Darwin's Race


By Brian Ullmann

Medallion Press, Inc.

Copyright © 2009 Brian Ullmann
All right reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-934755-07-5


Chapter One

Six Years Later

Rockefeller Center New York City

If New York City was the media capital of the world, Rockefeller Center represented its epicenter. "The Rock," as it was known within Manhattan, was home to the largest news gathering organization in the world, the Associated Press, as well as the broadcast headquarters of NBC-TV and Radio City Music Hall. But it was perhaps most famous for its flag-lined sunken plaza. During the winter months, the plaza morphed from an outdoor restaurant to a giant ice-skating rink, the site of the famous Rockefeller Christmas tree.

Months before the first chill of winter, the sunken plaza had been converted into a massive stage, a six-foot platform that stretched forty feet across, facing a dozen rows of folding chairs.

On the far side of the plaza, a striking statue sat atop a large fountain. Forged in bronze and covered in gold leaf, it depicted the Greek mythological figure Prometheus stealing fire from the gods as a gift for man, bringing knowledge and arts to the mortals.

Like ravenous rats, reporters swarmed the open courtyard between the stage and the gilded Prometheus. An empty podium sat on top the otherwise bare stage, surrounded by broadcast cameramen and audio techs adjusting microphones, checking levels, and trying nonchalantly to sneak a peak behind the giant curtain hanging at the back of the stage. Two burly security officers positioned on either end of the stage saw to it that none were successful, forcing the media to pacify themselves with live teases and taped stand-ups.

Snatches of their reports could be heard over the clamor.

"Speculation is rampant," a pretty blonde reporter vamped into a video camera, "as NBC and Discovery Channel are set to announce a joint project shrouded in secrecy." The woman gestured to the growing throng of media. "One of the reasons for all this media attention is the recent press release issued by hotshot producer Terrance Carlton. Yesterday afternoon Carlton, known as the creator of the TV phenomenon Endure and the executive producer of the granddaddy of all adventure races, the Eco-Challenge, released the following brief statement."

The reporter displayed a piece of paper to the camera before quoting from it directly: "'The National Broadcasting Company and Discovery Channel Entertainment in conjunction with Eco Productions cordially invite the esteemed members of the media to a unique program announcement this Thursday at 1 p.m. in Rockefeller Plaza.'"

The woman waved the piece of paper at the camera. "That is the extent of the release, but the real buzz started yesterday with an article in Variety reporting that NBC had won the broadcast rights to Carlton's new venture after a fierce bidding war with two other networks. The article cited sources within the upper management of General Electric, the parent company of NBC. Apparently, the significant rights fee had to be approved by the parent company due to the, quote, 'explosive nature' of the program's content."

The reporter flashed her perfectly white teeth nicely complementing her carefully groomed locks and a smart navy business suit. "All of our questions will be answered in roughly twenty minutes and CNN will carry the press conference live. For now, reporting live from Rockefeller Center, this is Susan Peretti, CNN, New York City."

* * *

Terrance Carlton was pacing.

The fifty-fifth-floor office of NBC's vice president of special programming, Horace Alger, was nearly large enough for a full-court basketball game, but Carlton felt like he was suffocating. The office offered clear views of the Plaza, and Carlton distractedly surveyed the activity below. Alger himself was seated on a lush Theodore sofa, and Carlton could feel the weight of the vice president's heavy gaze upon his back as he strode from one side of the office to the other. Carlton counted the steps it took to cover the length of the office. Thirty-six.

"There's nothing to be nervous about," Alger said finally. "Leslie has taken care of everything. The press is here ... they're practically chomping at the bit to hear our news. Just try to relax."

Carlton stopped mid-stride to consider the plump executive.

Alger had earned his sprawling office after twenty years of loyal service at NBC. He rose up through the ranks, from a fresh-faced production intern for Brokaw's then-fledgling nightly news to the executive producer for NBC's top-rated Today Show. But Alger's big coup came when he orchestrated a groundbreaking partnership with Discovery Channel to provide educational children's programming on Saturday mornings. The move saved millions of dollars in production costs and earned NBC kudos for exceeding the new, strict educational programming guidelines set by the FCC. Alger's reward for his pioneering efforts was a fancy title, an envy-inducing office, and almost complete autonomy for special programming. That's why he was the perfect person to approach with Carlton's latest brainchild, a project that promised to eclipse all his other endeavors, even Endure. Alger, not surprisingly, jumped at the opportunity.

Carlton knew that their partnership was big news-the combination of two titans. Failure, as they say, was not an option.

"I'm not nervous," Carlton said, resuming his trans-office stroll. "I'm anxious. There's a big difference. There's work to be done. If we want to launch this program for November sweeps ..."

