Ice Man Read online

  “Until we get whatever information Doctor Paula wants about the Iron Age, which isn’t much, believe me, or until Captain Bide determines he really is a spy. But what is important to us is how he survived the big chill.” The smile he gave her made her want to be sick. Then he spun on his heels and left her room. As he left, a piece of fax paper fell from the desk and floated to the floor. Allie stopped to pick it up. As she did, some words caught her eye.

  The subject has proven violent and uncontrollable. As soon as Doctor Paula is finished with her studies, which should only take a week with the translator’s help, and whether or not Captain Bide finds out the truth about whether or not the subject is in fact a Russian spy, I give my permission for the dissection since it seems that there is much to be learned from his brain tissue.

  Who had written this? She studied the name and phone number, but what she saw didn’t tell her anything. Her skin crawled. Could it be that the scientists had never intended to keep Kell alive? Cold sweat poured down her back as she contemplated his words. I give my permission for the dissection since it seems that there is much to be learned from his brain tissue… Oh God. They meant to dissect him. Whether he was really from the past or not, it made no difference. Once they were done studying him, he would die. She had to think of a way to save him. Trembling, she stuffed the fax in her pocket.

  A buzzer sounded, announcing dinner for the team in the cafeteria. Hesitantly, Allie left her room. She saw the cafeteria and went inside, blinking in the harsh light. She picked up a tray and looked at the servings of anemic salad and sliced turkey with gravy. Her appetite had fled, but she sat down and picked at her food. The team of scientists and military personnel trickled in and sat at the tables, after taking a tray and serving themselves. Captain Bide sat on the opposite side of the room from Doctor Paula, Allie noted. Mr. Smith came in, hesitated, and sat next to her.

  “Getting acclimated?” he asked.

  Allie took a bite of her turkey. It might as well have been sawdust. “Well, it’s not the Ritz.”

  He looked surprised, then laughed. “I never would have pegged you for someone with a sense of humor.”

  I never would have pegged you for a murderer, she thought. She took another bite of turkey. “What will my schedule be like?”

  “That’s up to Captain Bide and Doctor Paula; they are in charge of the operation. I’m leaving tomorrow. But don’t worry. They won’t need you tonight. The dose of tranquilizer he got will keep him knocked out all night long.” He hesitated. “I’m surprised at your reactions here. You didn’t go to pieces like most women would have, you acted like a real pro. We could use someone like you in our CIA program.”

  She didn’t answer, too busy thinking of the implications of what he said. If a woman didn’t scream and cry, it surprised him. If she stabbed him with a fork would he be surprised too? Because that’s what she felt like doing to him right now.

  He wiped his lips with his napkin and gave her a look. A look she definitely didn’t like. His next words confirmed her worst fears. He put his hand on her arm and said, “I couldn’t help seeing what happened today. It looked quite…brutal.” His voice dropped to a murmur. “If you’d like, I can stay with you tonight, help erase that…nightmare and replace it with something gentler.” He took her hand and placed it on his lap--where she felt his hard-on pressing against his pants.

  Okay, first she’d stab him in the heart with her fork and then she’d saw off his balls with her butter knife. “No, thank you. I’ve had enough excitement for one day.” She stood up and grabbed her tray. Should she drop it on his lap? Her fingers itched to let it go, but she managed to smile coolly and leave the room without creating a scene. She needed to think. But first, she needed to see Kellorin.

  No guards in front of his door. Nothing. She peeked inside. He lay on a bed, strapped down, and still, thank God, unconscious. She couldn’t bear to think of him waking up and finding himself in this predicament. There was a folding chair in the corner of the room. She pulled it to the side of his bad and sat next to him, stroking his hand.

  She didn’t see him move. Without warning, he grabbed her wrist and held it in a grip like a steel trap. “What is this place?” he said, his voice completely lucid. He opened his eyes and stared at her. “Where am I?”

  She swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. “You should still be asleep.”

  “Speak to me. Tell me why I’m tied like a wild animal.” His eyes were pleading.

  She looked at the door, then back at the man on the bed. “How do you feel?”

  “I feel hunger.”

  “I’ll bring you some food.” She put her hand on his, and he relaxed his grip enough for her to slide her wrist away from him. “If anyone else comes in here, you must pretend to be asleep. Do you understand?”

  “I understand your words, but not your reason. You speak, but you do not answer my questions.” He pulled fruitlessly against his bonds, then slumped back on the bed, his chest heaving.

  “The people here want to study you, to find out how you survived for so long asleep in the ice. Some believe you come from…your time. Others believe you are…” she grimaced, not sure how to explain. “They think you try to trick them.”

  “And you? What do you believe?”

  She put her finger to her lips. “Someone comes. I believe you. I will help you. Please, trust me.”

  He looked undecided, then he flashed her a wry grin. “What choice do I have? I am bound and helpless.”

