My name is Daniel Dyer.
I was a member of the 1993 expedition to Antarctica known as Operation “Dreamlands” this is my account.
It’s no secret I’m the grandson of the geologist William Dyer writer of the account of the Pabodie Expedition of 1930.
The disastrous expedition to uncover Antarctica’s final frontier and my grandad’s testimony to the scientific community became world-famous after the Governments of both the USA and the USSR became interested in them. A great build-up of expeditionary interest was seen in both nations as they both wanted to be the first to claim this land and see if there was any truth in my grandad’s writings.
After a large build-up of both military and civil craft began arriving in the southern ocean from both nations in august of 1939, getting ready to race into the heart of the secret but history would derail these plans.
After the war in the height of suspicion, the powers of the world agreed to let the continent remain in the custody of nature and time… in all the pompousness of international politics theatre. Each party was just scared of the other finding something useful or harmful.. this way each nation can watch over the other whilst also keeping one eye on the frozen shore just in case.
This is all common knowledge but I thought it good practice to set the scene.
Winter of 1991 the Soviet Union collapses leaving the USA free reign, so plans for the greatest expedition of Earth in the last half century were set in motion.
America would lead the expedition made up of scientists and personnel from western Europe and its allies.
There was no point in trying to keep something this big a secret. Many news outlets had raised the issue of Antarctica within the first weeks after the Soviet collapse. When soviet ships were seen leaving for Russia, it seemed obvious what was going to happen next.
However, behind the fanfare, much smaller and more expedient plans were being put into action.
Maybe I should just give you a better idea of how I ended up where I am now, part of all this.
Yes, I am the grandson of William Dyer but that’s hardly worthy of much credit, outside of bragging writes and the family nest egg but is only circumstantial when it comes to me being on the expedition. I was there because of the love of the earth, the history and mystery my late grandad instilled within me in my formative years up to receiving my Master’s in Geology from Aberystwyth University. Wales UK.
His slightly slurry but still captivating tales and descriptions would keep me hanging onto his every word for hours and hours, only ending when some detail would come to his mind and he would get “That Look”. I’m sorry outside of my family that has little meaning but like that distant stare hopelessness mixed with anger behind the eyes kinda look.
Anyway…
After my grandad retired from his position at Miskatonic U. Arkham, it was taken over by a close family friend and as such thru the morally I know wrong but a total tool of survival that is nepotism he was able to secure me a position with the geology department… so I’ve been there since.. well up until then at least.
My grandad’s stories were the source of so much pride and shame in me. This duplicity had become part of my character. His writings, now world-famous, the great “Mountains of Madness” up there with Atlantis, a continent of myth and legend, but nobody has claimed to have seen and walked on and thru Atlantis and it is clear there is certainly no longer a continent somewhere out in the north Atlantic sporting ruins of a city, but Antarctica is there, the frozen plateau is there, the ruins otherwise not seen by any other person other than him and his teammates, but it is there and now we can go.
For many hours, when I was older, after he had had a few sherries Grandad would give me much more graphic descriptions of that place and events that he never told anyone or wrote down.
Funny, people would say “Your grandad got to see one of the greatest mysteries in the world and all he did was walk in circles around the national museum and art gallery”. And from his public writings, I can see why people would think his descriptions were a tad.. repetitive.
But he described many other less cryptic and more utilitarian aspects of the city, points of banal familiarity amongst the alien architecture. These details of that place that were more grounded and easier to understand he thought would paradoxically lead to more interest in the place. His descriptions to someone who wasn’t aware of the full details would think them nothing more than a story created by a traumatized brain dealing with the very real horrifying tragedy caused by the antarctic environment.
I knew this wasn’t true now for obvious reasons but even growing up I knew there had to be something in it. The superpowers both could fly satellites since the USA’s Terran 1 spacecraft in September 57 and then Sputnik in October both built in tandem no doubt to achieve the same goal.
I knew the city was there all I didn’t know was to what limit was grandad able to describe the place, the details.
But I knew the knowledge I had would be useful and wanted by anyone going there
so I wasn’t surprised when I was approached by 2 men from the government as I left work in the summer of 1991. I had over the past months both myself and the university have been hounded mercilessly by the newspapers and news channels to finally tell the world what secrets we must know now we didn’t have to keep them.
So when the two shadows appeared behind me in the evening sun I knew where I was going.
Sorry I’ll try to write more details soon. If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned above comment below.