Arctic Wargame - Страница 6
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“Don’t worry, Jim, this is Olivier. Olivier, this is Jim.”
“Nice to meet you. Can we go in now?”
“Sure,” Jim said.
They found their seats just as the teams were about to begin the game.
“I told you we wouldn’t miss a second,” Justin said. The little boy was to his left, Jim to his right.
“Ehe,” Olivier replied with a mouthful of popcorn. “Why are we so far from the rink tonight?”
“We’re not that far,” Justin replied. “It’s the center ice section, and we’re only a few rows away from the glass.”
“The kid’s a real handful, eh?” Jim whispered as Olivier stuffed his mouth with another scoop of popcorn.
“You’re right about that. He’s afraid he won’t see the puck.”
“Yes, I can’t see the puck,” Olivier mumbled.
The start of the match put an end Olivier’s to yawping, and he lost himself in the game.
* * *
Regardless of Olivier’s cheering and the spectators’ repetitive chants, encouraging the Senators to “charge,” the first period was not very memorable. The occasional fights among the players could not make up for the overall slow pace and the discouraging lack of goals.
“Do you need to use the washroom?” Justin asked Olivier, whose sulking lips and sinking eyes showed his complete disappointment. The intermission had just begun, giving the players and the crowds a much-needed break.
“Oookaaay,” Olivier replied.
“I’ll get you another thing of popcorn,” Justin said, but his words did not lighten up Olivier’s mood. “You’re coming, Jim?”
“Sure, I can’t stand these Zambonis and the silly music from the nineties.”
They struggled with the steady stream of people and made their way into the large halls. The fans had already begun to cluster around the concession stands.
“Do you need some help in there?” Justin asked Olivier when they came to the men’s washrooms.
“No, I can do this all by myself,” Olivier replied.
“I’m gonna grab a pop,” Jim said. “You want anything?”
“Water, get me a bottle of water. Thanks.” Justin waited a few steps away from the washrooms.
“You said there was something you wanted to tell me,” Jim said when he returned. He handed Justin a bottle of water.
“Actually, it’s a favor I need from you,” Justin replied and took a sip from the bottle.
“Man, I knew there’s no such thing as a free hockey ticket.”
“It’s a simple thing, Jim.”
“I can’t afford to run any credit checks, Justin, with or without a CIS order. One day, I’m gonna lose my job for pulling such tricks.”
“It’s nothing like that. I promised to go to Olivier’s game this Saturday, but I can’t make it.”
“Oh, and you want me to babysit him?” Jim’s voice suggested he would rather work through a stack of credit checks for a week.
“Only for the afternoon. His peewee league match takes place at 3:00 p.m. You pick him up, take him to the game, and then go out with him for supper at a burger joint.”
“Hmm, I think I already have plans for the weekend,” Jim said, the likely beginning of a made-up excuse.
“On the phone you said you had nothing going on because Susan is visiting her parents in Barrie.”
Jim frowned, silently cursing himself for making that stupid confession.
“And when you signed up as an Alternate Mentor, you agreed to help me. You remember that?”
“Yes, I do, but I thought it was just a formality, to help you do your volunteering.”
“It’s only a couple of hours or so. C’mon, it’s for the kid.”
“OK, I sit through his game and cheer for his team. But what do I talk about when we go for burgers and fries?”
“Talk about your job, your life, your family.”
“My job’s too complicated for five-year olds.”
“Not really. Say it’s like playing monopoly, just with real money of other people.”
“Exactly, that really covers it all. Very smart observation.”
“You know what I mean. Make it kid-friendly.”
“What did you tell him your work is like?”
“I told him it’s like playing Risk.”
“Ha. So, why can’t you do this?”
“I’m going to be out of town on business for a few days.” Justin took another sip from his water bottle. “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“And you didn’t know about this trip earlier?”
“No, I didn’t. It came up today in a meeting. Look, I’m not trying to dump this on you and go golfing somewhere.”
“Well, you kind of are dumping this on me, but… where are you going, if not golfing?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Europe?”
“C’mon, Jim.”
“Who’s going with you? Can you tell me that much?”
“Carrie’s coming along. And a few other people.”
