Free Beneath the Ice by Patrick Woodhead

strained against the heavy down fabric before he managed to jerk the zip lower and free himself. ‘Shit,’ he breathed. ‘You’re finally here!’
    Now that he was vertical, Luca could see that the man was exceptionally tall, with long, bony limbs that seemed to unfold rather than bend. He had straggly hair, darkened by grease, which was pulled back from his face by an old Manchester United sweatband. It bunched up at his temples, making him look like a throwback to a 1970s tennis player, while the face itself was hawkish. He stared at Luca with bright eyes, set over a long, aquiline nose.
    ‘I’m Joel. Joel Cable-Forbes,’ he said, flashing a smile. For that brief moment his whole face seemed to light up, and he shook Luca’s hand as if they were old friends. Luca guessed him to be in his late-twenties. He had the ingenuous manner of someone who had spent his entire adult life encased in academia.
    Squinting a little, Joel reached for a pair of round glasses tucked into his top pocket. One end was secured to the frame by electrical tape.
    ‘Better put these on or I could walk past you tomorrow and not even recognise you.’
    He then raised his hands to indicate the building they were standing in.
    ‘Guess I should say welcome to GARI. Well, the bits of it that are finished at any rate.’
    ‘It’s quite a place.’
    Joel nodded. ‘It’s a beast. Truth is, we could have done the same job in half the space, but I guess that’s not how things work as soon as people like Pearl are involved.’
    ‘Pearl?’
    ‘Yeah, Richard Pearl. He’s the guy who funded most of this place. I actually met him once. Real smiley guy . . . seemed to know everything about me.’ Joel paused, recalling the encounter. ‘Yeah, he’s one of those people who’s everyone’s best friend. Joking and smiling all the time. Well, that’s Americans for you,’ he concluded, as if it were all the explanation required.
    Luca glanced down to the book Joel had been reading. The cover was so faded it was difficult to read the title, but looking closer he managed to piece together
Journey to the Centre of the Earth
.
    ‘Inspiration for this place?’ he asked.
    Joel shrugged. ‘Guess so. In the book, they find a prehistoric lake deep underground, so it kind of felt similar. Fewer dinosaurs here though. Unless, of course, you take the Russian base commander into account.’
    Joel smiled at his own joke then the humour quickly drained from his eyes.
    ‘If I were you, I’d watch what you say around Dedov. He’s all smiles and jokes, but there’s another side to him. And he has one
vicious
temper.’
    As an old memory resurfaced, Joel exhaled deeply. A moment passed before he seemed to collect himself once again.
    ‘I won’t lie to you, Luca, I am glad you’re here. Things have gone from bad to worse in the last two weeks. Since Akira and Sommers fell into . . . well, I’m sure you know all about that. Cabin fever’s been getting to us all.’
    ‘Is everyone holding it together?’
    Joel arched his long back, stretching the stiffness out.
    ‘Let me put it this way. When Admiral Byrd came to Antarctica a century ago, he brought twelve strait-jackets and only one coffin. And things haven’t changed much since. The fact is – some people just can’t handle this place. Mentally, I mean.’
    ‘What about you?’ Luca asked, his eyes passing over Joel’s wiry frame and wondering how competent he’d be in the field. ‘You ready to go for the drill site?’
    ‘Well, I have the distinct advantage of being a bit of a dreamer. Means the days pass quicker for me. But it isn’t the same for the rest of them. It’s been so frustrating, having everything set up to extract the first samples, only to have to sit around waiting like this. Especially for the others.’
    ‘You mean Andy and Jonathan?’ Luca asked, remembering the files he’d been handed on the helicopter concerning the two other members of the British team.
    ‘Everyone