"Tell me something new," Tanner replied. "We've got plenty of problems. What now?"

"Carter and Leah are out there somewhere on a snowtrekker, right?" Denton said as he approached the trekker that was being prepared for him. He stepped up to it and ran his fingers across the cockpit canopy that gave the driver a 200-degree view of the surrounding environment. It was smooth and without a scratch, as if brand new. A ski on each side at the front of the trekker gave it the steering capability it needed while a wide grooved track visible at the rear of the machine, partially hidden under the body of the trekker.

"That's the way it appears," Tanner replied. "But, that's not new. We already knew that."

"I'm not talking about Carter and Leah. What I mean..." Denton started and then stopped mid-sentence as Marcc stepped up.

"Quite the machine, huh?" Marcc said.

Denton nodded. "Yeah, it is. I feel like I've seen these somewhere before."

"Yes, yes," Marcc said, his eyes wide, a large grin on his face. "Back in the day, on Earth, they had these. Of course, they called them something else. Snowmobiles, I think. They used them to travel throughout the unfriendly winter environments. It was a simple form of transportation."

"I see," Denton said. "So these snowtrekkers are inspired by transportation from Earth, huh?"

"Exactly right. Exciting, isn't it? It's the perfect design for the Shadowlands. Obviously, we've had to make our own improvements with the canopy covering the driver, proper heating elements, a better source of power and so on."

"Is that so?" Denton said, trying his best to appear interested. He didn't have time for chit-chat.

"It may not look like much, but it's one of the best machines you can get for the Shadowlands, that I can promise you."

"Well, looks like I'm going to need it. When will it be ready?"

Marcc nodded towards the trekker. "Go for it, you can get in. I'll just need to run a few system checks, and you'll be good to go. Safety procedures and all that."

"Got it," Denton said and stepped into the trekker and strapped himself in. The cockpit consisted of a bucket seat, the steering and throttle controls and a variety of screens with readouts for the various trekker systems.

"Here, let me give you a quick rundown of the controls," Marcc said and proceeded to give Denton a quick tutorial. A few minutes later, he waved goodbye and retreated to the office.

"Tanner, the problem isn't just Carter and Leah," Denton said as Marcc closed the door to the office. "Jonythan and Gabi are out there somewhere too."

Tanner remained silent for a few moments as if processing the new statement. "How can you be sure? I have no way of independently verifying that."

"I don't think you need to. They both signed out a trekker each earlier, down here in the office."

"So you're saying that the whole Forsythe clan is out in the Shadowlands," Tanner said, more as a statement than a question.

"Exactly," Denton said and closed the canopy. He turned on the systems Marcc had showed him and double-checked his seat belt. "And that's a problem."

"Sir," Marcc said over the comms as the garage door in front of him slid open, "Please remember that comms is limited to about five miles from the base. If you go further than that, no-one here will be able to hear you if you run into trouble. You'll be on your own."

"Roger that, Marcc, I appreciate the heads up."

Denton looked out straight ahead at the swirling snow beyond the garage door. What was he getting himself info? It suddenly dawned on him that he was just about to drive out into the Shadowlands all on his own. The dark and cold unknown, a place few people went voluntarily, yet here he was, ready to burst out of the warmth of the resort without really knowing what lay ahead. He couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Everything ok?" Marcc's voice came over the comms again.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine," Denton said and moved the throttle of the trekker forward, slowly creeping out of the garage. The door closed behind him as soon as he was clear of it. He stopped the trekker and exhaled, realizing he had been holding his breath as he left the garage behind. Around him, the snow was blowing around him like dust being picked up by an invisible broom. A gentle tug on the trekker told him that the wind gusts were coming and going and not a constant factor. Not that it mattered. The profile of the trekker was low enough that he didn't think it would impact his ride much. He took a deep breath, set course due north and moved out.

"Tanner, what's our comms range? These trekkers, high-tech and all, apparently don't work too well past five miles."

