BooksBarbecue
Back Outbreak Save as PDF
Chapters (124)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Acclaim for Frank Gardner’s Luke Carlton thrillers
  4. Also by Frank Gardner
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. 95
  102. 96
  103. 97
  104. 98
  105. 99
  106. 100
  107. 101
  108. 102
  109. 103
  110. 104
  111. 105
  112. 106
  113. 107
  114. 108
  115. 109
  116. 110
  117. 111
  118. 112
  119. 113
  120. 114
  121. 115
  122. Epilogue
  123. Acknowledgements
  124. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Kristian spread his hands and grinned. ‘This is the Arctic, my friend. People talk to each other up here, face to face. There is not much else to do, apart from hunting and fishing. So …’ Kristian stared out of the window and frowned. It was all still happening out there with the police and the medics. It had started to snow again. ‘I have requested transport from my service,’ Kristian said, with a sigh, ‘so now we must wait until it arrives.’

Luke put a hand inside the breast pocket of his jacket. Yes. It was still there. This wasn’t exactly going to be social distancing, but he would have to take his chance. ‘Don’t worry about transport,’ Luke told him, tossing Kristian the ignition key to the snowmobile. ‘You can drive because you know the way. I’ll jump on the back.’

15

Svalbard

Tuesday, 8 March, 1213hrs GMT, 1313hrs local

IT HAD TO be said that Kristian Berge was not a good driver. In fact, Luke concluded fairly quickly, this Norwegian spy was quite hopeless at it. ‘Mate,’ he called to him, just after the Norwegian had managed to steer them straight into the side of a snowdrift, ‘I’ll tell you what, why don’t I drive and you can shout directions?’ It wasn’t a question, Luke was already back on the snowmobile and taking control of the steering handles.

‘Sorry.’ Kristian shrugged. ‘I am from Bergen on the coast. It rains more than it snows there.’

Luke pulled his facemask back up over the bridge of his nose, adjusted his goggles, wiping the fresh snowflakes off them with his gloves as he did so, then gunned the engine. They set off at speed, gliding smoothly over the fresh snow with Kristian tapping his shoulder to go left or right. Luke was concentrating on keeping them upright, reading the contours of the undulating snowscape beneath the snowmobile’s tracks as he drove and making minute adjustments. But he was also taking in the stark beauty of the place, the archipelago historically known as Spitsbergen, a wild, frozen corner of the world, further north than most people will ever travel in their lifetime. ‘A pristine environment’ was how the Norwegians had described it to him. ‘We take nothing away from it,’ Stian the tracker had said, ‘and we leave nothing behind.’ Well, it didn’t feel pristine any more, not now it was home to this invisible pathogen.