Breakthrough(97)

After what seemed like a long time the man finished typing and looked up at them. A short pause later the words Hello Dirk and Sally came through the underwater speakers.

Dirk swam past the speaker excited. Hello, he answered.

Sally swam close to the microphone. Where Alison? Where Chris? Where Lee?

The man forced a smile and typed back. They will come soon. We are friends. IMIS translated, and Dirk swam excitedly again. The man noticed that Sally continued to watch him very carefully. We need help. He typed.

Dirk answered quickly. Yes help. Dirk like help.

We want to give gift to people. He said. People in the city.

Dirk rolled to the top of the tank and came back down. Dirk take gift. People nice.

Thank you Dirk. The man at the computer replied. Must go fast.



Two scuba divers descended from the top of the tank holding a large thick harness. In the middle of the harness was a giant lump hiding a compact nuclear warhead. It was preprogrammed for the ring’s depth and location. As soon as it got within a quarter mile of any part of the ring it would instantly detonate.

The harness was gently fitted onto Dirk’s back and fastened underneath. When they were done he wagged his tail eagerly and swam around the small tank. Sally stayed close, swimming next to him.

The man behind the computer was now standing at the end of the tank watching when someone walked up behind him. “We ready Jared?” The young man turned to see Naval Chairman Bruce Bishop.

“Yes sir.”

“Any problems?” asked Bishop.

“None at all sir, they seem to be adjusting quickly.”

Bishop shrugged. “Good, though it’s not going to matter much longer.” He peered at Dirk and Sally through the glass alongside Jared. “If they’re ready, let’s send them out.”

Jared nodded and picked up a phone on his desk. “Open the doors.” He put the phone down and typed a message out. Please take gift fast Dirk. Hurry.

Dirk swim fast. Dirk replied. A few minutes later, behind the dolphins, two large doors began to slowly open. The ocean water on the other side rushed through and mixed with the tank water creating a tiny vortex. Using their powerful tails, both dolphins waited for the surge to subside, then quickly darted into the open ocean and were gone.





40





For the second time in less than two weeks, an exhausted Kathryn Lokke saw the McMurdo base station in Antarctica appear on the horizon. Her plane was much larger this time but only slightly more comfortable. Even so, she was really going to miss it when they had to transfer to the smaller and much colder C130s.

She turned and looked at the rows of people behind her. The effort had come together faster than she could have hoped, and true to his word, President Carr delivered everyone and everything she needed. International experts were brought in almost overnight, and when she explained to her own team what they were up against, almost all of them volunteered to go back. She had never felt so proud and humbled at the same time.

There was also no question in her mind that telling them the whole truth was the right thing to do. When they learned how grave the situation was, partly after compiling their own results, they were ready to get to work immediately. Nearly all of the remaining members became part of the project planning effort to ‘blow up’ the Ronne Ice Shelf and prevent a modern catastrophe. Her team worked relentlessly, and by the time the demolition teams had landed, many of the largest logistical problems and details had been worked out. Now the entire group, along with their equipment, was back.

At over 500 feet thick, the Ronne Ice Shelf presented a number of challenges. First and foremost was the depth of the wells required to ensure the greatest level of explosive effect. And the required mobile drill rigs were huge. They were also slow. In fact, as she found out, it was not the size of the drilling vehicle that was the challenge, it was the amount of the drill string piping needed for each of the vehicles. With at least three hundred feet of piping per drill, they took up most of the storage capacity on the plane.

Next was the food and supplies. Anderson’s New Zealand team would again serve as guides, but the project was expected to last for months which meant the food and supplies were substantial. The compact snow plow would be essential in creating airstrips smooth enough to land on in order for the planes to safely drop off more supplies. Satellite pictures and deep level scans would help identify the best areas, but in the end it would be up to those on the ground to decide where to plow.

Due to the urgency involved in getting the project underway, it was decided that it would be carried out in a staggered approach. This meant that with the essentials addressed, Kathryn would then be onsite to continue the planning from their base on the ice. Thanks to some innovative inflatable building structures from Norway, they were able to bring a relatively permanent form of shelter with them. Made out of an expandable material that strengthened as it was exposed to oxygen, the small outbuildings would be fully insulated and capable of housing up to five people each. Best of all, they were heavy but still mobile, so as the drills moved, so could the camp.