“They had to tear down some of the huts for wood,” Welch responded.
“Is there any indication how long this cold spell will last?” Warren asked.
The colonel shook his head as he pulled his computer out of his shirt pocket. He tapped a few keys in the virtual screen and a three-dimensional image of Earth appeared above it. The colonel punched more buttons and the picture wavered and distorted and then returned to its previous state. With a frustrated sigh, Welch turned it off and placed it in his pocket. “I still can’t connect with the weather satellites or any others up there, so I can’t tell. It’s likely the Xini destroyed all of them. We’ll just have to see if we can read the weather patterns from down here on earth like people used to do.”
“We heard they’ve made contact with the colonies in Dallas and Wichita this morning,” Warren said brightly as if trying to elevate the mood.
“Yes, I heard,” the colonel said, looking up at the clear blue sky.