Adam Baker - Outpost

‘Then what?’

‘Camp on the berg. Put up tents. Eat. Sleep. We could tow a string of lifeboats behind us. As soon as the berg hits warm water and starts to break up, we take to the boats.’

‘What does Rawlins say about it?’

Ghost shrugged. He poured coffee.

‘Everyone is pretty snug at the moment. Plenty of heat, plenty of food. But six months from now things will be very different. People will be cold and hungry. They’ll be ready to roll the dice.’

Jane joined Sian in the observation bubble.

‘Let me take over for a while,’ said Jane. ‘I’m wired on caffeine. Why don’t you get some sleep?’

Jane positioned her chair in front of the microphone.

‘Apex Base, this is refinery Kasker Rampart. Do you copy, over?’

‘This is Apex Base. Damn good to hear from you, Rampart.’ The guy sounded tearful and exhausted.

‘How are you folks getting on?’

‘Not so great. The storm collapsed one of the tents and we lost a bunch of stuff. Clothes. Bedding. Hope you got some good news for us, Rampart. We need it .’

‘We are worried about the distance. Indigo Bay is quite a trek. Winter is closing in and there isn’t much daylight left.’

‘You can’t leave us out here to die. That’s inhuman .’

‘Have you got a map with you? Can you see a map?’

‘We’re in no condition to walk. Alan has frostbite. His feet are black. He can barely stand. ’

‘Look at your map. Angakut. Can you see it? There’s a mountain halfway between us.’

‘ Yeah .’

‘There’s a cabin, a wood cabin. It’s solid. It’s good shelter. It’s warm and dry. If you can make it that far, you can ride out the storm. Then we can pick you up.’

‘That’s a three-day hike. We’d have to cross two inlets by boat .’

‘What’s your name?’

‘ Simon .’

‘You’ve got to move, Simon. You have to put on your skis and move. You have to get your team to the main island. We can reach you from there. We can pick you up.’

‘It’s too much .’

‘You’ve got to dig deep, dude. The weather will lift in a few hours, but there’s more moving in. You’re only getting weaker. It will be sunrise soon. You’re the leader. Get your team ready to travel. Whatever you have to do.’

‘I’m so tired .’

‘You’re giving in to death. If you stay in that sleeping bag you’ll slowly freeze. I’ll call again at nine. You better be on your feet and moving. You’ve got to get on your feet and move if you want to live.’

‘Okay. All right .’

‘God bless, guys.’

‘Do they know about the plague?’ asked Sian.

‘Their relief plane didn’t show up. That’s all they know. Might as well keep it that way.’

Punch cut himself a cheese sandwich. He scraped the last smears from a big Country Larder jar of mayonnaise. He took a fresh jar from the refrigerator. He saw himself reflected in the steel door, and saw the phantom blur of a man standing behind him.

‘Better make that your last snack,’ said Rawlins. ‘I need a list. An inventory of all the food we have left.’

‘Already done.’

‘You can lock these freezers and fridges, yes?’

‘I’ve got keys somewhere.’

‘One set for you, one set for me. Keep them locked at all times.’

‘Okay.’

‘Everyone is perfectly civil right now. A few months from now food will run short and it will be a different story. Situation could turn ugly.’

‘Yeah.’

‘People hoarding, fighting.’

‘Absolutely.’

‘How about dry goods? Cans and stuff?’

‘There’s a crappy lock on the storeroom.’

‘Speak to Ghost. Get a decent padlock and bring me the key. What’s for breakfast?’

‘The last of the real eggs.’

‘Excellent. Well. See you later.’

Rawlins left the kitchen. He scratched his head on the way out of the door. The edge of his leather jacket lifted for a moment and exposed the yellow butt of his Taser slung in a nylon holster. He had a red can of pepper spray in a pouch on his belt. A sheriff ready to lay down the law.

Jane tried to think up a reason to visit Ghost. Maybe she could help him pack for his expedition to the island.

She walked to the pump hall. She found him sitting on his bunk, slotting batteries into a yellow box.

‘Need a hand?’

‘I’m okay.’

‘What’s the box?’

‘Nautical beacon. Beeps a locator signal. The Apex guys are stumbling around in the dark out there. If we set this thing pinging it will lead them straight to us. And they’ll reach that cabin along the route.’

‘Sure they have a tracker?’

‘Yeah. They were carrying one so they could rendezvous with their relief plane.’

‘Cool.’

‘It’s short range, though. Too many crags between us and them. We need to get it up high.’

‘We could use the radio tower. Lash it to the scaffold.’

‘Want to give me a hand?’

They dressed in the airlock. Heavy Ventile coats, rubber boots and ski masks. Ghost unwound his turban and tied his hair in a ponytail. Jane zipped her snorkel hood and buckled gauntlets.

‘Been outside much?’ asked Ghost as he strapped Jane into a full body harness. His voice was muffled by his mask. His eyes were hidden behind black goggles.

‘Never in a storm.’

‘Soon as we get out on to the walkway, grab the railing. There’s a guide wire. Clip yourself to the wire before taking another step, all right? The wind could throw you clean over the side.’

Ghost handed Jane a shockproof spotlight.

‘Million candlepower. Don’t look into it. I’ll climb the mast. Keep the light on me.’

He sealed the internal door. He spun the hatch wheel and pushed the external door. Alarm. Warning strobes. Sudden jet-roar of wind noise as the power-assisted hatch slid back. Jane was blasted by driving ice particles. She rocked on her feet.

‘You all right?’ shouted Ghost.

‘It’s hell out there.’

‘Yeah. Know what? I reckon some of us won’t make it home.’

The storm passed.

Sian stood on the deck and sipped coffee. Her mug broiled like a witches’ brew. She was standing on a walkway above the fresh water storage tanks. She wanted to enjoy the sun before the long Arctic night began and the rig was left in permanent darkness.

Sian often took refuge outside. She got a lot of male attention. She heard a rumour the crewmen took a bet when she first joined the rig. First to fuck the new girl. Four months later, nobody won the bet. She overheard Nail call her ‘the dyke’.

She took the job because she was bored. She was counter staff at Barclays Bank in Portsmouth. She saw an advert:

Coral Recruitment

Overseas Jobs

Oil industry administrator

Will provide secretarial support to installation manager. Strong organisational skills and a keen eye for detail are important aspects of the role. Good salary, insurance, flights and negotiable bonus.

She took the job. Friends threw a party the night before she flew to Norway.

They said she was brave. They said she would have a big adventure. She would come home with stories.

There used to be planes overhead. Earlier that year the blue and cloudless sky had often been bisected by the contrails of jets patrolling the Russian frontier. Now the sky was empty.

She saw a ship. A dot on the horizon. A tanker funnel. She dropped her coffee and sprinted to an airlock intercom. Rawlins came running followed by the crew. They gathered on the helipad. They waved and shouted. Ghost fired flares. The tanker didn’t turn or slow.