Bitter Sweet Cold (Part 3)
It was two in the morning. The storm showed no sign of passing anytime soon. Commander Starr stood within his private quarters staring out into the blackness through reinforced windows. Such weather was common in the Alaskan winter however he could not sleep whilst it loomed.
He took a sip out of his mug of hot cocoa hoping that all were as safe and as warm as he was.
Suddenly there was a knock on his door. The ginger fox casually walked over wondering why he was needed at such an ungodly time of night. He opened it and was faced with his personal assistant coated up to the eyeballs and fresh out of the snow. "Hadley?"
The commander's guest gave a quick salute, "Commander. I have urgent news."
"At ease soldier, come on in and I will make you a cocoa." The soldier entered and Commander Starr walked over to his small kitchen in the corner to re boil the water.
The white mouse unzipped his coat and dusted the ice off his large round ear. Teeth on the verge of tapping away, "Thank you sir."
"It is no trouble soldier. You work too damn hard. So what trouble has led you to knocking on my chamber door?"
The mouse chuckled, "quoth the raven... never more." An inside joke they shared from their mutual love of Edgar Allen Poe. However Hadley's chuckle was kind of forced, the news he had was pretty grim. "The plane that was here yesterday afternoon, carrying sensitive and highly classified cargo. Well... it has gone missing."
The fox's mood dropped like a penny, "I see." He took the news as if it were a car wreck. His chipper attitude no longer held.
"We lost all communication once the storm hit us so it was impossible for them to send a distress call... if they ever did send one. There are no reports of it crossing into Oregon, Canada or the Pacific."
"The storm must have caught up with the plane."
"I think you are right. It must have crashed a few hundred kilometres away from here."
The fox sighed with agitation, "We cannot send out search and rescue until the storm passes. Nothing will fly in this weather and we won't be able to see anything. Any survivors are at god's mercy now," or at Rabid Rob's.
"So what would you have us do?"
The commander thought for a moment before making certain his decision, "Warm up the snowmobiles and the helicopters. As soon as the storm allows it we will go out and find every soul aboard that plane, even if their souls are no longer with us. However... make sure everyone searching is armed."
"Sir?" The mouse asked with a twitch of his ear, befuddled by his order.
"There was a terrorist on that plane Hadley. Until he is found dead or alive he is a dangerous fugitive on United States soil. No more risks. I am placing a shoot on sight order for Robert Arthur Stirling."
Back at the hunting cabin Diana and Robert sat in the two remaining chairs at the table whilst Tex slept by the fire where she lay before. Their clothes had fully dried so they were fully dressed however it was a chore explaining why the two of them were naked to the squirrel. Eventually he took their word for it then collapsed in exhaustion.
"Tex is made of strong stuff. Even I struggled out in that storm so I can't imagine the ordeal he went through to get here," the polar bear said staring down at the exhausted soldier.
Diana couldn't agree more, that storm was the most ferocious weather she has ever seen in her life. She wondered how even someone as strong as Robert managed to trudge his way through it carrying her unconscious on his back. With that she reminded herself of how she got there in the first place, "Thank you... for saving my life."
"Ditto," he replied raising a half empty bottle of whiskey to her. His thanks were not as heart felt as hers but he didn't seem the type to hand out praise. "Speaking of which I wanted to ask you something..." Diana turned to him curious as he placed the bottle back on the table and crossed his arms, "Back on the ice. Just before you fell through, you had a panic attack."
She had a fleeting hope that he would have forgotten about her sudden anxiety, "You noticed that then?"
"A lot doesn't escape my notice. So did the ice trigger it?"
"Yes."
"Fall into a frozen lake when you were a child?"
"Yes."
"Bummer."
He ended his questions right there. Usually she would expect more to follow. Where? How? When? How she survived? Why it still affects her. But no... he stopped and took another sip of whiskey with no further curiosity. "You don't want to know more?"
"Should I?"
"No I guess not." She was grateful but on the other hand her curiosity about him was far from sated, "Your file says that you killed your fellow soldiers. Slaughtered your entire unit and then went on the run."
He looked at her with no surprise. It was an expected topic, "So it does."
"Is it true?" She knew that the world of black ops seldom had any truth so there was hope that he may be some sort of scapegoat. She wanted to know the truth from his own mouth, at the very least it may help her to understand him a bit better.
There was little delay in his response, "It is true." Her heart sank with disappointment. He didn't seem remorseful or guilty.
"Why did you do it?"
He thought for a moment how to respond to that question, his index finger gently tapped the table as his thoughts passed through him, "Why the sudden interest?"
"I need to know if I can trust you."
"The simple answer is that you can't because trust has to be mutual," He had a good point. There was no reason he should trust her either. It was clear that she had every intention of turning him in... given the chance. Diana's eyes drifted to the floor but then her attention was caught with surprise when he started to share his story.
