her face in witchy green. ‘So what’s it about?’ I
asked.
‘Don’t know,’ she replied. ‘The suit radio’s a piece of crap. Hasn’t got enough range even to contact our Forward Base directly.’ She gestured towards
the Excursion Vehicle parked nearby that had brought us here. ‘Let’s head back inside.’
I nodded, and followed her back over to the vehicle, sweating and cursing as I tried to walk in the heavy suit. I felt fitter and in better shape than I had in a long time, thanks to the
intensive programme of training the Authority were putting me through. They needed their Pathfinders fit and healthy, but trying to walk around in the suit felt as if I was trying to wade through
rapidly hardening mud.
The Excursion Vehicle – or EV for short – consisted of a pressurized steel cylinder with wheels like rugged balloons and a slit-like windscreen at the front. Once we had cycled
through its airlock, Nadia barely paused to pull her helmet off before climbing into the driver’s seat and leaning over a microphone built into the dashboard. I stood listening, my own helmet
under the crook of one arm, as she spoke rapidly.
‘Nadia Mirkowsky here, out on EV-6. I just received a priority alert and felt a couple of strong tremors. Can you give me any more information?’
She repeated this message twice more before a reply came. ‘Miss Mirkowsky?’ said a voice. ‘There’s a general evacuation alert being broadcast and your orders are to get
back immediately.’
‘Evacuation?’ I echoed, more than a little alarmed, but Nadia abruptly put a hand up to quiet me.
‘Anything else?’ she asked. ‘Last I heard, there was a dig team down inside the Retreat.’
The Retreat was the name the Icelanders had given to the subterranean stronghold in which they had hoped to survive the death of their world. ‘I can’t tell you their status,’
came the reply, ‘but the evacuation order still stands. All I know is, the seismometers are going off the scale, and anyone who’s on excursion needs to get back here now. It looks like
Hekla’s going to blow sooner than expected.’
‘Wait a minute,’ she said. ‘Why can’t you tell me the status of the dig team?’
‘Ma’am?’ When the reply came, whoever was speaking had lowered his voice a little, as if he was trying not to be overheard. ‘Comms Officer Levin here. From what I hear,
there are three people still down inside the Retreat.’
‘Who, exactly?’ Nadia demanded. ‘Are any of them Pathfinders?’
‘At least one,’ came the reply.
‘Did anyone radio them? Or—’
‘We did earlier, but they stopped responding to our calls. We don’t know why. Plus, the below-ground relay’s down,’ Levin replied. ‘Can’t tell you what their
status is, but the Commander’s adamant that anyone who can, should prioritize coming back to the base. As for anyone down below . . . I’m sorry.’
Nadia slapped the dashboard hard with one gloved hand, cutting the connection. ‘Fucking
asshole
,’ she said. ‘Commander Barnes, I mean.’
‘Who?’
‘The guy in charge of the Forward Base on this alternate,’ she said by way of explanation.
She was facing away from me, but I could see her face reflected in the narrow windscreen before her. She was staring off into the darkness outside, her face pale and drawn.
‘So what happens now?’ I asked.
She leaned back in her chair and drummed her fingers on the dashboard. ‘Can’t leave them down there, Jerry.’
I looked out at the blackness and saw my own reflection staring back as well. ‘You want to go down there,’ I said, my bowels feeling as if they had turned to water. ‘What do
you think happened?’
‘I have no idea,’ she replied, looking distracted. She started the EV’s engine and reached for the wheel, then paused and turned to look at me.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I . . . wasn’t thinking. There’s somebody down there who’s very dear to me, Jerry. I can’t
asked.
‘Don’t know,’ she replied. ‘The suit radio’s a piece of crap. Hasn’t got enough range even to contact our Forward Base directly.’ She gestured towards
the Excursion Vehicle parked nearby that had brought us here. ‘Let’s head back inside.’
I nodded, and followed her back over to the vehicle, sweating and cursing as I tried to walk in the heavy suit. I felt fitter and in better shape than I had in a long time, thanks to the
intensive programme of training the Authority were putting me through. They needed their Pathfinders fit and healthy, but trying to walk around in the suit felt as if I was trying to wade through
rapidly hardening mud.
The Excursion Vehicle – or EV for short – consisted of a pressurized steel cylinder with wheels like rugged balloons and a slit-like windscreen at the front. Once we had cycled
through its airlock, Nadia barely paused to pull her helmet off before climbing into the driver’s seat and leaning over a microphone built into the dashboard. I stood listening, my own helmet
under the crook of one arm, as she spoke rapidly.
‘Nadia Mirkowsky here, out on EV-6. I just received a priority alert and felt a couple of strong tremors. Can you give me any more information?’
She repeated this message twice more before a reply came. ‘Miss Mirkowsky?’ said a voice. ‘There’s a general evacuation alert being broadcast and your orders are to get
back immediately.’
‘Evacuation?’ I echoed, more than a little alarmed, but Nadia abruptly put a hand up to quiet me.
‘Anything else?’ she asked. ‘Last I heard, there was a dig team down inside the Retreat.’
The Retreat was the name the Icelanders had given to the subterranean stronghold in which they had hoped to survive the death of their world. ‘I can’t tell you their status,’
came the reply, ‘but the evacuation order still stands. All I know is, the seismometers are going off the scale, and anyone who’s on excursion needs to get back here now. It looks like
Hekla’s going to blow sooner than expected.’
‘Wait a minute,’ she said. ‘Why can’t you tell me the status of the dig team?’
‘Ma’am?’ When the reply came, whoever was speaking had lowered his voice a little, as if he was trying not to be overheard. ‘Comms Officer Levin here. From what I hear,
there are three people still down inside the Retreat.’
‘Who, exactly?’ Nadia demanded. ‘Are any of them Pathfinders?’
‘At least one,’ came the reply.
‘Did anyone radio them? Or—’
‘We did earlier, but they stopped responding to our calls. We don’t know why. Plus, the below-ground relay’s down,’ Levin replied. ‘Can’t tell you what their
status is, but the Commander’s adamant that anyone who can, should prioritize coming back to the base. As for anyone down below . . . I’m sorry.’
Nadia slapped the dashboard hard with one gloved hand, cutting the connection. ‘Fucking
asshole
,’ she said. ‘Commander Barnes, I mean.’
‘Who?’
‘The guy in charge of the Forward Base on this alternate,’ she said by way of explanation.
She was facing away from me, but I could see her face reflected in the narrow windscreen before her. She was staring off into the darkness outside, her face pale and drawn.
‘So what happens now?’ I asked.
She leaned back in her chair and drummed her fingers on the dashboard. ‘Can’t leave them down there, Jerry.’
I looked out at the blackness and saw my own reflection staring back as well. ‘You want to go down there,’ I said, my bowels feeling as if they had turned to water. ‘What do
you think happened?’
‘I have no idea,’ she replied, looking distracted. She started the EV’s engine and reached for the wheel, then paused and turned to look at me.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I . . . wasn’t thinking. There’s somebody down there who’s very dear to me, Jerry. I can’t
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