Ice Quake Page #2

So how'd the shopping go?

It was a disaster.

They didn't have Tia's shoes.

They didn't have any shoes.

So wait a minute...

since when do we shop

for our own Christmas presents?

Since that dress

you bought me last year

that I'm too embarrassed to wear.

- So where are we going?

- Mount Phaeton.

- Isn't that a little far?

- It's government land;

they've got a bunch of firs up there.

I thought it'd be nice to take a long drive.

- Cool.

- I don't want to take a long drive.

It'll be fun. We'll have

the whole mountain to ourselves.

Tia, honey, make sure

you zip up your jacket.

I did.

Hey, Yeti, do you want treats?

No, don't give Yeti any more treats.

He's fine.

He needs to sit down.

He needs to stay still.

I thought you said

we had the mountain to ourselves.

A couple engineers

came up this morning.

I'm just surprised they're still here.

All right, let's go find the tree.

Come on, boy, let's go.

Let's go, come on.

Good boy.

What's that building, Dad?

That's our outpost.

It's where we work out of when

we come up here to study the ground.

Let's see if anyone's home.

Hello?

It's Christmas Eve, Dad.

Yeah, just checking.

Who's calling?

It's probably the base

for those engineers.

All right, well, let's just

keep an eye out for them.

Any word from Reed and Wallace?

No, and there's no answer

at the outpost.

Keep trying, Lieutenant.

All right, let's follow Yeti.

Why can't we just buy a tree

like everyone else?

I don't even have anything

to put under it.

I've got something to put

under the tree for Dad.

Hey! Well, what do you

got there, champ?

I can't tell you that, Dad.

It's your Christmas present.

Yeah, Dad, I can't believe

you'd ask something like that.

What?

When I have kids,

I'm not gonna make them go

chopping down trees

in the middle of winter.

That's what I said at your age.

And then you have a family

and your priorities change.

Not me.

My priorities will always

stay the same.

I said that, too.

Tia, honey, just enjoy it.

It's so gorgeous out here.

Good boy.

Geophones are picking up

some kind of weird vibrations

developing at Mount Phaeton.

I don't like how this

is adding up.

Reed and Wallace have been

out of contact for way too long.

They're not the only ones up there.

Who else?

Michael and his family.

You're kidding.

Good boy.

- Hey, Yeti! Yeti!

- Where's he going?

Yeti, come!

Where's he going?

Don't worry, he'll be back.

What was that?

We're not on ice, are we?

No, we're too low

to be on an ice pack.

I don't know what that is.

Look. Move! Go down the trail!

Go down the trail!

Keep moving.

Keep moving, keep moving.

- Tia!

- Here, run to the outpost.

Run to the outpost!

It's my arm.

Go, run to the outpost!

Inside!

In the corner.

Huddle, huddle.

Colonel, geophones just recorded

new tremors coming from Mount Phaeton.

This time 4.5.

Carolyn:

Come in. Reed and Wallace, please report.

Sir, still no response

from either Reed or Wallace

on their radios

or GPS transmitters.

Let's get to work.

Can you move your arm?

It really hurts.

I don't think anything's broken.

I think it's just bruised.

Okay, good.

All right, I'm gonna call for help.

Can I call for Yeti?

No, buddy,

stay away from the door, okay?

Honey, come on over here.

Colonel, Michael's on the line.

Michael, where are you?

Mount Phaeton outpost.

There's been a bizarre eruption up here.

The ice is cracking.

I know, we're picking up tremors.

You guys okay?

These weren't tremors, Colonel.

These were some kind of ice geysers.

Fragments of ice blasted up

out of the ground.

It was like nothing

I've ever seen before.

An eruption of ice fragments?

Are you sure?

Positive, sir.

They were like volcanic pyroclasts,

except they were chunks of ice.

My daughter got hit by one of them.

Are Reed and Wallace still up there?

Their truck was in the lot,

but after what I just saw,

they may be in real trouble.

Okay, sit tight. I'm sending help.

Lieutenant, get a rescue chopper

up to Phaeton.

Colonel, something unprecedented

is occurring under this mountain.

It may have been what triggered

the Russian ice-shelf collapse.

All right, let's get you

back here safe and sound.

Then we'll figure out

what we're dealing with.

Hold on.

What's that noise?

Avalanche!

Out! Get out!

Emily, grab Shane. Go, go, go.

- Michael, hello?

- Honey, this way, this way.

- I don't want to go out there.

- We gotta go, we gotta go.

- We don't have time.

- Michael, what's happening?

Go, to the right.

- What is that?

- It's an avalanche. Go, go!

Not that way!

It's an avalanche. Sideways.

Go sideways.

Is that chopper up?

Happening now, sir.

We have pitch. Keep me posted

on any change in the weather.

Now what do we do?

We have no way out of here.

Where's Yeti?

Just relax, all right?

He's okay. We'll find him.

There's a trail on the other side

of that ridge.

We can get back

to the main road that way.

You want to go up the mountain?

We can't stay here, baby.

It's just too dangerous.

- We gotta keep moving.

- Okay.

Let's go.

Your father knows what he's doing.

Come on.

Pulling up the geological history

from Mount Phaeton.

I hope those guys are okay.

Sir, request permission to assemble

a rescue squad to assist the chopper.

Granted. Get up there ASAP.

Coordinate with the pilot.

Yes, sir.

Colonel, take a look at this.

This is really weird.

There isn't a single fault line in the area.

Then the tremors

are shock waves from Russia.

What about those ice fragments

Michael described?

What could have

created an eruption of ice?

There could be some volcanic activity

developing under the mountain.

There's no history of that either.

Maybe it's a hidden volcano

that has never been documented.

Michael said it was some kind

of ice geyser.

Have you ever heard

of anything like that?

Only on the moons of Saturn.

Let's move.

We've got people on that mountain.

I need a rest.

Okay. All right, here, sweetie.

Have some water.

I got some for you.

Hey, give me that.

Save some for us.

Water has to be rationed.

Hey, easy, sport. It's okay.

We've got a whole mountain full of water.

Okay? You just drink as much as you want.

Don't worry about it.

Mom, I'm cold.

Okay, zip up your coat, Tia.

Here you go.

Mom, I'm really worried about Yeti.

You know, if anyone can take care

of himself out here, it's Yeti.

Ooh, that's cold.

What are you doing?

He's using body heat to make water.

Right, Dad?

That's right, buddy. All right.

You ready?

You all right now?

Let's keep going.

The tremors started on the south slope,

but then suddenly started

appearing here on the west side.

The strange thing is I can't find

a seismic wave to link them.

- How do you explain that?

- I can't.

Tectonic movement

is Michael's area of expertise.

Colonel, Professor Worthington

is on the line.

He says he urgently needs

to speak with you.

Is he that nut job from the university

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