Icehole Read online

  “Shoot.”

  Corky straightened into her most professional stance. “It seems you’re suffering from... an owie,” she said solemnly.

  Blue eyes rolled. “Can I get a second opinion?”

  Corky chuckled. “In a few months, sure.”

  “And what treatment would you suggest for this heinous injury?”

  “Amputation, of course.”

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  Corky smiled. “Nothing’s broken but you did sprain your shoulder. You’ve had a lot of prior work done in there, must have been pretty bad.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmmm,” she grunted. “I’ll give you some meds for the pain but it’ll get better quicker than you think, just don’t overuse it or abuse it.”

  Malory nodded.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Corky asked reluctantly.

  “Okay.”

  “What’s the ‘Q’ stand for?” she asked mildly

  A confused look.

  “As in Malory Q. Lovecraft.”

  “Oh. It stands for Quinn.”

  “Quinn?” Corky asked curiously.

  Malory smiled slyly. “Yeah, I was named after a song. Wanna hear it?”

  “I’ll pass,” Corky said quickly. “But are you up for another question?”

  “I guess.”

  “You sure about that?” she asked. “If you answer honestly, there’ll be another question. Maybe a few.”

  “Go ahead, I’m lying here in my bra, you have me at your mercy,” Malory said indifferently.

  “Why did you single me out for abuse?” Corky asked bluntly.

  Malory sighed. “Because I figured the sooner I got past your attitude and forced a confrontation, the sooner we could be friends.”

  Corky had been wary of the answer and was actually surprised by the seemingly honest response. “I see,” she said quietly.

  Malory turned eyes in Corky’s direction. “Is there another question?”

  “Why did you kiss me?”

  “Because I’m attracted to you.”

  “What made you think I would want to be kissed by another woman?”

  “Nothing, I just wanted to do it.”

  “So you didn’t know I was gay?”

  “Had no idea.”

  “That took guts.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Why did you have me lock the door?”

  “Because I’m the Commander,” she said simply. “Now, as much as I enjoy the interrogation, I would really like to go to sleep. Could you help me get my parka on so I can return to my quarters, please?”

  Corky stared at her for a long moment, finally nodding her consent and helping her with her jacket.

  ———

  Malory shuffled out of her quarters the next morning and made her way down the hall, entering the mess hall and going immediately for the coffee, refusing to acknowledge anyone until she satisfied her craving.

  Once the coffee had provided her with the required early morning stamina, she turned to face the crowd and seated herself at the front of the room. “Chief Reynolds,” she said. “You have an explanation for me?”

  Dr. Lenard spoke up in a rush. “Commander,” he said hesitantly. “It seems that several of us are to blame for the lack of radios, we...uhm... often forget to take them.”

  “I see,” she said quietly. “Mr. McNeely, your opinion, please?”

  “It’ll take a week or more to recreate a safe working environment,” he reported. “And I’ll need some help.”

  “Very well, you’re in charge,” she said. “Use whoever you need, I want to see a duty list by the end of the day.”

  “Done,” he answered with a nod.

  She considered quietly for a moment. “When the Sergeant Major informs me he is satisfied with the conditions in excavation, we can resume our dig,” she said finally. “No one is to be found in that area without his permission until that time.” She looked around for objections and was pleased when she saw none. “Also, in the future, anyone caught working down there without a radio or a safety rope will be relieved and confined to quarters for a time to be determined by myself. Any questions?”

  None were forthcoming so she turned to Clovis. “Mr. Stokes, do you have a lesson plan prepared for me?”

  “You bet,” he said cheerfully.

  She stood and gestured for him to take the floor, taking his chair when he got up and shooting a wink at Dr. Rivers, who had been seated next to him. To her dismay, the doctor pretended not to notice.

  “Okay,” he said gruffly, clearing his throat. “What we expect to find, what we hope to find, is a spacecraft, or more accurately pieces of a spacecraft, that we assume crashed into the ice at some point in very distant history.”

  Malory was dumfounded. “What?” she blurted in surprise.

  Clovis looked at her confusedly.

  “I’m sorry, please continue,” she said embarrassed, choosing to ignore the few quiet snickers.

  “From sonar readings and estimated projection, it seems the craft crashed into the ice with enough force to break apart at impact.”

  “How long ago was this?” she asked curiously.

  “Impossible to tell,” Clovis replied. “It would depend on a lot of variables, it may have crashed with enough force to basically bury itself. We think that’s part of the equation but undoubtedly, it’s been here for thousands of years.”

  Malory leaned against the back of her chair thoughtfully. “Why do you assume it to be a spacecraft?”

  “Because we’ve uncovered several small pieces of material that apparently broke off of the main craft already. It’s of a composition we can’t identify, the atomic structure is extraterrestrial.”

  “And the main craft, is it still intact?”

  “It seems there are three large sections still relatively intact,” Clovis said. “It is from those pieces that we hope to gain the most knowledge.”

  She grunted thoughtfully. “Alright off the subject, why did it smell so bad in there yesterday?”

