once had to retrace their steps and search for another route when they came to a blocked corridor, before arriving back at the maintenance room.
Babinski entered first and swept the alien pistol around the room. Though he was eager to fire the weapon, he was pleased the room was free of monsters. “It’s clear.”
They crossed to the hole in the hull, climbed out and moved through the ice tunnel. When they emerged from the far end, they saw the strong waves tossing the barge up and down and slamming it against the ice.
Brusilov glanced out at the equally storm-tossed salvage ship, little more than a dark blur amidst the wind-borne snow and sea spray whipped across the ocean. The barge was their only chance to reach it. Thanks to Lucy, their mission hadn’t been a complete failure. One alien weapon was better than going home empty handed. He hoped his superiors felt the same way, or he and his men might be holidaying in a gulag for the foreseeable future.
“On the barge, everyone,” shouted Brusilov loud enough to be heard above the storm.
No one wasted any time jumping onto the wave-tossed barge.
Nikolay crossed to the wheelhouse and brought the powerful engine to life.
The cables tethering them to the iceberg were disconnected and Nikolay reversed, timing his retreat to a lull in the waves. The passengers held on to anything within reach as the barge was rocked violently by the waves that lifted it before slamming it back down and pouring over the bow.
When Brusilov noticed Lucy shivering, he grabbed a waterproof jacket from the small cabin behind the wheelhouse and placed it around her.
Lucy nodded her thanks, slipped her arms into the overlong sleeves and pulled it tight around her.
Even though Nikolay knew it would be an almost impossible task to transfer from the barge to the Spasatel Kuznetsov in the raging storm, it was their only option. He turned the vessel on a heading for the ship and gazed back at the slowly receding iceberg. Whatever the outcome, it was preferable to remaining inside the doomed spaceship.
Brusilov entered the wheelhouse and grabbed the radio. “Captain Brusilov to the Spasatel Kuznetsov, are you receiving me?”
He received a reply almost immediately. “Captain, you’re alive. We had all but given up hope.”
Brusilov ignored the man’s lapse of protocol and replied, “Drop the over-side netting lee of the wind so we can climb aboard.”
“Yes, Captain. Good luck.”
As the storm-battered barge approached the equally chaotic dance of the ship, Nikolay shouted to be heard over the wind and the noisy diesel engine that throbbed through the floor. “It’s going to be a risky crossing, Captain. I’ll bring the barge alongside, but I doubt I’ll be able to hold her there for long. As soon as we’re close enough you’ll have to jump. I’ll go around again for those that don’t make it the first time.”