Rogan, page 6
“Yeah, I hear you,” the colonel replied. “Let’s make sure no more trouble is going on around here. In the meantime, go solve this generator thing up there so the scientists’ problems don’t become ours.”
Both men were dismissed and now walked along the hallway, back to the clinic. “He means so our problems don’t become theirs, doesn’t he?” Rogan muttered to Magnus, as they reached a safe distance down the hallway.
“That goes both ways.” Magnus picked up the pace. “Enough shit is going down here right now that we don’t need more people to look after.”
“Yet nothing new has happened, right?”
“Nothing new?” Magnus turned to face Rogan. “Not in the sense that you mean. We’ve got Willy in the clinic under observation. Lisa has moved into the clinic job, replacing the traitorous nurse. We shipped out the injured guards. One’s back on duty, and the other has returned stateside. Before that, Terrance was rescued and sent stateside for advanced care. So, other than that, no, nothing new. But we still have missing men, dead men, plus the murdered Russian guy named Helsky.”
Rogan grimaced. “Right. So, although nothing is new, not everything has been solved either.”
“Exactly,” Magnus murmured. “That means we haven’t gotten any answers yet. We don’t know where the missing men are. We found Terrance at the Eskimo settlement, or Sydney found him, after the villagers had kidnapped her. Those two original deaths are bizarre as hell, becoming more suspicious as this other shit happens too. Not to mention that Sydney had to shoot Joy right in the clinic.”
Rogan looked over at his buddy. “That would be the nurse that Lisa replaced, right?”
Magnus nodded. “Has Ted the investigator talked to you yet?”
“No, should he have?”
Magnus didn’t say anything but had increased his speed, forcing Rogan to pick up the pace to keep up.
“Should he have?” Rogan asked again in a pointed tone.
“I would think so, if for no other reason than to check that you’re aware of what’s going on, plus to see if you’re involved.”
“I don’t have any involvement,” Rogan claimed. “I’m back, and you know why.”
“Sure, I know why, but remember. Nobody else gets to know why.” On that odd note, Magnus checked his watch and looked back at Rogan. “I’m leaving in about forty-five minutes. So go grab some food, some coffee, and get geared up. I’ll meet you outside at the snowcat in forty-five.” And, with that, he was gone.
Rogan meant to ask Magnus about using fuel on the snowcat versus taking the dogs or snowmobiles, but, considering what had happened the last time Magnus took out the dogs, maybe it was for the best. Saving the dogs for the training was good, but the base needed the fuel too. Maybe that’s just another reason why the colonel wasn’t happy about these trips to the scientists’ camp.
Mulling all of that and more, Rogan headed toward the kitchen, where Chef called out to him.
“Hey, I heard rumors that we’re getting extra bodies.” His facial expression revealed such misery that it looked almost comical. “I don’t have supplies to support that.”
Rogan nodded at Chef because that much Rogan had gathered already. “Okay, I’ll let you know if and when that changes. However, my understanding is that we’re trying everything we can to keep them where they are, and a move here would be a last resort and only for their safety.”
“That would be good,” Chef stated, clearly exasperated. “Otherwise, somebody needs to get me more food and supplies in here and do it damn fast.”
“The scientists may bring some fresh and canned goods with them. So maybe you need to put things on tighter rations here,” Rogan suggested. “Between you and me, I’m guessing they’ll be here within the next day or so.”
Chef winced, then groaned. “Great. Time to go reassess the kitchen.” And, with that, he turned and was gone.
Day 3, Morning
Waking the next morning, Lisa lay in bed, sensing a change, but that same unnatural feeling permeated the new morning of a new day. Lisa got up and around to discover that the scientists were still at their own camp. Yet it felt as if something were brewing under the surface.
She smiled at Chef as she grabbed a coffee. “A reprieve for another day, huh?”
He rolled his eyes. “I really don’t mind if they come, and we’re here to assist anybody who needs help of course. It would just be nice to know which way we were going with more than a minute-by-minute notice.”
She chuckled. “I think the scientists probably want to know that too.”
He grinned. “You could be right, but I’ve still got to be prepared, just in case.”
“It’s not that many extra people though. So it won’t be that big of a deal, right?” she asked, with a curious tone, trying not to upset the applecart. If Chef was determined to be upset, he would be. However, if he was fairly laid-back and calm, then this was just another twist in his day.
He chuckled. “If I start rationing the coffee,” he pointed out, “what would your reaction be?”
She stared at him in horror and immediately topped up her cup.
He burst out into guffaws. “As I said, that’s when the rationing would start.”
“You are kidding me, right?”
“Depends how often we can get supplies, if they can get these people out fairly quickly, or if they need to stay here long enough to finish whatever they’re doing,” he explained, with a shrug. “And then there’s the weather factor. If we get caught up in a days long snowstorm, no one is leaving, and no supplies are coming in.”
“Would the scientists stay here until they finish this research?”
“Why not? We’re an international military base right now as it is.” Chef smiled. “So, if we’re bringing in more military personnel, trainees, or scientists who need to complete a job, what difference does it make?”
Lisa pondered that as she headed back to the clinic. There she found Sydney, but only Sydney. “So you released Willy, huh? You must be relieved at that.”
