The Cold Antarctica

Crynn POV

"You meaning to say, you want to set off an explosive which I may add is a very loud instrument," yes, we wouldn't want to blow something up only for an entire brigade to coming storming for us. "Ehh... No, we will be using incinerating explosives which produce much less voice than conventional explosives, you can even say it's silent," I'll see to that later myself.

"The staff outside has left us a jeep to drive, I have prepared a duffel bag full of everything we need," Jill told us. "So, when do we depart?" V asked as everyone has their preparations done and set in order. We just need to be given the go for us to naturally, well, go. "We depart... now," Jill took a look at her watch as she nodded, everyone ready? Let's go.

***

Calian POV

"How long do I have to wear this mask for?" Because it's starting to get uncomfortable, I feel like I'm not myself, like I'm someone else. "Until we get back to the submarine after what we've finished what we're here for," ugh... that's the same as saying that I have to put with this mask for quite a long time.

"V, you fought a cyborg, Adam Smasher? That's Morgan Blackhand's rival, am I right? How's Smasher compared to Blackhand?" Ariane inquired in the middle of this calm drive on the harbour, going somewhere. "Blackhand had more skill and finesse, high agility though lower defense. Adam Smasher on the other hand, is huge, all brawns no brains."

"So, I'd say Blakhand was definitely harder. Think of Adam Smasher as a tank while Blackhand as a jet. While I can pepper Smasher with bullets, I can't with Blackhand. If anything, Smasher was an easy fight, only thing annoying about him was his heavy machine gun and shoulder mounted rockets."

Shoulder mounted rockets? I can see why that would be a nuisance. "Into the tunnel we go," I mumbled as we finally left the docks over in the 'horizon' for a medium lighted tunnel, feels cold and damp while at the same time, warm and dry as well which is rather odd. "So, how are you feeling, V? Isn't this a once in a lifetime for you?"

"Yes it is, I thought I'd be going back to traditional robbing, smuggling and occasional gunfights but this, yes this is definitely not on my list of things to do before I die only to find out I'm not going to die thanks to you lot," V answered Crynn with a grateful blush, damn she is beautiful, too bad she's taken already.

"You're going the right way, aren't you?" I questioned as there's not an end in sight of this tunnel. "Well, we are going the right way according to the map. In fact, we are going outside," outside? You mean Antarctica? "How cold is Antarctica this time of the year?" Ariane breached with a vital question because I don't want to freeze to death.

"Minus 20 degrees Celcius and it will only get lower the more we travel inwards into this continent," oh, well maybe dying so cold isn't all that bad. "And what exactly prevents us from hypothermia?" Even V looked and sounded skeptical about this, the Militech uniform we're donning isn't all too thin yet not thick either and this jeep hasn't even got a heater!

"It's as simple as following the road. The road is accompanied by heating coils that provide solar heat concentration on specifically the area of the road. So as long as we stay true and straight along Antarctica's street, we won't feel cold, we will feel just fine," Jill could've said that sooner rather than later, worrying us like that.

We're out, we've left the tunnel and oh so... white. Everything is so pure, so undisturbed, so peacefully. That was on my thoughts until I heard loud engines above me to find a huge flying cargo plane cruising off into the distance. Yep, not very peaceful, is it, human activity has really reached far, even taking over Antarctica. Our greed knows no bounds.

Aside from that, everything was as fine as foretold. It isn't cold, there is no problems to be seen and the scenery is particularly beautiful. "That's a lot of ice, hills of it," what Ariane said was completely on point and totally redundant, of course Antarctica would have a lot of ice. But yes, it does remind me of the sand dunes during that time I visited the Middle East, it is stunning to see such a dry place on Earth.

And of course, Antarctica is practically an chilled desert with almost no rain, it's quite dry, so dry, it will crack your skin right up. "Reckon we'll see some penguins along our trip?" Crynn looks hopeful but I know it's about to get shattered immediately. "Penguins are highly endangered species so it's incredibly unlikely for us to meet one, even in its natural habitat."

Yup, instantly crushed. "Seals?" Try again? "Yeah, endangered as well," V curtly said with thin lips and a shrug. "Oh well, at least I tried," Crynn frowned and sighed, laying on his back, eyes closed, as if about to go into deep sleep. "Look at that?!" Ariane's eyes glowed as she pointed to a direction which I focused into.

I can only see some sort of aerial vehicle readying itself into takeoff in a vertical position. It's shaped as if a passenger plane walked into a bar one day to meet a supersonic jet. And the next day, maybe 9 months later, they walked out the bar with ehm... something, and that something is the vehicle .

"Hmm... Passenger spaceship," Once Ariane had said it, the thrusters on the bottom of the vehicle lighted up in a grumble, red was immediately covered in white and gray as the spaceship launched itself into the air, this is quite incredible. I've only ever seen satellite launches with my eyes but not a spaceship, a futuristic spaceship that is.

Wonder if we'd have any time to tour space while we're here.