Ben Hammott: Ice Rift

Those who’d not grabbed hold of something tumbled to the floor.

Haax swivelled his seat and smiled at his passengers. “Choose a seat and strap yourselves in. I have a feeling it is going to be a bumpy ride.” He faced forward again.

Jack slipped into the large seat beside Haax, grabbed the two strap-ends hanging from the seat’s shoulders and clipped them into slots on the front edge of the seat. They automatically tightened, but designed for a different and larger species, the straps were useless. He glanced at Haax and saw him cross his over. He released the straps, crossed them over and clipped them in place. They tightened snugly across his chest.

Jane, Theo, Richard and Lucy, who had chosen the four central chairs, had just discovered the same problem. A forceful jolt and they would be thrown from the seats

Jack leaned around the side of his seat. “Cross the straps over.”

The others acted on his advice.

Jack glanced out through the large window when the scout ship’s powerful lights lit up the darkness, and then at the pilot. “So, Haax, what’s the plan?”

Haax grinned. “You’ll know when I know, but when the ice breaks away, I don’t aim to hang around. If there is a way out of this tomb, I mean to find it.”

Scott peered through the Sno-Cat’s screen and saw only white. He drove by feeling alone, heading in as straight a line as the strong gusts that attempted to blow him off course would allow. Some gusts were so strong they slewed the Sno-Cat sideways; others threatened to tip the vehicle on its side. Scott never once thought about turning back. He sensed his friends were in trouble and needed help, and though he had no idea what assistance he could give them, if they’d encountered more of the monsters like the one that invaded the camp, he would do all within his power to aid them.

Sensing he was near the rift, Scott slowed the Sno-Cat. His eyes searched for a gap in the snow and ice beating against the windscreen for any sign of it, but the weather hid everything from view. Worried he would drive over the edge, he halted the vehicle and faced the front into the wind to offer the least resistance. He forced the door open against the wind’s energy and used it as a temporary shield against the blizzard when he stepped out. He grabbed the rope from behind the seat and tied it to the rear door handle to use as a safety line. If he’d not reached the point where the others had descended into the rift, or was nowhere near it, the line would lead him safely back to the Sno-Cat to try again. The door slammed shut when he moved away.

Now buffeted by the full force of the wind, Scott leaned into it and grabbed the spike he’d already tethered by a strap to the Sno-Cat and moved a short distance into the wind. He gripped the T-bar and screwed the spike into the ice. When he was satisfied it was secure, he walked off in the direction he thought he would find the rift.

A few steps brought him to the edge of the crevasse, making him realize what a lucky escape he’d had. If he’d not stopped when he did, he and the Sno-Cat would have plummeted into its depths. All but blind in the blizzard, he followed the rift. As he neared the end of the safety line, he arrived at two ropes trailing over the edge. He followed them across the ice until he reached the spikes securing the ropes. After checking they were still secure, he tied his safety line to it and hitched his harness to one of the climbing ropes. He backed toward the rift and climbed over the edge.

He passed the small ice shelf and continued down. The ice shook violently, causing him to lose his footing; he slammed against the ice. The tremors grew in strength, bouncing him against the ice cliff. When they’d passed, he continued his descent.

The strongest tremor yet tilted the ship slightly. It was a sign the ice was breaking away. The small craft slid backwards. Jack noticed the other shuttles were also on the move, colliding and crashing into each other. If Haax didn’t do something quick, there was a chance their scout ship would be damaged. If that happened, they wouldn’t be going anywhere.

Calmly Haax activated controls. The ship lifted gently off the floor and the legs retracted. The engine was so silent no one had heard it come to life. Though Jack wanted to ask questions about the vessel, this wasn’t the time. Instead, he concentrated on the shuttles set into motion by the shifting ice and warned Haax when one of the larger transport ships headed toward them.

Deftly, Haax manoeuvred the ship out of its way to be faced by another coming from the other direction. He danced and weaved around them with barely a finger width of space between them as they constantly changed direction with the erratic movement of the ice.

Haax coaxed the craft over to a large hangar door with four stout pistons holding it firmly closed.

“Is that the exit?” Jack asked.

“If it still opens it will be,” replied the small pilot. “He turned the ship so the front was facing inside the hangar. “I have to prevent any of the loose ships from damaging us or the door until it’s time for us to leave.”

They all watched the sliding shuttles crash into each other. When any came too close, Haax gently shunted them aside.

Small pieces of ice dropped past Scott during his climb down the shaking ice cliff. He glanced down and caught a glimpse of the bottom through the snow and ice streaming through the crevasse. He rappelled down until his feet touched the bottom. He detached his harness from the rope and walked over to the large hole in the ice. He dropped to his knees and peered into its depths. Blocks of ice, both large and small, covered the cavern floor. He peered at the flash of red he noticed. It took him a moment to realize it was a Sno-Cat. The ice buckled, almost throwing him into the hole. A loud crack echoed through the crevasse. He climbed to his feet and gazed along the rift. The sound of ice being torn apart grew louder. A crack in the floor of the rift crept speedily toward him. He pulled out his ice axe and leapt at the wall. The axe slammed into the ice. His feet found small ledges of ice to support his weight. The sound of surging water washed over him. He peered into the crack that had opened below him. Freezing sea water rushed to fill the void as the sudden weight of the freed ice sunk into its depths.

Scott reached out and grabbed a protrusion of ice. He freed the axe, reached as high as he could and slammed it into the wall. He pulled himself up. The series of actions was repeated and slowly he moved up the cliff. He glanced longingly at the rope too far away to help him. He glanced down. Sea water leapt from the void. As fast as he dared go, Scott climbed out of its reach. It splashed his boots before running down the side of the ice wall. The wall behind him sunk into the sea. He raised his head. Ice fell. He pressed his body tightly against the cliff to avoid the falling lumps of ice. Some chunks struck the wall around him, but luckily only smaller pieces made contact with him before splashing into the sea. A terrifying squeal cast his gaze skyward. The freed ice behind him leaned at an angle and scraped down the wall, showering Scott with shards of dislodged ice. Helpless to prevent it or escape, horrified, he watched the ice that would crush or knock him into the freezing sea slide ever nearer.

The ice gripped the two climbing ropes and dragged them with it, fraying and snapping the ropes like they were cotton. Scott shut his eyes when the ice wall was about to make contact with his extended arm that gripped the ice axe. The ice brushed the back of his padded jacket and then it was gone. Scott opened his eyes. The ice had righted it itself as it settled into the sea and had missed him. He turned his head. The ice wall bobbed in the sea and slowly drifted away.