Alger interrupted. "Not 'want to launch,' Terrance. We must launch for sweeps. NBC didn't shell out this kind of money for a summer throwaway. I don't need to remind you of our financial investment, do I?"

He certainly didn't. Though the media had not yet gotten wind of the enormous price tag, the truth was that it would represent one of the most expensive productions in the history of the network. And all for a program for which there was no pilot, no auditions, no cast, and a logistical nightmare that made Survivor look like America's Funniest Home Videos.

The only thing they had was a site. And even that presented its difficulties.

Carlton ran a hand through his thick brown hair. Standing two inches over six feet, he was an imposing man. Maybe it was his adventure racing background, but he was known in the television community as somewhat of a bully, a do-anything-to-get-the-job-done type. He certainly wasn't shy about throwing his two hundred muscular pounds around if the situation warranted. A boyishly cute face betrayed forty-five years of wisdom, honed from competing in, and later producing, triathlons, Ironman competitions, and then, ultimately, the most grueling adventure race on the planet, the Eco-Challenge. People died during these annual ten-day sprints over demanding courses of rivers, mountains, cliffs, and desert. And that responsibility rested solely upon the event's creator and mastermind. Parlaying his success with Eco-Challenge, Carlton launched Endure, a game show/reality show hybrid that dropped a dozen men and women in the most inhospitable locations in the world and then, through a series of physical and mental challenges, challenged them to survive in the wild. Endure was the biggest primetime hit in CBS's illustrious history and propelled Carlton to a position of power within the entertainment world.

But there were clouds on the horizon. Eager to make the leap from producing fringe adventure races to primetime programming, Carlton had made a serious miscalculation. A mistake that, despite his rampant success, threatened everything.

With a deep breath, Carlton filled his lungs, puffed his chest, and straightened his shoulders. "Horace, I realize there is pressure for this program. I relish the pressure. It's part of what's going to make this the greatest television event of all time. I just want to get this press conference over with, so I can begin working on actually producing the damn thing. I don't have to remind you where we're filming, do I?"

"No one has to remind anyone of anything," Alger replied. "We're all aware of the risks and dangers of this ... spectacle. I talked Discovery Channel into a significant investment in this project, and we have to make this work no matter what. The green they're putting up for this could finance two straight months of Shark Week."

"Shark Week?" Carlton said with a sneer. "Fuck Shark Week. This event will blow that away. After this, Shark Week will be running during overnights." Carlton felt his confidence surge. "Horace ... this is beyond television programming. This is beyond entertainment of any kind. What we are doing here is nothing short of ... history."

At that moment, the door to Alger's office opened and a beautiful woman stepped through. Leslie Dickerson, NBC's vice president of communications, was all business. Designer black-rimmed glasses and hair pulled back in a severe bun did nothing to draw attention away from a flawless face and a pair of long legs more suited to high-fashion runways than a public relations desk. She made eye contact with each of the men, as if sizing them up, gauging their readiness.

"It's time," she said.

* * *

The outdoor courtyard exploded with activity as Carlton and Alger followed Leslie Dickerson onto the stage. Flashes popped, reporters scrambled to their seats and camera operators jumped into position, adjusting the focus and rechecking audio levels. After years of covering mindless press tours of network suites (each one invariably proclaiming the potential of their fall schedule), the prospect of something really interesting happening had invigorated the cynical press corps.

The NBC communications staff had set out nearly one hundred chairs and all were filled. Overflow media filled the aisles on either side, and a few unlucky latecomers were relegated to peering around the phalanx of television cameras in the back of the plaza. A small crowd of passersby ringed the perimeter.

Several yelled out questions, but as the communications chief assumed her position at the podium, the courtyard fell silent. Carlton and Alger assumed their respective positions in director's chairs upon the stage. Leslie paused for a moment, waiting for the signal from the television cameramen to indicate they were rolling.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to bear witness to an historical moment in entertainment. I am pleased to introduce to you the participants in this evening's announcement.

"On my far right, Mr. Terrance Carlton. Creator of Endure, today's most innovative and popular television show. Mr. Carlton has also produced a host of other programming, including the Eco-Challenge series and last year's highest-rated documentary, Mallory and Irvine: The Quest for Everest."

She paused as Carlton nodded politely toward the crowd.

"Next to Mr. Carlton is Mr. Horace Alger, vice president of special programming for NBC ..."

As Dickerson outlined Alger's résumé, Carlton scanned the crowd for familiar faces. He spotted reporters from Outside and National Geographic-their coverage was a given-and counted the cameras in the back of the plaza. Twenty-two. Not bad.

There was a slight commotion as a rather large man, bearded and bushy-haired, pressed through the rearmost row of chairs. Carlton's eyes followed the bear of a man until he found a seat. Then, staring directly at the producer, the man winked.

Another wave of applause brought Carlton's attention back to the business at hand.

