The Arctic Mission by fablefinder (100 best novels of all time .txt) 📖

Chapter 1


"Come on! We've fot to fet out of here!"
"No! We can't go, not until I have the imformation we came for,"
"Are you crazy! It's 50 below with 20 mph winds! We can't stay! We'll be frozin in a couple more minutes."
"That's a chance we'll have to take. This data is vital for our mission." he yelled over the howling wind. "You can go back, but don't take my credit for a successful mission."
".....All right! I'll stay, but you've only got a total of 20 minutes before the eye of the storm hits."
"Fine. All I've got to do is calculate the speed-"
"No time!" My calculations were way off, it must be some kind of super storm. That eye is moving at least 90 mph and will be here in less than 2 minutes!" he said looking down at his barometer.
"Ok, I'm almost done...."
"It seems to be increasing 15 mph at a time!"
"Almost there....
"It's to late! I can see it heading our way! Look!" he said pointing with fear.
"No! You said we had more time!"
"I was wrong, ok! Human error does exist you know!" he yelled. Then in an instant the storm was apon them.

______

"Good morning everyone! It's another fine day here today in sunny California.Be sure and stop by for our-" "What a night." Mumbled Jack Carter, as her shut his alarm off. " I can't believe I went to that party." He continued as he went to brush his teeth. Knock, knock, knock, knock.
"You in there Jack?"
"Oh, I bet that's Bob." He mumbled as he made his way to the door. "Hi Bob."
"Jack what happened, you look like you missed hibernation?"
"Well,....I did....kind of." He said coarsely.
"Ah,....well, how you feel after that party?" he added grinning
"Like I've been up all night." There was a pause of silence....
"Anyway, your needed at the agency. I guess two guys froze in the Arctic."
"Ah, well....what can you expect when you go huntin in a land of ice were even the icebergs get frostbitt. Anything else?"
"That's all they told me."
"Yep, well that's the Arctic for ya." he said as he went into his room to change

_______

"Hey, you hear any more info on the Arctic Mission?"
"No, not yet Tony. I'm still waiting for the search team to relay the data."
"Let me know as soon as it comes in." said Tony "and Kate, did you send Bob over to pick Jack up?"
"Ya, they should be here any minute."
"Good."

_______


"Well, well, well its been too long." said Jack
"Not really, about 2 months." replied Tony
"I was speaking metaphorically Tony... I hear you found something interesting. You mind telling me?"
"Our highly specialized arctic team sent two men out to acquire some weather information. They never returned."
"So they could've gotten lost." I may be able to get more information out of Tony if I don't act so smart

.
"Not likely, there was a reported storm on its way, but the two men were very dedicated to their jobs."
"I'm listening."
"They were found frozen this morning. Apparently they were caught in the storm."
"Wait a second, didn't these guys know about this storm? I mean they are a weather intelligence agency, right?"
"Yes, but one of them was cocky and thought he wasn't susceptible to the arctic weather."
"Somehow that doesn't sound SO intelligent." As Jack added this Tony gave him a bit of a reproachful glance as he changed the subject.
"They had vital information on this super storm and-" Jack cut him off by saying
"Let me guess, you want me to get it?"
"Yep."
"Why can't the people at the base go get it?"
"Because the only people there is a man named Jim and a girl named Kim."
"So why can't this Jim go and do it?"".......he's.........the cook."
"I see." He said chuckling.
"So your our only option left, because we know you'll get the job done."
"Well, I guess I could take a frigid vacation...."
"Great! Your flight leaves tomorrow morning."

_______


"All passengers to flight 91 please report to gate 9." bellowed the loud speakers in the airport.I wonder how long this job is going to take

, thought Jack as he made his way to the boarding gate. Somehow the information at the agency didn't all add up. They must not be telling me everything.
"All passengers to flight 91 to gate 9." repeated the lady announcer."Your ticket please." said the ticket checker."Have a nice flight and thank you for flying Arctic Airlines."

