“Not here and now,” he said, pushing her hand away from the danger zone.
Suddenly she showed signs of being offended.
“As you wish.” She looked around. “Just as well. I think my crew is ready to get started. Have a good day, Doctor.”
“You too.”
It was the first small bump in the road between the two of them. Why did he feel so bothered? It wasn’t like he didn’t already have enough on his mind. He certainly wasn’t trolling for additional issues to deal with.
“I don’t see Sokolov. Excuse me, Konstantine. I think I’ll try to catch him in his room before we leave.”
Sokolov’s door was open just a crack when Hamlin arrived. Cleary he had visitors. Voices seemed to be arguing in Russian.
“Oh, what the hell?” Hamlin pushed the door open. At the end of the day, he was really an invited guest here. That should earn him some sort of privilege.
“Excuse me,” Hamlin said as all heads turned and conversation stopped. And then, stupidly, “Am I interrupting?”
Sokolov took a moment to formulate a suitable response. “Whatever would lead you to think that, doctor? Do come in and join the party.”
The remaining members of the mining crew stood around the desk. Looks of frustration were unanimous.
“Arguing over who’s going to win the World Series, I suppose.”
“Not at all,” Sokolov said. He looked as frustrated as the miners. “We have reached a bit of an impasse on how to proceed with our work here. I suppose you’d like to hear about it. Perhaps you could offer your level-headed opinion on how we should move on from here.”
“Perhaps you could give me the short version.”
Sokolov looked off to the side, as if detaching himself from contact with the others so he could formulate a response in peace.
“Very well. The heart of the matter revolves around Pechkin. These gentlemen, who happen to be his closest confidants, feel that we should suspend all activities and concentrate on finding him. What we do at that point is somewhat hazy, but would be contingent upon his condition at the time. I feel that could easily become a waste of time. Antarctica is, in fact, a continent, and he could be anywhere. If he is still alive, which I view from an incredulous slant, he could have walked miles overnight. If he succumbed to the disease or the environment, then the snow would have drifted over him by now and he would be, for all practical purposes, invisible. That would render any time and effort put into finding him pointless.”
“He was alive yesterday,” Barinov growled. “If he is in the area of the buildings, which seems to be where he is staying, then it wouldn’t be that hard to find him at all. And we should start now! He can’t have much time left.”
The other miners nodded in agreement.
Barinov put his hands on the desk and leaned toward Sokolov.
“Give us half a day, if nothing else. We’ll use the Cat, so we can cover a large area quickly. We’ll rig something to subdue and hold him. We’ll bring him back if we find him and at least try to treat his disease. We owe him that! What if it was you or me out there? It could have been, you know. And if we fail, then we assume the worst, and go back to work using the new safety protocols.”
Sokolov knew he was taking a risk, but felt he had few choices left.
“Your thoughts, Doctor?”
Hamlin didn’t have to weigh it out for very long.
“I’m with them. We can afford half a day. If he is still really alive, we have a strong moral, if not legal, obligation to do everything we can to save him. And if either this disease or the environment has dispatched him, or rendered him incapable of rational thought, we need to know that too for our own safety and peace of mind. I don’t know about any of you, but I didn’t sleep worth a shit last night.”
That put smiles on some of the faces.
“You, men, if you do this, need to face the reality that he might never be himself again,” Hamlin said. “I saw him at the end, and he was out of his mind. And he was very dangerous, just think about what happened to Kuvayev if you have any doubts about that.” Hamlin was a little uncomfortable saying it, but felt it had to be said.
“Very well,” Sokolov conceded. “But this is the end. Find him if possible, save him if you can. But after this morning’s search is over, I will take matters into my own hands to bring this to an end. I am responsible for both the safety and productivity of this station and both are now in jeopardy in my opinion. Get your supplies, formulate a plan, and go. Get this over with. We’re all too stressed to let this continue.”
The men nodded solemnly, and then left the room.
“Just what did you mean by that?”
Sokolov looked grim. “Just what I said. If they cannot bring this to a conclusion, good or bad, by searching through the morning, then I’m going out and hunting him down myself. A 7.62x39mm high velocity bullet will put all of this to rest once and for all. Enough with the distraction and sleepless nights.”
“You’re willing to kill him?”
“No,” Sokolov said. “If he is alive in the traditional sense, we will spare no effort to save him.”
“But…”
“I don’t understand what has happened to him. If he is brain damaged or some sort of resurrected corpse, if you will forgive me, then I will blow what’s left of his brains out as a favor both to him and to us.”
“You yourself?”
“I have had extensive training with firearms. I was little more than a boy when I fought the last days against the Mujahedeen in Afghanistan. Don’t be fooled by the appearance of the prissy little man before you. There are many good reasons why I was chosen to be in charge of this outpost.”
As Hamlin looked at the glint in the small man’s eyes, he didn’t doubt it. “You’re right about one thing. We need to get over this and get back to work. There’s altogether too much time to think about the unpleasant situation we find ourselves in.”
Sokolov raised his right hand and pressed the palm of it against his forehead. He slid the hand slowly up and pushed back his hair.
“Doctor, if you please. I’m certain you can find a way to pass the time productively.”
Hamlin turned toward the door. There was a Steig Larsson novel with his name on it back in his room. That would have to do.
The mining crew spent the entire morning driving a circuit around all the buildings. They never saw so much as a hint of Pechkin. They returned discouraged and sullen. This particular ending gave no closure at all. But it was the reality they now had to face.
Hamlin was glad to get into the Cat and head for the lab. Konstantine was quieter than usual; no doubt the experience of the previous day still weighing on his mind. Things got worse for him when they arrived. Before Hamlin exited the machine, Sokolov asked him to stay back.
“Konstantine, please get started on your own. I need to go for a little drive with Dr. Hamlin and have a bit of a talk.”
Konstantine was obviously not thrilled, but didn’t voice his objections. He hopped out and headed into the lab.
“What’s up?” Francis asked.
“We’re going for a nice, leisurely drive.”
The Cat started to roll, the unavoidable creaking sounds heralding the movement.
“Look, I enjoyed the cognac and cigar, but I’m not putting out if that’s what you think.”
“Your sense of humor sustains me, Doctor. If you would be so good as to reach very carefully under the seat, you will find a rifle there.”
“What?”
He reached (and very carefully at that) and found a cold metal object. He withdrew it slowly, not even sure initially what part of the weapon he was holding.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?”
“Bring an end to this madness once and for all,” Sokolov said. “Either that or take over driving and let me hold the gun.”