above. The answer why is obvious: The codex is swaying against and bumping into the column walls. As I consider the danger of the codex hurtling back down, an even more horrid danger dawns on me: the stability of the ice column.
“You are raising the codex too fast!” I screech into my mouthpiece as the chips turn into chunks. “Pieces of ice are falling on me!”
“Get back in your harness – hurry,” the Admiral says quickly after a pause. Realizing the hint of fear in his voice, I keep things short.
“I am doing that now – should only take a minute.” As I work furiously to strap myself back in, the lights flicker on and off above me.
“Depth 2,685 meters. Time … 1442 hours. Two systems lit yellow; three errors; nineteen warnings.” Once again, the calm voice is not so calm. More breaking systems – more errors – more warnings: JUST PERFECT!
Instead of wondering about borrowed tears, maybe I need to start wondering about borrowed screams!
“The excitement never ends,” I seethe. The crack that played hide and seek with me when first de-icing the vault cover hides no more. A sound eerily like popcorn popping behind me, I spin around. The crack is not only twice as large as before, but has brought along friends as well – lots of them.
“READY!” Along with my shouted plea, a flurry of voices I find hard to keep track of run through my headset. Sirens, bells, whistles, and every manner of sound we humans use to warn others when intent goes awry mixes in most horribly with these panicky voices.
“How fast is the codex moving, Korzhak?” the Admiral snarls.
“Six to eight meters per second,” the winded Russian shoots back. “Halfway up.”
“Make it ten and get her up here now!”
“Ten meters per second?” I gasp. “ By cable? That is too ––,” more popping, larger cracks surrounding me, the ground beginning to shake, “ allez, allez, allez ; you can go even faster if you ––”
Jerking me so fast that I bite my tongue as I scream, the cable reels skyward with me in my harness at the end of it.
“Depth 2,000 meters. Two systems lit yellow, one system lit red; six errors; thirty-four warnings.”
Ever larger chunks of ice now hurtle down at me. Same as with the codex, the cable is moving so fast that my body begins to sway. With each smash into the column walls, I take a good many lights and cameras with me. The danger presented by the nitrogen-cooled webs meshed against the walls grows with each crash into them. I hold my arms and legs in as much as I can to keep them from tangling me up.
“Depth 1,500 meters. Four systems lit yellow, two systems lit red; eleven ––.”
“No more errors or warnings, Matvei!” one of the Russians shouts angrily. “We just need depth!”
More ice hitting me, an especially hard smash into the wall – the oxygen mask ripped from my face is now gone. This dazes me to the point my eyes blur as well. Using a curse word with every second one, Korzhak starts to shout. Along with the many languages that I know well, I understand the crudest words from dozens of others. Pounding on metal as if with a sledgehammer, grunts, groans, maybe even a punch – if not for so much ice and debris now pummeling me from above, I might have taken more of an interest in this.
“Depth 1,000 meters.”
“Alexys Élisabeth , are you there?” the Admiral wheezes, as if out of breath. “Come on, honey, talk to me, do you copy ?” Although my mind fades in and out, his quaking, unsteady voice soothes me.
“Barely …” I answer back in little more than a whisper as ever-larger chunks of ice crash into me. A heavy one slams into my head. My chin pushed into my chest from this hit, I notice the frayed wire where my microphone once connected.
“Are you there?” he shouts. “ Alexys Élisabeth ! COPY!”
Although ready to pass out, I want to scream, cry, anything but stay
“You are raising the codex too fast!” I screech into my mouthpiece as the chips turn into chunks. “Pieces of ice are falling on me!”
“Get back in your harness – hurry,” the Admiral says quickly after a pause. Realizing the hint of fear in his voice, I keep things short.
“I am doing that now – should only take a minute.” As I work furiously to strap myself back in, the lights flicker on and off above me.
“Depth 2,685 meters. Time … 1442 hours. Two systems lit yellow; three errors; nineteen warnings.” Once again, the calm voice is not so calm. More breaking systems – more errors – more warnings: JUST PERFECT!
Instead of wondering about borrowed tears, maybe I need to start wondering about borrowed screams!
“The excitement never ends,” I seethe. The crack that played hide and seek with me when first de-icing the vault cover hides no more. A sound eerily like popcorn popping behind me, I spin around. The crack is not only twice as large as before, but has brought along friends as well – lots of them.
“READY!” Along with my shouted plea, a flurry of voices I find hard to keep track of run through my headset. Sirens, bells, whistles, and every manner of sound we humans use to warn others when intent goes awry mixes in most horribly with these panicky voices.
“How fast is the codex moving, Korzhak?” the Admiral snarls.
“Six to eight meters per second,” the winded Russian shoots back. “Halfway up.”
“Make it ten and get her up here now!”
“Ten meters per second?” I gasp. “ By cable? That is too ––,” more popping, larger cracks surrounding me, the ground beginning to shake, “ allez, allez, allez ; you can go even faster if you ––”
Jerking me so fast that I bite my tongue as I scream, the cable reels skyward with me in my harness at the end of it.
“Depth 2,000 meters. Two systems lit yellow, one system lit red; six errors; thirty-four warnings.”
Ever larger chunks of ice now hurtle down at me. Same as with the codex, the cable is moving so fast that my body begins to sway. With each smash into the column walls, I take a good many lights and cameras with me. The danger presented by the nitrogen-cooled webs meshed against the walls grows with each crash into them. I hold my arms and legs in as much as I can to keep them from tangling me up.
“Depth 1,500 meters. Four systems lit yellow, two systems lit red; eleven ––.”
“No more errors or warnings, Matvei!” one of the Russians shouts angrily. “We just need depth!”
More ice hitting me, an especially hard smash into the wall – the oxygen mask ripped from my face is now gone. This dazes me to the point my eyes blur as well. Using a curse word with every second one, Korzhak starts to shout. Along with the many languages that I know well, I understand the crudest words from dozens of others. Pounding on metal as if with a sledgehammer, grunts, groans, maybe even a punch – if not for so much ice and debris now pummeling me from above, I might have taken more of an interest in this.
“Depth 1,000 meters.”
“Alexys Élisabeth , are you there?” the Admiral wheezes, as if out of breath. “Come on, honey, talk to me, do you copy ?” Although my mind fades in and out, his quaking, unsteady voice soothes me.
“Barely …” I answer back in little more than a whisper as ever-larger chunks of ice crash into me. A heavy one slams into my head. My chin pushed into my chest from this hit, I notice the frayed wire where my microphone once connected.
“Are you there?” he shouts. “ Alexys Élisabeth ! COPY!”
Although ready to pass out, I want to scream, cry, anything but stay
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