Credit: Illustration by Justin Randall

Wind gusts above 40 knots had been battering the station for the past two days, hindering drill operations and putting everyone on edge. Boredom set in once the dataflow dried up. Lake Pell lay unseen beneath more than four kilometres of Antarctic ice, totally shut in on itself, as it had been for perhaps 20 million years. The ecosystem that existed in its depths was potentially more revelatory than that of Lake Vostok, the first sub-surface Antarctic lake to be explored. It was a place no less alien than the ice moons of Jupiter.

Extreme biology was the name of the research game these days. With the Icecutter mission even now in orbit around Europa and already engaged in exploratory operations, everyone in the Lake Pell Project here on Earth felt an increased urgency to find examples of terran-based life able to survive in such a hostile environment. Discovering life deep beneath the ice, trapped there since prehistoric times, would strengthen the hand of those who argued it could also shed light on what might exist in the icy oceans of Europa. This was the last chance for an Earthbound team to make a difference.

"Not going to happen, Nadya." Jess Aquilera leaned back in his swivel chair, exuding an air of condescension. "And don't expect our relationship to affect the decision."

The older woman leaned across his oh-so-tidy desk. "All I expect is to be treated like an fully fledged member of this research team - which I am, as my contract clearly states."

Jess snorted. "I think you'll find your contract specifies ecological analysis, not exploratory heroics."

"Sometimes they're the same thing."

"I'm afraid that I'm in command here, Nadya, and discretion is mine." He frowned. "Try and be reasonable. At this stage a physical incursion into the lake isn't something I'd let anyone undertake, let alone an 83-year-old."

"Eighty-four, thank you." She straightened, settled her jumper across her shoulders and brushed a few errant strands of red hair from her forehead. "I hope ageism isn't creeping into your judgements, my lad. You know the legislation as well as I do. Besides, I'm fitter than you are."

"We know next-to-nothing about conditions down there," he growled, ignoring the jibe. "None of the distance-analysis systems registers anything useful. No seismic or radiant imaging, nothing. We still don't have a clue."

"That's why it's so interesting, Jess, and why someone has to go down and look. The robots simply go offline. It needs human interaction."

Discovering that he had been elevated to Team Leader had come as something of a shock to both of them, though Nadya suspected that Jess relished the role reversal. But he was a seasoned administrator with geological training, so it shouldn't have been surprising that he'd end up in this position; it wasn't a job Nadya ever had the slightest intention of taking on, her seniority notwithstanding.

"Being reasonable isn't always useful, Jess."

"You're not going," her son said coldly, and returned to his paperwork.