“Roar?” August frowned.
“Well, not a roar. But it’s… like a sound produced by many.”
“What are you saying?” August asked.
“Honestly, we aren’t sure. We can’t see anything except that lone penguin on top. There’s no way for us to get a visual. But… we think there are more birds or animals trapped inside.”
The room went very quiet.
“Nate, how’s the weather looking?” Jessica asked.
“Ahh… yes, that’s another issue,” Nate answered. “There’s some weather acting up here. You’ve got roughly two hours before the next front moves in. If anything is going to happen, it needs to happen inside that window.”
“Nate,” August spoke into the handset. “Give us a few minutes to discuss this.”
“Copy that. On standby.”
A debate broke out. The ethics of interference clashed with the ethics of wildlife preservation. While I listened to the men and women around me, I quickly calculated the logistics: the location was ninety kilometers out, which meant the Zodiacs would take four to five hours.
What we had was a lucky break. We had a pilot among us. A chopper ready to fly. I turned to face Reed; now I just needed to convince him. When our eyes met, I felt a strong sense of déjà vu. A long time ago—what felt like a lifetime ago—I had locked eyes with him just like this, before a wordless exchange took place.
We had both been without a partner, and out of that, the unlikeliest of all bonds had formed: the quiet doctor who co-piloted in a war zone and the daredevil pilot who held his patients’ hands to calm them down before surgery.
Reed smiled, a soft smile meant just for me, and dipped his head in answer to my unasked question. I didn’t have to convince him of anything. Just as it had been, we were in perfect synchronization. He bumped my shoulder and murmured, “Just like old times, Prince?”
I found myself answering without conscious thought. “Unfortunately so, Bigfoot.”
Reed’s face lit up. I rolled my eyes and lifted my hand to get August’s attention.
“Dr. Park?” He raised his voice to carry it over the din. “Did you have a suggestion, sir?”
“Yes.” I cleared my throat and fixed the sleeves of my white shirt. “I think it’s safe to say this is a most unusual situation, and while I am not one of the scientists involved in field research, I am worried about the narrow time window. A Zodiac, even if we were to leave right now and ride through the night, would take at least four, if not five, hours, and that’s assuming we don’t encounter too much floating ice.” I smoothed down my sleeve with the tip of a finger.
“I think we’re all with you, Dr. Park. Are you suggesting we intervene?” Jessica asked me.
“Yes. There is precedent. In 1976, a team intervened to save a school of sperm whales caught in an oil spill. In the aftermath, the global scientific community supported the team’s decision to act.”
I paused to gauge the room’s reaction. I knew I was using the power I had: the respect and faith people placed in me as the station doctor. What I saw gave me courage. No one looked mortified or in disagreement with what I had laid out so far. Viktor’s expression, though, was the biggest reason for me to keep going. He was pleading with me through his eyes. As a penguinologist, he was the one in the most pain in the room.
“Do you have a plan?” she asked.
“I do. I propose we fly out to them. Reed and I. For those of you who don’t know, he is the pilot who did the medevac for Viktor and Sam. His chopper is sitting outside. It will take us…” I glanced at Reed with a raised eyebrow.
“Sixty-five minutes tops,” he replied.
“Right. An hour to reach them.”
“Wouldn’t someone else… sorry, Dr. Park, no offense meant, but you’re a physician, and this seems like a dangerous situation. The weather may deteriorate if what Nate thinks comes true.” August raised both palms, facing up. “Again, no offense, I was just—”
“Doctor Park here is the best candidate,” Reed drawled.
Several pairs of eyebrows flew high. I groaned internally. This man had the most annoying habit of talking about me as if I were a superhero instead of the loner doctor who liked hiding in the most remote workplace on earth.
August shifted on his feet. “Uhh, Mr. Harmon, I’ve come to know you both are… well, umm, married.”
“You have come to know correctly.” Reed spread his legs wider and crossed his arms, his eyes twinkling. He just loved attention. The smug asshole.
“Well, then you may be a tad biased, Pilot Harmon?” someone teased, and there were several answering snickers, though not unkind.