“Definitely I am. He’s gone, and he’s doing fine.” Sydney grinned. “So that means you can head off to the next training op and get back into the swing of things. If I need anybody, I can call you.” Lisa hesitated, but Sydney immediately shook her head. “Go. You’re fine. Most of the time I don’t need anybody anyway, and, unless something major happens, then I can call you.” Sydney gave a wave of her hand.
“What about the colonel though?” Lisa asked, with a wince. “If I’ve been reassigned, I’ve been reassigned, right?”
“Yeah, and I already had a talk with him about that. You’ve been reassigned back to your training team, and you’ll be on call for the clinic on an as-needed basis. That’s the arrangement I have cleared with him.” Lisa stared at her boss in delight, and Sydney laughed. “Did you think I didn’t know that’s where you wanted to be?”
“I come up here for the training,” she agreed, “and it did take a fair bit of effort to get called up for it.”
“Understood,” Sydney noted. “So go on.”
And, with that, Lisa called out her thanks and raced to where her team was already laying out plans.
Peter, her team lead, looked up, smiled, and acknowledged her. “Guess who’s back with us?” he stated, with a nod in her direction, and everyone focused on her.
She grinned. “Unless something blows up in the medical clinic, I’m back.”
“Understood,” Peter stated. “And, in reality, depending on the size of the blow, there could be more than just you called in.”
Then she considered how many here had varying levels of medical experience associated with their service. “Got it,” she stated, as she headed off to pack up and to get ready for another day out on the trail. She gave herself a talking to about the cold and to do a better job of layering up. What she couldn’t afford to do was to get sweaty and hot, overheat, and then chill down—something they were working on today.
She had her own team of four, and they were to take turns walking the dogs. And, with Joe out with them, giving strict instructions on the dogs, Lisa realized they were still operating short of one dog team. She winced as she talked to him. “How are the two injured dogs?”
“They’re fine,” Joe snapped, with a retort more sour than necessary, “but they won’t be back out for this season. And Magnus and Rogan are spoiling them rotten.”
She nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
“It does for them,” Joe stated, casting her a glance. “One of the worst things you can do is overexert them, particularly when there’s no need for it. I know a lot of people are training here, but nobody has to run the dogs hard. It’s always about keeping the dogs safe.”
“Which goes without saying, I would presume.” She cast a glance around at the other dogs. “I’m sure everybody’s being very careful with them.”
“They better, or they’ll answer to me,” Joe vowed, his voice harsh. “I’ve got two injured, and the most I ever had out before is two.” Determination glared through his tone. “I will not tolerate a third.”
“How are the recovering dogs handling being left behind?”
He shrugged. “I’ll be bringing Benji, not that he’ll be doing any of the training today, but he needs to be exercised to get some of that leg movement back. When he tires, I’ll put him on a sled.” Joe finally grinned.
Realizing that the dogs really were in the best hands possible, Lisa quickly headed to her assigned sled. By noon they were sitting out in the middle of nowhere, at least it appeared to be nowhere, and a calm surrounded them. White was in every direction, blue sky beaming down, the sun hot, the snow freezing cold, and yet it was a glorious day. She smiled, grateful that she was back out here, when one of her teammates walked over and asked her how she was doing. She smiled. “Grateful that I made it out here today.”
“I’m not at all surprised,” he said. “That’s what we came for, isn’t it?”
“You’re Salmo aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“Got it. That’s the thing about being at this Arctic base,” she explained. “We’re all here to get out in this frozen tundra and learn how to survive these elements. All of us want to experience what we can, though being short a couple dogs isn’t helping.”
At that, he winced, looked over, and nodded. “And even though the injured dogs are running, they’re not in shape to pull, according to Joe.”
His neutral tone had her staring at him. “You don’t agree with that?”
He raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and pointed to Joe. “He’s the boss, so that’s not my problem.” And yet his words had a disgruntled note in them.
“Sorry if it means you didn’t get as much training as you wanted,” she added. “Me? I’m just glad to be back out again.”
“Of course you got called into the medical center, didn’t you?”
She laughed and nodded. “That’s what happens when you’re a nurse,” she noted. “They tend to pick you up as relief.”
“Which is probably also how you were brought into the program,” Salmo pointed out. “I know dozens who weren’t accepted.”
“I hadn’t considered that, but, yeah, you’re probably right.”
And, with that, Salmo walked off with a huff.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized that was exactly why she’d probably been given a slot for this training session. Even though a two-person medical team had been onsite, that didn’t mean they didn’t always need backup, as had been proven already.
Still, Salmo seemed upset that she had been chosen over others.
Maybe those guys should have gotten their own medical training that ensured they would be chosen on ops where they could fulfill two positions.
Sighing, yet determined to not let Salmo’s sour grapes affect her, the day passed without any issues. When she finally got back, chores done, she was wiped out, more than tired. While still hot under several layers, she felt the chill starting to set in.
She shook her head. Something about donning or shedding that outerwear made maintaining an even temperature damn-near impossible. She walked into the medical center not long afterward and checked on Sydney, who sat at her desk, doing paperwork.
