The Descent

Chapter 47 - Into The Dark

 "Tell me something new," Tanner replied. "We've got plenty of problems. What now?"

"Carter and Leah are out there somewhere on a snowtrekker, right?" Denton said as he approached the trekker that was being prepared for him. He stepped up to it and ran his fingers across the cockpit canopy that gave the driver a 200-degree view of the surrounding environment. It was smooth and without a scratch, as if brand new. A ski on each side at the front of the trekker gave it the steering capability it needed while a wide grooved track visible at the rear of the machine, partially hidden under the body of the trekker.

"That's the way it appears," Tanner replied. "But, that's not new. We already knew that."

"I'm not talking about Carter and Leah. What I mean..." Denton started and then stopped mid-sentence as Marcc stepped up.

"Quite the machine, huh?" Marcc said.

Denton nodded. "Yeah, it is. I feel like I've seen these somewhere before."

"Yes, yes," Marcc said, his eyes wide, a large grin on his face. "Back in the day, on Earth, they had these. Of course, they called them something else. Snowmobiles, I think. They used them to travel throughout the unfriendly winter environments. It was a simple form of transportation."

"I see," Denton said. "So these snowtrekkers are inspired by transportation from Earth, huh?"

"Exactly right. Exciting, isn't it? It's the perfect design for the Shadowlands. Obviously, we've had to make our own improvements with the canopy covering the driver, proper heating elements, a better source of power and so on."

"Is that so?" Denton said, trying his best to appear interested. He didn't have time for chit-chat.

"It may not look like much, but it's one of the best machines you can get for the Shadowlands, that I can promise you."

"Well, looks like I'm going to need it. When will it be ready?"

Marcc nodded towards the trekker. "Go for it, you can get in. I'll just need to run a few system checks, and you'll be good to go. Safety procedures and all that."

"Got it," Denton said and stepped into the trekker and strapped himself in. The cockpit consisted of a bucket seat, the steering and throttle controls and a variety of screens with readouts for the various trekker systems.

"Here, let me give you a quick rundown of the controls," Marcc said and proceeded to give Denton a quick tutorial. A few minutes later, he waved goodbye and retreated to the office.

"Tanner, the problem isn't just Carter and Leah," Denton said as Marcc closed the door to the office. "Jonythan and Gabi are out there somewhere too."

Tanner remained silent for a few moments as if processing the new statement. "How can you be sure? I have no way of independently verifying that."

"I don't think you need to. They both signed out a trekker each earlier, down here in the office."

"So you're saying that the whole Forsythe clan is out in the Shadowlands," Tanner said, more as a statement than a question.

"Exactly," Denton said and closed the canopy. He turned on the systems Marcc had showed him and double-checked his seat belt. "And that's a problem."

"Sir," Marcc said over the comms as the garage door in front of him slid open, "Please remember that comms is limited to about five miles from the base. If you go further than that, no-one here will be able to hear you if you run into trouble. You'll be on your own."

"Roger that, Marcc, I appreciate the heads up."

Denton looked out straight ahead at the swirling snow beyond the garage door. What was he getting himself info? It suddenly dawned on him that he was just about to drive out into the Shadowlands all on his own. The dark and cold unknown, a place few people went voluntarily, yet here he was, ready to burst out of the warmth of the resort without really knowing what lay ahead. He couldn't help but feel uneasy.