  “I would assume stale air.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.”

  “We haven’t had the chance to investigate.”

  She pursed her lips and stood. “Thanks for the education, Mr. Stokes. It looks like we have some work to do. Let’s get after it.”

  05/01/02 - 1730 hours

  It was four days later when Corky decided to bite the bullet. She wasn’t sure if it was the right decision but she felt she owed it to herself to try. The Commander clearly had a multifaceted personality and there was no denying she found the woman intriguing, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise. She suspected that under all of the bravado the woman displayed, there lurked a person she would like to know. The only question remaining was whether or not she could stand to be in her company long enough to find out.

  With this mission in mind, she waited until the end of the workday and marched determinedly to the Commander’s quarters. Upon arrival, she found a closed door and took a minute to cement the binds on her temper before knocking. When she received no response, she knocked again and poked her head in to find an empty office. She walked a few paces into the room and was surprised to hear singing, or what passed for it, coming from the woman’s quarters. Corky winced; it was painfully obvious that vocal talent wasn’t on the Commander’s list of abilities. She went to knock on the door but paused when she caught sight of Little Lovecraft sitting in the chair behind the Commander’s desk. Her eyes narrowed and she had to take a moment to forcibly remind herself why she was doing this.

  Finally, she turned and pounded on the door a little more loudly than she had intended. She quickly grew annoyed when it wasn’t answered and she was assaulted by another verse being sung in the other room.

  “Hush, my darling, don’t cry, my darling, the lion sleeps tonight!”

  “Jesus, it sounds like she’s boiling a fuckin’ cat,” Corky whispered in disgust and knocked on t
he door again.

  “A wimoweh, a wimoweh, a wimoweh...”

  “God help us all,” she exclaimed, coming to the abrupt decision to just open the door. “Commander?”

  Corky had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. The woman had headphones on and was singing into her toothbrush as she stood in front of her little sink and mirror. Dressed in her fatigue pants and bra, she swayed her ass back and forth in time with the music.

  Finally, she turned to see that she had unexpected company and Corky couldn’t contain her laughter when she yelped and jumped in surprise, almost falling down. When she got over her shock, she ripped the Walkman off angrily, her eyes flashing indignantly with embarrassment.

  “Don’t you know how to knock?” she asked irritably and was none too pleased when the doctor indulged in a fresh gale of laughter. “What’s so damn funny?” she demanded.

  Corky could barely summon the breath needed to answer. “Your face,” she choked.

  “What about my face?” she asked angrily.

  Corky raised a finger to point to the mirror.

  Malory frowned and turned to take in her reflection, immediately flushing with a new wave of crimson. “Goddamn it,” she hissed and reached for a towel to wipe away the toothpaste that covered her chin and was running down her neck.

  “Do you...” Corky struggled, “...do you often foam at the mouth?”

  Malory stomped her foot, ignoring the comment and afraid that the doctor’s laughter might be contagious. “You might as well come in,” she said sarcastically, picking up a T-shirt from the floor to put on.

  Corky took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes before walking completely into the room. She looked around for a place to sit down but there wasn’t a square inch of space that wasn’t covered with something.

  Malory saw the dilemma and walked over to throw the clothes covering the room’s single chair onto the floor. “Have a seat,” she said indifferently.

  Corky admired the disheveled room with amusement. “How do you walk around in here?” she asked curiously.

  “When it gets tired of me stepping on it, it just gets out of the way,” she said dryly. “Was there something you wanted to see me about?”

  Corky smiled, the Commander was doing an admirable job of ignoring the blush that still clung to her face. It made her task a little easier. “I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner and maybe watch a movie?”

  Malory blinked. “Huh?”

  “Please, don’t make me ask again. It was hard enough just to decide to.”

  A long, befuddled stare. “Sure, I’d like that,” she said finally.

  ———

  Corky picked a spot in the mess that was somewhat secluded and sat down across from the Commander, who had been uncharacteristically quiet. Whether she was still embarrassed over having been caught goofing around or just perplexed at the developing situation was yet to be determined. She watched the woman play with the food on her plate and it suddenly occurred to her that the enigmatic Commander was probably used to being in charge and wasn’t sure how to act when the shoe was on the other foot. She decided to press the perceived advantage.

  “So, where are you from?” she asked mildly.

  “Uh... Boston.”

  “Interesting, you don’t have an accent.”

  “No, I moved around too much to develop one.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Thirty.”

  “What’s your favorite food?”

  “Pussy.”

  Corky’s cheeks ballooned in an effort to stifle a bray of involuntary laughter; she covered her mouth with her hand and looked away in sudden embarrassment. When she had composed herself, she turned back to the table and looked at the Commander unbelievingly.

  “Have you no shame?” she both asked and accused.

  “Why did you ask me out?”

  Corky shook her head sadly and looked at her thoughtfully. “Because, despite the fact that you can be an atrocious bitch, I sense a likable person underneath.”

  Malory raised an eyebrow. “Does this mean you think I’m a hottie?”

