“An ice cave. The remnants of a glacier that once ran through the mountain. It’s now retreated leaving a hollowed tunnel like a scar beneath the mountain.”
“That’ll do, but can we reach it?”
“I have no idea — how fast can this thing go?”
Sam looked at the speedometer. On the completely level surface of the valley’s floor the hovercraft had reached its maximum speed and wouldn’t gain a mile no matter what he did to coerce the dual engines. “Eighty-four miles per hour!”
“It’ll be close.”
The violent wind screamed from behind them, sending dust and grit running through the valley at a lethal velocity. The small stone particles mostly bounced off the hovercraft’s hardened rubber skirt as the anemometer registered gusts above a hundred miles per hour.
“It might be too close.” Sam glanced at the speedometer. The speed of the hovercraft had increased to a hundred and two miles per hour; running with the wind like a sailboat. Several small stones smashed into dust particles as they were pelted into a solid boulder. “Keep a look out for any other caves, we might not get a chance to reach the one you're talking about while we’re still alive.”
Alexis flipped through detailed maps of the Taylor Valley. “I’m on it!”
Small stones showered the rubber skirt and hovercraft’s aluminum shell like a machinegun. Sam considered his chances of pulling in behind even a small boulder, but something told him he needed to keep driving to reach the cave if they were going to survive the storm.
A rock no larger than a dime shot through the aluminum backing and ricocheted through the windshield like a bullet.
Sam swore. Then swerved right and aimed for a small opening in the glacier. “What about this one?”
“I have no idea where it goes,” she replied. Her voice loud enough to be heard through the storm. “It’s not on the map.”
“I don’t care.”
“It might not be stable,” she pointed out.
“We’re not going to be stable much longer. If that wind picks up any more speed those rocks are going to rip right through our hull.” Sam steered towards an opening just slightly larger than the hovercraft. “Outside in the wind tunnel we won’t last more than a few minutes before one of those stones takes off our heads — I’m willing to take my chances inside the glacier. How about you?”
Alexis nodded.
The hovercraft made a loud crunching sound as its inertia allowed it to scrape through the remnants of ancient glacial ice that would have otherwise prevented them from entering.
The loud clamor from outside dulled to a gentle roar. Sam switched on the headlights. The cavern opened up to an area large enough to drive a semitrailer. The walls glowed with the deep blue of the dense glacial ice that was both mesmerizing and terrifying in its beauty.
“I think we’re safe,” Sam said.
Alexis smiled. The joy of coming close with death only to discover she’d survived, radiated from her face. Sam noticed it served to somehow make her face even more beautiful.
“We’re good, Sam.” She gripped his hand in her own and squeezed it. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Sam switched off the engines and the hovercraft settled onto the icy cavern floor. “How long do you expect this wind and sand storm to carry on?”
“Not long,” she replied. “They’re normally short lived, localized weather events. Should blow over within the hour.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Four hours later, the light no longer reached the Taylor Valley and still the wind storm had not decreased its force — if anything it worsened.
“We may as well get comfortable,” Sam said. “We may be here a while. Tell me about the Pegasus science station.”
Alexis shuffled in her seat. “What do you want to know?”
“Why it’s so important someone might have gone to the length to abduct an entire cruise ship to somehow reach it?”
“I have no idea. Their research is important, but only in the long term, not in the present. Not for decades. It’s research that has to be done, but nothing that someone's going to kill for.”
“What exactly were they researching?”
“Glacial tunnels.”
“Lava tubes?”
“No. Glacial tunnels,” Alexis said. “In 2014 a team of British scientists discovered an 820 foot high tunnel stretching hundreds of miles, hidden in the base of Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in West Antarctica. They were most likely formed by meltwater — the water released from melting ice that then flowed underneath the ice sheet, overland, and into the ocean.”
“What did you want to study with it?”
“Nothing. There’s a lot more ice in East Antarctica. If there were ice tunnels in West Antarctica, there were definitely some in East Antarctica.” Alexis shuffled in her seat. “Then, in 2015 researchers using ground penetrating radar while flying over East Antarctica found two seafloor channels underneath the floating ice shelf of Totten Glacier.”
“And you want to build inside one of them?” Sam asked.
“Exactly. I want to build the world’s largest particle accelerator.” She sighed. “Of course, even if I find the perfect conditions to do so, it will become a legal nightmare to gain approval to build it.”
“Because of the Antarctic Treaty System?”
“Precisely. It came about because Antarctica is the only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. The treaty, entering into force in 1961 set aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, establishes freedom of scientific investigation and bans military activity on that continent. The treaty was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War.
“To utilize such a place for your research, all members of the treaty would have to sign.”
“Yes.”
“So you were heading to the Pegasus station to review their research?”
“No,” she was quick to respond.
“Then what were you doing aboard the Antarctic Solace?” he asked.
She shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. “It’s a long story.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” he persisted.
“I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it.”
“That’s okay. We might be freezing here all night. Let me know when you feel up to speaking about what got us into this mess.”
“It’s not that.”
“You could have just told me you wanted to see the killer whales.” He looked at her face, waiting for some sort of sign that she was going to fold and reply honestly.
“All right.” She crossed her arms. “If you must know, I was on my honeymoon.”
Chapter Thirty
Alexis watched Sam’s face change. His happy go lucky, and playful demeanor was replaced with a sudden seriousness. His intensely blue eyes, the same color as the glacial ice, and just as mesmerizing had now taken on a despondent light. There was something else there, too. Was he disappointed to hear I was married? She almost felt guilty for misleading him. She was still trying to work out what happened before and why she was even holding his hand. She knew she started it, but he didn’t make any effort to remove her hand from his, either.
Sam sat up, his posture suddenly rigid and uncomfortable. “I’m so sorry. You must be worried sick about your husband.”
A glint of smile crossed her lips. “Don’t be. We never got married.”
He returned her smile. “You didn’t?”
“No.”
“What happened?” he persisted.
Life had offered her some unique challenges recently. Alexis wondered how things had changed so dramatically in such a short time. This was supposed to be the best time of her life. Normally, Alexis wouldn’t have indulged herself in such wasteful thoughts of negativity. But, the last two weeks had changed so much that she couldn’t help but let her mind drift into the ridiculousness of it all. It was supposed to be her honeymoon with Daniel.