Colder Than Ice (9 page)

Dianne
raised her hand. “If it’s so cold there and all, how do you, well, you
know, go to the toilet?”

John
allowed the inexperienced group members to finish chuckling. “A reasonable
question. There are portable toilets in Antarctica, however during expeditions
away from an established base, all human waste is bagged in plastic and brought
back to the station for destruction. For times when you don’t feel like getting
dressed in multiple layers to walk out to the portable toilet for a quick pee,
women are given a funnel.”

“A
funnel? My God, you mean I have to pee down a funnel?”

Sarah
joined in the polite laughter of the others. “It’s not as bad as it
sounds, Di. It doesn’t mean you can’t get up and use the toilet. But it takes
about fifteen minutes to get dressed, ten minutes to get your clothes into a
position where you can pee, ten minutes to re-robe, and then fifteen minutes to
get undressed again. Give me a funnel any day. Trust me, after the first few
days you’ll think you’ve been doing it all your life.”

“I
doubt it,” Dianne muttered.

“Are
there any more questions? If not, I’ll hand you over to my crew who’ll teach
you about the clothing you’ll be wearing while in Antarctica.”

The
group spent the afternoon learning how to dress and undress, Antarctica style.
The many layers of clothes made them look like a group of overweight tourists
rather than doctors, scientists, and tradesmen.

Michela
watched the group’s interaction through the afternoon activities, and did her
best to avoid getting into a situation where she and Allison worked together.
The few times when she couldn’t avoid the inevitable resulted in derisive and
condescending comments from Allison.
It’s obvious she’s still got a problem
with the team leadership issue.

I
think I’m going to have to speak with her before this comes to a head.

Sarah
lightly tugged on Michela’s sleeve. “Is everything alright?”

Michela
turned and blinked at Sarah. “At the moment, yes. But I need to speak
privately with Alli and I’m not looking forward to it.”

“Knowing
the signs and symptoms of hypothermia is essential.” The look the
instructor gave Michela alerted her that he wasn’t happy with the interruption.

Michela
shrugged at Sarah and they returned their attention to the lesson.

MICHELA
FLOPPED DOWN onto her bed. “My God, I don’t believe we’ve been going all
afternoon. We haven’t even done anything physical and I’m already tired.”

Sarah
reached across the span of the two beds and softly patted Michela’s leg.
“It’s probably the jet lag. We’ve only got two hours time difference to
cope with. You’ve got a day or more. You’ll be right by tomorrow.”

Michela
gently removed the hand from its resting-place on her thigh and sat up. “I
never did thank you for that lead regarding Charlotte Finlayson. Without
Charlotte’s funding, this expedition would never have gotten anywhere.”

Sarah
dismissively waved her hand. “Don’t thank me, thank my ex-girlfriend. If I
hadn’t mentioned it to her then I wouldn’t have been able to suggest it to you
in the first place.”

Michela’s
attention strayed to the recent events between her and Natalie and she nearly
missed Sarah’s words.

“Michela,
are you alright? You look as if you’re off on another planet.”

Michela
ruefully chuckled. “No, I’m fine. I was just thinking about you and your
ex. It must be nice to stay in contact with each other. I don’t think my
ex-girlfriend and I will be contacting each other in the near future.”

“Sounds
bad. Is it recent?” Sarah asked.

Michela
nodded. “Too recent to be talking about just yet. Besides that, my
lifestyle’s something I don’t want the rest of the group to know about.”
She stopped at the slightly offended look on Sarah’s face. “I’m sorry, it
must be the jet lag. That didn’t come out the right way. I mean, your e-mails
indicated that you’re open with your lifestyle, whereas I prefer my
privacy.”

Sarah
held up her hand. “You don’t have to worry about me. I understand your
preference to keep it quiet.”

“Don’t
get me wrong, plenty of my friends and work colleagues know I’m a lesbian, I
just don’t think everyone needs to know about it.” Michela rubbed the back
of her neck. “This conversation’s getting far too deep for me. I think
I’ll try and wash off some of this jet lag.”

Sarah
laughed. “I better try and find something to wear to dinner among this
bloody great pile of clothes.” She plucked a pair of crumpled jeans off
the floor and placed them on the bed as Michela headed for the door.
“Michela.”

“Yes?”

“I
know we’ve only just met, but if you want to have a bit of a rant then I’m
happy to be a sounding board,” Sarah replied.

Michela
smiled. “Thanks. I might just take you up on that.”

ROB
SPRAWLED HIS large frame into a chair. “That was the best meal I’ve had in
ages. That venison was fantastic. And the Shiraz really topped it off. I wonder
if there’s another bottle around here somewhere.”

Ewan
sipped his port, a contented look on his face. “I wouldn’t get too
comfortable if I were you. There’s still the washing up to be done.”

“You’re
kidding aren’t you?” Dianne said.

“He’s
only teasing,” Rick replied. “I’m sure there’s someone else here
who’s paid to do that stuff. And besides, I’m definitely not cut out to be a
bottle-washer.”

John
Bryson laughed. “That may be the case, but in Antarctica you’re all going
to have to pull your weight. Obviously, you’ll be busy with the dig, but with a
group this size, you’re all going to have to help with the more mundane tasks,
such as washing up and emptying the toilet.”

The
group groaned in protest.

Rob
nodded. “John’s right. That’s how things are down in Antarctica. We’ll all
have to learn to pitch in and accept the jobs that Allison gives us, hey
Allison.”

Allison
disdainfully glared at Michela. “Why ask me, Rob. I’m just an
archaeologist on this dig.”

Rob’s
response and Allison’s defensive body language signaled to Michela that Allison
had yet to explain the leadership of the team to the rest of the group.