  The door opened. Doctor Paula entered and raised her eyebrows. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  “I was afraid he’d wake up and be frightened.” Allie looked at Kell. He lay still, his eyes closed, his hands slack, in all appearances asleep. For a second she almost thought she’d hallucinated, but her wrist was still faintly red where he’d grabbed her. “Where are the guards?”

  “Guards?” Dr. Paula looked blank.

  “You know, men or women with high-powered assault rifles standing around looking bored, in case someone tries to escape…I mean, break in and steal the ice man.”

  The doctor’s face cleared and she shrugged. “We had guards while they built the longhouse to keep the workers away from the laboratory where we kept the ice man. But what do we need guards for now? We’re in the middle of nowhere. The ice man can’t escape--he’s very firmly strapped down, and when we do let him go, he’ll be in the longhouse with you, where we’ll watch him constantly with cameras. As for someone breaking in, first they have to get by our security perimeter controlled from the office. It’s an electric fence guaranteed to fry anyone or anything that touches it.”

  “I’m so reassured.” Allie dredged up a brave smile.

  “He won’t wake up until tomorrow. Why don’t you go get some sleep? Be here at eight a.m. and that way you can comfort him when he does wake up. And don’t forget the necklace this time.” Doctor Paula smiled and patted her arm. “I’ll stay here with him. Go back to your room and get a good rest, Allie.”

  “Good night.” Allie went to her little room and sat on her bed. How much time did she have? When were they going to…kill him? She had to save him--she couldn’t live with herself if she let anything happen to him.

  Chapter Three

  Kell lay on his bed and examined the woman in the room with him from beneath lowered eyelashes. She didn’t look like his Allie. This woman had a sharp face, all angles and edges. Her eyes, when she looked at him, reminded him of a bird’s, quick, darting, and frightened. Did he frighten her?

  She wore a long white robe with strange fastenings in the front, and she carried a sort of tablet, writing on it with a stylus every once in a while. She would look at him, then write, then look at him again, and write. It made him nervous.

  The bed he lay upon felt soft, and the covers were light yet very warm. Too warm, even. The room was too warm and the air stuffy and bland. He hated everything about the room. Its white walls were too straight, too smooth, and too b
right; they hurt his eyes. The strange, tube-shaped fire globe that lit the room hurt his eyes as well, and cast a light that reminded him of winter sunlight on blinding snow. But the air bothered him the most. The stuffy, too-warm air had a metallic tang that hurt his head. Gone were the familiar smells of smoke and sweat, the reassuring scent of balsam pine and lavender used to freshen the rooms, and the spicy scent of peppermint and borage that his wife brewed…

  Stop. Stop thinking of all that. He had almost lost control of himself and given in to his grief; the sorrow he’d hoped he’d gotten over hit him afresh. He quieted his spirit and dared another look at the woman in the room. She studied her tablet, a frown on her face. She still believed him asleep. He relaxed, tension seeping from him slowly as he tried to put his memories in order.

  He, Kellorin, son of Bran, had lived on the island of Tu’Og near the coast of the Greater Island. Educated in his tribe by the elders and the druid master, he’d traveled extensively: to the warm waters of the Inner Sea, where the Greeks and Phoenicians plied their boats and traded amphorae of wine for his pine pitch, to the north where the Vikings made their longhouses, and to the south-west in Iberia, where the men wore their hair in long spikes and tattooed their faces. He’d even traded with the mighty lords of the Tenes kingdom, admiring their impressive stone fortresses.

  He hadn’t lived in a fortress. He’d lived in a comfortable house, with an entranceway, cloak room, main living room, sauna and herb garden. His wife, Wodicca, had tended that garden until she’d taken to bed in childbirth and had died, the babe with her.

  Afterwards, he’d continued to trade, to travel, to live, but something had been broken inside of him. Then one day invaders came from the north. The raiders sought women for their tribe, and they stole three women who were washing clothing at the river’s edge: Tor’s wife and daughter, and Vix’s sister. The men asked him to accompany them on their quest to free them, and he’d agreed, sharpening his dagger and loading his quiver with arrows.

  Their journey led them north to the land of unending ice and snow…and there his journey had ended. Only to resume two thousand years later. His fists clenched, but he gave no other sign of his torment. He’d left everything he’d known and loved behind, but he lived in the here and now…wherever that was.

  The only spark of hope in this place was Allie. She’d mended whatever had broken when his wife died. Now, instead of hopeless darkness, there was warm sunshine.

  Allie. He whispered her name to himself, and closed his eyes, ignoring the hunger pains gnawing at his belly. She would come to him again, and he would claim her as his own. They would never part.

  * * * * *

  Allie opened her suitcase and shook out her clothes. Her heart sank. Nothing would be suitable for what she wanted to do. She put aside all her socks and underwear, her stockings and her woolen sweater. Putting her head in her hands, she thought hard. There must be a supply room in the hangar. After all, the soldiers working the runway had snowsuits and were equipped with outdoor clothing. She looked at her watch. Almost midnight. She’d better move now. She opened the door to her room and looked both ways down the narrow corridor. No one seemed to be around.

