Hard Line - Pamela Clare Page 0,11
single day? Wow.
“Please feel free to speak up if you believe we’re missing something. You have more experience here than we do.”
Samantha appreciated his willingness to listen to her, but he was the expert. “I’ve spent my time here inside the safety of this station, apart from my daily walks to and from the Dark Sector lab. When it’s really cold, Patty and I…”
Her words trailed off, pain lancing through her when she realized what she’d said.
“We’re sorry about your friend.” Thor’s gaze was warm with sympathy. “It’s hard to lose someone.”
Samantha’s throat went tight, his compassion taking her by surprise. “Thanks.”
Thor gave her a moment, then he went over the plan in detail. They would fly in a Twin Otter with a ferry tank to the crash site. While the pilot kept the plane running, Thor, Malik, and Lev would assist her in removing the components in any way they could and locking them in a special steel lockbox. Then they would board the plane with the package and fly back to the station.
“We won’t have a lot of time once we get there—not even a half-hour. We don’t want our fuel to freeze.”
The butterflies in Samantha’s stomach went into a frenzy. “That’s not enough time. If I were removing those components in a lab, I’d give myself an hour.”
What the hell did they expect from her—miracles?
Thor’s gaze met hers. “We’ll be right there, doing whatever we can to help. Also, your body mass is lower than ours, so you’ll lose heat faster. You need to layer up more than usual and be alert for signs of hypothermia.”
“When do we leave?”
“Our plane left McMurdo two hours ago. It should be here by ten. That gives you an hour to get ready.”
Samantha had to say it. “You said you welcomed my advice. Here it is. Your guns and muscles and military experience won’t save us if things go wrong out there. Wait until spring to retrieve these components when it’s safer to fly.”
Thor stood, closed his laptop. “I wish we could.”
Thor waited with Jones and Segal near Destination Alpha—the station’s main entrance—for Samantha, his mind focused on the task ahead of them. Not only would they need everything to go right, they would need a bit of luck, too.
Thor had flown in a prop plane over Greenland. He knew what they were facing.
“The flight will be rough.” He spoke quietly, doing his best not to be overheard. “You two got your motion sickness patches?”
Jones chuckled. “I’m not the one who gets sick.”
“Fuck you.” Segal glared at him.
Thor had his in place, and he’d made sure Samantha got one, too.
He spotted her walking down the long hallway in her red NSF parka, a bag of gear, food, and extra clothing slung over her shoulder. She had almost reached them when the man who’d accused them of being mercenaries ran up behind her.
“Did you know they sent Patty’s body back to the States?” He looked enraged.
“I found out after she was already gone.”
The man raised his voice, his face going red. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
Samantha touched a hand to his arm. “I’m sorry, Lance. No one told me, either.”
“Sorry to be so angry, but I never got to say goodbye.”
“None of us did. I need to go.” Samantha walked on, leaving Lance behind.
Then Lance spotted Thor and seemed to put two and two together. He grabbed Samantha’s arm, turned her to face him. “You’re not going with them, are you?”
“Yes. The NSF asked me to do this.”
“That’s crazy. Do you know how dangerous this is?”
“I don’t have a choice, Lance.”
“Bullshit!” Lance turned his anger on Thor, Jones, and Segal, stomping over to them. “If you soldier boys want to risk your lives over a satellite, fine. But you’re not taking Samantha on that plane. She’s a scientist, not a tool of the military.”
Thor ignored him, met Samantha’s gaze. “Are you ready?”
But Lance didn’t back down. He strode up to Thor, pointed a finger in Thor’s face. He was a good six inches shorter than Thor, but, oh, he was angry. “You are not taking her out on that plane. You have no idea what it’s like out there.”
“Is that so?” Thor understood the man’s rage but didn’t like his attitude.
Samantha stepped between them. “He knows, Lance. He’s got a lot more experience surviving in these conditions than you or I.”
“What do you mean by that?”
But Hardin must have heard the shouting. He came down the stairs from the administrative offices. “Back