“I understand their concern, but I’m sure you can find someone else with more experience connected with the study of icebergs and their rates of deterioration.”
“Yes, we probably could, but you are already acquainted with this particular iceberg and what’s inside. Bringing in an outsider risks revealing the discovery to another person.”
“Surely that’s no longer a concern now Richard’s splashed the story all over the newspapers?” countered Jack.
“Something I’m confident Richard is now regretting,” stated the man, knowingly.
“If you think that, then you’ve never met him,” scoffed Jack.
The man smirked, as if he knew something they didn’t.
“I admit his story is sensational, but apart from a few photos and Mr. Whorley’s frankly unbelievable account of what happened in Antarctica, he has no actual proof the spaceship or alien monsters exist. The internet is full of faked photographs and alien sightings, and the Pine Ice Glacier is so remote it’s almost impossible to go there to verify his story.”
“So you’ll cover up the discovery?” Jane asked.
The man shrugged. “I am not involved in such decisions. My task is to acquire your services Miss Harper, at any cost. I’ve been instructed to inform you that you can name your price.”
Jane looked at the overdressed man with renewed interest, who she noticed had started to sweat in the heat. “I can pluck a figure from the air and you’ll pay it?”
“Not me personally, but yes, that is my understanding. Within reason of course.”
“You are not seriously considering going back after all we went through?” said Jack. “We barely survived.”
Jane looked at him. “Yes, I think I am. How long is it going to take for me to check out the iceberg? A day―two tops. And I can name my fee? I’ll never have an opportunity like this again.”
“The clock is ticking, Miss Harper,” interrupted Hawthorne.
“If I said I wanted one million pounds, what would you say?”
“I’d say, high, but reasonable, given the circumstances.”
“What about three million?”
Jack looked at her in shock.
“Look, Miss Harper, I don’t want to seem rude, but time is of the essence here. Just name the price that will get you to Antarctica so we can get things moving.”
“Okay, Mr. Hawthorne. I also don’t want to seem rude, but this is what I want―three million British pounds: one for me, one for Jack, because he’s coming with me or I don’t go, and one million to be donated to charities of my choice. That’s my price. If it’s not acceptable then please leave―you’re blocking the sun and ruining our holiday.”
Hawthorne sighed. “It’s acceptable, but we have to leave now. I have a plane waiting to take you to Antarctica.”
Jane was a little surprised by the suddenness. “I’ll need certain things to do my job.”
“We probably already have what you need, but make a list and I’ll see it’s taken care of.”
Jane turned to Jack, finding he had a stunned look on his face. She smiled. “What’s wrong? Isn’t a million pounds enough to buy you a new airplane?”
“More than enough, and thanks for the consideration, but it’s not that that worries me. I can’t believe we’re going back.”
CHAPTER 12
Scout Ship Salvage
WHEN THE THREE fabricated skids were ready to be pushed into position, the large airbag beneath the front of the spaceship was inflated to slowly lift the sleek scout ship. When it was six-inches off the ground, four men pushed the first skid under the leg and the air let out of the bag. The foot of the spacecraft rested gently on the skid and was then clamped tightly in place so the two could not separate during the journey. The bag was removed, placed beside one of the back legs and the process repeated. After the final skid was in place, they were joined together with lengths of metal bolted on to keep them from twisting or separating.
The roar of the waiting bulldozer echoed through the hangar when its powerful diesel engine roared to life, sending a plume of black exhaust fumes up to the ceiling. The driver drove it into position at the front of the ship and the engineers hitched it to the forward sled. McNally checked everything was secure before giving the signal for the driver to start towing. The skids screeched on the metal floor as the ship slowly moved towards the exit.
The engineers followed it through the ice tunnel and onto the ice ledge. As the bulldozer turned, the ship slewed towards the edge, but stopped after a few heart-stopping moments with half a back skid overhanging the ice. The driver cautiously inched it to safety.
McNally glanced up to make sure the ship had cleared the overhang of ice and told the driver to stop. The ship was unhitched and the dozer pulled clear. McNally glanced up at the helicopter hovering over the cold ocean a short distance away and contacted the pilot with his radio. “It’s ready.”
The helicopter approached and hovered over the scout ship. Blasted by the downwash whipping up snow and ice, the men grabbed the swinging cables and attached them to the harness they had fitted around the ship. When the skid clamps were released, McNally glanced up at the pilot and gave the lift signal.
The helicopter took the slack out of the cables and strained to lift the weight. After the pilot applied more power to the engines, the spaceship slowly rose from the ice. As soon as it was free of the temporary skids, the helicopter turned towards the ship. The engineers congratulated themselves and watched the impressive alien vessel sway below the helicopter it dwarfed; it was flying for the first time in thousands of years. This was the riskiest part of the operation. If one of the cables snapped, the others wouldn’t be able to support the weight and the ship would be lost to the sea.
McNally contacted the ship on the radio. “The scout ship’s on its way.” He turned to his men. “Well done. Now it’s time to tackle the larger cargo shuttlecraft. Hitch the skid trailer to the dozer and bring it into the hangar.” He headed back through the tunnel to start preparations for salvaging the second alien vessel.
As the cargo vessel had four legs, the trailer would be dismantled and an extra skid would be connected. Though the cargo ships were larger, no one foresaw any problems.
Admiral Thomson, the scientists from NASA and the crew, watched the spacecraft swinging precariously below the helicopter approach the container ship. Some let out a sigh of relief and others cheered when it was lowered safely onto the ship. Men rushed forward to unhitch the cables and secure the alien vessel to the deck.
Mason walked over and stood beside Thomson. “What we’re looking at is probably the most important piece of technology on the planet, so I hope it’s not going to disappear into Area 51 like the last one.”
Thomson glanced at Mason. “What happens to it when it leaves this ship is not my decision and neither is it yours,” he stated, testily.
The NASA scientists and engineers walked over to the amazing spaceship and wandered around it, pointing at certain features and surmising what their functions might be. They couldn’t wait to get it back to their workshop and gain access to all of its alien advanced engineering. It should be a simple matter of reverse engineering everything and in a few years they could have a whole fleet of them going into space and traveling farther than they ever thought possible in their lifetime. Mars, Jupiter and beyond, wouldn’t be a problem with this ship. The age of true space exploration would soon be upon them. They were reluctantly pushed back when a large cover was pulled over the scout ship to hide it from prying eyes in the sky.