It was the evening of Good Friday, not that it mattered to Solo and Kuryakin. They were busy bedding down for the night, having finished their assignment, but there was a delay in leaving as there wasn't a flight scheduled to leave until the next day from the airport southwest of the city of Anchorage.
"Is this the best you could manage Illya?" Napoleon was wrapped in furs though he was wearing a heavy parka as well as that black and red hunting cap; he refused to tie down the ear flaps.
"Take satisfaction that we had a hearty meal at the D&D cafe in town. Living a bit rough for one night is not that bad."
Napoleon grunted his reply to that.
He and his partner were sitting inside an igloo not far outside the city limits. Kuryakin had made a deal with one of the local Inuits to use it for the night. The man was a bit of an entrepreneur who built a few of the traditional lodgings in which tourists could stay. So far he wasn't having much luck.
Kuryakin still managed to talk him down in price as it was just for the night, and since there were no other takers the man gave in to the Russian's negotiations.
The price paid would at least keep Accounting happy. Napoleon on the other hand wasn't thrilled.
"Sorry, there were no hotel rooms available. Igloos however, can be quite comfortable if…"
Napoleon quirked his head to the side, unable to resist taking a jab at his partner," I suppose if you don't burn one down..."
"I knew I was going to eventually regret telling you that story.* Am I going to hear complaints from you if I start a fire?"
"Be my guest, but just be careful."
Illya flashed him a cold-eyed stare as he tossed some kindling into the small fire pit, though he glanced up to make sure there was an opening in the roof of the igloo to vent the heat. Minutes later he had a roaring fire going, and he added more wood to it.
The landlord supplied it, though there were no questions asked as to its source.
"Are you sure that's not too hot?" Solo asked. "Won't it melt the igloo.
"No, as you can see inside of the igloo is tiered, with the uppermost level being where we sleep, the middle is where the fire is located. The bottom level serves as a cold sump. The principle is that all the coldest air from inside the igloo runs downward off the terraces and collects in the bottom, thus allowing the upper portions to stay warmer. The entrance for the igloo also at the bottom, and includes at least one right angle, which keeps any wind from blowing straight inside and chilling we the residents or from blowing out the fire, that and the hole in the top take advantage of underlying physics, and the …"
"Okay Doctor Kuryakin, I get it. No need to continue your science lecture."
Illya flashed a brief smile as he climbed beneath the furs, leaving on his pale blue parka; he flipped up the fur-lined hood over his blond head and settled in for the night. Though it was still daylight, they were both tired. They'd have to be up early the next day to catch their flight.
No sooner had they closed their eyes when the ground shook violently and the igloo began to disintegrate around them.
"Illya what the hell have you done now!" Napoleon barked as the two of them scrambled to get out.
The ground was rippling and they watched as their igloo, as well as nearby structures buckle.
"Earthquake!" The agents yelled as they realized what was happening. There was nothing they could do but ride it out, though it was a pretty violent one both agents were uninjured.
.
A week later they sat in their office in New York, with Illya reading the newspaper articles on the Alaskan earthquake.
"It was the largest quake recorded in North American history and was 400 times the total energy of all nuclear bombs ever exploded to date. The event unleashed a colossal 200,000 megatons of energy, destroying buildings and infrastructure in Anchorage and far beyond; raising the land as much as 30 feet in some places; and sparking a major underwater landslide in Prince William Sound, which killed scores of people when the resulting waves slammed into Port Valdez. The 9.2 magnitude quake which struck around 5:30 in the evening on Good Friday, and its many powerful aftershocks caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, killing more than 130 people."
"We were more than lucky tovarisch,"Napoleon took the paper from his partner. "I think experiencing it was enough for me; I don't need to hear more about it."
"Lucky that we did not stay in town that is,"Illya said.
"All right, yes being in that igloo might have saved our lives."
"Might?"
"Okay okay, did save our for lunch then?" Napoleon quickly changed the subject. "How about Changs?"
"Good idea. I could go for the Pu-Pu platter, possibly beef with broccoli and some fried dumplings."
Napoleon stood, putting on his suit jacket, not even commenting on his partner's cravings.
"Life goes on, doesn't it?"
"As it must my friend, as it must." Kuryakin nodded.
.
*ref to "Lieutenant Kuryakin's claim to fame" s/11871300/1/Lieutenant-Kuryakin-s-claim-to-fame