Blood of the Ancient - The Helix Rebellion saga #1

Chapter 10

Professor Quinton Crow was sitting opposite his wife in the airborne Hunter Skycopter, wearing his usual white tailored lab jacket over a mint-green shirt and tie. The team had been instructed to dress warm, as the climate of their destination was a frozen land, so Crow brought along a thick trench coat with an internal woollen lining. It was draped over the seat next to him, on top of a bag of thermal hand luggage. Long, bony fingers clicked at a keyboard on his lap, the glow from the screen reflecting against his gold watch; a gift from his father Regis, when he handed his title of Head of Science to his son when he retired a year previous. The black military bomber hat kept his ears toasty, with its short sun peak folded back. His dark eyes and pointed features were fully engrossed in his latest work.

Perhaps an elliptical orbit could have sent you all the way from this point in--

The sound of Laina's coughing broke his concentration, it made him smile. Over the years, her fear of flying had never really waned, and as such, these far out trips when a new discovery had just been made were less than enjoyable for her. Without question, they were expected to depart immediately and begin early research on any new specimen. He returned his focus to the screen in front of him as she hacked and barked, breathing deep into a crispy paper bag.

Right, where were we? Scan results, here we are.

The so-called unique meteorite that they were on their way to analyse had landed in the frozen North, sometime in the distant past. The hole that it punched into the thick ice before coming to rest was very deep, and had only recently been found, somewhat by fluke, by a scanning device mounted on a passing Hunter Military Skycar. It indicated that a sizeable metallic object was buried in the area, and had a very peculiar chemical composition. Early readings suggested that it possessed a strange combination of metals, in an arrangement that had never been seen before, something of an anomaly. A form of titanium, carbon, iridium and tungsten, and clearly from outer-space. If Crow could get his hands on it and decipher its atomic make up, any interesting qualities or strengths could be harnessed for Malik Corporation. The President had already expressed his excitement by phoning Crow direct.

"Blurgh..." Laina retched as the Skycar came to a bumpy stop. She was as white as a sheet and looked ready to regurgitate her lunch, much to Crow's amusement.

"Come along darling, let's not let these wannabe scientists see the great Doctor Crow in such a mess." he closed his laptop as he chided.

"Stop it, Quinton. I feel terrible."

A short man with a rough facial stubble interrupted them, dressed from head to toe in heavy fur clothing. He would do well out in the cold, Crow thought, with an obvious layer of podgy insulation around his waistband. His feet were particularly small, even for his challenged height, and he walked with very quick steps.

"Professor Crow, it's an honour, welcome to Alpha Base." The man held out a welcoming hand.

"Thank you." Crow shook the hand on offer, then quickly returned his frozen fingers to warm pockets.

"I am Research Officer Maxwell Reinhart, I lead the exhibition team and located the impact site," a proud smile appeared on his face. "We've been analysing the area for quite some time now, and we are confident that there is absolutely no danger to our investigating teams from radiation or biological threats. I strongly believe we can progress--"

"Good work, Maxwell," Crow interrupted. "However, I shall be conducting my own examination of the area before I send my team into a potential death trap, thank you." You damned buffoon. Crow's academic prestige had awarded him with an almost celebrity status, and because of it, he regularly suffered from personal power-trips.