Nash observed him with an ugly scowl. “Ah, you’re here, Buckley? I had counted on more time, I confess… but never mind. I’m not going back to McMurdo. There are other research bases nearby, you know, and some people who have a more reasonable approach as to what is due to us, as civilized human beings. They will be very happy to hear about this valley and all its resources, which will come in handy for us. So I’ll be off, and I’m taking this pretty little thing with me,” with a sickening expression, he caressed Manari’s cheek with a finger, and the young woman recoiled. “Some company won’t hurt me, I think. Don’t follow me, though — I’d hate to shoot her, but I’ll have to resort to that if you leave me no choice.”
Having said that, Nash spun around and started in the direction of the river and the sea passage, driving the frightened Manari before him.
“Manari! Manari!” Omrek called desperately.
“After him,” Scott commanded. “No, not everyone — it’s too risky. I want a small group that moves quickly. Jerry and Zoe, you stay in the village and keep an eye on the prisoners. Pete, Omrek, Tarveg, come with me.”
Petri and Scott had their guns, Omrek his bow, Ne Tarveg his spear. Without waiting another second, they sprinted in the direction of Nash, who was already crossing the river. “Damn it, he’s quick,” said Petri. “Scott, once we are done with this nightmare, you owe me hours of explanations. Come on.”
Chapter 20
They sprinted after Nash as fast as they could, slowing down by necessity when they got to the slick, mossy stepping-stones of the river. By the time they crossed, Nash was already out of sight, but they saw his tracks, all jumbled together with the tracks of Manari, down the path leading to the bay. They hurried after him, with Omrek calling out the name of his wife from time to time, his voice echoing off the rocks.
“You had better keep silent, Omrek,” Scott said breathlessly. “Manari might be afraid to shout, and if you keep at it, Nash will know exactly where we are.” Omrek listened and fell quiet, though it was evident that silence was hard work. He kept chewing on his lip, and anxiety was etched in every line of his face.
“Don’t worry,” said Ne Tarveg, his expression set and grim. “We’ll catch this son of darkness. He has no way to go on but to the bay.”
Scott and Petri exchanged a glance. If Nash had a portable radio, and if he was really in touch with one of the other bases… they had tried to keep a network of connection between the research stations, and unfortunately, Scott knew that in some of them, people have become desperate because of the situation around the globe, and stopped respecting the Antarctic Treaty. If one of them was unscrupulous enough to harbor a criminal…
They went on. “Damn,” Petri said, voicing the obvious, “we have lost his tracks.”
“Impossible,” Omrek said, his jaw set. He bent low to the ground, studying it in the flickering light of the aurora. Scott helped him by turning on his flashlight, and they were able to see that the tracks swerved sideways. With a jolt, Scott recognized the very path down which Ne Riorag led him when they went to look at the giant reptile frozen in ice.
“He’s trying to bluff,” Petri said in a low voice. “The bastard!”
“He’s chosen the wrong path, then,” said Scott. “It’s a dead end.” He was not quite sure of that, though. Nash could have attempted to climb up, and if his radio signal worked, and another station had a helicopter or snowmobile team to pick him up, they would never catch up with him.
This concern proved futile, however — they came face to face with Nash just in front of the great ice wall, from inside which the enormous ancient beast was glaring at them with its motionless, glinting yellow eyes. Petri gasped at the sight of it, but Omrek, incensed, had no eyes but for his terrified wife, who was still held at gunpoint by Nash. Ne Tarveg clutched his spear and stared at the frozen monster.
“It is just as my father told me,” he said quietly in Anai.
“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Nash said mockingly, following their glances. “It’s far more impressive than the Siberian mammoth. A treasure for paleontologists.”
“We’re not here to discuss science, Nash,” Scott said through gritted teeth. “Release this woman, drop your weapon, come quietly, and no one needs to get hurt.”
Nash smirked. “Why don’t we talk about other options, Buckley? I just sent out a radio signal. I have friends who will be here in a few minutes, to fly me way with this pretty thing,” he squeezed Manari’s arm with a twisted smile. “So you turn and walk away, and I will let you go quietly — but when you come back to that valley, get these savages to understand that they are to make some room for civilized people. We have just as much right to be warm and snug and well-fed as they do.”
While he was speaking, Omrek raised his bow, fit an arrow, and aimed. He understood enough English to justify the cold and murderous expression that appeared on his face. He drew his arm back in a slow, precise motion.
“Omrek,” Scott said quietly, so as not to provoke him, “Omrek, please don’t do this. You don’t want to put Manari in danger.”
“Yes, listen to him,” Nash nodded. “If you try to shoot, you will hit her,” and he shielded himself by putting Manari in front of him, and holding the gun to the back of her head. She let out a frightened whimper.
“Omrek, go,” she said in a strangled voice. “I’m afraid he will kill you.”
“Let him,” Omrek snarled. “I would rather be killed than have the shame of my woman taken away right in front of my eyes.”
“Nash, be reasonable,” Scott spoke again. “You are in such big trouble already that you won’t be able to dig yourself out of it as long as you live. You have violated the Antarctic Treaty, the appropriate usage of firearms clause, and about a hundred human rights clauses. You have stolen a helicopter, kidnapping the pilot along the way. If you put a stop to this now, you can improve your situation one tiny bit. Surrender at once, and we’ll see what can be done for you.”
“You fool, Buckley,” Nash said softly. “There are no more rules as you know them, don’t you get it? The world out there is collapsing. The United States will never recover from this bloody war. The treaties, and agreements, and laws, and all sorts of humanitarian wishy-washy crap are worth nothing in the here and now. Right now, the only law is the survival of the fittest. The strong takes what he can for himself,” he squeezed Manari again, “and the rest, well…” he shrugged. “Tough luck.”
For a few moments they remained poised like this — Nash with Manari on one side, the four men, two in orange parkas, two in fur and leather, on the other, and the great grey scaly beast watching them from its icy grave. In a fleeting observation, Scott thought that the ice looked more transparent than it had when he had come here with Ne Riorag, but it was probably just his imagination.
His brain was working frantically, searching for ways to resolve this. The four of them were armed, and could take Nash in a matter of seconds, but nobody was willing to risk Manari’s life. And if Nash was really expecting backup — he certainly sounded confident enough…
Then, all of a sudden, Ne Tarveg lurched forward in a great leap, and before Nash knew what was happening, his right arm was in a vicelike grip. “Tarveg, no!” Omrek cried out desperately, while a shot reverberated through the air. It hit the rocks on one side, and a few crumbled and fell, making Scott, Petri and Omrek jump aside to avoid the slide of stone and ice. The rocks were unstable, as the revelation of the ancient monster had already proved, and a slide could easily trigger another one.
“Don’t be an idiot, Nash!” Scott shouted. “You could get us all buried here!”