Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition

By Wesley Allison

Teen inventor Astrid Maxxim is back in her third adventure as she makes a journey to the bottom of the planet to uncover the secrets of a mysterious lost expedition. Meanwhile, troubles plague her friends and family as a hostile takeover threatens Maxxim Industries. Join Astrid and her friends as she faces the frozen dangers of the Antarctic, wild animals, mad bombers, and corporate high finance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wesley Allison
• Release date: Sep 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311736079

Wesley Allison

At the age of nine, Wesley Allison discovered a love of reading in an old box of Tom Swift Jr. books. He graduated to John Carter and Tarzan and retains a fondness the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs to this day. From there, it was Heinlein and Bradbury, C.S. Lewis and C.S. Forester, many, many others, and finally Richard Adam’s Shardik and Watership Down. He started writing his own stories as he worked his way through college. Today Wes is the author of more than thirty science-fiction and fantasy books, including the popular His Robot Girlfriend. He has taught English and American History for the past 29 years in Southern Nevada where he lives with his lovely wife Victoria, and his two grown children Rebecca and John.For more information about the author and upcoming books, visit http://wesleyallison.com.Books by Wesley Allison:Princess of AmatharHis Robot GirlfriendHis Robot WifeHis Robot Wife: Patience is a VirtueHis Robot Girlfriend: CharityHis Robot Wife: A Great Deal of PatienceHis Robot Wife: Patience Under FireEaglethorpe Buxton and the Elven PrincessEaglethorpe Buxton and the SorceressThe Many Adventures of Eaglethorpe BuxtonEaglethorpe Buxton and... Something about Frost GiantsThe Sorceress and the Dragon 0: BrechalonThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 1: The Voyage of the MinotaurThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 2: The Dark and Forbidding LandThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 3: The Drache GirlThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 4: The Young SorceressThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 5: The Two DragonsThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 6: The Sorceress and her LoversThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 7: The Price of MagicThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 8: A Plague of WizardsThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 9: The Dragon's ChoiceThe Sorceress and the Dragon Book 10: For King and CountryKanana: The Jungle GirlTesla’s StepdaughtersWomen of PowerBlood TradeNova DancerThe Destroyer ReturnsAstrid Maxxim and her Amazing HoverbikeAstrid Maxxim and her Undersea DomeAstrid Maxxim and the Antarctic ExpeditionAstrid Maxxim and her Hypersonic Space PlaneAstrid Maxxim and the Electric Racecar ChallengeAstrid Maxxim and the Mystery of Dolphin IslandAstrid Maxxim and her High-Rise Air Purifier

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Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition

By Wesley Allison

Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition

Copyright © 2014 by Wesley M. Allison

Smashwords Edition

Revision 7-20-22

All Rights Reserved. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover art by: Shaed Studios, shaedstudios.com

ISBN: 9781311736079

For Vicki, Becky, & John

Astrid Maxxim and the Antarctic Expedition

By Wesley Allison

Chapter One: The Thing

Maybe we shouldn't even be down here, said Austin Tretower, as he looked around the gloomy basement. Are you sure it's okay with your parents?

Of course it's okay with them, replied girl inventor Astrid Maxxim. We just need to carry this crate upstairs. That’s why I called the three of you.

Austin looked at the dusty wooden container labeled Antarctic Expedition 1928.

This is just about the point in the conversation when The Thing explodes from the box and eats our faces.

There’s rope handle on each side, Astrid pointed out. You and I will take the sides. Toby can take the top end and Valerie the bottom. Then we’ll just carry it right up the stairs.

The four teenagers looked at one another, nodded in agreement, and then each took their respective handle and lifted. Five minutes later, they were at the top of the stairs and set the crate down on the floor of the Maxxim family room.

Astrid Maxxim was five foot five and startlingly cute. Her strawberry blond hair was cut to shoulder length, setting off her very large blue eyes. Astrid’s friend Austin was a sandy-haired boy who seemed thoroughly average in just about every way. He had only recently moved to Maxxim City but was already a part of Astrid’s close circle of friends. The third member of the group was Toby Bundersmith. Toby had lived next door to Astrid since she was born and embodied, at least in Astrid’s opinion, everything good about a boy. He was tall and handsome, with brown bangs cut just above his hazel eyes. Finally, there was Valerie. Valerie was a robot copy of a fourteen-year-old girl, built by Astrid earlier that year and programmed with the memories of Astrid’s long-time friend Valerie Diaz. Robot Valerie originally had bright silver skin, but after returning from Hawaii, Astrid had covered it with a bluish metallic polycarbonate so that she would be more water resistant. Thanks to another recent upgrade, she also had bright blue shoulder length hair. She was just a bit shorter than Astrid.

What’s in that dusty old thing anyway? asked Valerie’s flesh-and-blood twin from where she sat on the couch, with her feet curled up under her. Though she shared the robot’s features, her raven hair and flashing brown eyes made it only too clear that she was entirely human. It’s not The Thing, is it?

