Cold as Ice
North Central Greenland; Unrecorded Ice Caverns
Hitomi was freezing. No, not freezing. That would require that she had any feeling left. It was warmer, if you could call it that, in the caverns away from the wind, but even the thermal suit under her parka didn’t help much. She walked as quietly as she could in the hard-pack of the glacier, dim blue hand lamp playing across the ice of the dead end in front of her. She clicked the radio in her gauntlet and whispered into it.
“Siege, you got anything? I haven’t run across anything down here. Not even animal traces.”
“Same here,” came the whispered reply, “I think we can write this one off, partner. I’ll radio for pick up. Meet you up top.”
“Sounds good to me. It’ll be nice to feel.” She thought she heard a snort as the radio clicked off. Shaking her head, Hitomi started back up the tunnels. Hidden bases my rear end, she thought to herself. They still had to check out these reports she knew. Especially if it meant finding this Children of Anubis wack-job cult. It really bothered her and C.J. that they couldn’t find a trace of them in the past three months. So when they got a reports of a “secret base”, they check them out.
She slowly blew out a sigh, watching her breath stream out in a cloud. Buck reminded them that it wouldn't necessarily be the Anubis cult they found. There were other covert groups out there, like the remnants of the Third Reich and their splinters. Of course, there was also those strange neo-Stalinists that have been popping up in former Soviet states. It was always something.
It didn’t take her too long to retrace her steps back to the surface, moving much faster than she did going in. C.J. was already there, at the snow crawler waiting, holding two cups of steaming coffee.
“Oh, mana from heaven!” Hitomi gratefully took a cup with both hands as he followed her friend into the vehicle, hitting the button to close the door with her elbow as she passed it. They both sunk into the heated bench as the crawler fired up and started the hour long journey to the nearest scientific camp. There were a few of those in this part of Greenland, being an excellent place to study climate and glacial activity.
They didn’t talk much on the journey back, but then, they never needed to. They’d been friends for a long time, and team mates for long enough that they didn’t need words to know what the other was thinking. They spent the time warming up and writing up the reports for Buck, and the separate paperwork for the local government. The last was a report justifying why they were in the Northeast Greenland National Park, one of the largest parks in the world. Their cover, as always, was a scientific expedition. This time on glacial caverns and their formation.
Luckily, they both had gotten very good at faking such reports.
By the time the crawler arrived at the camp, the paperwork was done and they were warm enough to brave the outside again. They left the crawler and entered the main tent, which had heaters lining the walls, making it warm enough to work without parkas, but still needed heavy sweaters.
Before they could finish unzipping their coats, the head scientist Dr. Hans Mijolson motioned them over, holding the satellite phone. “Yes, they are here, Professor Buck! Just arrived.” He handed the phone over the C.J. The conversation was brief, and once she handed the phone back to Dr. Mijolson, she zipped back up.
“Come on, ‘Omi. We’re needed back at home.”
“What’s going on?” She zipped up as well, but C.J. just shook her head.
“He didn't say. There’s a helicopter on it’s way, we need to grab out stuff.”
Hitomi sighed and pulled her hood back up, “It’s always something,” she said wryly.
Siege just laughed quietly.
Hitomi was freezing. No, not freezing. That would require that she had any feeling left. It was warmer, if you could call it that, in the caverns away from the wind, but even the thermal suit under her parka didn’t help much. She walked as quietly as she could in the hard-pack of the glacier, dim blue hand lamp playing across the ice of the dead end in front of her. She clicked the radio in her gauntlet and whispered into it.
“Siege, you got anything? I haven’t run across anything down here. Not even animal traces.”
“Same here,” came the whispered reply, “I think we can write this one off, partner. I’ll radio for pick up. Meet you up top.”
“Sounds good to me. It’ll be nice to feel.” She thought she heard a snort as the radio clicked off. Shaking her head, Hitomi started back up the tunnels. Hidden bases my rear end, she thought to herself. They still had to check out these reports she knew. Especially if it meant finding this Children of Anubis wack-job cult. It really bothered her and C.J. that they couldn’t find a trace of them in the past three months. So when they got a reports of a “secret base”, they check them out.
She slowly blew out a sigh, watching her breath stream out in a cloud. Buck reminded them that it wouldn't necessarily be the Anubis cult they found. There were other covert groups out there, like the remnants of the Third Reich and their splinters. Of course, there was also those strange neo-Stalinists that have been popping up in former Soviet states. It was always something.
It didn’t take her too long to retrace her steps back to the surface, moving much faster than she did going in. C.J. was already there, at the snow crawler waiting, holding two cups of steaming coffee.
“Oh, mana from heaven!” Hitomi gratefully took a cup with both hands as he followed her friend into the vehicle, hitting the button to close the door with her elbow as she passed it. They both sunk into the heated bench as the crawler fired up and started the hour long journey to the nearest scientific camp. There were a few of those in this part of Greenland, being an excellent place to study climate and glacial activity.
They didn’t talk much on the journey back, but then, they never needed to. They’d been friends for a long time, and team mates for long enough that they didn’t need words to know what the other was thinking. They spent the time warming up and writing up the reports for Buck, and the separate paperwork for the local government. The last was a report justifying why they were in the Northeast Greenland National Park, one of the largest parks in the world. Their cover, as always, was a scientific expedition. This time on glacial caverns and their formation.
Luckily, they both had gotten very good at faking such reports.
By the time the crawler arrived at the camp, the paperwork was done and they were warm enough to brave the outside again. They left the crawler and entered the main tent, which had heaters lining the walls, making it warm enough to work without parkas, but still needed heavy sweaters.
Before they could finish unzipping their coats, the head scientist Dr. Hans Mijolson motioned them over, holding the satellite phone. “Yes, they are here, Professor Buck! Just arrived.” He handed the phone over the C.J. The conversation was brief, and once she handed the phone back to Dr. Mijolson, she zipped back up.
“Come on, ‘Omi. We’re needed back at home.”
“What’s going on?” She zipped up as well, but C.J. just shook her head.
“He didn't say. There’s a helicopter on it’s way, we need to grab out stuff.”
Hitomi sighed and pulled her hood back up, “It’s always something,” she said wryly.
Siege just laughed quietly.
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