Page 46 of Escaping my Dragon

“I wouldn’t have left if we’d had the proper equipment in the first place. My bad for not ensuring we were better prepared before leaving.”

“Not your fault. I mean, who could have predicted the events of the day?”

I removed a hand from the controls long enough to grab hers for a squeeze. “Even the station’s scientists didn’t have a clue.”

“Because nothing makes sense.” She sighed. “This has to be a nightmare. I’m going to wake up and find out I’m still on the plane to New Zealand and none of this happened.”

“That would be a shame, since some parts were quite nice.”

“More than nice,” she murmured.

“Um, guys, we can hear you,” Vernon interrupted.

Velma uttered a short laugh. “Sorry.”

“Hold on, I’ll put us on a private channel.” I fiddled on the dash and said, “There. Should just be the two of us now.”

“Assuming that alien thing isn’t listening.” She uttered a short barking laugh. “I can’t believe I said that. This isn’t real.”

“Felt real to me last night.”

“To think, a few hours ago, I was looking forward to our return to the station for round two.”

“If we’re keeping count, wouldn’t it have been round three? And who says it won’t happen? We’ll be at the Italian station within the hour,” I informed. I’d not been able to raise them on comms, but even if they’d abandoned their posts, the infrastructure would remain.

“Pretty sure you’re going to be busy.”

“If I were at McMurdo Station, yes, but I don’t have jurisdiction or duties at this outpost. I’m going to be as much of a guest and refuge as you.”

“How long before we’re picked up from there?”

“Depends. The C17 that left McMurdo will be at least a dozen hours before it returns. I’ll have to find out where it’s going to land. Those who didn’t make it aboard for its first run are kind of scattered right now.”

“But they will send a plane, right? We won’t be stranded here.”

I wanted to reassure her, however, as someone who believed in honesty, I couldn’t lie. “I can’t say for sure because it will depend on a few factors. Visibility for one. Safety of the crew. In other words, can they land safely and take off again?”

She glanced to her left. “Those volcanoes are spewing a lot of smoke.”

“It’s mostly steam, actually, from the lava hitting the ice.”

“McMurdo station is gone?”

“Yes. And last I heard, Ross was evacuated because it was expected to be next.”

“Is this Italian outpost far enough?”

“I hope so. If not, we’ll climb back into the bird and move to another location.”

She said nothing for a few minutes, and when she did murmur, I had to strain to hear.

“…military do if there is an alien in the mountain?”

“That will depend. First, is it causing immediate harm? Second, can it be reasoned with?”

“And if it’s no on both those counts?”

“Then they’ll scramble some jets and subs, and the Navy will chug over some of its battleships in a show of force.”