Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition by Allison Wesley

Author:Allison, Wesley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: antarcticarobotexpeditionglobal warmingterroristsinventionsteen 11 and up
Publisher: Wesley Allison

Chapter Eleven: Penguins and Seals

Astrid checked on Christopher once again before turning in. He seemed to be doing better. Once she had brushed her teeth and climbed into her bed, she began to feel some of the effects of motion sickness. Her cabin seemed to be going up and down a lot more than she knew it actually was. Remembering the red pills that Océane had given her, she took one with a glass of water and eventually fell asleep.

It took the two teens from Maxxim City about a week to learn all the duties and procedures that they needed to know as members of a research crew, but by the following week they were hard at word, rotating through the various laboratories. It took them almost that long to get their sea legs, and to no longer feel the effects of the constant movement of the ship. Every few days though, when the icy winds brought in another storm, they had to resort to the little red pills. Even then they suffered from queasy stomachs.

For Astrid and Christopher both, their work on Amphitrite was a dream come true— days filled with nothing but scientific research and observation. In their off duty time, they made new friends among the crew and spent a lot of time with Océane, whom they both liked more and more as they got to know her. They made sure to spend the hour and a half or so of daylight on deck, whenever possible.

Astrid hadn’t forgotten about her four projects back home. She sent several emails to Dennis Brown Sr. about both the design of her space plane and the aerodynamics of her electric racecar. She jotted down ideas to try out with her ground Astridium. Finally she sent a long email to a prominent veteran’s organization regarding Project RG-7. The organization responded with a string of messages and ultimately with a file on a wounded American soldier named Captain David Bonnefoy.

It was on Wednesday of their third week aboard Amphitrite that Astrid ran into Océane as she was on her way to enjoy the brief sunshine.

“Astrid, come topside. We are surrounded by penguins!”

Even hurrying, it took several minutes to get all bundled up in her cold weather gear, but at last the two girls reached the ship’s deck and peered out over the railing. The sea was churning with black and white torpedoes. Several nearby ice flows with flat tops were crowded with the little fellows resting between fishing dives.

“This is awesome!” shouted Astrid with excitement.

“Ever seen anything like it?” asked Christopher suddenly at their side. “I was up here working with Augusto and they just started arriving in groups. Just when you don’t think any more can show up, some do.”

“There must be some massive school of fish down below.”

A moment later, Dr. Feuillée stepped out onto the deck.

“This is too good an opportunity to pass up. We’re diving to shoot some film. Would the three of you like to come along?”

“Absolutely,” said Astrid.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.