Rogue Angel - 16 - Polar Quest by Alex Archer

Author:Alex Archer
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9780373621347
Publisher: Gold Eagle
Published: 2009-01-13T05:00:00+00:00

21

Garin looked imposing with his hood and goggles on, standing over her in the darkness. He smiled and clapped his hands together. “This is a very nice surprise. One I confess I never thought I’d see happening. But there you go. Just goes to show that we can’t predict the future.”

Annja sighed. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Garin shook his head. “Well, I’m not going to talk to you out here. I’m cold and miserable. This weather is the absolute pits.”

“We’re in Antarctica, Garin.”

“Regardless, I’m going inside.” Garin opened the door. “Interested in coming in out of the cold?”

Annja stepped over the threshold. “Whether your sick little imagination wants to admit it or not, this does not mean I’m here to sleep with you,” she stated.

Garin placed a hand on his chest. “Woman, thou doth slay me with your unkind words.”

“Yeah, right,” Annja said, laughing.

Garin removed his jacket and goggles, letting them fall over the small table near the entrance. “I didn’t see you at dinner.”

“No, you didn’t.”

He stopped. “Is this going to be one of those conversations?”

“What kind?”

“The ones where you simply confirm my statements and we do some silly dance around the topic you really want to resolve?”

Annja smiled. “You can tell we’ve been associates for too long. When you start predicting the flow of the talk, and all.”

“Well,” Garin said with a gleam in his eye, “you could always cozy up to me and take things in a direction neither of us ever expected. That might be a fun way to keep our relationship fresh.”

“I’ll give that some serious thought,” Annja said.

“Please do.” Garin removed his snow pants. Annja glanced away. He laughed. “I’ve got other pants on underneath, for crying out loud.”

“What? I wasn’t sure if you were naked under there or what. Knowing you, you might have planned it that way and all,” Annja said, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Oh, might I?” Garin sat down on his bed. “There’s a chair over there or you’re welcome to sit here.”

“Why did you pitch your shelter near the nuclear generator?” Annja asked.

Garin grinned. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Well, sure, but I like asking questions that have obvious answers because I’m a real fan of hearing myself speak,” she said.

Garin frowned. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m not exactly legitimate. And frankly, I like knowing that I have some separation, just in case I need to get out of here in a hurry.”

“You’re expecting to have to leave?”

“One never knows.” Garin leaned back. “I’ve always found it’s far better to be prepared for any eventuality. I had to live that way for years while Roux and I tried to kill each other. After a while, that pattern gets ingrained in you. It’s not something you can even choose to do or not do. It just happens.”

“So you’ve got yourself an isolated bit of real estate here,” Annja said.

“Yes.”

“With the isotopes floating about.”

Garin smiled. “The reactor is perfectly safe. It’s a one-of-a-kind unit, I’m told. Straight off the DARPA assembly block. This is the first unit to use them in an actual field test.

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