"I imagine it'll be about the same. Our comms systems all use the same equipment, mostly just different frequencies and encryption. Whenever you enter the signal shadow, I expect our connection will be lost as well."

"Great. By the way, how far out are the others? Are they past the five-mile line?"

"Carter and Leah are just passing it now. Oh, there, in fact, I just lost her signal."

Denton slammed his hand on the dash and pushed the throttle forward all the way. He was already behind, and now there was a very real possibility that they could completely elude his grasp if he didn't hurry. It was already going to be a challenge he knew that. Without live tracking information, the only thing he could rely on would be the tracks left by their trekkers. With the wind coming and going, it would just be a matter of time before the Shadowlands wiped out every trace of them and they'd be lost until they emerged again. Assuming they ever did.

"Tanner, can you confirm that they were traveling north from the depot before you lost their signal?"

"Affirmative. There was no deviation in the course."

"Due north it is then. I'll just have to follow their tracks, and we'll see where it takes us."

"At what point did Jonythan and Gabi check their vehicles out?" Tanner asked after a few moments of silence.

"I have no idea," Denton said as he buzzed by a large outcropping of ice. "Why does that matter anyway? We know they're out there. They left before Carter and Leah, so they're somewhere in front of them."

"If I knew the time they left, I could calculate the approximate distance they have traveled since they left."

"How does that help if they went past the five-mile marker?"

"At least we would know how long ago they left and I could give you the maximum distance they could have traveled since they left. It would limit the search area somewhat.

Denton sighed while he slowed down to traverse an ice ridge. Tanner was right, of course. All he knew was that they were out there somewhere. Any kind of boundary would help. If he was lucky, they'd all be at the same place in the end. One big happy reunion.

The trail in front of him weaved back and forth between ice and snow formations. It was clear from the tracks he followed that three sets of trekkers had traveled the same route before him, one more recently than the other two. Jonythan and Leah in their own trekkers, Carter and Leah in a two-seater. It gave him peace of mind to know that he was at least heading in the right direction. Now, the small matter of finding them.

As he approached the five-mile marker, he found that he had involuntarily slowed the speed of his trekker to a crawl, as if that would somehow avoid the unavoidable comms silence.

"Found anything yet, Tanner?"

"My current data indicates father and daughter left about an hour before you," Tanner said, a bit of static now clearly distorting his voice, if only just a bit.

Denton glanced at the trail in front of him. It seemed about right. The older set of tracks were definitely in the process of disappearing altogether.

"Any idea where they might be heading? What's even out there, past the five miles?"

"I'm still looking. There are no records of any of the guided tours ever going beyond the five miles."

Yet, today, two different groups of travelers had gone beyond the invisible line without as much as slowing down. Something had to be out there. Why would one of the wealthiest men in the universe travel into uncharted territory with only his daughter if there was nowhere to go? The question was, of course, what it was and, more importantly, where it was.

"There's got to be something out there, Tanner. I don't believe for a second that they just went out there randomly. They both knew where they were heading; I'm convinced of it."

"I'll continue digging through the resort records. It may not matter though."

"Why's that," Denton said as he maneuvered across a snow bridge that covered a partially visible crevasse.

"You'll be out of range here momentarily," Tanner said through the increasing static. "I'll transmit the approximate coordinates to your navigational software, but from there, you'll have to figure it out on your own."

"As I said, I'll just follow the trail as far as I can go."

"Yes, you did say that. Remember, in a worst-case scenario, you can always turn back using the onboard navigation. Technically you'll never be lost in that sense, even though you may not know your destination. You're lucky though, it looks like the winds are dying down and the clouds are moving out. That should help with visibility."

"Ok good. I'm telling you this though, Tanner, I won't be turning back until I find them," Denton said and slowed his trekker as he approached the top of a ridge until he came to a complete stop. In front of him, the trails from the other trekkers continued down the slope on the other side and disappeared into the darkness below. Above him, the clouds were clearing, just as Tanner had said, revealing a sky dotted with stars. It was a view that always made him pause and appreciate the enormity of the universe he lived in. This time, there was no time for stargazing. He reached for one of the screens and pulled up a larger map of the area. It revealed a large open expanse below that looked like an impact crater from a meteor of some sort. Down there, somewhere, were the Forsythe clan.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath."This is it, Tanner. I'm going in. I'll be losing you going down this slope."

