Ties That Bind: What Lies Beneath

Research Outpost Hadley, Wilkes Land, Antarctica; September, 1999.

What had you signed up for? As the rear hatch of the ghostly gray plane locked up, you found yourself awash with questions about what you were really doing and your new home. Expedition, see the world, new experiences, it all seemed so exciting. Only when the doors closed did the degree of isolation you faced really sink in. No family, no friends, no contact with the outside world for the next three months. Only those aboard the plane with you; total and absolute strangers.

And yet, you still signed that dotted line. Was it for money? Were you running away from something? Risk it all on something greater, something more exciting? That was the question.

Maybe if you’d heard the stories you would’ve reconsidered. Veterans of these expeditions and the returning summer crew rattled the nerves of the fresh meat with urban legends and disturbed rumblings. Sightings of ghost people amidst heavy snow storms, hysteria and delirium from the isolation, or mysterious government suits appearing at the facility for reasons unknown.

Surely, these were mere stories, meant to scare the newbies, but even you couldn’t escape that sickening ‘what if’... What if they weren’t just stories? Is it possible a place as desolate, alien, and empty as Antarctica could hold something sinister beneath its unforgiving surface?

And despite it all, you still penned your name on the contract. To serve as part of the project to save the ever-changing climate. At least you have that to ease your concerns. After all, what’s more important than protecting the ice caps and the future for other people? Nothing, of course.

Mind your nerves, and stay warm. There’s work to be done.

Last Updated: June 5, 2023