Deep Freeze: Protocol One, Book 2 (Protocol One Saga) Read Online Free PDF Page A

see the smoke. Again, like the other smoke streams it was thin. Almost as if it was deliberately being hindered. I headed to the conning tower and prepared to call out, when I heard the man’s voice.
    “Stop right there or I’ll shoot.”
    It wasn’t Tony’s voice. Where was he yelling from? I peered around.
    “Hands in the air.” He ordered.
    I lifted my hands then my eyes. The falling snow made him hard to see. Wearing a thick dark coat, armed with a rifle, the man stood on the conning tower.
    “Let me make a suggestion. You have five seconds to turn around and leave, or I will shoot,” he said.
    “Please don’t,” I replied. “I’m just looking for my friend. We got separated. He may be injured I don’t know. Is he there?”
    “You’re a woman,” he stated.
    “Last I checked. Is he here?”
    “Hold on.” The man shouldered his rifle, then climbed down the exterior ladder. How he did so without slipping or falling was impressive. He obviously sensed I wasn’t a threat, then again, maybe he was just as naïve as I was.
    Figuring it was safe to lower my hands, I did.
    He approached me, pulling his rifle forward in his grip. “You alone?”
    At that point I wondered if I made a mistake. His face was hard to make out through the thick hooded fur. He had a beard, I saw that. “I just need to find my friend.”
    “I haven’t seen anyone,” he said. “I only saw you because I was scoping, and I spotted that red suit. You stand out in that red suit. Are you alone?”
    I was at a loss as to what to say, how to answerer, when I saw the round door on the tower open, and clearly a woman peaked out.  She wore a coat, but not the hood.
    “Larry, everything okay?” she asked.
    “Yeah, fine. She’s safe. You’re letting the heat out. Get in.”
    The door closed.
    Larry. I guess that was his name.
    “Come on in.” He moved to the door.
    “I have to get back out and search.”
    “A huh.” He nodded. “Alone. Right now? It’s gonna be dark in less than an hour. You don’t look like you’re from one of the camps. And from that flashy snow suit, I’m gonna guess you ain’t from around here. Come on in.” He reached for the door.
    If Tony was with me, he’d say I was out of my mind. I had this habit of trusting people. The guy Larry could have shot me. If he wanted to harm me, I was an arm’s reach away. He kept his distance, spoke matter of fact. He wasn’t alone, there was a woman with him.
    Possibly even more people. The thought did cross my mind that a man and woman duo took our Humvee. Obviously, it wasn’t them. Why would they take it to go a couple blocks? Plus, it wasn’t around anywhere. Unless Tony got it back and left me in Pittsburgh.
    Trusting my gut instinct, which had failed me before, I followed Larry inside the submarine.
     
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    Immediately I sensed the temperature change when walking into the submarine. I removed my hood and my goggles. Larry hung his coat next to the door.
    “Sections are cold. You’ll get used to it, if you want to remove that stuff.”
    “I’m fine. Thank you.”
    He led the way, not waiting on me. I paused to look at the blue and gold sign that indicated ‘control room’ with an arrow. We walked down a set of narrow and steep stairs.
    Larry told me to ‘watch my step’ and I did. It took us to the control room, or rather what used to be the control room. Most of the equipment was moved to make room for old bench seats.
    Center of the room was a makeshift heater. It was made from a trash can with an exhaust tube that led up to the ceiling. The temperature changed when I walked in there and I undid my coat.
    The woman sat in there, her blonde hair in a sloppy ponytail pulled to the side. A little girl, with the same color hair, no older than three perched on her lap. Still holding the child, she stood and extended her hand. “Gail,” she said.
    “Anna,” I told her.
    “Have a seat. Do you want something warm to drink?” she