Ice Rift Read Online Free PDF Page B

believe?”
    Max nodded. “This is my second visit. My first was three years ago.”
    “What's it like?”
    “Cold, damn cold. But as it's the coldest place on Earth, that's to be expected.”
    “I needn't have packed my skimpy bikini then?”
    Max laughed. “Oh, I don't know, it might come in handy. There’s an Antarctic tradition, a sort of initiation ritual for Newbie's. You have to run out onto the ice, naked , but they might concede and let you wear your bikini― the bottom half, anyway.”
    Jane wasn't sure if Max was being serious or pulling her leg. The grin on his face did little to convince her one way or the other.
    “It's actually true,” he told her. “It's also a good way of bonding with the rest of the team.”
    “I'm all for bonding, but running about in my birthday suit in the freezing cold watched by a group of men is not the bonding I had in mind.”
    “Well, give it some thought. I'm certain as soon as they discover you're an Antarctic virgin they'll mention it.”
    “Did you do it?”
    “Of course. It's not that bad. A quick sprint in the cold and then back in the warm. Actually it's quite refreshing. However, I'm a man and the team was all men.”
    “I'm certainly not going to mention this is my first time. Hopefully, no one will ask as we've such a busy schedule.”
    Max smiled. “Oh, they will ask, believe me, they will ask.”
    Jane looked out of the window. All she saw was ice and snow. It looked very cold. “Did you know that in August two thousand and ten, a NASA satellite recorded the lowest Earth temperature ever recorded in Antarctica? It hit minus ninety-four point seven degrees Centigrade, that's one hundred and thirty-five point eight degrees Fahrenheit. I can't imagine anything so cold.”
    “As I said, damn cold, but we shouldn't experience any temperatures that low.”
    “The rift is coming into view,” called out the pilot. “I'll fly above it until we reach your base so you can have a good look.”
    Jane and Max scanned the ice.
    “I see it!” said Jane.
    Max unbuckled his seat belt, crossed the aisle to take the seat behind Jane, and gazed out of the window at the approaching rip in the ice.
    A few moments later the small craft turned to follow the wide, deep crevasse.
    Jane stared into its depths, “The photographs don't do it justice.”
    “I agree,” said Max. “At eighteen miles long with an average width of two hundred and sixty feet, it's the largest rift discovered. When it breaks off the ice island will be about twenty-one by twelve miles, big enough to fit Manhattan on, with room to spare.”
    They stared in silence at the rift passing below them until the plane changed direction to once again fly above the ice sheet.
    “Base camp ahead,” called out the pilot, a few minutes later.
    The two passengers caught their first glimpse of their home for the following two months. Positioned about half a mile away from the rift, the small group of buildings was a speck in the white wilderness.
    The passengers gazed at the prefabricated cabins, which included living accommodations for ten people, a small sick bay, well equipped laboratories, kitchen, showers, radio room, rest room and storage. Separated from the main building was a workshop, a garage for two Sno-Cats and two Ski-Doos, a generator room and a storage hut. All were heavily insulated against the freezing temperatures. Though Jane had been involved from the planning stages, she still found it incredible the base camp had managed to become a reality in such a remote area of the ice. Trails formed by snow vehicles from the camp led off in different directions. As they flew over the camp, three people wearing red and orange snow-suits paused from their labour to stare up at the approaching aircraft.
    The small craft, battered by the constant wind, turned and began its descent. Jane watched the ice grow ever closer and noticed it wasn't as smooth as it seemed from high up. A powerful jolt shot through