Chill Factor

Chill Factor is the fifteenth book in the series of Deathlands. It was written by Laurence James under the house name James Axler. Plot synopsis Arriving in New Mexico via a MAT-TRANS jump, Ryan Cawdor, Krysty Wroth, J. B. Dix, Dr. Theophilus Tanner, and Mildred Wyeth are met by Jak Lauren, who informs them that Ryan's son Dean was ambushed and kidnapped by slavers while he was left in Jak's care. Jak's wife, Christina, was able to capture a mortally wounded slaver and under torture extract information about the group he belongs to. All are surprised to learn that the group is not regional, but instead makes use of the MAT-TRANS chambers and their "last destination" setting to capture slaves from throughout the Deathlands. What is most troubling for Ryan, however, is the name of the group's leader: Major-Commandant Gregori Zimyanin, a man Ryan has encountered two times previously. After taking a day to rest at the Lauren ranch and construct a plan, Ryan and Jak set out alone to rescue Dean, not taking the entire group so as to better function covertly. Though they anticipate a cold destination based on various clues and statements from the captured slaver, both are only minimally prepared when the MAT-TRANS jump takes them to a brutally cold redoubt. As they make their way through the facility they come across three "cuddlies", small, furred, foot-long animals reputed to be both highly friendly and cute. This turns out to be only half true, which Jak and Ryan both discover when the seemingly benign cuddlies turn vicious once they get close to the pair. After a struggle, both are able to kill the surprisingly lethal animals. Ryan narrowly avoids injury, but Jak is wounded in a few places, the worst being a long cut on his jaw which refuses to stop bleeding. Though not lethal if treated, the wound is severe enough that it will likely become infected and gangrenous in the bitter cold. Both Jak and Ryan agree there is no other choice, and Jak returns to New Mexico through the MAT-TRANS. Ryan reaches the exit of the redoubt and immediately spots the slavers' base: a large sulfur mine, well-guarded and operated by slave labor, surrounded on all sides by barren, mountainous terrain. He decides to wait until nightfall to make his approach, and ventures further into the redoubt to find a place to rest.