The caravan of Alpines and Nansen sleds was making its way over the rolling waves of sustrugi toward the safety, warmth, and comfort of the camp. The injured Russian driver was made comfortable inside a sleeping bag from the survival kit and was secured onto one of the sleds. The others either rode on the snowmobiles or sat on a sledge. Gregore sat behind Daniels. He had ascertained that Daniels was the head of the group and he had contrived to arrange that he sit on the same sled. Although he did not have any means of communicating, he wanted it to be clear what his position was.
Jake let the Lieutenant do the driving on the way back. Susan sat behind Richards, arms around his waist. Jake chose the last sled in line, and made himself a place to recline, pulling a tarp over him to block the wind. Sokolov sat opposite him, facing backwards.
“Thank you for your efforts,” the Russian said. “It is terrible to lose one's companions in this way.”
“Not much choice, really,” Jake said, yawning. “You have to try, if you can.”
“Yes, one must try,” Sokolov said, trying not to inflect the irony that he felt. He had not previously had the time to reflect upon how his own selfish actions had led to the death of his innocent associates. His sensitive mind was appalled at the terrible responsibility that he bore for the tragedy. It had never occurred to him that his plan could go so badly wrong. A part of him wanted to confess that the whole thing was his doing, but that thought frightened him more than the act itself. He had no choice but to continue.
Daniels had communicated to the Russians that one of their transport vehicles would be at the camp the next morning to collect them. While this was not a situation that Sokolov had anticipated, it was not a serious setback, either. He would just have to act quickly. It occurred to him that this part of his scheme had not been well thought out; though of course there was no way it could have been. He would have to improvise. His problem was merely that he had taken it as given that once he was among the Americans, all he would have to do is announce his intention to stay, and that would be that. He knew now that this was a vastly simplistic perspective.
“Vostok, huh?” Jake asked.
“Yes, we come from Vostok.”
“Trevor holding up?”
Sokolov managed a smile. “At times, when he forgets where he is.”
“I thought so. The letters I posted for him kinda said it all.”
“Ah,” Sokolov said. “You are the one he spoke with on the radio. He was very grateful for your assistance.”
“Yeah,” Jake commented. “Good guy, but he probably should have stayed home.”
Sokolov didn’t know how he could respond to that so he kept silent while he watched the passing scenery. The mountains rose above the neve they travelled over. Closer by were nunataks, the tips of mountains that are covered in ice and protrude through the surface, like black pyramids rising above the plain.
“How about you?” Jake asked.
The Russian hesitated before answering. Clearly a small-talk question, he could answer in kind, but that would not help his cause, and soon they would be to the Americans' camp.
“You know of where we are from, yes? You have heard things, maybe, about what life is like in Russia?”
“Oh yeah. We’ve heard.”
“And what have you heard?” Sokolov asked. If his government was correct, what the young mountaineer had heard was that it was a paradise, but he did not believe that to be the case. He knew that information must be getting out.
“That it pretty much sucks,” Jake said.
Sokolov wasn’t familiar with the common usage of the term, but there was no doubting what the context was in this form.
“Do you think one would like to live under such circumstances?”
“Not hardly.”
“And you would be correct in that opinion,” Sokolov confirmed. He would have preferred to explain his case to someone of more authority, but by the time he would be able to do that, it could be too late. This young man had risked his life in an attempt to rescue Sokolov's companions, and he had come to the conclusion that Jake was someone he could trust to do his best to help in any circumstance. He made the snap decision to place his destiny into Jake's capable hands.