See, I’m not the only one, said Austin.

You know Valerie could have carried that upstairs all by herself. She’s very strong.

I don’t want to go down in that basement by myself, said Robot Valerie. It’s spooky.

All three of you are just being silly, said Astrid. "Now, let’s get this open and you’ll see that there’s nothing in there. Well, there will be something, but not The Thing."

A rusty hasp, with an ancient padlock in it, held down the lid of the box. The wood was so old however that the hasp and the hinges on the opposite side all pulled loose. Toby helped Astrid lift the lid and set it to the side. Nestled neatly within the box were four stacks of manilla file folders.

Oh great, said Austin. "It’s worse than The Thing. It’s homework."

I kind of miss homework, said Astrid, lifting one of the folders and opening it to find faded topographical maps. She didn’t comment when Valerie snorted.

Do you think any of this will be useful on your trip? asked Toby.

I don’t know, replied Astrid. This is all from my great-grandfather’s expedition, and I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t even know what part of Antarctica he explored, or even why he went. But since school is out, I’ll have time to read through all this. I’m not leaving until the Monday after Father’s Day.

I’m going to miss you, said Austin, and then looked quickly at Toby and Robot Valerie. I mean we’re all going to miss you.

Yes, we will, said Toby.

I’ll only be gone a month.

That’s not much of a Father’s Day present, said a voice from the doorway.

The kids all turned to see Astrid’s dad. Dr. Roger Maxxim was a tall man whose brown hair was only just beginning to show a touch of grey at his temples. He wore a pair of sturdy glasses; behind which were creases that could more honestly be called laugh lines than wrinkles. Having just arrived home from work, he still wore his lab coat over slacks, white shirt, and red tie.

Don’t worry, Dad, said Astrid. I’ve got something for you that you’ll like.

Do I look worried? Now, I’m going to put the charcoal on before I go change. Is this it for dinner, or can we expect the usual suspects?

Christopher and Denise should be here any minute, said Toby.

Great. Why don’t you all get the salad ready and set the table.

The crate from the basement was forgotten as Austin and the two Valeries set the table. Toby helped Astrid assemble the salad, the components of which, including pasta and hard-boiled egg she had cooked and chopped earlier. Then they tossed the dinner rolls, also readied that afternoon, into the oven. Everything was just about ready as Dr. Maxxim carefully placed two rows of juicy steaks across the grate of the backyard grill. Just as he was taking them back off again, the last two members of the group arrived. Denise Brown had long blond hair and green eyes and was a little on the skinny side. She had been friends with Astrid just as long as Valerie had. Christopher Harris was Toby’s best friend. He was tall, with chocolate brown skin and black hair. A quiet boy, he had the highest grades of anyone at Rachel Carson High School, with the exception of Astrid.

They enjoyed the delicious meal and talked, mostly about plans to visit Joyland, the local amusement park, the next Saturday. After dinner, Dr. Maxxim excused himself and the kids all helped clean up. Afterwards they changed into their swimsuits and splashed around the Maxxim’s large backyard pool. By the time all of Astrid’s guests left for home, everyone was tired but happy.

After a bubble bath and an hour practicing her oboe, Astrid climbed into bed with a three-inch stack of file folders that she had taken from the mysterious crate. Most of them contained maps, with faded ink and deep creases from having been folded for the better part of a century. Finally, she opened the last folder to find that it contained a slim, leather-bound notebook. She opened it to the last page and read.

Our entire expedition had been doomed by the thing in the ice… Astrid stopped and blinked. "Oh my gosh! The Thing!"

Chapter Two: The Malt Shop

The following morning found Astrid walking in the front door of the Maxxim R&D building. The half-mile wide, fourteen-story structure dominated the northwest corner of the Maxxim Industries campus. The campus, sprawling across 180,000 acres of the American southwest, featured machine shops, office buildings, factories, power plants, and its own airport. It was here, where for the past forty-two years, thousands of Maxxim products had been developed and produced, making the Maxxim family very wealthy and making the world a better place in which to live.

Astrid took the glass elevator up to her lab on the fourteenth floor. As she stepped out, she saw Mrs. Purcell, the office manager, at her desk surrounded by several Maxxim employees. As she approached, they glanced nervously in her direction and then hurried away.

What’s up, Mrs. Purcell?

It’s nothing really, Astrid. Some people are just worried about their jobs.

Why? Did they do something that might get them fired… no, never mind, don’t tell me.

It’s nothing like that, Mrs. Purcell assured her. It’s everything that’s happening in the stock market.

Astrid gave her a blank look.

You should pay more attention to what’s going on, Astrid.

Wall Street just seems so far away, said the girl inventor. I’ve never been that interested in finance.

I dare say you can afford not to be. No matter what happens to Maxxim Industries, your family will be one of the richest in the country.

"What do you mean ‘no matter what happens?’ What