Ice Storm Read Online Free PDF

gloves and flexed my fingers. Like the rest of my body, they hurt like hell. "Don't worry about us. I'm sure you've got a lot to do."
    Baxter glared at me. "I'm not done with you two yet."
    "Hey Pat." A voice, deep and rich, resonated above the whispers. "Over here."
    Baxter led us over to a tall man. "Hi Rupert."
    "What's all the ruckus?" Rupert nodded at the people around the bar. "Did someone die?"
    "The Desolation blew up. Only one man survived it."
    Rupert's face turned ashen. "I felt the ground tremble. But I thought it was just an earthquake."
    "No such luck."
    Graham coughed loudly.
    Baxter gritted his teeth. "Rupert, this is Cy and Dutch. Don't worry about getting to know them. They arrived today. They're leaving tomorrow."
    Rupert extended his hand. "I'm Rupert Whitlow. My wife and I work out of Kirby. That's a satellite station south of here."
    "Nice to meet you." I shook his hand. He possessed broad shoulders, a square jaw, and charcoal-colored hair. His shirt barely contained his chiseled torso. "Kirby Station, huh?"
    "That's right."
    "I need to check on the survivor." Baxter looked at me. "Do you need medical attention? Be honest."
    I shook my head.
    Baxter turned toward Rupert. "Can you babysit these two until I get back?"
    Graham arched an eyebrow. "You're not putting us in the brig?"
    "Not yet."
    "Actually, I was really hoping to get on the road," Rupert said. "I'd like to get my crate back to Kirby as quickly as possible."
    "That can wait." Baxter wheeled around and walked away.
    Graham waited until Baxter had vanished into one of the hallways. "So, you work for Pat?"
    "No," Rupert replied.
    "Could've fooled me."
    "It's better to stay on his good side. Pat's in charge of everything around here. If he wanted to, he could make my life a living hell."
    "What kind of work do you do?" I asked.
    "My wife and I are zoologists."
    "Zoology? Here?"
    "I know. It sounds crazy. Few animals can survive the winter wind chill. It dries them up faster than a sponge on water. But that doesn't mean there aren't creatures for us to study. We just need a microscope to see them."
    "You're talking about invertebrates."
    He nodded.
    "How long have you worked at Kirby?" Graham asked.
    "Three years."
    "Damn."
    "That's nothing. The Baxters have been on this continent for decades." He stood up. "It's hard for outsiders to understand but this place grows on you. Sure, we scratch out a meager existence. And we put up with a thousand indignities. But we're living a constant adventure at the literal end of the Earth. What could be better than that?"
    "Do you want the whole list?" Graham asked. "Because that could take a few hours."
    "Like I said, outsiders don't get it." Rupert shrugged. "It's just about lunchtime. Come on. I'll take you to the cafeteria. Might as well try the cuisine before you leave."
    We followed him into a long hallway. "This region is widely known as Queen Maud Land." He adopted the tone of a weary tour guide. "It covers one-sixth of Antarctica, or about one million square miles. It's claimed by Norway but no one takes that seriously."
    Graham looked around. "How does Kirby compare to this place?"
    "It's much smaller. It was built to accommodate twenty-two full-time residents and a dozen part-timers. But it's never attracted anywhere close to that level of interest. Including Crazy Roy's team, we've got just seven full-time residents."
    "Crazy Roy?"
    "It's a nickname," Rupert explained. "A well-earned one."
    We walked into a large room. Fitzgerald's galley was a step up from a prison cafeteria and maybe a few steps down from my old high school lunchroom.
    The walls were white. Not egg white, not off-white. Just white. The gray carpet lacked texture and design. Halogen light blanketed the room.
    Dozens of circular wooden tables were screwed to the floor. Mounted swivel chairs surrounded them. Black plastic boxes sat on their surfaces. Each box held a silver napkin dispenser, salt and pepper shakers, ketchup, and