Like
spectators in a tennis match, the group’s focus alternated between Michela and
Allison. Michela nervously rubbed the tip of her nose.
Why couldn’t we
resolve this like two adults?
“Allison.”

Allison
shook her head. “How can a shrink lead an archaeological expedition?”

“I
don’t think it has anything to do with who should rightfully lead the
expedition. This is the basis behind Charlotte Finlayson providing the
money.” Michela watched Allison’s features cloud over. “Look at it
this way. As team leader you’d be responsible for a number of daily tasks.
Tasks that potentially would take you away from the principle job you’re there
to do. It would be to your advantage not be team leader.”

Allison
stood up. “Well isn’t that just peachy,” she declared.

Before
Michela could reply Allison was out the door.

Rick
placed his glass on the small table and stood. “Maybe she shouldn’t have
had that last glass of red.” He closed the door behind him as he went in
search of Allison.

“Shit,”
Rob said. “If I’d have known such a simple question was going to result in
after dinner entertainment then I never would’ve asked.”

John
stood. “There you go. Never a dull moment. Michela, have you got a moment
please?”

Michela
rose and followed John to his office.

“Is
that true? I must admit, given the nature of the expedition, I naturally
thought that Alli would lead the team,” John said.

Michela
nodded. “Frankly, I’d be just as happy not to have the position. As much
as it would interfere with Dr. Shaunessy’s work, it will do the same with mine.
And besides, she obviously isn’t happy with the arrangements.”

“That’s
an understatement. But it does answer the question that’s been plaguing me all
afternoon when I saw how she reacted to you during the training. You’re going
to need to resolve the conflict between you and get the team to work together.
If you don’t, no amount of donations will have me sign off any paperwork to get
either of you to Antarctica.”

Michela
nodded and yawned. “I understand, but at the moment if I don’t find a bed,
I’m likely to collapse. I think my jet lag’s catching up with me.”

John
rose. “If you want to discuss this further, my door’s always open. But,
with your particular background, I’m sure you’re more than qualified to find a
solution to the problem.”

SARAH
TURNED AS Michela entered the room. “That was a show and a half.”

Michela
sat down and pulled her boots off. “I don’t know if I’d call it that, but
I do know I’m in no mood to go another round with her tonight.” She felt
her upper back twinge, and she reached for her shoulder in an attempt to
massage the pain.

Sarah
sat beside Michela and moved her hand away. “Here, let me do that.”

Michela
turned and tiredly smiled. “You’re not trying to have your wicked way with
me are you?”

Sarah
snapped her fingers. “Darn, foiled again.” She held up her hands and
wiggled her fingers. “No, I’m a trained masseuse and I love my
sleep.”

“I
don’t follow,” Michela said.

“Well,
I figure if I can ease the pain then you won’t be tossing and turning all night
and then I can get some sleep.”

Michela
turned around and allowed Sarah to ease the stress from her shoulders.
“Women and their ulterior motives, I should have known.”

THE
FOLLOWING DAYS were a flurry of activity as John and his team trained the
group. They covered a number of topics, including snow and ice travel,
both in vehicles and on foot, how to survive in extreme conditions, and how to
erect a tent in a snowstorm. The day for the tent construction was made to
order, and a gale blew for the duration of activity. Although the final tents
were reasonable, they would definitely not suit any long-term habitation.

Despite
Michael’s presence as the cook, each member was taken through the ration packs
that would be the primary source of food during their eight-week stay. The
cooking lessons resulted in some interesting culinary creations, and the group
learnt to eat what was prepared regardless of its palatability.

A
full day was set aside for rappelling down as well as climbing up ice walls. In
time of emergency this would allow the group to extract a team member from a
crevasse.

Navigation
took up another day, as the group learnt how to navigate both with map and GPS.
Despite its size, the GPS was capable of guiding a person to within one yard of
their destination. The team was equipped with GPS that “talked”
directly with a vehicle, through a simple docking port. The result was the
ability to pre-program a journey and allow the GPS and vehicle to make subtle
shifts in the journey to cater to changes in terrain, while ultimate control
still rested with the driver.

“ALLISON,
HAVE YOU got a moment?” John asked.

“Sure,”
she replied and followed John to his office. She took a seat and waited while
he closed the door.

“I
thought it might be a good idea for me to clarify a few issues before we begin
the final two-day activity tomorrow. Let me start by saying you display an
amazing ability to adapt to the training we’ve provided.”

Allison
smiled and made herself comfortable. “Thank you. I’ve always been a bit of
a fast learner.”

John
nodded. “But there are some issues I need to discuss with you. There’s no
way to do this diplomatically, so I’ll be blunt. You’re great as an individual
but your interaction with the team is appalling.” He held up his hand.
“You’re obviously disappointed about not being team leader. But I believe
you’ve allowed this to compromise your working relationship with Dr. DeGrasse.
She’s tried every possible means to draw you into the group and you’ve resisted
every olive branch she’s extended. You continue to challenge her over the
smallest of things. Just now, during the washing up, you were finding food
specks on plates that even a magnifying glass wouldn’t have been able to pick
up. As a professional you need to overcome not being the team leader. If you
can’t get past this then you won’t be part of any team going to
Antarctica.”

“But
I know everything there is to know about this man,” Allison protested.
“I’m more than qualified for this job.”

“That
might be so, but you’re not working as part of the team. That’s more important
down there than any amount of skill or knowledge you may have. I’ll be assigned
to your group for this next activity and I’d like to see a marked improvement
in your attitude. If not, then I’m sorry but you’ll leave me no other
choice.”

Allison
tamped down on her frustration. “I’m sorry if I’ve been acting poorly and
you’re right. It was wrong of me to allow personal opinions to compromise my
perspective. I’ll do everything in my favor to ensure Dr. DeGrasse and I get
along.”