The Antarcticans (37 page)

Everyone nodded, indicating they were ready to get on the plane and start the long-haul trip. As Lucifer approached the white jet, the door separated from the fuselage and, in a slow purr, opened like the mouth of an animal and settled on the ground. The captain stood at the top of the stairs and saluted them as they approached. Lucifer boarded the plane quickly. Gavin stood outside for a moment, marveling at the engines and the polished chrome accents adorning the wings and windows. The tail of the plane had the red dragon emblem he had come to see everywhere in the ship. He was the last one on.

Gavin settled into the white leather reclining chair. Burled wood and stainless-steel lines flowed through the cabin. There were two screens on the bulkhead at the front of the plane that separated the passenger cabin from the galley. The flight attendant, in her red uniform with mink-colored fur poking out of her hat and jacket, was serving Lucifer a cocktail from a silver tray. She took the rest of their orders as the first officer pressed the button to close the boarding door. He checked around the door to make sure it was sealed properly then disappeared into the cockpit. The engines whined to life and the plane was tugged into position at the beginning of the runway. The engines roared, and then they picked up speed down the runway and into the air, climbing hard and fast. Noila and Joshua sat farther back in the plane from Gavin and Lucifer, facing each other, with a table between them. They had pulled out a deck of cards from a compartment under the table and were dealing a hand of gin rummy.

Lucifer sipped his cocktail and turned to Gavin. “What made you change your mind?”

Gavin slouched in his seat and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it sticking in different directions. “No idea.” He gazed out the window as they climbed to five thousand feet, where a few clouds were drifting past.

“That’s quite an epic event to have no idea how you arrived at it, don’t you think?” Lucifer said.

Gavin continued to stare out the window. “I haven’t had time to even contemplate what it means. I’m still ashamed of myself.”

“For believing those things for all those years or for almost letting your son die because of them?”

He finally turned to Lucifer. “I’m still a pastor.”

“Really? Still holding on to that?”

“I don’t know anything else. The first person I trusted was a man of God. It was the only way I thought someone could become the highest expression of good. Really…can we talk about something else? I’m not sure.”

“Fair enough. Did you ever read the Gospel I gave you?”

Gavin nodded. “Yes, but I don’t understand why you gave it to me—you’re not a Christian.”

“True, but I recognize that something powerful resides within each of us. I thought I could convince you to understand what you needed to do to help your son. When Jesus says, ‘If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forthwill destroy you.’—well, I was looking for a way to let your full divinity come out, relying on just yourself to help your son. I have to admit, it wasn’t my idea—Dr. Sagona thought it up. She deserves the credit.”

“I wasn’t reading it that way,” Gavin said with a shrug. “But thanks. I appreciate the effort.” He paused for a moment. “So…what’s waiting for us in Antarctica?

“I can’t really describe it. You’ll have to see it for yourself. I encourage you to get some rest. The next few days are going to be intense.” He reclined his seat and closed his eyes.

Gavin got up from his seat and walked back to Noila and Joshua. He sat down next to Noila and leaned into her. “Can you deal me in?”

She made room in the seat next to her, shuffled the cards, and dealt him a hand. The flight attendant refreshed their drinks and placed a basket of snacks on the table next to the discard pile.

“How are you feeling, buddy?” Gavin asked.

“Weird and lonely?” Joshua laid down a card and looked at his mother. “It’s like I’ve lost all my friends.”

“I know the feeling,” Gavin said.

They all laughed. Noila tentatively put her arm around Gavin.

The flight attendant gently shook Gavin’s arm, pulling him out of a peaceful sleep. As he sat up from his reclined seat, he felt the plane descending. He rubbed his eyes and looked toward the back of the plane. Noila and Joshua were changing into strange-looking suits. Lucifer wasn’t in his seat or anywhere else in the passenger cabin.

“Sir, you need to get prepared for the arrival. Your suit is on the seat behind you.” The flight attendant pointed to it. “Can I get you some coffee or breakfast before we land?” She unfolded a menu in front of him.

“No, no, thanks. Where’s Lucifer?”

“He’s in the cargo bay. He prefers the cold there.” She headed into the galley and closed the door behind her.

The plane touched down, sliding to a stop on the icy runway. They taxied for a few minutes, and then the engines powered down. The flight attendant reappeared, dressed in a suit that was similar to the ones Noila, Joshua, and Gavin had put on. She looked back at everyone. “Put your hoods and masks on before I open the door,” she told them. Satisfied that everyone was dressed appropriately, she pressed the button to open the door. Icy wind filled the cabin and froze the water vapor in the air, causing it to snow inside the plane.

“Whoa, it’s like special effects in here,” Joshua said.

They stepped off the plane into the frigid Antarctic air. The cargo-bay door opened, and Lucifer, in Srechritoris form, stepped off and shuffled through the snow. He came back over to the family and the flight crew, who were gathered at the bottom of the plane’s stairs. He was breathing heavily.

“The tunnel structure has been collapsing unexpectedly from the melt, so we need to travel above ground to Chimeruth. The walk is about a mile. The suits will keep you protected; I’ll lead way.” Lucifer set off toward a small mountain range, with Noila, Gavin, and Joshua following him.

As they traveled the narrow path toward the range, they saw evidence of other travelers, small bits of manufactured goods scattered through the packed snow. Their feet sunk into the snow, which made the walk slow and tough.

“It’s breathtaking here,” Gavin said, as he looked over the white mountainous landscape.

After almost an hour, the ground firmed up, and they came to the entrance of a small path through the mountains. They followed Lucifer into the tight space. Noila went in first behind him and reached her hands out to touch both sides of the walls. The snow that was stuck to the ice walls fell off. Once they were inside, Gavin realized these mountains weren’t mountains at all; rather, they were tall slabs of ice that were stacked on top of one another.

