ICE

Chapter Two

Sub-zero

"Commander, incoming transmission from Flight Lieutenant Rodgers."

"Patch it through, James," Daniels requested. "Lieutenant, receiving you."

"Commander, I've got a heavy storm heading our way. ETA four hours, the Dorchester is on standby to relay all communications. Might go dark on you when it hits, just giving you the heads up."

"Copy that, Lieutenant... Keep me updated, and stay alert."

"So, as if we don't have enough problems already, deep cold beyond that door, unwanted eyes watching us, possible loss of comms... Not to mention our limited air supply!" Martin said as he looked at the control panel. "I'm damned if I'm going to be a frozen corpse in this forsaken place."

"Keep working on the doors, Martin."

"He's right, Commander. If we do not get within the main structure, your team will die within seventeen hours."

"I know, James. Any progress with that Binary message?"

"I've relayed it to the Dorchester, they are passing it through all known dialects in an attempt to decipher it. Nothing as of yet, but there are still many disused languages which may be of help."

"And Nilsen?" asked Daniels.

"Again... Nothing, sir."

There was a deep groaning within the structure, it faded and fell silent. "Just the coefficient movement, due to temperature change." James stated. "Expansion and contraction... Nothing more. Though we may hear it often, it's nothing to worry about."

Kitch sat upon a coil of cable, turning his knife in his hand. Watching the light glance off the blade as it slowly turned, watching the motion of the security camera as it followed their movement, reflected upon the blade. He stopped and reached for his comms control upon his left arm. "Commander, switch to local comms, channel nine. Whispers only." Daniels did likewise, nodded, and waited. "Commander, that camera has a zoom function. Someone's watching Martin, watching his actions and countering them. Pull the plug on it." Kitch whispered.

"Someone's alive down here, and not a V.I." he quietly replied. "We need to know if whoever it is has audio feed."

"Watch the camera." Kitch said as he slowly rose and walked towards the vast doors to the hangar. Reaching down, he grabbed a large wrench from a toolbox and swung it against the door with a resounding bang. It stayed focused upon Martin and the control panel. Surprised the team spun round and looked at Kitch. Kitch just pointed at Daniels, and they returned to their previous engagements.

"No audio feed. Good! Return to local comms channel four, Kitch." Daniels walked towards the camera and climbed upon a metal supply crate, he reached up and grabbed the cable attached to the rear. With a pause he looked at the door which would lead them further into the facility, and ripped the cable free. "I apologise for the sudden noise, but we now know the camera had no audio feed... And now it has no visuals. How are we doing with the door, Martin?"

"Not sure, sir... It seems to be using a quad encryption of some sort, however..."

"This is not Human designed, Commander." James added. "I am fluent in all encrypted protocol coding that the Global Security Council uses. Even Black Ops coding... This is not one of them."

"Can we break it?"

"I can, but I need an up-link to the Dorchester." replied James.

"Just steal another Car, James!" Cortez called out and laughed.

"It's not that simple, the main dock door used a system much simpler than this one. This terminal is hardwired into the facilities main security... Over-riding it will be problematic. Unless I have an up-link with a quad encryption drive, I would burn my circuits trying to decipher the first two access points."

"Do it, get this damn door open!" Daniels said and walked to the door. Holding his hand against it, the deep cold within and Samantha waited. As he looked at the locking mechanisms his thoughts searched before him, every second that passed deprived him, prolonging his very wish... To find Samantha, alive and well.

As James and Martin worked on trying to get an uplink to the Dorchester, Kitch searched the cargo crates in the hold. Between wrenches and power tools he found what he needed, a Diamond cutting blade and the power tool needed. "Look what I found, just needs a power supply."

"Anyone?" Daniels asked as he looked around. "Find a power outlet. James, can you get me a stable connection without fluctuations?"

"I think I can, sir. Give me a moment to isolate this terminal, and I can then reroute power to the output sockets."

"Got a socket, plug it in!" Bryce said as he moved the cargo crate below the camera. Kitch plugged it in and waited for James to isolate the power.

"I hope this works." Daniels said as he thought of what lay beyond the door. "Samantha..." he muttered softly. "I'm coming."

"Power isolated, stable supply, for now..." James said as he worked at the terminal. "Hurry, unsure how long it may last. Many surges within the structures mainframe, re-routing power to all systems."

"Cut the lock out, Kitch!" Daniels shouted as the cutting blade wound up to speed. "Do it!"

Sparks flew and the blade whined as it bit into the door, James continued to hold the power supply as it fluctuated. Each time it dipped the blade slowed, each time Daniels wondered if it would stop, each time James managed to keep the power within tolerance. Houser looked upon the door as the lights faded and returned, watching as the sparks streamed and bounced of the floor.