"Mr. Carlton will speak, but first we have a brief video presentation."

Murmurs rose from the crowd, many glancing about the screen-less stage, confused about where to watch. With a low whir, the curtain parted and a giant thirty-foot-wide projection screen rose from below the stage. A single word appeared in white against the black screen.

TIBET

The screen filled with a sweeping aerial image of a towering mountain range. The narrator, baritone-voiced, intoned: "Tibet. The Land of Snows. A place of magical mountains and spiritual awakenings. A land of unparalleled majesty. And breathless beauty."

Images of snowy fields, glistening ice, purple mountain flowers flashed across the screen.

"Lying upon the shoulders of the mighty Himalayan Mountains, Tibet is a land on the top of the world. Birthplace of Buddhism and the sacred line of the Dalai Lama, Tibet is as sacred as it is inaccessible. Shielded from the outside world by towering peaks of snow and ice, Tibetans live simple lives, as they have for hundreds of years."

Children playing. Wrinkled elders working the fields. Clothes of sturdy and colorful construction.

"The size of the state of Pennsylvania, Tibet is inhabited by only a few thousand hearty souls. Though the Himalayas have been the traditional site of religious pilgrimage for Buddhist worshippers for many years, most of Tibet remains virtually unexplored."

Images of caves, churning whitewater rivers, steep granite cliffs.

"There is a special place within Tibet that has been completely closed off to man for over a thousand years. Myth and legend have named this place Shangri-la. We know it today as the Tsangpo Gorge. Few have braved this two hundred thousand-acre wilderness of dense jungle, steep gorges, and towering ice mountains, and the Tsangpo Gorge has never been fully explored. There are reaches of the mighty Tsangpo that have eluded man since time began. The River Tsangpo-borne upon the mountain of Mount Kalaish, the legendary site of the grand struggle between the Buddhist yogi Milarepa and the Bon sorcerer Naro Bonchung for religious supremacy of Tibet-cuts through the gorge like a scythe. In the battle, Milarepa threw the sorcerer from the peak, establishing Buddhism as the primary religion of Tibet and Kalaish as a center of mystical thinking. In the wild Himalayas, Kalaish unleashes the mightiest river the world has ever known."

The screen shifted to a world map, the image zooming in on Asia. Tibet, shaded in gray, stood out in stark contrast to its neighbors, China to the north and east and India to the south and west. The image zoomed again, zeroing in on the remote southeast corner of Tibet.

"Just east of the Tsangpo Gorge lies an area even more remote. Tibetans hold this land sacred and have never ventured into this unknown territory. But they do have a name for it. Kukuranda-The Three Sisters. Three peaks comprise the Kukuranda, with one towering peak at its center. Tibetans know this mountain as Kuk Sur. The Beast. What is known of this mountain, indeed of the entire Kukuranda, is known only through myth and tradition, handed down through generations of Tibetan storytellers."

On the screen, an ancient Tibetan man speaks in hushed tones, surrounded by children in rapt attention, a snowcapped mountain looming in the distance.

"The storytellers speak of a land beyond imagining. Of a land filled with great animals found nowhere else on earth. A place protected by God himself. A place where no man dares to tread. A place, they say, that shall forever be protected from the ravages of man. Even the invading Red Army found the Kukuranda impenetrable when they pushed into Tibet in 1950. The Dragon lost many troops during their attempt-and as they headquartered their occupation forces in Lhasa-vowed thereafter never again to set foot in the accursed place.

"Kukuranda is perhaps the last great wilderness on our planet, this generation's South Pole. What marvels can be found there? We now know that Kuk Sur is the tallest unclimbed mountain on planet Earth. But will we ever know the true nature of the vast Kukuranda and the fabled Kuk Sur?

"Perhaps the time is drawing near when these questions will finally be answered ..."

The screen went black and dropped back underneath the stage. Carlton was standing alone at the podium, his black eyes unblinking in the face of a torrent of lightning from camera flashes. Just before he spoke, the corners of his mouth turned upwards, flashing his trademark grin. Half smile, half smirk, it was a mysterious concoction that bespoke confidence and secrecy. He paused another moment, breathing in the attention he held, the power of the words that were to come.

"Ladies and gentlemen, NBC Universal and Discovery Communications are proud to bring you the greatest expedition of all time. It will be a completely unguided journey through the remote Tsangpo Gorge from the western banks of the Tsangpo River to the summit of Kuk Sur. Some of you know that Kuk Sur and the entire Kukaranda Range have been closed for several years now by the Chinese government after a series of fatal accidents. I am pleased to announce that they have agreed to lift these restrictions for this race. The opportunity to make a first ascent of Kuk Sur stands before us."

(Continues...)



Excerpted from Darwin's Race by Brian Ullmann Copyright © 2009 by Brian Ullmann. Excerpted by permission.
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