Read Outpost for Free Online

Sian in the observation bubble.
    'Let
me take over for a while,' said Jane. 'I'm wired on caffeine. Why don't you get
some sleep?'
    Jane
positioned her chair in front of the microphone.
    'Apex
Base, this is refinery Kasker Rampart. Do you copy, over?'
    'This is Apex Base. Damn good to hear from you, Rampart.' The guy sounded
tearful and exhausted.
    'How
are you folks getting on?'
    'Not
so great. The storm collapsed one of the tents and we lost a bunch of stuff.
Clothes. Bedding. Hope you got some good news for us, Rampart. We need it .'
    'We
are worried about the distance. Indigo Bay is quite a trek. Winter is closing
in and there isn't much daylight left.'
    'You
can't leave us out here to die. That's inhuman .'
    'Have
you got a map with you? Can you see a map?'
    'We're
in no condition to walk. Alan has frostbite. His feet are black. He can barely
stand. '
    'Look
at your map. Angakut. Can you see it? There's a mountain halfway between us.'
    ' Yeah .'
    'There's
a cabin, a wood cabin. It's solid. It's good shelter. It's warm and dry. If you
can make it that far, you can ride out the storm. Then we can pick you up.'
    'That's
a three-day hike. We'd have to cross two inlets by boat .'
    'What's
your name?'
    ' Simon .'
    'You've
got to move, Simon. You have to put on your skis and move. You have to get your
team to the main island. We can reach you from there. We can pick you up.'
    'It's
too much .'
    'You've
got to dig deep, dude. The weather will lift in a few hours, but there's more
moving in. You're only getting weaker. It will be sunrise soon. You're the
leader. Get your team ready to travel. Whatever you have to do.'
    'I'm
so tired .'
    'You're
giving in to death. If you stay in that sleeping bag you'll slowly freeze. I'll
call again at nine. You better be on your feet and moving. You've got to get on
your feet and move if you want to live.'
    'Okay.
All right .'
    'God
bless, guys.'
    'Do
they know about the plague?' asked Sian.
    'Their
relief plane didn't show up. That's all they know. Might as well keep it that
way.'
     
    Punch
cut himself a cheese sandwich. He scraped the last smears from a big Country
Larder jar of mayonnaise. He took a fresh jar from the refrigerator. He saw
himself reflected in the steel door, and saw the phantom blur of a man standing
behind him.
    'Better
make that your last snack,' said Rawlins. 'I need a list. An inventory of all
the food we have left.'
    'Already
done.'
    'You
can lock these freezers and fridges, yes?'
    'I've
got keys somewhere.'
    'One
set for you, one set for me. Keep them locked at all times.'
    'Okay.'
    'Everyone
is perfectly civil right now. A few months from now food will run short and it
will be a different story. Situation could turn ugly.'
    'Yeah.'
    'People
hoarding, fighting.'
    'Absolutely.'
    'How
about dry goods? Cans and stuff?'
    'There's
a crappy lock on the storeroom.'
    'Speak
to Ghost. Get a decent padlock and bring me the key. What's for breakfast?'
    'The
last of the real eggs.'
    'Excellent.
Well. See you later.'
    Rawlins
left the kitchen. He scratched his head on the way out of the door. The edge of
his leather jacket lifted for a moment and exposed the yellow butt of his Taser
slung in a nylon holster. He had a red can of pepper spray in a pouch on his
belt. A sheriff ready to lay down the law.
     
    Jane
tried to think up a reason to visit Ghost. Maybe she could help him pack for
his expedition to the island.
    She
walked to the pump hall. She found him sitting on his bunk, slotting batteries
into a yellow box.
    'Need
a hand?'
    'I'm
okay.'
    'What's
the box?'
    'Nautical
beacon. Beeps a locator signal. The Apex guys are stumbling around in the dark
out there. If we set this thing pinging it will lead them straight to us. And
they'll reach that cabin along the route.'
    'Sure
they have a tracker?'
    'Yeah.
They were carrying one so they could rendezvous with their relief plane.'
    'Cool.'
    'It's
short range, though. Too many crags between us and them. We need to get it