  The hangar was still flooded with bright light, but there were no sentries posted. As Dr. Paula had said, Kell had been drugged and tied up and they were miles from anywhere. But Dr. Paula had said something about a security perimeter. First she went to the office--the small room with the fax machine--and on the wall she saw a fuse box. Opening it, she found different fuses clearly marked. Garage, longhouse, cafeteria, showers…security P. That’s the one. She pulled the fuse out and closed the fuse box.

  Next she went to the supply room, which was indicated by a large orange sign. Nice of them to be so organized and mark everything so clearly and visibly. She found two snow suits and a backpack, already packed with a survival kit and ready to go. She hesitated, then took a knife and carefully slashed the rest of the snowsuits to ribbons. She couldn’t risk having the guards on her heels too soon. Now, in order to follow them, they’d have to get new outfits.

  In the kitchen she packed up as much butter and cheese as she found, along with chocolate, coffee, sardines and salami. Fat. They would need fat. The cold burned calories and dehydrated people. She found a box of water-purifying tablets and put it in the backpack along with everything else. It was starting to get heavy.

  Allie sighed and hitched the backpack onto her shoulders, and then made two sandwiches with lots of butter and salami. These were for Kell. Feeling a bit like a camel, she carried the backpack, sandwiches and the two snowsuits to his room. As she suspected, no one stood guard; everyone slept.

  Except Kell. He looked at her as she staggered into the room, and a smile lit up his eyes, although his mouth gave only the faintest of twitches. She tossed the snowsuits to the floor, put the backpack down and placed his sandwiches on his bed.

  “Ave, Allie,” he said gravely.

  “Ave, Kell.” She untied him and waited until he finished eating.

  “‘Tis good food,” he said. “The bread is tender and the meat well spiced.”

  “Here, drink this.” She gave him a bottle of water.

  He looked at the plastic bottle for what seemed a long time, running his hands over it, staring at it. Finally he lifted it to his lips and drank. “The water has a strange taste,” he said with a frown.

  She didn’t know what to say. Sitting so close to him, her body reacted in a most primitive way. Her nipples stiffened, her cunt throbbed, and her face felt flushed. He finished drinking and looked at her, his eyes searching.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You know that we’re leaving?” She’d been sure she’d have to explain everything.

  He pointed to the bag. “That sack is full, and you untied me and fed me, so I think you have the intention of taking me somewhere. Where are we going?” he repeated patiently.

  She stood up and opened the bag, taking out the snowsuits. She’d also found pants, socks and clothes for him. They’d find boots in the store room. She gave him everything and he dressed slowly, taking his time to examine each item. The elastic in all the material gave him a pause, but he said nothing, just raised his eyebrows a bit. When he was dressed, she put on her snowsuit and he imitated her. Buttons were unfamiliar, as were zippers, but his hands were deft, and he had an uncanny ability to imitate gestures perfectly. She only had to show him something once.

  Once they were both dressed, he took her face in his hands and bent down, pressing his lips softly against hers. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  Her knees buckled, but she managed to stay upright and not drag him to the floor and strip all his clothes off. They didn’t have the time. She opened the door and peered out. The coast was clear--she motioned for him to follow her.

  He stepped out of the door and froze. His eyes widened as he took in the size of the hangar. She could see his gaze moving up the walls, along the struts, to the arched ceiling so far above. A muscle twitched in his jaw and a shudder ran through him.

  “Are you all right?” she whispered.

  He nodded, the color draining from his face. He saw the longhouse, built in the middle of the hangar, and a strange expression filled his eyes.

  “What is it?” she asked, tugging softly on his sleeve.

  “Is that where I woke up?” He pointed to the longhouse.

  “Yes. The scientists built it so you wouldn’t feel out of place.”

  He gave her a level glance. “I am out of place here, no matter where I am. Tell me, what are those vines growing along the roof?”

  “They aren’t vines; they’re wires where electricity runs. They carry the light and the…” She frowned, not sure how to explain. “They carry voices too. We can communicate from great distances because some wires carry sound as well as light.”

  He stood still, his face turned towards the ceiling. “There are torches that give more light than the sun, up there, and I see flames captured
in glass.” He pointed to the naked light bulbs strung along a wire. “I see nothing I recognize, except the building I woke up in. Everything else, even the floor, is strange to me. Does everyone live in such a huge, empty house now? Where are your villages?”

  “This isn’t a dwelling. It’s a station built especially to study you.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Me? Why?”

  “Can we talk about this later? We have to leave now. Please?” Allie looked at her watch. One a.m., they had to get out of the hangar before someone caught them.

  He put his backpack on and followed her, walking so silently that twice she turned to make sure he was still behind her. In the store room, they took boots, and Allie found the keys to the garage aboveground where they kept the snowmobiles. She took all the keys hanging in the cabinet and led the way to the lift.

  She saw Kell flinch hard as the lift started to move, and the skin on his face tightened. But he said nothing, and as they rose above the floor, he looked around him carefully, scanning the room as if searching for something.