In the Arctic (3 page)

It was the 19th of December. One whale of a blizzard was expected to usher in the beginning of Archibald’s and Jockabeb’s winter break from school. The storm was predicted to hit shortly before midnight, with winds gusting to over sixty miles per hour. The TV weather forecaster said that there could be more than a foot of snow on the ground by morning. She also reported that heavy drifting was expected to make most of the side streets all but impassable.

Sitting at the dinner table that evening, the boys’ father looked up from his plate of fettuccine Alfredo and gazed with pride at his two sons, both of whom had celebrated birthdays earlier in the month. When he said he couldn’t believe that he already had sons who were sixteen and fifteen, Tess complained with her mouth full of food, “What about your daughter who’s twelve?”

“Tess, how many times have I told you not to talk with food in your mouth?” her mother scolded, shaking her head. Then she looked at her boys and added, “Well, I know I’m far too young to have kids that age.”

“Wait a second, honey,” her husband said with a smile on his face. “There are definite benefits of having older boys around the house. For example, they can shovel the driveway and sidewalk tomorrow morning.”

The conversation was cut short when the telephone rang. The moment her father got up to answer the phone, Tess blurted out, “I can’t believe that some people call at dinner time. That’s so rude.”

After listening to whoever was on the other end of the line for a few moments, he turned to his family and said, “I’m going to finish this call on another phone.” Hearing that, Tess raised her chin and added curtly, “Well, at least Dad knows how to be polite.”

When he returned to the dinner table a few minutes later, there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his face. Jockabeb’s jaw dropped when his father then asked somewhat testily, “Do either of you boys know a Special Agent named Quade from a government agency call the PSA?”

“Yeah, Dad, he called here right after we got back from visiting Aunt Claire,” Archibald responded somewhat warily. Then wondering what on earth Quade could be calling about, he asked, “What did he want?”

After his father said that it appeared that both his sons had quite a reputation inside the PSA, Archibald laughed and replied, “Okay, Dad, we probably should have told you he called, but we really didn’t think it was a big deal. If you really want to know the truth, we both thought it was kind of funny.”

Even though the boys’ parents had heard all about what happened during that harrowing weekend in New York City, no mention was ever made of the PSA agents who had visited Sub-Station Zero, or that those agents mistakenly thought the Ratweil was an extraterrestrial.

Jockabeb’s jaw dropped even further when his father said, “Well, you better finish your dinner quickly because Special Agent Quade was calling from a pay phone not fare away. He and another fella named Lynch are on their way over right now.”

“With this huge storm brewing?” his wife exclaimed.

The moment her husband answered, “Yes, and as you might guess, it involves your sons,” she gasped.

“There’s one doozy of a storm coming in a few hours,” Special Agent Quade warned in a monotone voice as he passed through the doorway ten minutes later. After
setting down his briefcase and removing a government ID from his wallet, he formally introduced himself and his partner, saying, “I’m Special Agent Josh Quade, and this is my associate, Mr. Lynch.

“As I told you over the phone, I work for the Paranormal Surveillance Agency. Lynch isn’t part of PSA, but he does contract work for us from time to time. Do you mind if we take off our coats and talk for a while?”

As their father led his two visitors into the living room, Archibald and Jockabeb both took a hard look at Quade. Surprisingly, he appeared just about as they’d imagined he would.

Wearing a black suit, black tie, and white buttoned-down shirt, the six-foot tall PSA agent must have been about forty years old. Although he wore a suit, the boys could tell he was definitely fit, and his closely cropped haircut made them think he might have been in the military at some point. The deadpan features that defined his face weren’t remarkable in any particular way, other than his expression never seemed to change.

With no preconceived notion of what Lynch would look like, both brothers were leery of what they saw. Lynch was about the same height as Quade, and his tight fitting black turtleneck sweater emphasized a heavily muscled physique. His shiny bald head, wide nose, and square jaw looked like they’d been chiseled out of tan-colored granite.

The most defining feature on Lynch’s face was the jagged scar that began just under his right eye and ended
at the corner of his mouth. The moment the boys saw the scar, they thought of Lucio, their departed Uncle Charlie’s good friend. While Lucio’s scar was about the same size and in the same location, Lynch’s seemed much more ominous.

Walking into the living room behind Quade and Lynch, Jockabeb poked his brother and whispered in his ear, “That Lynch guy is one scary looking dude.”