  Corky sighed. This was going to be more difficult than expected. “Can you at least try not to be an ass?”

  A small smile. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Your best can be very good when you put your mind to it,” she stated sagely.

  “What in the world does that mean?”

  “It means I’ve watched you,” Corky said pleasantly. “I’ve watched you win over everybody here. You’re intelligent, capable, undemanding, and brave. I watched you risk your life to save Mark and unfortunately, I watched you be the most unendurable person I’ve ever met. Why can’t you be the person that everybody likes and admires to me?”

  A genuine smile. “Maybe it’s a case of teasing the girl you like.”

  Corky chuckled. “We’re not in grade school here. Your idea of teasing and mine are quite different. I’ve never hit anyone in anger until I met you.”

  “I had it coming,” she said lamely.

  Corky just stared. “You enjoyed it and you enjoyed pissing me off, didn’t you?”

  “I can’t say that I enjoyed being struck, but yeah,” she answered honestly. “It was a hoot watching you get madder than a one-legged cat trying to bury shit on a frozen pond.”

  Corky’s eyes narrowed and the grip she had on her fork tightened. “Do you ever think before you speak or are you this tactless and tasteless with everybody?”

  Chastised, Malory reviewed her part of the conversation. “I guess I could’ve phrased that differently,” she admitted, shoving a heaping forkful of food in her mouth.

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “What?” she exclaimed around her food.

  “You heard me,” Corky stated quietly.

  Malory hurriedly swallowed. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because you come on stronger than cheap aftershave but don’t have the faintest idea how to be flattering,” she explained mildly, watching the woman wolf down another huge mouthful of food. “Plus, you have despicable table manners, a crass vocabulary, and you’re a slob. I would imagine those qualities don’t appeal to many women.”

  Malory took the diatribe in stride. “You’re the one who asked me to dinner, so I must appeal to you in some way.”

  Corky decided to use the Commander’s tactics against her. “Sure, you’ve got an awesome set of tits,” she said agreeably.

  “I knew you thought so,” she replied triumphantly.

  Foiled, Corky scowled. “So you didn’t answer my question.”

  “What question was that?”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “Would it make you happy if I said yes?” she asked curiously.

  “I don’t know, it might answer some questions I have about you,” Corky replied honestly.

  “Are you?”

  “Am I what? A virgin?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Are you a slut then?”

  Corky ground her teeth. “No, are you?”

  “No, but I’m willing to learn.”

  The smile came without permission. “You kill me,” she stated with a quick chuckle.

  “Thanks...uhm... I guess.”

  “So tell me about yourself,” Corky demanded.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything you want to tell me.”

  Malory propped her chin on her hand thoughtfully for a moment. “Well, I like needlessly violent movies and I vote Republican.”

  Corky laughed at her brevity. “Is that all you want to share?”

  “I guess,” she replied sheepishly. “I’m not very good at this. If you want to know something it would be easier if you asked me.”

  Corky shook her head. “You vote Republican?”

  “Of course,” Malory said imperiously.

  “Why would a gay officer in the military vote Republican?” she asked curiously.
/>
  “Who said I was gay?”

  Corky gaped. “Aren’t you?”

  “Well, duh,” she said childishly.

  An exasperated sigh. “You’re being an ass again.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out,” she said dryly. “I vote Republican because I believe in the bigger picture.”

  “Care to explain?”

  “I won’t endorse a party just because of selfishness. I try to balance between what’s good for me and what’s good for the country as a whole.”

  “For instance?”

  “Take gun control for example. It’s the very height of stupidity to believe that taking that right away from me will take guns away from criminals. The men and women that have fought and died for our country’s ideals did not give their lives so I could be shot down defenseless in my home because some political hack convinced a majority of Congress that I should no longer have the right to bear arms.”

  “And this serves the bigger picture how?”

  “How do I vote for a party that promises equal rights for homosexuals but wants to take rights away from the nation as a whole?” she asked mildly. “That’s the very definition of selfishness. I get something for me at everyone else’s expense, that doesn’t serve the bigger picture.”

  “Nice speech,” Corky said pleasantly.

  Malory shrugged. “I can ride a soapbox when I have to. Your turn.”

  “My turn for what?”

  “Tell me about you.”

  Corky smiled engagingly. “What would you like to know?”

  Malory leaned forward excitedly. “Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Do you have a family? Will you kiss me goodnight? Do you have a pet? How old are you? Do you have a home somewhere? Where do you want to go when you leave here? What kinda music do you like? What’s your favorite...?”

  “Wait!” Corky exclaimed with a laugh. “Lemme catch up.”

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s see,” she said thoughtfully. “I’m from Corpus Christi, I went to Texas A&M, my parents live in Arizona now, no siblings, maybe, no pets, twenty-seven, I sublet my apartment, I haven’t thought about it, and classical.”

  Malory filtered through the responses carefully and smiled slyly. “You will,” she said assuredly.

  “I will what?”

  “So what do we have in the way of movies to watch?” she asked brightly.