S15: Rescue Party

5 Dec, 4pm: Near the base of the headless Elder statue, lay a huge basalt boulder. The statue’s head. Starkweather shouted with glee as he climbed atop the severed head and called out to Wilbur, “Take my picture, getting the statue itself as background. Wait, let me strike a triumphant pose, the conquering hero.” James was already composing the newspaper article in his head that would detail his most-grand Antarctica exploration. Pictures to go with the artifacts he was already collecting.

Meanwhile, Professor Moore and the other scientists of the party stood in marvel as they gazed up the river at the sprawling city. At one end, the frozen river seemed to cascade down into a gapping cave mouth as if feeding the underworld. Up river, they saw collapsed causeways and bridges that once spanned the river. Empty streets laid out in almost pentagonal patterns yet not quite. Buildings that looked like stacked archways with open windows and thresholds. From which ice seemed to flow. Offering an eerie feeling of being watched. All the foreboding of Dyer’s manuscript caused a natural increased caution. To those who had read it.

Wilbur wondered about the bridges, “The murals showed Elders in flight. The bridges must have been for their slave force.” Robert gazed at the pentagonal base of the statue and noticed more ramps leading down. “This one feels like a vast depth. And I’d swear I can almost smell the salt of an ocean below.” The draw of further exploration cut short when Oskar announced, “Check your O2 bottles. We need to get back to camp.” Along the way, Oskar tripped over a snow-covered chunk of the statue and face planted. Coming face-to-face with a silvery disk.

Closer inspection revealed a flatted tin-can labeled “Mettle’s Corn Beef. Must be from the Lake expedition stores.” Willard mused, “We’ve seen enough to suggest these Elders are carnivores. And the land once tropical before the plate-tectonic shifts. Maybe they ate dinosaurs. And now awake, willing to eat anything. Even the dogs and corned-beef.” Which prompted Wilbur to ask, “Dr. Orendorf, did you examine the stomach content of those specimens? Did you find any human organs?” Willard interrupted, “Now let’s not assume the worst. Besides, those specimens were dead long before Lake’s team found them.” Such reassuring words…from a scientist.

6pm: As they finally entered their camp, there was a genuine relief in all. Some realized the alienness of the city was getting to them. They entered the tent finding the pilots who reported, “The plane-ski is fixed; so, we can depart as needed.” As James and Peter Sykes unloaded their backpacks filled will artifacts, Oskar began medical checks and even administered shots “for altitude sickness.” Which prompted Wilbur to compare, “Winter survival on the ice shelves is one thing but survival AT altitude is entirely different!” Which prompted James to tell Himalaya stories of his past climbs, “Son, there was snow and ice and bone-chilling winds up there too. You need to settle down; fear can get out of hand. We can handle your Elder things; just a 5-footed elephant that I can add to my trophy room.”

William Moore gathered the others to discuss his plans. “We should return to your collapsed tower to retrieve Gedney’s body. But first, let’s get rest.” He then called Oskar to the side, “I think it best to give Wilbur an extra sleep-aid.”

During the night, Wilbur had fitful dreams. His mind raced with thoughts about Gedney. Why did the Elders bury him? Willard said honorably. But Robert described murals depicting experiments of mutations and gene-splicing. Did the Elders create their own Gedney-Frankenstein with their clawed appendages? Did they gut him like those in the plane hanger? Sleep was supposed to offer rest, but Wilbur woke just as tired.

6 Dec, 6am: James was already up finishing his plate of pemmican hash and powdered eggs. Robert took one look at the slop and remembered, “What I’d give for some of my mothers southern cooking!” As the trio was just about to sit down with their own plate, James asked, “Have you seen Moore lately? He got up hours ago and said something about rubbings.” Oskar jumped into action as he realized the man violated survival rules: never alone and only short exposures. They all rushed outside to search. And soon found the man hovered over carvings and shivering. Ice covered his eyebrows and beard. His skin pale and cold. They rushed him into the tent as Dr. Orendorf instructed all, “Slow. We don’t want to bring his body temp up too fast. You can see the man has frostbite on his cheeks, nose, and fingers. Hopefully his lungs haven't frozen.”

The patient mumbled incoherently as Oskar worked to revive him. Blankets, then broth, and pain pills. Finally, the professor they knew came back, “Stupid of me. I should have known better. But our time is running short and I just wanted to gather a few more images of this magnificent realm. I’ll be fine. Let’s eat and then go get Gedney.” But Oskar ordered a few hours of rest for his patient.

