In the Arctic Read Online Free

extraterrestrial.”
    Archibald thought the odds of him ever joining the ETF decreased markedly when his mother pressed Quade, asking, “Tell me again why you need my sons involved in any of this.”
    “Trust me on this, ma’am,” Quade replied. “If we didn’t need them, Lynch and I wouldn’t be here. The fact of the matter is that they, along with the one-armed man and the girl, are uniquely qualified for this mission. All four have successfully dealt with an alien creature. They’ve demonstrated their resourcefulness, and the four of them know and trust each other. Finally, the mainframe computer analysis we conducted back at Langley picked them out of the hundreds of files that were analyzed.”
    Then the boys’ mother asked the question that was foremost on her mind. “If my husband and I sign these forms and my sons agree to join your task force, how can you ensure their safety?”
    When Lynch spoke his first and only words that night, his steel-gray eyes didn’t blink. “That’s where the Navy SEALs and I come in. Trust me, ma’am, not one hair on the heads of your two boys will be harmed. On that you have my word.”
    “When would we have to leave?” Archibald asked in an anxious voice.
    Responding to the question he’d already anticipated, Quade replied, “Tonight. I have a driver outsidewho’ll take us to a plane waiting at a private airfield not far from here. If we leave in the next half hour, there shouldn’t be a problem getting airborne before the storm moves in. Too much beyond that, well, let’s just say that it could get dicey.
    “Don’t worry about packing. We have plenty of clothes at Langley. You’ll need special cold weather gear where you’re headed, which we’ll also supply. All I ask is that you and your parents make up your minds soon.”
    After Archibald and Jockabeb said they wanted to go, in fact pleaded with their parents to let them go, their mother and father got up and headed toward the kitchen, saying they wanted to confer in private before making a decision.
    When the boys’ parents returned five minutes later, their father said the words his sons had been hoping to hear. “Alright, my wife and I have talked it over, and we’ve agreed they can go.” Then looking Lynch square in the eyes, he added, “You and Special Agent Quade both asked us to trust you. Well, you better keep your word, mister. If you don’t, you should know that this ex-Marine is coming after you. You got that?”
    An almost imperceptible nod from Lynch signaled his understanding.
    Ten minutes later, Archibald and Jockabeb kissed their parents and sister good-bye before following Quade and Lynch out the front door.
The Flight to Langley
    The boys’ third limousine ride of their lives was much, much shorter than the two previous ones they took while visiting Aunt Claire in Manhattan. Twenty minutes after leaving their home, the driver pulled his black Lincoln up to the side of a private plane that was parked on the tarmac.
    The plane’s two turboprop engines were running. The pilot looked a bit anxious when he gave a thumbs-up sign through the cockpit window. Seeing that the plane was ready to go, Quade announced, “Let’s get on board and in the air before that storm rolls in.”
    On the way to the airport, Lynch had been seated in front next the driver. The mean-looking man from the unnamed government agency hadn’t spoken a word since his one statement back at the house, and he didn’t break his streak of silence during the three-hour flight that followed.
    Once the boys were on the eight-passenger King Air propjet and had buckled their seat belts, they were each handed a thick manila envelope. The envelopes were sealed and stamped with red block letters spelling out the two words they’d heard earlier that evening: “TOP SECRET.”
    Standing slightly hunched over so his head wouldn’t hit the low ceiling, Quade issued his orders regarding the envelopes. “I want you to open these