Ice Storm Read Online Free PDF Page A

limp.
    The basket swung in bigger circles. My muscles started to fail.
    I squinted at the ground. Graham and Baxter stood ten to fifteen feet below me. Just beyond them, a small crowd was gathered around a couple of vehicles.
    The crane creaked loudly. Then it tipped a few feet to the west. My body jolted. I lost my grip on the man's belt. He slid down my shoulder.
    I looked down. The landscape turned in rapid circles beneath me. I felt nauseous looking at it.
    I held onto the man for a few more seconds. Then I let him go. The basket continued to swing at a rapid clip so I didn't see him fall. But I heard a slight thud as he struck the ice near the edge of the cliff.
    Reaching up, I grabbed hold of the basket with both hands. The crane creaked again. It shifted a few more feet to the west.
    I glanced down. My heart skipped a beat.
    I'd been mistaken. The crane wasn't tipping west. It was tipping northwest. In other words, back toward the Desolation .
    Metal screeched. The crane jolted as it shifted another couple of feet. The basket spun in a wider circle. I passed over ice, then water, then ice again.
    I tried to time my jump. But the basket was moving far too fast.
    A loud wailing noise filled the air. It pierced my ears. I felt the crane give way. My right hand tightened around the cord. My left hand shot to my sheathe. I grasped my machete.
    Then I let go.
    Wind rushed at my face. I blinked. The edge of the cliff was directly beneath me.
    I slammed into ice. Air whooshed out of my lungs. I slid toward the cliff. My legs went over the edge.
    Metal groaned. Then the crane collapsed, falling into the water with a thunderous crash.
    Desperately, I plunged my machete downward. It rammed into the ice and held fast. But my cold fingers didn't have much strength left.
    My grip started to slip. I tried to grab the machete with my other hand, but I couldn't reach it.
    Hands grabbed my wrists. "I've got you."
    I looked up and saw Graham's determined face. Other hands grabbed me. They wrapped around my arms, my waist. They yanked me up. Next thing I knew, I was being dragged away from the cliff.
    The hands let go. I fell in a heap, gasping for air.
    I coughed a few times. "Is he …?"
    Baxter knelt next to the young man from the Desolation . A few seconds passed. "He's alive."
    My lungs heaved for air. "What … what the hell … caused this?"
    "I wish I knew." Baxter took a deep breath. "I wish I knew."

 
    Chapter 9
    "Welcome to Fitzgerald Station." Baxter pushed open a set of doors. His tone was still icy but he seemed a tad warmer in other respects. "The latest in cold weather architecture."
    "Not bad." Graham grunted. "A little small though."
    "She's larger than you think. You just can't tell because everything is under one roof. We've got a post office, a cafeteria, dorm rooms, state-of-the-art laboratories, a gym, a hospital, a library, a lounge, and even a nightclub. You name it, we've got it."
    I looked around. The common room was brightly lit and surprisingly warm. Numerous hallways jutted off in various directions.
    An oval-shaped wooden bar sat in the center of the room. Three baristas manned it, serving up coffee and hot cocoa—often mixed with shots of Bailey's—to long lines of patrons. Numerous somber-faced people milled about the bar, whispering in reserved tones.
    Giant murals adorned three of the walls. The northern image showed the exterior of Fitzgerald, backed by distant mountains. A rich and textured painting of the Ekström Ice Shelf dominated the west wall. The picture on the south wall showed an overhead view of Antarctica. Tiny red arrows marked all active stations and field camps.
    I studied the southern mural. Antarctica was a far cry from Manhattan. There were no landmarks to check, no streets to search, no pedestrians to question. Even if we convinced Baxter to let us stay on the frozen continent, how could we possibly hope to find a lost vault in the middle of all that nothingness?
    I pulled off my