_______

"This is your captain speaking, we are cruesing at an altitude of aproximately 15,000 feet. Please enjoy your flight and we will be landing shortly." addresed the captain to the only two passengers.
"Man! Not very many people fly Arctic Airlines, maybe the service is no good."
"Oh, no." answered the other single passenger, a girl about 23.
"Pardon me?"
"I said, no. I've flown many times on this airline and the service has always been great."
"Oh, I see."
"Look there's no use not talking after all we are the only passengers."
"Your right. My name is Jack Carter and yours is....."
"Michelle Seener."
"Nice to meet you. So were are you going in the Arctic?"
"I'm doing a paper on Arctic life."
"Really."
"Yep, hey are you thee Jack Carter, the agent?"
"Well, now I wouldn't say agent, but yes." he said cockily.
"In that case I guess I'm gonna be staying in the same base as you."
"Oh, I'm glad to hear it. We can always use more help."
"ATTENTION!!!" yelled the speakers above just as the plane lurched suddenly."Attention" he said as his paniked voice cut in and out."This is your captain......speaking. I'm............ gonna......... be, PLEASE-" suddenly the speakers cut off and they heard an ear piercing shot.
"Was that a gun shot?!"asked Michelle.
"I think so!" said Jack fighting his seat belt to get free and reach the cochpit. Just then the plain took a sudden dive.

_______

As the plane hurdled closer to the frozen wasteland beneath, Jack jumped up and ran to the cockpit only to be almost knocked down by a masked figure, that shot past him and out the plane door. Jack turned to the pilot who began to lay in a pool of blood. Jack jumped to the controls only to pull up in time from crashing into the nearing ground.
"Hey Michelle, you ok?" he asked.
"Yeah." she said shaking.
"Do you know anything about first aid."
"Yeha I went to medical school for a while."
"Could you come look at this pilot, he looks pretty bad."
"Sure." She replied finally realizing the plane was know flying steady. She made her way to the pilot and started to care for him."It looks pretty bad. Wait a sec, I don't think it's a gunshot wound."
"Huh?" he asked between flying and listening.
"It looks like some kind of laser chill impact. His blood is freezing at the site of the wound."
"What?!"

_______

"I said it-"
"I heard you ,but how is that possible?"
"I'm not sure."
"Help me." groaned the captain.
"I might be able to stop the bleeding if I had a first aid kit." said Michelle.
"Under...seat." answered the pilot between racket breathes.
"Got it!" announced Michelle.
"Captain what was the weapon that man used against you,"asked Jack "and who was he?"
"Don't know...who...he was." strained the captain
"His bleeding is getting worse!" exclaimed Michelle
"What about the weapon?" prodded Jack as he kept flying the plane while glancing at the captain.
"It was....small.....strange.......new..revolution to.....to..... to..." Just then blood started curdling up his throat as he strained to form the last word.
"To!?!" asked Jack vigorously.
"Scie...ence." the captain finally pronounced with great effort.
"Captain!" Jack hollered."Michelle what's going on.....?" But as Jack turned to face her the look of despair on her face said it all. She finally forced herself to reply.
"He's...dead."

_______

A moment of silence pasted between them out of respect for the captain, until a loud beeping sound broke the silence."You can't be serious!" exclaimed Jack.
"What?"
"We're out of fuel!"
"But we should still have at least a tank full," added Michelle.
"I know, someone must have punctured it."
"Look! There's the runway and the base."
"Well let's make a landing before we crash. I hope I can. After all I did pass flight school - barely." At this she spun her face towards him with a new look of alarm that only he could see, but found him studying the controls."Here goes," he announced almost playfully. It seemed an eternity until the plane finally clunked down.
"We made it," remarked Michelle closing her eyes.
"Of course we did. After all, Arctic Airlines has an amazing autopilot." At this she shot him a glance of shock that turned to anger.
"Do you mean to tell me that we were on autopilot!"
"Well, kind of, only at the beginning, but after I got the hang of it I took it off." Again she closed her eyes, but this time she leaned back against the cockpit wall.

_______

"So Jack, how'd your flight go?" inquired Jim.
"Well, other than the fact that we had a little turbulence...." he said waiting for Jim to nod in agreement."Our pilot was shot, and I got the best darn flight lesson ever; which I think I passed...with flying colors." By this time Jim was starstruck.
"The pilots...dead?" he asked.
"Yep, stone dead," said Jack very matter-of-factly. "Michelles out there now doing a makeshift autopsy," he said pointing out the window to the almost invisible plane getting even whiter with snow.
"But what's the use of an autopsy when you know he was shot?" inquired Jim handing Jack a sandwich.
"Well," said Jack between bites of