The Adelaide Blister: An Australian Science-Fiction Odyssey by Cliff Mitchell

Author:Cliff Mitchell [Mitchell, Cliff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-11T00:00:00+00:00

3.6 THE GANGPLANK

When McIntyre’s party arrived at Lieutenant Hunter’s camp, Milligan had six of Hunter’s men and a middle-aged woman in civilian clothes waiting for them. Lieutenant Hunter quickly introduced himself to Zuzanna, Annie, and Murano and then led them away towards his tent with promises of refreshments.

Zuzanna and Annie were reluctant to leave their patients. They agreed to go with Hunter only after Milligan explained that the woman with him was a local doctor from Ceduna. Murano remained silent and hardly looked up from the ground as he followed them to Hunter’s tent.

McIntyre surveyed the camp. A wooden structure had been built which looked a lot like a diving platform complete with a wide, protruding plank. It had wooden steps leading up to a flat area about two metres off the ground from which a wide plank extended to within about half a metre from the Blister’s transparent surface. Next to it, and side-on to the Blister, was a truck. He couldn’t see it from where he was, but he knew that the truck bore a sign which said ‘Bring James here’.

The platform was closer to the Blister than the truck because the Blister was more receptive to organic matter. The trick had been to construct the gangplank without metal nails, but that kind of engineering was well within Milligan’s area of expertise.

The three injured fishermen were helped to stagger groggily out of the vehicle. The doctor quickly examined each of them and then nodded to Milligan. The six soldiers split into pairs and assisted the three injured fishermen up the steps and onto the platform, but then they turned and waited looking at Milligan and McIntyre. The doctor was almost whispering her opinion to them.

“I expect they would recover completely from their dehydration and sunstroke, but some of their sunburn is third degree. Best case with treatment at a good facility their burns are disfiguring, and probably requiring skin grafts with a lengthy and painful recovery period. In this environment with the limited options available for evacuation and treatment, they are at high risk of infection with quite a poor outcome aesthetically…

“I’ve examined a few men who came out of the cocoons. If putting them through the Blister has the same effect then they will make a full recovery without any scarring. In fact, they’ll be even better physically than they were before. If it was me in their shoes, I’d say toss me in. If it was my call, I’d take the risk. However, you brought me here for an opinion, not a decision, so it’s up to you, gentlemen,” summarised the doctor.

McIntyre and Milligan turned to each other and nodded. Milligan walked towards the platform, but McIntyre remained talking to the doctor.

“Go ahead! Toss them in!” urged Milligan, but the soldiers hesitated. The doctor made for Hunter’s tent and McIntyre joined Milligan near the platform.

“Sorry, John, I’m the senior officer here now,” said McIntyre quietly. Then he stepped forward and shouted, “Men!... One at a time…. three injured men….

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