Hard Line - Pamela Clare Page 0,75

here without alerting him. When the wind dies down, we could bring you one of our pistols and some medical aid, but it would likely lead him right to you.”

“Okay, then what’s our play?”

“Before we get into that, there are two other things.”

“Go ahead.”

“Steve Hardin is actually Stephen Michael Delaney. Fifteen years ago, Delaney was a researcher for Titan, the defense contractor. He did the preliminary development for the Golden Horde systems. Apparently, he had a falling out with his bosses over workplace behavior. They fired him, and then he disappeared. It turns out he created a new identity for himself. Shields thinks he wants to get back at the company.”

Samantha stared at Thor, stunned.

Thor didn’t seem shocked at all. “I wish she’d discovered that a few days ago. Thanks for the update. What we need now is a plan. It’s time to take back the station.”

Thor looked Samantha over, made sure the emergency blankets were duct-taped into place. Beneath the Mylar were body warmers taped on top of her clothes like a vest.

“We look like Antarctic mummies or something.” Her words and her laugh were muffled by the dish towel that covered her nose, cheeks, and mouth like a mask.

Thor appreciated her spirit, but she was still hypothermic—they both were—and they were heading back outside. As plans went, this one sucked. But it was their best chance.

Thor, Jones, and Segal had gone over every possible scenario, trying to find the one with the highest probability of success. No one could get out of the life pod without Hardin knowing. They couldn’t cut off the heat and let him freeze to death without also cutting off the heat to Summer Camp. As long as Thor and Samantha stayed here, they would get no medical help, and Thor would be without a firearm—a real liability if Hardin showed up.

But there was another consideration, one Thor hadn’t shared with anyone. He was running a fever, and the bullet wound had begun to bleed again, more heavily this time. He’d changed the bandages several times. He was pretty sure the bullet, or a fragment of it, had nicked an artery. Either way, his strength was fading.

If he didn’t get Samantha back to the safety of the station soon...

“We move as efficiently as we can to the emergency hatch. I’ll shovel the snow away and lift the cover. Then we head down the ladder to the ice tunnels and warm up in the machine shop before heading into the station.”

“It’s minus sixty in those tunnels.”

“That’s better than minus a hundred and ten.” He handed her the dish towel for his face and sat. “Can you help with this? My shoulder … I don’t think—”

“Of course.” She took the duct tape, fastened it into place. “I think you’re good.”

Then she helped him cover his head with Mylar and taped that on, too.

He could see in her eyes that she was smiling. Yeah, okay, so they looked ridiculous. “We move quickly to the hatch and down the ladder. The longer we’re on the ladder and in the tunnels, the worse the hypothermia will be.”

“I understand.”

Ryan, who knew the station well, had suggested using the ice tunnel emergency hatches to gain entrance to the station. Intended for emergency use from the inside or outside, the hatches were marked with green flags. They were covered only by heavy steel lids that didn’t lock. Most of the time, the lids stayed covered with snow. The ice tunnels led into the unheated service arches, and the service arches were connected by several flights of stairs through the Beer Can to the warmth of the station.

The only thing this plan had going for it was that Hardin believed they were dead. He wouldn’t see them coming. Once inside, Thor would get their rifles from their rooms and head with Samantha to the life pod. Then the staff inside would force open the doors. Samantha would stay with Kristi and the doctor and get care, while he, Jones, and Segal went after Hardin—or whatever his name was.

“Remember to keep your hands as close to your body as you can.”

“Right.”

Thor grabbed a shovel that stood inside the door, handing her the flashlight. “Put that somewhere safe so you don’t drop it.”

She tucked it into the back of her jeans. “Ready.”

Thor opened the door, icy wind hitting him in the face. “Let’s move!”

Samantha hurried along beside him. “Shit, it’s cold!”

“Keep going. Don’t run.”

The wind had died down enough that he could see the lights