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THE ISLAND:
Henry and David walk around the interior of the control room, studying the different consoles. “I recognize most of these controls,” David tells him.
“The one we want will be different on this ship.”
Okana steps into the spaceship with Lisa, Rita, Bett, and Mike. He isn’t surprised to see the four chairs are designed to fit humans, but something bothers him. “If this thing crashed, where are the bodies, Doc?”
Henry looks at David, then at Okana. “That is an interesting question.”
***
THE MOTORBOAT:
Alex is holding the steering wheel in one hand and the satellite phone in the other as he stares at the screen, searching for a signal. He estimated he was five miles from the island twenty minutes ago, but the phone would not turn on, and he wonders if the close proximity of two devices is causing more interference.
He suddenly sees the screen come on and one bar appears. A moment later, he has two. When he has four bars, he pulls the throttle back and shuts off the engine. The cold wind whips across the water, and he takes a moment to put up the blue canvas top.
He enters his code for messages, and waits. In a few moments, two appear on the screen and he presses play.
“Alex, this is Sonja. Things are getting bad. Please call me.”
“Alex, this is Martin. The President wants an update, so call when you can.”
Alex enters Sonja’s number first for more information, and she answers immediately. “I just got your message.”
“It is starting, Alex. The earth’s axis has shifted three degrees off center, and the wobble is increasing in magnitude. Our latest satellite image shows the ice almost down to the Aleutian Islands.”
“I know. I’m just north of the islands right now. We found something that might help, and it’s only a matter of time. At this point, it’s up to my friends. There’s nothing more I can do.”
“Thank you, Alex. Bye, love.”
He enters Martin’s number and his receptionist answers. “This is Alex Cave. Is Martin available?”
“He’s in a meeting with the President, Mister Cave. Can I take a message?”
“Tell him Doctor Heinz has entered, and to sit tight.”
“I’ll give him the message as soon as he returns. Should I have him return your call?”
“He won’t be able to reach me. Just give him the message.”
Alex turns off the phone and slips it into his pocket, then starts the outboard motor and heads back to the island.
***
MYSTIC:
Josh hates not being in contact with Bett and the others, and cannot take his eyes off the wall of ice. And where is Alex? It’s been over an hour, and he should have returned by now. He looks out the right side window to check his distance from the island and adjusts the thrusters.
Brilliant blue light fills the bridge and blinks out just as suddenly. He looks north, where sunlight glistens off the front edge of the freezing water moving toward him and the island.
“Shit!” He jabs his finger on the horn button, and keeps pressing it repeatedly while staring out the side window, hoping they hear him and walk over the top of the crater.
Okana suddenly appears on the rim, waving at him, so he uses the thrusters to move closer to the beach. He runs out from the bridge to the railing and jabs his finger toward the ice. “It’s coming our way!”
Okana sees the glistening line of sunlight racing in his direction and waves both arms away from the island. “Get out of here!” he hollers back.
Josh hesitates, rocking from foot to foot. His friends could be trapped in the ice if he leaves the island.
“Just go!” Okana shouts. “Get the Mystic out of here, or we’ll all be stuck!”
Josh runs inside the bridge and uses the thrusters to spin Mystic around, away from the approaching ice, then switches from thrusters to turbines. If the ice continues and reaches the island, he’s ready for a fast getaway, but he won’t leave his friends until absolutely necessary. He holds the joystick and stares through the rear window, hoping it will stop before reaching the island.
***
Alex sees a flash of blue light on the other side of the island, but he’s already at full throttle and still miles away. In the distance, he sees the Mystic off to one side and knows Josh is being cautious of the approaching ice, but from his low elevation, Alex cannot tell what the ice is doing, and relies on the actions of the Mystic as a guide for what is going on. His knuckles turn white on the steering wheel, frustrated at not closing the distance fast enough.
“Come on, come on!” he grumbles as he gains another mile, but it seems agonizingly slow closing the gap.
The Mystic is suddenly racing away, and Alex realizes Josh must not see him approaching or would have moved in this direction. Then he sees the sun sparkling on the surface of the water, moving straight at his boat at an incredible speed. Before he can turn away, the boat abruptly stops, hurling him against the steering wheel and nearly driving his head through the plastic windshield.
He pushes himself back onto the seat, and hears the engine screaming, then it quickly overheats from lack of liquid water and dies. He stands, runs to the rear canvas and unzips the plastic flap, then steps out onto the rear deck. “Son of a bitch!”
He holds his palm up against the glare and can see the top of the island is still another three miles in front of the boat.
He’s suddenly thrown off his feet and crashes onto the deck. He feels the ice rising into the air, and stares at the island as it slowly sinks out of sight under the sheet of ice. When the ice stops rising, he leans back and shakes his fists at the sky. “No!” he roars.
He feels emotionally drained as he brings his fists down and opens his hands, then stares across the empty expanse of ice.
***
Okana watches the Mystic race away across the water, but he cannot see what is going on, and remains on the flat area above the beach. He jumps back, nearly falling over the edge as the water near the beach turns to ice. “Oh, shit!”
He climbs down the steps onto the dry section of beach, covers his eyes against the glare, and looks across the frozen expanse in all directions. Several miles away, he sees the small outline of the Mystic on the horizon.
He hears Mike hollering his name, so he climbs back up to the V, then stares down into the crater at Mike and Bett at the bottom of the gangway. “We’re trapped in the ice,” he hollers down. “I think the Mystic managed to stay ahead of it, but she’s a long way from here. It looks like we’re on our own.”
The sound of crackling and popping echoes inside the crater. Okana spins around, then falls back onto the ground as a wall of ice rises up from the beach. He feels the ground shake as the ice wall gets higher. He knows if it’s like the others, it still has a long way to go to reach one hundred-feet.
A few moments later, the ground stops shaking. The wall of ice has remained outside the crater, and only ten-feet above his head. He stands and looks down at Mike and Bett getting up off the gravel. “Is everyone all right?” Bett and Mike wave up at him, and the rest of his friends run out onto the beach from inside the spaceship and stop to stare up at him. “It seems we’re going to be here for a while.”