It took more than a day to reach the Julius Henry Observational Center from Oymyakon, even under optimal conditions. Which their takeoff hadn"t exactly been.
It had looked like there"d be one of those rare perfect breaks in the always stormy skies that would let the shuttle launch straight to orbit. Then the storm had closed around them, and for a few long minutes Fitz hadn"t been sure if they were going to live or die a fiery death on the side of a mountain.
But Ritchie in that turbulent moment hadn"t looked half as stressed out as she did now, going over Colonel Hansen"s briefing materials and her own notes for the umpteenth time. He could see her lips moving as she practiced what she wanted to say or ask. The first few times he had offered to help, she had brushed him off, but after c
