Ice Quake Page #3

who claims

a methane explosion

killed the dinosaurs?

Methane Man, yeah.

He should be doing a life sentence

for the number of times

we've caught him trespassing

on our sites.

Colonel Hughes speaking.

Not a day goes by I don't ask myself

just what it is

you government bureaucrats

do all day long.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

How can I help you, Professor?

The question is, Colonel,

how can I help you?

I'm not following.

When was the last time you monitored

methane levels on Mount Phaeton?

I don't have that information

in front of me.

Yeah, well, I do, so let me

bring you up to speed.

The permafrost up here is thawing

faster than anyone predicted,

breaking a seal that for thousands of years

has trapped gigatons

of methane gas

inside the ice.

Six months ago, when I checked

the mountain's methane levels,

they had doubled from the prior year.

We're aware

of the permafrost thawing.

The methane release has been minimal

and poses no immediate threat

to the atmosphere.

Things are changing.

I need authorization

to take my team up to Phaeton.

Out of the question. That area

is experiencing a geological disturbance.

I know it is. Hello,

why do you think I'm calling?

I mean I'm reading

extreme seismic activity.

And the history of climate change

is such that it doesn't evolve slowly

and gradually... it leaps.

There are tipping points.

And we may just be on the verge

of one now.

I'm afraid we've got a search-and-rescue

operation in progress.

I can't risk having your team

get in the way until my people are safe.

Is that clear?

I said, is that clear?

I think he hung up, sir.

Lieutenant, seal off Mount Phaeton.

Have units block every road

that goes anywhere near there.

Yes, sir.

The lunatics are coming out

of the asylum.

Yo.

Let's go, let's go.

Move your egghead asses.

I feel the air getting thin.

How you kids doing?

Both:

Tired.

What was that?

Sounded like running water.

There isn't an underground spring

up here, is there?

There shouldn't be...

not at this temperature.

Let's not take any chances.

Kids, come on, let's keep moving.

What's happening?

Watch out. Kids, get back!

Get back!

- No, Emily, no, no, no.

- Mom!

Shane!

Dad!

Colonel, we've just had a strong

seismic spike on the mountain.

Are you guys okay?

We're okay, Mom.

Okay, good, just...

just stay where you are.

What do we do?

What is it?

Kids, back away...

away from the chasm.

We can't stay here.

How do we get the kids?

We gotta climb the cliff.

No, no, that'll take hours.

We can't leave them alone for that long.

We don't have a choice.

I can't believe this is happening.

Dad, what do we do?

Okay, now listen to me.

You're gonna go

to that hilltop there, all right?

Go to that hilltop. Me and your mother

are going to go to the top of the mountain.

Okay, we're going to go

over to where the chasm ends.

Then we're going to come back down,

we're going to get you.

You're leaving us?

Honey, we don't have

any other choice, okay?

It's not gonna be that long.

Just keep you and your brother warm.

We love you.

Run! Go! Go to the hilltop.

Go, go!

- Go!

- No, we can't leave them.

Hurry, go!

Come on, Tia.

Keep running. Don't stop.

Go, go, go, go!

Go, go!

Coming up on the outpost now.

It looks like there was a massive slide

on the south slope.

Going in closer.

Man on radio:

Roger, Captain.

It looks ugly down there.

The outpost and the parking lot

are completely buried.

Switch your beepers to receive mode.

Let's hope we find them by dark.

Has it stopped?

Yeah.

What on earth is happening here?

Subzero gas release.

What kind of gas?

Has to be methane.

Do you think the kids are okay?

Yeah, baby.

No, no, no, they'll be fine.

No, don't worry.

They're smart kids, okay?

They can take care of themselves.

I thought the base

was sending help.

- They are, but to the outpost.

- Well, maybe we should go there.

It's too dangerous. It could be buried

under 10 feet of snow.

Come on, let's get to the top

to cross over to get the kids

- and get to the road. Let's go.

- Okay.

Okay, look sharp.

Whoa there.

Merry Christmas, fellas.

I'm Professor Worthington

from the university.

We're geologists investigating

the disturbance up there.

No civilians are allowed to pass.

Look, we really need to go up there

and evaluate what's happening.

Sir, just turn the car around, please.

Colonel Hughes is aware.

One moment.

Get me command.

Sir?

The sergeant at the south barricade

needs to speak with you.

Colonel Hughes speaking.

Arrest the son of a b*tch.

All right, everyone just stay cool.

Sir, step out of the vehicle, please.

You know what?

We don't really need to go up there.

We're just gonna turn around

and head back to town.

Step out of the vehicle now.

Whoa.

Man over loudspeaker:

Attention, skiers, the chairlifts are closed.

Have a merry Christmas.

You should drag the sled now.

Did you hear that?

- It was nothing.

- Well, what if it's a bear?

The bears are all sleeping, babe.

Oh, yeah.

Let's do another run.

Okay, this is the last one

'cause my parents are going to kill us

- if we're late for Christmas dinner.

- Okay.

- Ready, babe?

- Mm-hmm.

Here we go.

Stop, stop, stop!

Aah!

Picking up new tremors, sir.

And this one is a biggie.

- Where?

- Just outside of town.

Emergency services reporting

an earthquake at the ski lodge.

Where's the point of origin?

Did it come from the mountain?

I don't know.

There were no seismic waves reported

prior to the event itself.

Well, so much

for your hidden volcano.

These are quakes with

no traceable epicenter.

What could possibly cause

something like that?

They're not volcanic;

they're not tectonic.

The only other thing I can think of

that could cause an earthquake

would be a sudden release of gas.

Maybe Methane Man was right.

Gotta find the source of this anomaly.

There must be some kind

of scan we can run.

We should order a spectroscopic

satellite survey.

That would show us

what was underground.

Do it.

Go to LERTCON yellow.

We are now in a state of emergency.

We need troops in town

until we figure this out.

Come on, get up, guys.

Let's go, let's go.

Sir, we're getting hit

by an earthquake! It's a 7.9.

An earthquake!

Down, down, down!

Go, go, go!

Go, go!

Go, go!

Colonel!

Oh, my God.

Emergency generators are up.

- Everyone okay?

- Good, Colonel.

- I want a casualty report.

- On it.

How could we not have seen

something like this coming?

Until they get that satellite

into position,

we have no way of predicting

where this thing will hit.

Well, we can't just sit on our hands

and wait for the damn satellite.

We have to dig deeper.

Everything in nature has a pattern.

Find that pattern.

Crack that code.

People's lives depend on it.

Okay.

This'll get us to the top.

And then we'll cross over to the kids' side

and we'll get to the road.

Well, isn't there any other way?

We'll go to the west side.

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