"Serving in her majesty's special air service is the highest calling for a soldier. I was barely a man when my name was put forward, not because I was the most talented cadet but because I am a Stirling. I could've named a dozen others who had more potential but... that is not how it works. It is all about the blood. I never expected for myself to pass the training. You have to be able to run four miles in thirty minutes and swim two miles in ninety minutes. That was the easy part. We then are taken to Malaysia for survival training and after that we are taken for a week long escape and evasion game. But the most gruelling part by far was the interrogation training... for as long as I live I will never forget those thirty six hours." He paused to take a sip of whiskey and Diana hung on his every word, "I was loyal. I never question my orders or my mission. It was unthinkable to do so. In my short term of service I have done... terrible things. I have marked defenceless villages for air strikes, shot down civilians whilst disguised as the enemy to incite further revolt... I have killed so many who never even saw me coming..."
His sentences slowed as past memories started to drift through him. His eyes lingered in the corner of the room. "Is that why you went AWOL?" Her question seemed to fall on deaf ears. Robert's focused drifted from the conversation, but only for a brief moment.
"You had better get some rest. You will need all your strength. This storm will leave behind some very deep snow," it was clear he wanted to terminate the conversation. Diana would have pressed him further on the subject if he didn't make a good point.
"Okay then. But... my spot has been taken," she stared at the snug squirrel curled up next to the fireplace with frustration.
"This place isn't very well insulated. If you sleep alone you risk your health. I only just fished you out of a freezing lake so let's keep the risk minimal," Robert got up from his chair and walked over to the corner of the hut. He took a seat on the floor and nestled into the corner, it didn't look particularly comfortable.
"Why sleep over there and not by the fire?"
"There is no blind spot here... and I don't need the warmth as much as you do."
"Still don't trust me?"
"Yes. But that is beside the point. It just gives me peace of mind plus I have gotten used to sleeping like this."
Diana wasn't surprised. It goes without saying that having the whole world chasing you would force anyone to adopt strange habits. She snuggled down to the floor next to the squirrel. He was still dead asleep. She curled up close and cozied up back to back. Heat started to pour through her skin and up her spine. It felt nice.
"Wrong. You have to turn around. Your heart needs the warmth, not your back. Your back can take care of itself."
Diana pushed herself up irritated, "I am not snuggling with him."
"Then rest up with me."
"Not a chance."
"Pick one or get sick. I won't be sacrificing any stamina hauling you cross country again," he said punitively. His tone of voice certainly made her feel like a child.
"Fuck you," she slammed her head back to the floor and was determined not to make eye contact. She stared at the log walls intently for goodness knows how long. Before she knew it she dropped off to sleep...
A cold chill suddenly woke her up. The room seemed dimmer than before and the breath from her nostrils was whiter. She pushed herself up slowly and looked over to the fire. It had gotten weaker and hadn't been fed since she went to sleep. She looked over to Rob and saw him in the corner with his eyes closed however it was hard to tell if he was sleeping or just resting. The bear made no grunt or snore but the deep rising and falling of his chest showed he was not in the room.
Diana got to her feet and looked around for more wood. There was no fire wood but the remnants of the broken chair seemed like a good start. She took the leg pieces and toppled them onto the fire. She squatted in close and rubbed her palms together. The heat rose a little but not enough to satisfy.
Rob was right, her personal boundaries and frustration with the bear had gotten in the way of her better judgement.
The best choice would be to share body heat with Tex... however when she looked at the polar bear she thought twice. The body heat from him would be twice that of Tex and his thick fur would make a great pillow. Plus... he does look very... inviting...
Diana suddenly got a hold of her imagination before it ran away. At the end of the day, they were not friends. They were enemies.
Don't put this into black and white... this is about your health.
With her mind made up she stood up and turned to Robert and started to approach cautiously. Diana didn't want to wake him, she just wanted to warm herself up then return to her spot.
Taking every ounce of care she had managed to crawl up next to the bear without a stir. She placed her hand carefully on his torso. It was rock hard and as warm as a furnace even through his worn white t-shirt. She couldn't help but slowly run her hand down his chest to feel the ridges of his abdominal muscles. Her heart skipped a beat with desire and she swallowed her nerves. What would I say if he woke up now?
She shuffled down a little and gently put her head on his torso, her cheeks warmed up immediately and the sound of his strong heartbeat made the embrace all the more comforting. She finally slithered in close and took in as much as she could. From head to toe it was as if every frozen hair on her fur melted away with delight and sent pleasant shivers through her body. Her arms wrapped around him tight and she anchored down so well that she didn't want to move forever. She had promised herself to go back when she had her fill but it seems it was a promise she quickly forgot.
The rest of the night was spent in the warmth of the polar bear.