“Who made this?” he asked.

“Millions of years of climate,” Lucifer replied. He already had disappeared around the next bend in the path.

As they traveled deeper into the crevasse, only small packets of sunlight made it to the floor of the path. In the distance Gavin heard the muffled engines of the plane whine to life then throttle hard into the sky. It was just the four of them, alone in a deep crack within the ice. They turned a corner, and Gavin couldn’t see any more of the path. Noila disappeared into the darkness; Joshua was behind him. The ice walls glowed dimly from the sunlight making its way through the cracks from the surface. It took Gavin’s eyes a minute to adjust because there was light behind them, but it was completely dark ahead. He stopped walking, “Lucifer?” he said into the blackness.

“Just keep walking. Keep your hands out. This only lasts for a little bit,” Lucifer replied. Now that he was in his Srechritoris form, his voice had taken on an accent Gavin didn’t recognize.

The cold seeped through Gavin’s protective suit. He felt Joshua’s hands find his back and press into it. Lucifer was right; the darkness started to fade, and the narrow passage widened, opening up to a large space within the ice before it ended. Noila was close to Lucifer and well ahead of Gavin; she was walking beyond the ice.

“Chimeruth!” she exclaimed.

Gavin walked faster to reach Noila and see what she was talking about. She was pressing her hands against an invisible barrier; Joshua came up beside her and did the same.

Joshua looked out at the village. “What is it?”

Noila turned to Joshua and Gavin. “You’ll both love it here,” she said.

Lucifer was nuzzling his head in the snow, flipping it over his mane and back. He seemed to be sweating heavily. “The entrance is over here,” he said. He headed toward it, following a lightly treaded path in the snow.

Where the path ended, Lucifer entered through the protective dome. Gavin, Noila, and Joshua went in beside him and entered Chimeruth. As Gavin passed through the dome, he heard a soft whoosh followed by a pop when the last of his body was inside the dome.

“I think you should recognize where we are.” Lucifer nudged Noila in the arm with his wet nose.

“You bet I do. I can’t believe I’m back here, and with my family,” she said.

Florencia came out of her house, looked twice at them, then ran toward them. “Noila! Noila! Why are you back? You should leave. It’s all falling apart—my twins and husband are missing. Oh, Noila, I think they’re dead.” She was distraught. She had pulled out one of her braids, creating a bald patch on the side of her head. The rest of her braids, which had been so neatly coiffed the last time Noila had seen her, were graying and ragged.

“What happened?” Noila asked, taking her hands in hers.

“The tunnels…they just collapsed out of nowhere. It doesn’t seem like anyplace is safe here. They told me I could leave, but I can’t leave without my family.”

“Where’s Vinettea?” Noila asked her.

“Noila, we should go. You have another purpose here, and so does Joshua,” Lucifer said softly.

“I can’t just leave her. Who’s helping her?” Noila said.

“I think you’ll find things have become desperate here since you left. We don’t have much time,” Lucifer said. “Florencia, you know we’re doing what we can to find your family, but please don’t endanger the world by urging Noila to leave. You know what’s happening.”

“Yes, Lucifer.” Florencia bowed and gave a pained wave as she slowly headed back to her house. She seemed to lose her way in the short distance between where they were standing and her front door. She briefly looked back at them then darted between the houses.

“Florencia!” Noila ran after her.

Lucifer bounded in front of her and blocked her path. “There’s no time. Many are dying and suffering. You must stay focused.” He pushed her back on the path and led them to the silver disk that Florencia had shown her in her first days in Chimeruth. The snow and ice around it had partially melted, revealing a shaft of metal below the disk. Lucifer moved to the other side of the disk, where a small makeshift staircase stood, allowing them to climb to the top of the disk. Noila, Gavin, and Joshua followed him to the top of the disk. “When we get into the cavern,” he said, “you must not ask any questions about what you see—no matter how shocking or surprising it might be. Just follow my lead; everyone is very busy. I must ask each of you to commit yourself to secrecy as well. Nothing you see here can ever be told to the outside world.” Lucifer looked at Joshua, Gavin, and Noila for acknowledgment; they all nodded.

“Are you all sure you can take that vow? Keeping a true secret is very difficult, and I’d hate to see any of you suffer like Captain Bongri.”

Gavin’s face went white. He looked at Noila and Joshua, who were still nodding.

“Very well then. Stand very still as we descend,” Lucifer said.

He patted his two front paws against the center of the disk. A portion of the smooth cover slid aside to reveal a scalloped space, made from ice, the size of a small bowl. Lucifer placed one of his paws in the depression. The backlight turned green, and the sound of gears and locks unlatching beneath them clicked and whirred. The disk separated into curved triangular pieces, the edges of which held intricate metal mechanisms that were used to connect the puzzle together. The disk separated, with each of them on their own section of the puzzle. Gavin looked over the edge of the piece of metal he was standing on. The circular steel cavern went down as far as he could see; the end was a misty gray haze. Each of their pieces started to descend, picking up speed. Noila’s hair was blowing in the strong wind. They quickly passed through the gray mist. On the other side of it, they landed gently on the ground.

Lucifer led the way through a tunnel to a circular room much larger than the shaft they had come down. Five curved doors stood along the perimeter, each with a painted number on them. Gavin could see into the rooms through windows that were set between the doors. Situated just below the windows were glass control panels, with information displayed about what was happening inside the rooms. There were different color circles and boxes with Antarctican symbols projected inside of the glass. The technician’s hands were rapidly working the controls of the activated panels, collecting data and looking into the rooms, observing the activity inside.

“This is the main chamber. As you can see through the windows, we have a variety of experiments taking place. I’d like to take you down a level to show you the real bedrock of our center here.”