Meanwhile, Charles Myers came in with a weather report, “Winds have stopped. I can see the gap we flew thru. Probably 36-hour window of calm.” The pilots were ecstatic as they realized, “No headwind. We’d have enough fuel to fly directly to the main camp with fuel to spare.” Which encouraged James to announce, “Fuel to do a perimeter flight and check for Acacia’s plane. Make sure they are OK. But first gents, let’s let poor Moore sleep as we go retrieve that poor boy Gedney ourselves.” Charles offered to stay behind to help organize equipment to be loaded for the return trip. Thus, the recover team consisted of: Starkweather, the trio, Griffith, Sykes, and pilot Pat Miles.

Robert led the way to the collapsed tower, up the icy slope to the 70-yard-wide lip of the hole. He had to do a double take when he noticed Wilbur carrying the flamethrower. They descended the spiraling ramp to the floor 20-yards below. More murals along the walls for them to view with their flashlights. Robert offered his theory as to the long queer slanted ledges at intervals with bumps and a U-shaped rut. “Almost like handrails for their tentacle arms.” Willard nodded in agreement. Once they reached the floor, James and Peter searched for artifacts while Wilbur swept his light into the side passages looking for more of Dyer’s paper-trail. His pensive look drew Oskar’s attention who noticed Wilbur’s nervous actions.

When they neared the cairn, Peter studied the triangular footprints Robert pointed out. “I never saw the specimen so I can’t guess their weight, but I’d agree these are only days old.” And that’s when James suggested he and Peter go on a hunt. With Wilbur protesting, “Please, a quick look at his body. Willard thinks the Elder’s actions at the camp was a misunderstanding. But if Gedney is dissected or mutilated…” It took 4 of them to clear the cairn and pull up the canvas wrap. Oskar convinced Wilbur to take his hand off the trigger as the others unwrapped the body: naked, arms folded over his chest. No wounds. Till Oskar came forward to examine, “Frostbitten hands and feet. A head wound. Could have fallen.” Willard was satisfied in his theory but questioned, “Why did they undress him before the burial?” James had them rewrap the body and laid it on one of the sleds left beside the cairn years ago.

With the proper respects shown, James directed, “Shall we explore now?” With Wilbur’s nightmarish dreams proven false, he relaxed. Robert…tensed knowing they were about to descend into the unknown area Dyer reported in his manuscript. Penguins, ‘Tekeli-li’, and Shoggoth. Oh shit. He checked his rifle to make sure a round was chambered. Starkweather lead while Sykes fell back to mark the passage with ice-axe hacks on the walls. Robert, Oskar, and Willard paused along the way to investigate more of the Elder language dots trying to translate. While most flashlights were trained on the mural walls, Wilbur’s was trained on the floor as he looked for footprints or paper-strips.

They descended under a dark archway into a huge gallery shaped like a concaved bowl (think goldminer’s pan). Strange murals showed lines radiating from Elders. Some form of communication? Death rays? Other murals showed various animals (prehistoric and probably extra-terrestrial) in combat. Willard gasped, “A gladiator’s arena!” Oskar nudged Wilbur, “This would be a good time to snap some pictures.” Robert stood before another mural that showed a meteor striking another city along some coast. Accounting for his Pangea plate-shifts, the Paleontologist extrapolated the city position as near current day Tierra Del Fuego on the southern tip of Argentina. Robert shuddered at the realization, “There are MORE Elder cities. Some may even be underwater.”

Oskar stepped forward to study the same mural. Kind of a world map. He noticed the image of Elders with their wings and midbody appendages wrapped around their eyestalks. As if blocking their view. In front of them was a tower or temple upon a mountain. But as he looked closer, the doctor realized the mountain was manmade…no, Elder-made. Another panel of the relief showed combat between Elders and the Shoggoth creations. Willard was drawn to Robert’s and Oskar’s conversation and the mural where he considered, “Could those mountains really be towers or smokestacks? Imagine if they encased great machines that could control the weather.” Willard’s sanity dipped as he began to envision all kinds of the unimaginable.

They continued down, with James stopping occasionally to collect small artifacts. They passed more galleries littered with rubble…evidence of the Shoggoth rebellion? Onward they trekked till they came to an area clear of rubble. But not far ahead, the passage blocked. “Give me a hand to clear a path.” Just enough space at the top for each to squeeze thru once they took their packs off. On the other side: piles of used matches, broken matches, spent batteries, fragments of fur, a small cardboard box, fountain pen, empty inkwell, papers. “Could this be Gedney’s hidey-hole survival camp?”