"I'll keep an eye open for you," Tanner said in response. "Good luck."

Denton exhaled forcefully, looked back up at the map and the approximate area he would be traveling to. "You can do this, Denton," he mumbled to himself and rubbed his hands together. "You can do this." Then, he pushed the throttle forward and began his descent down the slope. Adrenaline surged through his body as the thought of lack of comms combined with any kind of accident likely could have a fatal outcome. He had to be extremely careful. There was no room for error.

The path down the slope followed a zig-zag pattern. At first, this puzzled Denton a bit but as he felt the trekker slide sideways here and there, the pattern made sense. The slope itself was likely unstable. Going too fast could result in a high-speed descent that could be difficult to control. The zig-zag pattern allowed for a slower rate of decline, which brought a higher degree of control.

Denton had just finished thanking those ahead of him for their decision to use the zig-zag pattern when the rear end of his trekker slid sideways, the front of his trekker pivoting towards the top of the slope. Reflexively, Denton punched the throttle forward, and the trekker shot forward, back onto the trail. He quickly pulled the throttle back and breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Too close.

At that same moment, the trekker started to vibrate, almost undetectable at first, then more intensely. Denton glanced at the screens but saw no warning lights or cause for concern with the trekker. Was there some other problem? He quickly retraced the distance he had traveled on the map since he last spoke with Tanner. Satisfied that he was close enough that if he had to walk back up the slope to call for help, he probably could. It was when he heard the soft rumble from somewhere above him that he realized mechanical problems were likely not the cause of the vibration.

He quick glance up the slope revealed a white cloud approaching him at an increasing rate of speed. He knew immediately what it was. An avalanche. It left him no choice. He had read enough stories about explorers to the Shadowlands meeting their end due to unexpected avalanches that he knew he could under no circumstances be trapped under one. He immediately turned his trekker downslope and pushed the throttle to its stops.

The trekker shot forward at a much faster pace than Denton had anticipated and he almost lost control, the trekker twisting and turning as he fought to keep it straight. After decreasing the throttle somewhat, he regained control and, with a growing cloud of snow behind him, he set off straight down the slope. The speed increased rapidly, as did the number of warning lights that started flashing throughout the cockpit. A high-speed warning, extreme angle warning, and an imminent collision warning were among those that fought for his attention. He ignored them all.

The rumble from the snow increased behind him while the vibrations inside the trekker continued to build. In the periphery of his vision, he saw the cloud of snow catch up to him and begin to overtake him. His heart rate spiked, and he felt sweat on his forehead as he willed the trekker to go quicker while his hand pushed on the throttle with all his might, even though he knew it was already maxed out.

Up ahead, he saw the transition from the downward slope to the bottom of the crater. He was almost there; he'd almost made it. Just a little longer, just a little more. His hope gave way to a sinking feeling when the trekker was suddenly lifted off of the ground and started slipping sideways. Despite Denton's attempts to correct the heading, the trekker flipped over and tumbled sideways down the snowy slope. Denton was thrown each which way as his world went round and round, restrained only by the seatbelt that held his body in place. An unexpected jerk to the other side caused Denton's head to make contact with the cockpit canopy, and he felt the chaos around him slip away as he passed into the darkness of unconsciousness, Marcc's warning about the lack of comms in the case of an accident the last thought that flashed through his mind. Then, everything went dark.

~~~

Denton has ventured into the Shadowlands, literally. What do you think is going to happen next? What is Carter up to? What's the deal with Leah and what are Jonythan and Gabi doing in the Shadowlands?

I'd love to know what you think about this chapter. I've struggled with it for almost a week, re-writing it several times and I'm still not quite happy with it...but I figured, at this point, get it out there and see what you guys think. Any feedback is appreciated, as always.