The Ice Limit

He swiveled away from the window. The frown was gone, replaced by a look of elation. 'I've made a decision. Eli needs to hear it, too, but I wanted you to know first.' He paused, exhaled. 'I'm going to plant the flag, Sam.'

McFarlane looked at Lloyd. 'You're going to what?'

'This afternoon, I'm taking the launch to Isla Desolacion.'

'Just you?' McFarlane felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach.

'Just me. And that crazy old Puppup, of course, to guide me to the meteorite.'

'But the weather —'

'The weather couldn't be better!' Lloyd stepped away from the windows and paced restlessly between the wing chairs. This kind of moment, Sam, isn't given to many.'

McFarlane sat in his chair, the strange feeling growing. 'Just you?' he repeated. 'You won't share the discovery?'

'No, I won't. Why the hell should I? Peary did the same thing on his last dash to the Pole. Glinn's got to understand. He may not like it, but it's my expedition. I'm going in alone.'

'No,' McFarlane said quietly. 'No, you're not.'

Lloyd stopped pacing.

'You're not leaving me behind.'

Lloyd turned in surprise, his piercing eyes on McFarlane. 'You?'

McFarlane said nothing, maintaining eye contact.

After a moment, Lloyd began to chuckle. 'You know, Sam, you're not the man I first met hiding behind a bush in the Kalahari Desert. It never occurred to me you'd care about something like this.' His smile suddenly vanished. 'What would you do if I said no?'

McFarlane stood up. 'I don't know. Something rash and ill-advised, probably.'

Lloyd's whole frame seemed to swell. 'Are you threatening me?'

McFarlane held his eyes. 'Yeah. I guess I am.'

Lloyd continued looking at him steadily. 'Well, well.'

'You sought me out. You knew what I'd dreamed of my entire life.' McFarlane carefully watched Lloyd's expression. This was a man unused to being challenged. 'I was out there trying to put the past behind me. And you arrived, dangling it, like a carrot on a stick. You knew I'd bite. And now I'm here, and you can't leave me out. I won't miss this.' There was a tense silence in which McFarlane could hear the distant clatter of keys, the ringing of phones. Then, abruptly, Lloyd's hard features softened. He placed a hand on his bald head and smoothed his shiny pate. Then he ran his fingers down through his goatee. 'If I bring you, then what about Glinn? Or Amira? Or Britton? Everyone's going to want a piece of this.'

'No. It'll be just us two. I've earned it; you've earned it. That's all. You have the power to make it happen.'

Lloyd continued to stare at him. 'I think I like the new Sam McFarlane,' he said at last. 'I never fully bought that tough-guy cynic act anyway. But I have to tell you, Sam: this interest of yours had better be healthy. Do I have to speak more plainly? I don't want a repeat of that Tornarssuk business.'

McFarlane felt a stab of anger. 'I'll just pretend I didn't hear that.'

'You heard it. Let's not play coy.'

McFarlane waited.

Lloyd dropped his hand with a deprecating smile. 'It's been years since someone stood up to me like that. It's bracing. God damn you, Sam, all right. We'll do it together. But you realize Glinn's going to try to scotch everything.' He walked back toward the bank of windows, checking his watch as he did so. 'He's going to be an old woman about this.'

As if he had timed the moment — and later, McFarlane realized he probably had — Glinn came gliding into the office. Behind followed Puppup, silent and wraithlike, rapidly becoming a fixture in Glinn's shadow, his alert black eyes filled with some private amusement. Puppup covered his mouth, bowing and genuflecting in the strangest fashion.

'Right on time, as always,' Lloyd boomed, turning toward Glinn and taking his hand. 'Listen, Eli, there's something I've decided. I'd like your blessing, but I know I'm not going to get it. So I want to warn you in advance, there's no power on heaven or earth that's going to prevent me from carrying it out. Is that clear?'

'Very clear,' said Glinn, settling comfortably into one of the wing chairs and crossing his legs.

'There's no use arguing with me about this. The decision's made.'

'Wonderful. I wish I could go along.'

For an instant, Lloyd appeared to be dumbfounded. Then his look turned into fury. 'You son of a bitch, you've got the ship wired.'

'Don't be ridiculous. I knew from the very beginning you would insist on making the first visit to the meteorite.'

'But that's impossible. Even I didn't know—'

Glinn waved his hand. 'Don't you think that, in analyzing every possible path of failure and success, we had to take your psychological profile into account? We knew what you were going to do even before you knew yourself.' He glanced at McFarlane. 'Did Sam here insist on going along, too?'

Lloyd simply nodded.

'I see. The port stern launch will be your best bet. It's the smallest and most maneuverable. I've arranged for Mr. Howell to take you in. I've also ordered haversacks with food, water, matches, fuel, flashlights, and so forth — and, of course, a GPS unit and two-way radios. I assume you'll want Puppup to guide you?'

'Delighted to be of assistance,' sung out Puppup.

Lloyd glanced from Glinn to Puppup and back again. After a moment, he gave a rueful chuckle. 'Nobody likes to be predictable. Does anything surprise you?'

'You didn't hire me to be surprised, Mr. Lloyd. You're only going to have a few hours of daylight, so you need to push off as soon as the ship arrives in the Franklin Channel. You might want to consider waiting until tomorrow morning.'

Lloyd shook his head. 'No. My time is short here.'

Glinn nodded, as if he had expected as much. 'Puppup tells me of a small half-moon beach on the lee end of the island. You can run the motor launch right up on the shingle.You'll need to be in and out of there fairly quickly.'

Lloyd sighed. 'You really know how to take the romance out of life.'

'No,' said Glinn, standing up. 'I only take out the uncertainty.' He nodded out the windows. 'If you want romance, come take a look out there.'

They stepped forward. McFarlane could see a small island, just coming into view, even darker than the black water around it.

'That, gentlemen, is Isla Desolacion.'

McFarlane looked at it, mingled curiosity and trepidation quickening within him. A single shaft of light moved across the brutal rocks, vanishing and reappearing at the caprice of the enshrouding fogs. Immense seas tore at its rocky shore. At its northern end, he made out a cloven volcanic plug: a double spire of rock. Snaking through the central valley was a deep snowfield, its icy center exposed and polished by the wind: a turquoise jewel in the monochromatic seascape.

After a moment, Lloyd spoke: 'By God, there it is,' he said. 'Our island, Eli, at the edge of the world. Our island. And my meteorite.'

There was a strange, low giggle behind them. McFarlane turned to see Puppup, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation, covering his mouth with narrow fingers.

'What is it?' Lloyd asked sharply.

But Puppup did not answer, and continued to giggle as he backed and bowed and scraped his way out of the office, unwavering black eyes fixed on Lloyd.

Isla Desolacion,

12:45 P.M.

WITHIN AN hour, the tanker had eased its bulk into Franklin Channel, which was less a channel than an