Hard Line - Pamela Clare Page 0,9

“Mr. Isaksen, did you want to say anything?”

Thor stepped forward. “I’m Thor Isaksen. This is Lev Segal and Malik Jones. We’re grateful for your hospitality. We’ll do our job as quickly as possible and stay out of everyone’s way.”

“Are you military?” blurted Jason, the kid who’d tried to film them earlier.

Thor shook his head. “No, absolutely not. We work for a security company.”

It was the truth. None of them were with the military—not now.

“They’re mercs—mercenaries,” said a man whose name Thor couldn’t recall. He wore an Oakland Raiders sweatshirt—and a disapproving frown on his face.

Thor ignored him, handing the floor back to Hardin.

“Thor and his team brought in freshies—apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, salad fixings, tomatoes, and—wait for it—avocados. They’ll be available in the galley tomorrow morning.”

That made people cheer.

Hardin gave them a moment to settle down. “I guess I’ll start. I met Patty last February, the start of her first winter here. She was one of those faces I was always happy to see—kind and cheerful, even when winter-over syndrome kicked in. That’s more than I can say for some of you.”

Quiet laughter.

Hardin chuckled, too. “Patty participated fully in life on station. She was supportive of others and a good team player, always willing to pitch in, no matter what the job. She was a member of the Three Hundred Club. She also put together an entry for last year’s Antarctic Film Festival—Werewolves in the Dark Sector.”

That brought laughter, cheers, and applause.

“I could go on, but Sam knew Patty better than anyone. I’ve asked her to say a few words.” Hardin stepped aside.

Dr. Park stood, her gaze meeting Thor’s for a moment as she moved to the front of the room. He could tell she was nervous. “Patty and I met in grad school at Berkeley—two women working on PhDs in astrophysics. We became housemates. We were an odd couple. She was the extrovert. I was the introvert. I probably wouldn’t have done anything but study and work on my dissertation if not for her. She was always telling me to lighten up. I helped her with fluid dynamics, and she taught me about living.”

Charli, the coms manager, and Kristi, the RN, choked back tears.

Thor listened as Dr. Park talked about her long friendship with Patty, sharing funny anecdotes. He laughed along with the others. Still, it was strange to be an outsider during such an intimate expression of communal grief.

“Patty got me out of the house. She made me laugh. She made life brighter for the people around her. She and I have been friends and research partners for so long that I’m not sure how to do this without her. I can’t … I can’t believe she’s gone.” Dr. Park was fighting tears now, too. “She loved her work. She loved the vastness and the mystery of space. I’d like to think she’s closer to understanding those mysteries now, wherever she is. I can’t believe I’ll never see her again. I miss you, Patty.”

Dr. Park’s expression crumpled as tears overcame her at last, her pain tugging at Thor. The man in the Oakland Raiders sweatshirt stood and hugged her, his expression twisted by grief, tears on his face.

Thor seized the moment to make a quiet exit, threading his way across the lounge and out into the hallway, the others behind him.

“Too bad,” Jones said. “Patty sounds like a nice woman.”

Thor was sorry, too.

“Let’s get some supper, check our gear, and catch up on sleep.” Thor led them down the stairs and toward the galley. “We meet in the small conference room at oh-eight-hundred with the scientist who will be flying to the crash site with us. If this weather holds, we should be wheels up before noon.”

Samantha hauled herself out of bed early the next morning, emotionally drained from the memorial service. She took her allotted two-minute shower, grabbed breakfast in the galley, then dressed warmly and made the trek to the Dark Sector to check the SPT, waving to Kazem, who stood outside the BICEP2 control room smoking a cigarette.

The telescope was operating perfectly, the observations it had sent back since last night intriguing. She didn’t have time now to study them in any depth.

Patty would never see them.

Dragging, whether from grief or dread, Samantha made her way through the frigid cold back to the station for her meeting with the security team. She found them already in the conference room, sitting around the table with cups of coffee. She poured herself a cup, stirred in creamer,