They gathered the papers thinking they had Gedney’s journal. Instead, clustered dots filled the pages. Willard consulted his notes and tried to translate, “I think it’s a question. What happened when trees died?” And that’s when the light came on, “My God! The Elders who returned from lake’s camp. They thought they were returning to their Shangri-La.” Except for James who was still searching, “Can anyone else smell that? Saltwater? And I’d swear I feel a draft of warmer air.” Robert immediately remembered albino penguins. Wilbur thought of a ‘Sunless Sea’, Shoggoth, and 6ft penguins, “Haven’t we gone far enough for today?”

James led them down the sloped passage. Indeed, warmer and even humid. But the group stopped when they came to a new room with a clean floor. Immaculately clean. Smooth stone. “Too clean!” And that’s when Oskar spoke up, “Dyer’s text described the Shoggoth as blobs that rolled along the floor like sponges. That could explain the clean floor. But this looks recent. That would mean…” Wilbur squealed from panic and checked to make sure his flamethrower was ready. And as if he hadn’t frightened everyone enough, Oskar queried, “Does anyone else hear that cacophony of squawking?”

James was already on the hunt, “6ft penguins you say.” Into the next chamber where they found 5ft tall albino penguins wobbling around. Shuffling, squabbling, ignoring the humans. Willard clutched his gun while James and Peter seemed amused at the bumbling nature of the beasts. They all slipped past the creatures to enter another chamber. Void of penguin shit. Murals displayed Elders being dismembered. Amorphous things swarmed over the Elders in one scene while another showed the blobs toppling the heads off of the Sentinel Statues at the river. “Slave revolt.” But what really caught their eyes, was the newest panel that depicted 2 stickmen running away. “Holy shit! They recorded Dyer and Danforth getting away!”

And that’s when they heard “Tekeli-li, Tekeli-li.” Wilbur was the first to bolt in retreat, followed by Robert and Oskar. James and Peter actually paused in wonder, for they had not read Dyer’s text close enough. It was Willard who grabbed them by the collar and pulled them along, “Trust me, RUN!” Onward thru the penguin roost to then confront the blockage, “Hurry, climb!” Actually, Robert was the first to arrive, having passed Wilbur lugging his flamethrower. Robert climbed then gave aid to the others as they arrived. Only those near the rear could have heard the “pzzzz”. Robert impatiently waited for the others thinking them overrun. But then he saw Pat Miles. Then suddenly, “BOOM!” And Pat was engulfed in a cloud of dust and smoke.

“Cough, cough. That fool! Starkweather threw a stick of dynamite! He could have collapsed the place and trapped us all.” But the others could only stare at Pat…their ears still ringing from the blast and thus them unable to hear a word he said. But they did see James, Peter, and Willard arrive. “Don’t just stand there, go, GO!” They huffed and puffed as they retreated thru the galleries and back to the cairn where they finally stopped to catch their breaths. Except Wilbur who continued to the exit. James was excited, “Never in a million years. This is gonna make a hella movie. We should go back and try to collect the kill as evidence.” Miles sat on a rock shaking as he gulped from Oskar’s flask, “It, it had so many eyes! And tentacles! Oh sweat Mary Mother of God.”

As the others began to pull Gedney’s body up the ramp, Wilbur had already reached the rim of the tower opening. Where he sat trying to catch his breath. And looked upon the camp. And saw 2 figures carrying crates to the planes before returning to the tent. Then another figure suddenly appeared near the planes but was interrupted by someone coming out of the tent. By now Wilbur caught his breath and looked back down wondering why the others didn’t follow. And that’s when a shot rang out.

The sound echoed thru the canyon city and down into the tower shaft. “What was that? Is the camp under attack?!” Wilbur immediately laid flat as he turned to look back at the source of the gunshot. He saw a body lying face-down near the Enderby. And then saw someone jump down out of the plane before tossing something back at it. Something burning as a thin wisp of smoke trailed it. A flare! Wilbur immediately jumped up and began to run as he drew his own pistol, “NO! You bastard! That’s our only hope of escape!” And just as suddenly, Wilbur was knocked backwards by the concussion of the blast, “BOOM!”