When everyone was seated, Special Agent Quade leaned forward and said, “I expect you’d like to know what’s so important that Lynch and I would come all the way from Langley, Virginia on a night when a blizzard’s moving in. Well, I’ll explain that in just a moment, but I first have to tell you that what I’m about to say is classified Top Secret. Also, all information that I’m about to divulge is on a strict need-to-know basis.”

Turning to the boys’ parents he said, “You, your wife, and your sons are cleared to hear what I have to say. However, I am going to have to ask your daughter to leave the room.”

When Tess threw up her hands and asked indignantly why she couldn’t stay, Quade responded, “The PSA just can’t take the chance that anything I’m about to say would ever get out. If it makes you feel any better, the subject I’ll discuss tonight is a matter of national security. And as we used to say in the Marine Corps, ‘loose lips sink ships.’ So, Tess, would you please leave the room for a little while?”

“How’d you know my name?” Tess asked suspiciously, remembering that her name had never been mentioned when the two men arrived.

When Quade answered, there wasn’t a trace of emotion in his voice. “We make it a point to know everything there is to know about friends of the Agency, and your two brothers are definitely our friends.”

“Why can’t I be a friend of your agency?” Tess pressed petulantly. “I’m just as—”

“Wait a second, Tess,” her father interrupted. “This is serious business. Special Agent Quade has every right to ask you to leave, so I want you to go to your room for a little while.” Knowing his daughter all too well, he added a warning, but with a smile. “Tess, your mother and I better not catch you eavesdropping. You got that, honey?”

“Yes, I got that,” she answered crossly. “I heard what he said, but I still don’t know why I can’t stay. I’m a member of this family as much as anyone else!”

Finally recognizing that this was an argument that she had no chance of winning, Tess finally relented, saying, “Okay, fine! You win.” Then she got up and stomped out the room, her head held high.

Hearing her bedroom door slam shut, Special Agent Quade got down to what he called “brass tacks,” proceeding to explain why the PSA needed Archibald’s and Jockabeb’s help.

The boys and their parents sat silently and listened to the details of a report that had been received at PSA headquarters in Langley, Virginia the day before. The
report had come from a NASA scientist at Thule Air Base, located on the northwest side of Greenland, seven hundred and fifty miles north of the Arctic Circle. Shortly after the report arrived and was read by the PSA Director, the decision was made to form an emergency task force, or ETF, to deal with a “situation” that had developed near the North Pole.

The PSA had immediately contacted a sister agency, also headquartered in Langley, and requested that Lynch be assigned to the ETF. When it was decided that the ETF should also have several members who had previous personal contact with extraterrestrial beings, a number of files were analyzed. Four individuals were finally selected.

Turning to the boys’ parents, Special Agent Quade made a formal request on behalf of PSA and the federal government. “I’m asking permission for your sons to join the ETF. If it makes a difference, the one-armed man and the girl who helped track down and destroy the alien mutant five months ago will also be members.”

Archibald literally came out of his seat when heard Quade’s last statement. “You mean Meatloaf and Willow have already said yes?”

“Yes,” Quade answered, “but only on the condition that you two agree to serve with them. The one-armed man initially didn’t want anything to do with our ETF, but the young girl talked him into it, which seemed a bit strange to me because she was so standoffish whenever we tried to talk to her before.”

Jockabeb, who hadn’t said a word since the two men walked in the door, finally spoke up. “Yeah, I know why she did that. She wants to see my brother.”

“Put a sock in it, Jockabeb,” Archibald snapped. Then he turned back to Quade and asked, “So exactly what does being on this task force really mean?”

Special Agent Quade reached into his briefcase and pulled out an official looking form. Passing the form to the boys’ father, he said, “Your sons are obviously minors, so you and your wife will need to sign this release form. If you do, I’ll tell you what I can now. If you don’t, we’ll leave, and this visit never happened.”

When the boys’ father asked Special Agent Quade what information could be divulged without a signed form, Quade replied, “First, the ETF’s mission will require an immediate trip to Thule Air Base. Second, Lynch, two Navy SEALs, and three PSA scientists will accompany your sons, the young girl, and the one-armed man on what we believe will be less than a weeklong trip. Third, although I won’t be along, I’ll be monitoring their progress. And, fourth, I can definitely guarantee their safety.