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Shane checks that everyone is assembled and that they all make it past the security detail. Then he looks around for their contact...

On deck-

Gusmão follows Chard inside the heli. It´s standard issue military transport. No padding on the seats. Poor lighting. And no free drinks. No drinks at all in fact.

Down below-

Before long all members of the newly assembled rescue team / investigative team, are assembled in the air lock and wait for the lift to come down. The entire team, having donned their jackets and coats rise to the deck as the hydraulics of the lift wheezes. 

The deck is battered by bad weather. Quite a storm has risen and heavy rain is beating down. The giant metal bird of a double rotor helicopter stands with rotors running and flood lights on. The rear cargo door is down and a faint light pours out. No one is out on deck, except the seven who just arrived.

Shrugging off the chill of the first biting seconds of the climate change, you start to move towards the haven ahead. No time to get your personal belongings. As you get inside the belly of the military transport chopper, you see a man in wool hat smiling at you as you gather on uncomfortable seats lining the hull of the chopper´s cargo area. In the middle of the cargo bay is a grey snowmobile chained to the flooring. It looks as it would fit ten people easily. As soon as all are inside the helicopter, the man in wool hat makes a spinning gesture to the front of the chopper. The rotors wind up and the cargo bay closes.

"Welcome, I´m Sgt Chard. Sorry for the delay. It´s a hell of a storm building up." He looks at the people assembled. A mixture of military personnel and civilian contractors. Keep it outside the box, his orders had been. And so it had. These people had no direct ties to each other, they might have bumped into one another, but nothing more. "We have indications that someone wants the rig to be shut down. That may be the direct cause of the malfunctioning power. Also someone is sabotaging this mission from the get go. I´m informed by Valhalla security that the bar had a violation of security protocol just now. Someone almost died down there. I hope no one in this team had anything to do with that?"

The question was retorical, he continues by spreading blueprints on the hood of the snowmobile. "The rig is located inland Antarctica and 2K below the ice cap. These are the plans. I´ve put them in your portable command central as well." He pats a silver plated, reinforced suitcase. "It has a self sufficient power supply and will function for twelve hours to operate any electrical gear you might find on the mission. If it has a cord that is."

"Furthermore, you have a survival suit each over at the other side." He points at the wall across from the wall the team sits towards. "The rig will be accessed via the plant on top of the ice. It has a single pillar with three elevators inside. This will be your only way in and out of the rig. Make sure it´s not damaged."

"Basically you go down, find the source of the power failure and fix it. Report back via radio or in person. The snowmobile will have fuel to get you to the coast. From there a helicopter like this one will be waiting. We can´t take you all the way to the rig, because of the abnormal electric readings from the area. Whatever caused the rig to go silent could - in a worst case scenario affect the helicopter´s on board system."   He watches the team members and asks. "Any specific questions?"

Shane takes all the facts in with an eye to the tactics and security, "Sergeant, do you have any intel on the personnel that should be manning the rig? Dossiers of who should be down there might be handy if the worst happens. Be useful to know whose on our side...s'all I'm saying..."

McArthur listens carefully to the reply and questions that others may have before he checks over his gear and survival suit.

Do you have any idea who could be interested in shut down the rig? the ecologists maybe? Another oil company? my voice sounds damped and soft under the noisy engine of the helicopter, but enough volume to be heard with some aural effort.

Dis you notice previous failed attempts to shut down the rig? Also, shouldn't the abnormal electric readings in the area be related to the power off in the rig?

I carefully checked my partners faces. We have all a very different background. Also there is something strange I should ask...
Why are the UN staff involved in this mission instead the Tri Plan staff?

"There are files on the primary staff of the rig. Also a complete list of personnel on site." Chard answers McArthur.

To Zajic he says, "In the current world climate, UN has started probing private security companies, as you´ve probably heard. National interests have diminished and multi national companies carry more weight than governments do. That might be one reason for our mission being disrupted as back at the base. That and the fact that we don´t have all the pieces to the puzzle yet. Tri Plan´s own security probably ant´s to keep a lid on this one. Be wary of any other team you might run into. They might say they´re o your side, but only you are on your side. Understand?"

"Regarding other attempts on the security of the rig. I´ve no further intel to share with you. Besides, that the command structure of the rig has been questioned. Disagreements in priorities and such. But that´s not uncommon in any company. As for other oil companies, Tri Plan is pretty much on their own down here. That being said, there´re no lack of parties wanting a share of the cake. Pick any sub company and they might have interest in Tri Plan taking a blow."

Looking back to McArthur, Chard picks up the thread on personnel. "Ryland Striker is the CEO of the experimental rig. Oliver Garron is chief engineer. Lisa Daniels is science officer. Peter Martens is their lead doctor. The rest of the crew is on file."

- ¿May that electromagnetic interference affect also our weapons? ¿How about our health?

By the way, I supposse the heaters inside the rig are also outpowered, so we'll probably find temperatures as low as 20 Celsius below zero and this means that it's a must to get some real fine thermal clothing.

Dimitri liked helicopters because he thought that they are safe. He likes the view. He is a bit nervous because he doesn´t know what is going to happen at the oil rig.

too many scandals and too many delays. Vasques thought, does not take much to fix a situation like this. only a few daredevils.... but she looks around and does not seem to see any of his companions as she wants.  she would indeed try to remember its current appearance and she continues to be a simple technique, in any case already decided to go to Antarctica, with her ass frozen to fix something that she did not hurt.

just a breath go out from vasques, she check her suitcase, all her tools, and discovered that her nerves are hardest, never happen something like this, she only hope come back home without like a ice cream.

Peter raises his hand.

