Walrus Scout

Go on, move faster, Bash. Faster! My thighs ache as I sprint through the powder, and that's after nearly a full day of marching as well. I hurry onto the breaking ice, which continues to make unsettling cracking noises. I grumble as I skid across the surface of the lake, and as I glance behind me, I see that Treyst has stopped on the shore. There's no way his big metallic beast can set foot on the ice. Nope. That would definitely be a bad idea. Using my hands, I slide rather than walk to the gaping hole that has appeared in the ice. I feel my heart tighten as I scan the oily ripples and unfathomable darkness that lurks beneath. A young woman wearing ice skates explains what happened. Child. Fell. Disappeared... I clench my teeth. I don't need her to spell it out.

Marmo is circling around the hole and waiting for me to help him. I do what he wants and tap on my Construct to envelop him with a shell of heat. I watch him jump in. I close my eyes to look through his senses, and I notice a stream of bubbles rising to the surface. My Alter Ego looks all around, but sees nothing but darkness. We're going to need help... My fingers arrange and rearrange the buttons on the Construct and suddenly a walrus appears next to my dog, complete with a sonar rig and everything it needs to locate the little girl. Using my device, I send it instructions, then watch it dive into the depths. The animal uses its echolocation to probe the icy waters. Hurry, time is running out and every second counts...

SUBHASH