Sydney looked up, smiled, and asked, “How are you doing?” Her gaze was watchful, as if she already knew all about her.
“I did pretty well,” Lisa replied. “Only in the last bit, coming in, did I get that chill again.”
Sydney nodded. “Go curl up in bed for a few minutes and see if it gets any better.” She pointed to the warming packs left behind on the hospital bed by Willy. “You know better than to let it get worse.”
“I was thinking I would pick up some dinner and take it back to my room, if that’s possible.”
“It’s absolutely possible, but, mentioning that chill again, I’ll be coming in to check on you,” she declared firmly.
She tossed her boss a glance and reiterated, “I’m really okay.”
“Good, glad to hear that.” But the doc’s gaze was watchful, as she studied her nurse’s features.
“I guess that’s really a problem here, isn’t it?”
“It is, and you can’t argue about it. In here everybody is strong, everybody is capable, everybody knows what they’re doing, yet not everybody is as self-aware as they need to be,” Sydney explained. “And when you’re working in these temperatures, we can’t take a chance.”
“I’m feeling fine, but I would do a lot for a hot cup of something.”
Sydney laughed. “I can bring in a heated blanket, if you need it, but, other than that, training for hours in this tundra is a bit rougher as each day accumulates, which can turn a trainee into a patient. That’s one of the things you must watch out for up here,” she offered, with a smile.
“I am fine,” Lisa repeated, “but you’re right, I’m a little on the chilled side. So, I’ll go grab my dinner and then curl up in bed, and, if you had access to a heated blanket, I wouldn’t turn it down.”
*
Sydney nodded. “Get moving. I’ll be coming to your room behind you.” With that, she got up, grabbed a couple blankets, and headed to the kitchen. When Chef saw her and the blankets, he rolled his eyes. She smiled. “I know. I’m coddling them.” She chuckled. “But I’d rather coddle them than have them miss any signs and have a bigger issue on our hands.”
“No, I hear you,” he noted, as he quickly led her to the back. There she sat, while the blankets warmed, and then bundling both up in an insulated bag, she quickly walked to Lisa’s room. When she got there, Lisa wasn’t. Frowning, Sydney headed back to the kitchen because the last thing she wanted was for the heat of the blanket to dissipate before Lisa had a chance to enjoy it. As Sydney headed for the cafeteria, she caught Lisa heading to her room.
“I’m here. I’m here,” Lisa called out in a hushed tone, but her skin was already starting to turn pale. “Honest, I’ve been trying to get through the line.” She carried a tray with her food, but her hands shook a little bit.
Sydney quickly removed the tray from her hands and handed her the warmed blankets. “Get your ass into bed.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Lisa muttered, as she took off one layer, then hopped into bed, her long johns still on, and there she sat, wrapped up with the blankets, while propped up in a corner.
Sydney ordered, “Now I don’t want you moving until I get that temperature of yours raised. And you might want to rethink going back out tomorrow.”
Lisa stared at the doc and groaned. “That’s not how I wanted to spend my time up here—out one day and sick for several. This is madness.”
“Maybe not your cup of tea,” Sydney noted, “but, if the brass finds out this is what’s happening, you’ll be benched anyway.”
Lisa winced at that and nodded. “Isn’t that the truth,” she muttered.
Day 3, Evening
Happily, Lisa stabilized relatively quickly, and, by bedtime, she was nice and cozy, feeling fine. When Sydney came to check on her later, Lisa smiled. “I’m fine, Doc.”
“Glad to hear that,” Sydney replied, “but, if you don’t mind, I still want to keep an eye on you.”
“Please do. Nothing quite like falling asleep while knowing there’s a good chance you won’t wake up anytime soon.”
Sydney grimaced. “Not a bad way to die. … I’d just prefer it not be on my watch.”
“Anybody else sick?” Lisa asked, forcing her eyelids to stay open, even though she longed to sleep.
Sydney shook her head at that. “Nope, and you’re not sick either, but you’re still recovering from a hypothermia episode, and that can be brutal.”
“And yet I thought I was doing fine.”
“You were, right up until you weren’t. Besides, you went back out and thoroughly enjoyed yourself, I gathered?”
Lisa nodded at that, with a smile. “I really did, and it was absolutely stunning out there today.”
“Good, so, if you don’t get back out again, you’ll know what you’re missing.”
Her eyelids opened, and she looked over at her boss. “You’ll bench me?”
“Not this time, depending on what you’re like in the morning,” Sydney replied, with a lazy wave of her hand. “But if this happens a third time, we’ll consider it pretty seriously.”
“Great,” Lisa muttered in frustration. As Sydney closed the door, Lisa curled up on her side, all but ready to fall asleep, when a hard knock came on her door. She groaned and called out, “Who is it?”
Instead of answering, Rogan stepped inside and glared at her. “You shouldn’t have gone out today. You know that, right?”
“It was a great day, and everybody thought it’d be okay,” she answered cautiously, not sure why Rogan was so mad. “I wanted to give it a try, and I didn’t think I did too badly, until now.”
“Yes, but that’s only because you were ignoring the signs again,” he snapped in exasperation.