If you suspect foul play, letting toxic or nerve gas into the main supply is a no-brainer so we should come into the rig in full hazmat gear, complete with individual air supply, until we can ascertain whether the air is breathable or not. Ditto for airborne viruses.

How long time happened since last communication from the rig? When did they contacted the exterior last time? My voice ratherly sounds greater than the engine.
While speaking I watched also my partners faces. A huge team full of specialities and professional backgrounds. Some of them seems more useful than others to restart the normal functioning in the rig, but it seems that Tri Plan does not like to let any unexpected problem arise thus they bring a whole team capable to fix almost any problem.

Also, why do you need a pilot, me, for this mission? Do you want me to ride this machine to the Antarctica base and ride it back home again?

Come on, boss, aren't you going to say anything? asks Peter.

Chard looks up from the plans and stares at Bishop. This matter is serious, son. We have already sent a team to prepare for your descent. We were not sure the elevators were operational. It turns out that from the construction plans, that they have a manual fail-safe. It is possible to wind the elevators by hand. 

That was ten hours ago. We haven´t heard back from the team. But they will aid you when you get there.

The reason for  a versatile team is to cover all bases. The mission is not to just check on a power failure. We anticipate trouble. Only fools think everything goes according to plan. Better safe than sorry, right?

As far as we know, they should still have some power for life supply. The station can be considered to be equivalent to a space station. Your overalls will use your own body heat to keep your warm. Besides that, there are friction powered heat cells embedded in the suit. You´ll have flares with you which can be used as a source for heat as well.

Other supplies can be gathered at the storage base when we land. A guide will be waiting for you when we land. A certain Lisa Watersdown.

As for your weaponry, your handguns, should you decide to pick them as your starting gear are fully operational in any scenario likely to happen.

Also, flare guns can be equipped.

What might fail, is your communications gear. The cause of the disturbances is unknown, but we believe it can be caused by solar flares or some magnetic anomaly below the ice.

Your health will be monitored by Dr Bishop. At the base the rig´s doctor has a log of what happened last week. When you read that, Dr Bishop, you might know what´s wrong with the personnel.

And, yes. You´ll be carrying your own air down there. Should the ventilation system be out, you shouldn´t risk breathing contaminated air. The tubes lasts for an hour each. (each suit has two tanks)

You will be provided with testing gear to sample the air once you get inside the rig.

He pauses and then continues after having folded the blueprint.

Last call from the rig was 21 hours ago. While the first team arrived to the rig, the GPS signal stopped working. That was three hours ago.

To bring you home, we need a pilot to fly the oil-rig´s emergency evac helicopter. Either that or a C-130 stationed at the supply base.

Chard´s monologue is interrupted by the pilot.

We have another transport following us, sir. No, wait... It seems to be a shadow...It´s gone now.

Chard continues. Like you see. Trust your eyes. Not your gadgets. This helicopter will turn back to Valhalla after deploying you at the supply base. That´s why your services are needed Zajic. ETA four minutes. Buckle up!

The pilot takes the helicopter to a higher altitude closing to five hundred meters above sea level and changes course, slightly.

The young girl was staring while play with her small device in her hands, she was upset about all that military speech. She reminded constantly the event at the bar, her partnert's faces and the faces of the clients were nightmarish. However the girl cannot avoid feeling a little curious about have seeing the poor's man body.

When the boss speech brought her back to reality she only thinks about start again the game, and finish it with a new score record.

- g r e a t. So we will no have internet in that hole.

Everything is clear, Sergeant. I said while the helicopter approaches to the antarctic territories.
I glanced in the window the huge amount of everlasting ice covering a huge amount of territory, a no-man's-land, whose richness is expoiled by heartless multinational corporations. The sunlight over the ice surface hurts my eyes then I putted my sunglasses on.
Then I started to think about this mission and thought this seems to be an easy task, like an antarctic picnic. My partners seems nice and all I have to do is just accompany them to fix some problem at the rig and fly them back home after a nice a few hours later after a nice antarctic walk.

I brought my shotgun, but I suspected that I do not need to use this time. We have bodyguards who will help... a wild penguin attacking? yeah. This mission seems... piece-of-cake.

Great, says Peter. We could be facing God-knows-what down there, from killer penguins to the Great Cthulhu himself with nobody the wiser. Solar flares or magnetic disturbances is the poorest excuse for a Comm breakdown I've seen in ages.

Better picture an scenario in which hostiles have taken the rig, so we will be in for a protracted fight, fellas. If I'm wrong, I'll be more than happy to eat my pants.

You are absolutely right. There has been infighting on the rig. It´s very much possible that there has been an overtake of command by an opposing faction within the crew. The thing is that we don´t know.

That´s why you are traveling with security personnel.

Should it be a hostile takeover McArthur and Gusmão will be on top of things.

Hearing the doubt in Bishop´s voice, he says. This bird will head right back to Valhalla. If anyone wants to resign this mission, it´s just to stay on the heli and we´ll fly right back. I know that going in like blind mice isn´t the best way to start a mission. We do have an option to play this safe, people.

Whatever the trouble is down there we can report back that all life support has been shut down and all personnel have perished in the harsh environment. Just make sure the rig on top of the ice is disconnected to the lower base below the ice. To do this, you have to put an explosive charge or something in the shaft leading down to the lower rig. Explosives will be retrievable at the supply station.

Which we should be at in two minutes.

Oh, no... I thought that was going to be easy...
I smiled and nodded.
Yeah. No withdrawal.

listening to all indications my mood has changed, it is a normal mission into a giant refrigerator, and all missions will have their level of difficulty.

a smile on the face of Camille, who says: while we do it the more quickly the things we going to come out faster of this refrigerator.

Cita:

What?, says Peter in his most innocent voice. And miss the opportunity to see new places, meeting interesting new people, and killing them? Spoilsport!