He was just getting to his feet when James and Peter emerged from the shaft. Cursing at the billowing smoke rising from the Enderby. And spotted the figure limping toward the Weddell as he pulled a gun. Wilbur saw the same…a man wearing a different O2 mask. Black leather. Of German design. “You bastard!” He charged forward firing his pistol. Too far to actually hit, but maybe distract. But the figure ignored the threat and began to shoot at the next plane. Till he collapsed just as a rifle shot rang out. Smoke puffed from the end of James’ rifle. The adventurous hunter proved his marksmanship.

Meanwhile, Robert, Oskar and Willard worked together to pull Gedney’s body up the shaft and back to camp. Where they too took in the scene and the unfolding reveal. Wilbur was the first to arrive and began kicking the bleeding prone man, “You God-damned Kraut! Fucking Kraut!” Peter was the next to arrive and pulled Wilbur off the unconscious man, “Jesus. Give us a chance to interrogate him.” James was the next to arrive and pulled off the man’s mask. Revealing…Kyle Williams. Acacia’s pilot.

James was already screaming at the top of his lungs, “Dr. Orendorf! Save him!” Oskar arrived, opened his medical bag, and began treating Kyle while Peter assisted as nurse. Seconds before the man would have bled out. Now stabilized. “Why?” Wilbur staggered over to the other body and recognized Ralph DeWitt. Dead. Gil Maskill stood beside him as she surmised, “He must have waited for us to go inside before he attacked.”

James was already organizing a search team, “He must have come on foot. Spread out and look for tracks. There are only 3 ways he could have come. You pilots get the plane ready so we can search from the sky.” Thus, 3 search parties as Oskar and Charles stayed behind to tend their patient: Wilbur and Robert, James alone, Willard and Peter. As they took off, Oskar called out, “Look for discarded O2 bottles.”

Almost 30 minutes till all heard a rifle shot echo thru the canyon city. Peter looked out of the medical tent, “Oh my God!” Around the corner of one of the buildings, he saw 2 Elder things in flight. Carrying a limp figure beneath them. “James!” From another angle, another shot rang out as Robert took aim with his rifle. Wilbur? Sight of the Elders actually flying caused panic and retreat, “I wanna go home.” From the camp, Gil also took a shot but missed. Oskar steadied his rifle, led his target, and fired. A green mist sprayed from one, but it continued to fly off.

It took another 15 minutes before the remaining search team members returned to camp. Where Wilbur pleaded for the pilots, “Start the engines and let’s get out of here!” Oskar was livid, “You cowardly ass. We can’t just leave Starkweather behind. Just like Gedney, we can’t leave anyone behind. Dead or alive. And by God, he’s still alive. And remember, the Germans are out there.” THAT snapped Wilbur out of his trance, “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let me gather my gear and the flamethrower. I’m with you till the end.”

Robert was already with the pilots instructing them. Gil announced, “With the clear sky, I was able to get a sunbearing on their track. But we still need an hour to oil and warm the plane. And make sure Kyle didn’t shoot anything critical.” Time enough to interrogate the prisoner but he was still unconscious. And that’s when Peter returned from his search area where James was taken. “I found Kyles’ gear: rifle, backpack, satchel, empty O2 bottle. He walked across the ice.”

They emptied the satchel and backpack. And found a worn leather notebook labeled “Property of P. Danforth.” Robert exclaimed, “What the fuck?” as he turned the unconscious man’s face side to side. “It could be.” Oskar remembered Danforth as a young undergraduate, “Older but same features I remember.” Robert studied the penmanship writings then asked, “Wilbur, do you still have those threatening notes you received in New York?” Comparing the cursive, “You son of a bitch! You ARE Danforth.”

But what was most disturbing, was the pages folded inside the notebook. “The missing chapters of Pym’s journal!” They passed the pages around as they read Pym’s account of his own terrifying journey into hell. Beginning on an island in the Pacific. Whisked across the globe in some kind of conveyance, much like New York’s subway system. But this spanned continents. And sounded like Pym too stepped upon the icy Antarctica landscape. Where he encountered the Elders and “Tekeli-li” creatures. Except his story provided some kind of hope in a green lantern. That when broken, oozed toward living flesh and consumed the Elders in a cloud of red mist. Wilbur was already planning, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go find a green lantern.”

Next episode: https://rigglebmm.blogspot.com/2021/03/s16-to-tower-and-its-hypnotic-eye.html