"We'll get it open." Morgan said as he stood beside him. "I'm not dying in a garage when my air supply runs out."

"We're getting in and out. I have a drink ordered for you back on the Dorchester."

"I'll get the second round, Houser." he replied as the door clanged. Kitch stood back and the blade wound down.

"Talk to me, Kitch..." Daniels said as he looked upon the damage. "Are we in?"

"Give me one moment, sir." He replied as he reached into the gaping hole he had cut. "Just a little turn of this... and... Bingo!"

There was a clunk, and the pressure released, the edge of the door sunk inwards and a frozen breath sighed as it escaped. Stepping back Kitch smiled. "Always a mechanical sub-locking release with these doors. Nilsen might use them, but Vari-lock makes them... I've blown a lot of these with the old C4 in the past. You kinda recognise the twisted parts as they fly past you, if you do it enough."

"How many have you blown, Kitch?" asked Morgan.

"Oh, I don't know? Maybe three hundred plus." he laughed throwing the cutting blade to one side.

"James, can you give me lights beyond?"

"No, sir... Not from here. But while Kitch was cutting the lock, I managed to isolate the infrastructure blueprint. You will be glad to know I have a full structure readout, all access points and terminals."

"Gentlemen, that is why we bring a V.I. these days. What Nilsen will not supply, James will take." Daniels said. "Kitch, open the door, I want two files, James and Dr Cole at the rear... Stay on local comms, and be ready for anything."

Kitch placed both hands upon the door, with a hard push the door slid inwards. Holding the edge he pushed it slowly upwards on its single hinge, and it slid aside. Darkness met them, and shimmered as their lights tried to dispel it. Rifles ready they entered the cold, silent, corridor. Each footfall crunched through the thick layer of frost, and the breath of the unknown touched everything. Sharp spires coated each panel, each pipework, each light fitting. Nothing had escaped the curse of the Ice Maiden.

Sparkling with each pass of the torches they slowly swept the access, checking each room along the way. Each holding was the same, ice covered and silent. Before long they came to what seemed to be a mess-hall. Tables and chairs frozen in time, food and drinks locked in permafrost still on plates and in mugs. As they passed by and swept the room for bodies, life within the facility showed its comfortable existence. A card game still mid-play, hands in order, face down upon the table, and the coins which they played to win. A notebook, neatly written messages to a wife waiting at home, never to be received...

Daniels silently directed them into two parties, ordering a silent sweep. Morgan and Kitch searched the kitchen, empty and left as it was. Food and utensils lay upon the kitchen tops, ovens open and food still within. "Looks like they just vanished into thin air, sir... No signs of a struggle, no evidence of a panic... This is very strange, sir."

"Copy that, Morgan. Press on!"

Bryce, Houser and James passed by the Information board, wiping his hand across it the frost brushed off, and Houser saw a picture. A middle aged man smiling embracing a young girl, they seemed so happy, smiling together. "I wonder who they are, where they are?"

"That's what we're here to find out, but I hold little hope of finding them unharmed." Bryce replied as he passed it by.

"No one could have survived this frigid place... Move on to the next exit." Daniels replied. "James, how far are we from the housing block?"

"Not far, through the next exit and one hundred yards ahead. There is a terminal that I can access, and..."

"James?"

"That Binary transmission... The Dorchester punched a signal through just as we entered the passage."

"And?"

"It would appear that it's translation is not... Human."

"Not Human? Care to explain?"

"It was passed through the archived dialect files, over eleven hundred known languages were compared... It matched none."

"Then who, or what sent it? And why?"

"I wish I knew, sir."

"Okay, people... Things have changed. We're now looking at a threat level encounter. If you see something, shoot first, questions after. Guns live, be ready."

On they pushed deeper into the complex, the cold silence only broken by their footfall echoed within their minds. Shimmering shadows danced in the beams of their lights, and this added weight to their fears. Security cameras watched their every move, and they pulled the plug on them as they went. "Still being watched... Can you locate whoever it is, James?" Morgan asked.

"If I can gain access to a hardwired central system, I believe I can... Yes, If we get to the Administration Offices they have a central link. I believe I can regain environment control also."

Daniels' thoughts drifted upon Samantha, and he fought to keep his eyes sharp. Ever the thought of harm upon her was close. But the mission had changed, they needed to regain control of the facility, its environment controls, and to discover the origin of the transmission. Only sixteen hours of life support remained, and they had only just entered the facility's inner passages...