5 Saving the scientist

Chapter Five SAVING THE SCIENTIST Kiki rummaged frantically through the Beagle's storage compartments. It wasn't difficult to imagine the hungry polar bear breathing down her neck. The Beagle BEEPED and flashed its lights as she sifted through rations and bottles of water, until she found what she was looking for at the bottom: a harness and a set of strong ropes.

Connor helped her fix one end of the ropes to the harness and the other to the Beagle. Then Kiki ran back to the crevasse, clutching the harness, with the rope spilling out behind her. "Remember the ice is unstable!" Connor called. He was still standing with the Beagle. "Stay back, Kiki!" Kiki knelt cautiously at the rim of the crevasse.

"I'm going to pass this harness down to you," she told the frightened scientist. "Can you fix it around yourself?" Dr. Mikkelsen nodded and reached upward. Kiki lowered the harness down with the ropes until it was in Dr. Mikkelsen's hands. As the scientist slid her arms inside, her fingers shook so much that she struggled to fix the buckle.

Kiki knew she had to keep Dr. Mikkelsen calm. Maybe I can distract her from how scary this is, she thought. Her eye caught the deep blue color of the ice ledge where the scientist was standing. "What makes the ice down there so blue, Dr. Mikkelsen?" she asked. "This is old ice," Dr. Mikkelsen said, as she fought to buckle the harness. "It was once under a lot of pressure. The pressure forced out all the air bubbles, changing its density and color." Her fingers stopped shaking as she looked around at the blue glow. "This ice was once part of a great glacier," she said. "Most of the top layer has melted away, leaving only this." There was a sudden click. Dr. Mikkelsen grinned up at Kiki—she was clearly relieved that the harness was now securely buckled.

Kiki felt a rush of relief, too. She turned to signal to Connor. Connor revved the Beagle's engine, sending up a spray of ice. The Beagle flashed its lights. "Ready to get out of there, Dr. Mikkelsen?" Connor called. The Beagle flashed its light again and beeped urgently. Beep beep BEEP! Kiki held up her hand. "Wait, Connor!" she said. "The Beagle's trying to warn you." Connor looked down at the dashboard.

"What? Why?" "You don't need to drive at full power," Kiki explained. "Snowmobiles have spiked treads, so the wheels won't lose grip like a car's do in snow—the Beagle will go really fast, and Dr. Mikkelsen will come flying out of the crevasse like a cork popping from a bottle!" "Got it!" called Connor. He gently drove the Beagle away from the crevasse. The spiked treads gripped the ice firmly and the rope grew taut.