Page 34 of Wilde and Untamed


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“Still practically tropical.” She grinned even though he couldn’t see it under her face covering. “Wait until we get a real storm. Keep within visual range,” she called to the rest of the group, her voice carrying over the vast emptiness. “And stay on the flagged path.”

Even as she said the words, Tyler veered toward a section of ice that looked slightly darker than the rest, with subtle ripples in the surface.

“Tyler!” she shouted. “Stay on the path!”

“Oh!” Thankfully, he took a step backward before putting his weight on the suspicious ice. “Sorry, Rue!”

“You will be sorry if you don’t start paying attention.” Ugh, she was starting to sound like her dad. “The ice doesn’t forgive.”

She waited until Tyler had rejoined the group before continuing forward.

The GPS unit beeped softly, confirming they’d reached the designated coordinates. The area had been selected for its stable ice sheet and proximity to what Dr. Keene had called “promising research zones.” Whatever that meant.

“Alright, team,” Rue called out, dropping her pack. “Set up starts now. Mia, Tyler, set up the grid. Noah, get the drill components unpacked.”

As Rue crouched to anchor a ground flag, Mia and Tyler sprang into motion. From one of the sleds, they unrolled a spool of neon-orange marking tape and began placing flags in a precise 5x5 meter grid. The pattern would allow for multiple sample cores while avoiding overlap or structural weakness in the ice. Mia measured each distance with a laser rangefinder, calling out numbers to Tyler, who placed the flags with slightly more care now.

Noah knelt beside one of the sleds and popped the latches on a heavy-duty equipment case. Inside, the core drill sat in neatly packed sections—power head, auger bits, extension rods, and the thermal collar designed to help melt through surface frost. Unlike older manual systems, this was a powered electromechanical drill rig designed for rapid deployment and up to 30 meters of penetration.

He assembled the drill housing on a collapsible aluminum frame. Checked seals, battery charge levels, and pressure calibrations, all while shielding the delicate parts from direct exposure to the wind with thermal blankets.

Rue watched them work, nodding with satisfaction. “Once the frame is secured, we’ll anchor the tent around it,” she said, motioning toward the insulated pop-up shelter still strapped to Noah’s sled. “We need to keep the drill cavity thermally isolated so we don’t contaminate the samples.”

Elliot moved to help Noah with the shelter, unfolding the dome and staking the reinforced corners into the ice. He worked in silence, focused and efficient, but Rue caught him glancing her way once as he tightened a guyline. She looked away before he could catch her watching back.

Inside the now-raised shelter, Noah connected the drill to the portable, solar-charged power unit. Once everything was stable and the wind-shielding confirmed, he gave a thumbs-up.

“Drill’s ready.”

Rue stepped inside the shelter and checked the alignment through the laser sight, ensuring they were drilling true vertical. She braced one gloved hand against the tripod as the bit bit into the ice with a grinding hum.

Tyler and Mia clustered near the transparent window panel, wide-eyed as the auger descended, shavings spiraling up through the core barrel like pale blue confetti.

“Alright,” Rue announced, checking her watch. “We’ve got three hours before we have to head back to beat the next forecasted storm.”

“Wind’s picking up,” Elliot said. “Might want to expedite.”

She smiled at that—Elliot Wilde, always so cautious—and turned to address the group. “Remember, no one works alone. Stay in pairs, stay alert.”

Tyler bounced on his toes, camera already in hand. “I want to get some shots of the drill in action. For documentation.”

“Fine, but stay within the marked area,” Rue warned, pointing to the orange flags. “The grid is there for a reason.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tyler said, already backing away to find a better angle.

“I mean it, Tyler,” she called after him. “The ice sheet looks stable, but appearances can be deceiving out here.”

He waved acknowledgment without turning around, his attention focused on framing his shot. Rue felt a familiar prickle of frustration—the kind that came from dealing with enthusiastic amateurs who thought adventure was all thrill and no discipline.

“He’s going to be trouble,” Elliot murmured beside her.

“He already is,” she replied, watching as Tyler circled the perimeter, straying dangerously close to the edge of their marked safe zone. “Mia! Keep an eye on your partner, please.”

Mia looked up from where she was checking equipment readings, her expression shifting to alarm when she spotted Tyler. “Tyler! Get back inside the flags!”

But Tyler had spotted something that caught his interest, a natural formation in the ice that cast strange shadows in the sunlight. He edged further away from the group, camera raised.

“Damn it,” Rue muttered, striding toward him. “Tyler! Back inside the perimeter now.”