The Dying of the Light: Interval by Jason Kristopher Read Free Book Online

engage, ma’am?”
    “Permission granted, Gunny. Fire at will.”
    The video on the monitor jumped once, twice, four times as Gaines fired. Each time, there was a splash of dark red on the mountainside, and then all the climbers lay still.
    “Movement from the convoy, ma’am,” said Reynolds. “Looks like they’re pulling back.”
    “Confirmed,” said David. “And Beoshane does not look happy. He just shot one of the guys in his truck.”
    Kim glanced at the monitors surveying the situation. “All enemy forces appear to be in retreat.” She turned to Potter. “Stand down the Blackhawk and Bravo team and cancel the alert. Once the hostiles are confirmed gone, get a maintenance team out to those guns—I want them re-armed and ready to go in case they come back. Take a security team, just in case. They may have left some surprises behind.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” said Potter. “And what about the wreckage, ma’am? And the bodies of the climbers?”
    “Leave it all. We can always move it if we need to, but for right now it serves a better purpose.”
    “Ma’am?”
    Kim sighed and turned away, moving towards the elevator. “It’s a reminder, Captain. A reminder not to fuck with the people who live here. Can you think of a better one?”

Chapter Three
     
    McMurdo Station
Two years later; Z-Day + 3 years
     
    Major Bill Shaw rubbed his eyes and leaned back in his chair in the conference room… but not too far. He still remembered the spill he’d taken last week when he overextended that lean, and even though the only thing bruised was his ego, it was enough to remind him to be more careful.
    Any injury could kill you, down at the bottom of the world.
    He glanced over at Marshal Jennifer Michaelson, sitting next to him in the conference room but more than three thousand miles away in spirit as they listened to Arturo Onevás, administrator of Marambío base talk about the problems he was having. Shaw had drifted off, but as he focused once more, Arturo’s strident pleadings became clearer.
    “We cannot hold out much longer, Colonel Burke. We’re down to a few days rations, at most. No medical supplies… I have no choice but to request, once again, refugee status at your base.”
    “And I have no choice but to tell you, Mr. Onevás, yet again, that I cannot grant you that status without first clearing it with my government. McMurdo Station is sovereign US territory.”
    Jennifer put her head down on her folded arms, clearly tired of listening to the conversation. Shaw could hardly blame her.
    “Perhaps you can ask one of the other bases…” continued Burke.
    “You don’t think we have already done this?” Arturo’s voice rose. “We’ve asked everyone . No one can spare the space, or the food, or the people to move us.”
    There was no dissent from the other silent listeners on the conference call, telling Shaw as clearly as if they had said it outright that Arturo was telling the truth. Without comment, without a vote, without any sort of discussion amongst the other nations, it was easy to see what had been decided.
    The Argentinians were being left to die.
    In retrospect, he should have seen it coming. All anyone had to do to know what was going to happen was to look at what had already happened. The United Nations had existed for nearly seventy years, and although it had accomplished some good, by the time the world died it had been no closer to its goal of unification than when it had started. The new “Antarctic Nations,” as they called themselves, were no better. Infighting, refusal to share resources, constant and useless talking among the diplomats… none of it did any good. They were all dying, slowly and surely. Due to their resources, the Americans might take a little longer, but no one was getting out of this.
    It shouldn’t have been a surprise when Jennifer spoke up, either. He should’ve been ready for that passion, that fire that he loved so much, to ignite her anger. But he