“Aha.” Jim’s eyes flashed a wicked grin. His nod meant he knew something was going on. “Rekindling the old flame, aren’t we?”
“It’s nothing like that. It’s been over a year since we broke up.”
“Yes, that may be true, but the two of you keep falling into each other’s arms.”
“No, not really.” Justin shook his head. “But we work at the same place, sometimes on the same tasks, and I can’t help it that we end up in the same mission. But work was what got in the way in the first place. So I doubt it will reunite us at the end.”
“You never know.” Jim looked around for a trash can. He was already done with his pop.
“This time I know for sure. I’ll never fall in love again with a co-worker.”
“Then you’ll remain single for life. Work is all you know.”
“Look who’s talking?”
“Hey, it took a while, but I married Susan. You need to go out more often and with a woman. Leave the national security to the old and grumpy kind of guys who can’t wait to get away from their families.”
“Dating Tips from the Love Guru. Volume One. Thank you.”
“More like Volume Ten Thousand, but you never listen to any of them. Do you want another drink?” Jim eyed the closest concession stand.
“No, I’m good, thanks,” Justin replied.
Jim disappeared into the crowd.
“So are you going to do me the favor?” Justin asked when Jim returned with another pop in his hand.
“What favor? Oh, that one about the kid? I thought you’d forgotten all about it. By the way, shouldn’t he be finished by now?”
“Give the kid his time. Yes or no?”
“All right, I’ll do it.” He sounded like he was agreeing to a capitulation treaty. “But, man, oh man, you owe me big this time.”
“Oh, I won’t bug you for credit checks over the next month. That will do it.”
“That doesn’t even come close.” Jim began coughing after taking a big gulp of his pop.
“Or I can give you a Heimlich so you’ll stop choking.”
“I’m fine.” Jim regained his composure. “It’s these kinds of favors that will kill me one of these days.”
Justin consulted his wristwatch. “We’ll have to get back soon to avoid the rush of people during the last minutes.”
As he turned around, Olivier appeared out of the washrooms.
“Hey, little buddy,” Justin said, “Uncle Jim will get you some popcorn while I use the little boy’s room.” He leaned toward Jim and whispered, “You two bond.” He winked at Olivier.
“What do you do, Uncle Jim?” Olivier asked.
“Hmm, I am a fin… do you like monopoly?”
Chapter Three
Nanisivik, Canada
April 11, 12:50 p.m.
The bright sun bounced off the hard sheet of ice covering the gravel road and blinded him for a second. Kiawak squinted. All he saw were yellow sparks and black dots. His Arctic Wolf sunglasses — coated for extra protection against the sunrays’ sharp reflection from the snow — and the semi-tinted windshield of his Toyota truck were nearly useless. The permafrost, which had been agonizing under the weight of several feet of snow for months, mirrored all of the sunrays.
At minus two degrees — but driven down to minus thirteen because of the wind chill factor — the sun, although bright and blazing its way across the skies for sixteen hours a day, provided absolutely no heat. A man stranded outside without heavy protective clothing could experience the first signs of the frostbite within minutes. The exposed skin would begin to freeze, the tissue turning red and burning at the lightest touch. Hypothermia would set in soon thereafter, and death could occur in the next hour.
Inside his truck cabin, however, the heater blasted hot air onto Kiawak’s unshaven face as he drove around the corner toward his destination. Parting Waters was the only bar, restaurant, and grocery store in Nanisivik. Kiawak ran it with Joe, his best friend. Waters, as Joe called their joint venture, stretched over the length of three construction trailers. They were soldered, converted, and insulated to accommodate Kiawak’s small apartment in the back and the business in the front. Waters was the right name for the joint, located on the edge of the old town site, overlooking the Strathcona Sound. The waters parted when icebergs in the spring and icebreakers in the summer cruised by the small town.
The truck let out a loud puff as Kiawak tapped on the brakes and turned right. The front wheels slid on the ice, but the truck responded to his command. Nanisivik used to have a lead-zinc mine, which spewed out enough ore to keep happy and busy about two hundred employees for many years. When the mine closed its doors, the managing company took away not only the jobs and the people, but also everything it could salvage: the machineries, the ship loader, and even some of the townhouses.
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