by Robin Triggs
Her name was Max, and she was the maintenance engineer.
I didn’t get to talk to her that night – merely the briefest introduction. Her seat was somewhere in the middle, next to Greigor, and I was concentrating too hard on being polite and diplomatic. The table must’ve been organized by rank, and I was at one end sitting across from Fischer. De Villiers was at the head, of course – I was on his left side. And to my left was Keegan, a fair-haired Englishman introduced to me as the base’s meteorologist. Abidene sat at the far end of the table, nearest the kitchen.
The food was good, a mix of Mediterranean pulses and vegetables and synthetic meat direct from Company vats. It was served with a rough wine, acidic and overflavored. I was surprised: I’d thought they’d have something better than that. Maybe the batch hadn’t been kept properly. Must’ve been alcohol-free. Real wine was too expensive for most people these days, and the Company would never have paid to have a batch of the good stuff shipped out to a working base like this. Besides, de Villiers had said that there was no alcohol to be found on Australis.
As soon as he swept into the room and assumed his position to my right, de Villiers had started to monopolize the conversation. He’d started with a few overloud questions about how I was fitting in, whether everything was to my satisfaction – not caring whether I had an answer or not – before gliding straight into a dirty joke shared with Keegan. He addressed a few remarks to Weng, who was seated next to Fischer. She ignored him, attention focused on her food. Greigor too kept trying to talk to her; the young man seemed almost obsessive in making sure she had water to drink, had salt and pepper and whatever else she might need. Weng did not so much as glance at him. Eventually he gave up and turned his attention to Max on his other side. At least he got conversation there. I just tried not to stare at her.
Fischer ate in silence, a faraway look in her eyes as she methodically worked through her plate. She seemed completely different from the self-possessed woman I’d met earlier – she kept slumping in her seat, then shaking herself together for a moment. I was about to ask her if she was all right when de Villiers cleared his throat and got to his feet.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a moment please.”
I looked at the faces around the table. Polite impatience. Disdain. And Fischer was ignoring him completely, just mopping up the remnants of her meal.
“I’d just like to say a word to welcome Anders to the team here at Australis. I’m sure he’ll fit in very well here – the Psych wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.” He laughed and a few of my fellows smiled.
Abidene was scowling at the end of the table. He got to his feet and started clearing the plates away. If de Villiers thought that rude, he gave no indication.
“I know you’ll all do your best to help the lad settle in, that you’ll bend over backwards to accommodate him.” He grinned and flashed me a quick wink, although I couldn’t see any real warmth behind the gesture.
I hated this. I was never one for attention, just wanted to do my job in as quiet a manner as possible, to learn quickly, to fit in. I took a deep breath. Time. That was all I needed, just a little time to get to know people and all would be well. I mean, how hard could it be? There were only twelve other people here; it wasn’t like the thousands I’d been surrounded by in the blocks.
I made myself smile and mumbled my thanks to Abidene as he silently removed my plate.
“We all know,” the commander went on, “how important this base – this project – is to the world. We provide the resources to keep the wheels of civilization turning after the collapse of nation states—”
He shot a quick look at Maggie, mischief in his eye. I looked to her in time to see an expression of disgust being carefully wiped from her face.
“We look for new ways to feed the hungry,” de Villiers continued. “We’re the pioneers. You should be proud to be a part of this, Anders. We don’t want any disruptions.”
His sudden focus took me by surprise, but he swept on before I could work out what he meant.
“Now, as you all know, tomorrow brings the equinox. The end of summer and the start of the long night. The year’s only sunset! When is it forecast for, Keegan?”
“Tomorrow, Cap’n? Sixteen forty-seven.”
“I’m expecting us all to drive up to the ridge to toast the sun – a little bit of old-fashioned pagan fun. Show Anders what sort of people we are, right? So make sure everything goes smoothly in the morning, okay?” he said with a laugh. “I don’t want any problems holding us up. Now – Abi! Another bottle of wine.”
* * *
I lay in my bed, hands behind my head. The taste of wine lingered in my mouth; it really must have been a bad bottle. I felt okay though, just tired.
What was wrong with Fischer? She’d been so strange. In the afternoon she’d been sharp, even abrasive – never to be ignored. But during the meal she’d seemed…absent. And then, when the food was finished, a tuck of the head from de Villiers and she’d followed him meekly from the room.
No one else had seemed to notice, or at least they hadn’t considered it worthy of comment. Most of them had gone straight to the rec room, or to their own quarters, as soon as they’d finished their food. I’d been delayed by introductions to a miner called Dmitri and Theo, an oilman. Handshakes and hellos, the awkwardness endless. I’d found myself mesmerized by a small crucifix that kept bouncing on a leather cord round Theo’s neck. Everyone seemed nice enough, though; they seemed to understand my shyness. The woman, Max, she’d disappeared before I’d got more than a smile, and Greigor after her. Fergie and Maggie had slipped out too.
I wondered what they might have been talking about, that they’d shut up as soon as they saw me. Nothing work-related, surely. I couldn’t help but imagine they were talking about me.
And then de Villiers: he just had to seize the spotlight. His little speech… The way he’d looked at me, that little glare when he’d said he didn’t want any disruptions. Almost as if he had reason to distrust me.
Or was I just being paranoid?
I turned over and tried not to think about it.
Chapter Three
My whole body ached next morning. My mind was awake, but my body didn’t want to comply. I showered, glad not to have the water rationed, and worked some of the kinks out of me. It was late – later than I was used to – and I felt the need to work, to justify my existence here.
So I dressed in my basic gray fatigues – the gaudy colors that marked austerity fashion just sat wrong on me – and went into my office. I turned on the computer. At home in the blocks, my inbox would have been full of alerts: problems for me to investigate, to allay, to dismiss. When you get hundreds of people squeezed into a small area, crime is almost inevitable.
There was nothing. In Australis, people solved their own problems.
It seemed that de Villiers was right: I was going to have a very quiet time here.
And maybe that was why I was looking for things to be wrong, why I was so puzzled by Fischer, by Maggie and Fergie. Because I wanted a mystery to solve, and because I couldn’t bear the thought of being superfluous, of being useless.
For want of anything better to do, I tried to access McCarthy’s old reports. Reading them would make me feel that I was at least trying to work.
Except I had no access. Something was wrong. It was asking for a password, but my bioscan should’ve granted me immediate clearance. I shook my head. I’d already seen how little the crew cared for security; a backup system would surely be redundant.
I tried my Company ID: nothing. Frustrated, I stared at the screen.
At least I could use the basic, common programs: examine the layout of the base, check the mail servers and the CCTV records. I just couldn’t get any deeper. I glanced at my book, my puzzle box, on the desk beside the screen. I considered accessing the music from my memcard, but that would h
ave calmed me, and right then I wanted to be angry. Damn the incompetence.
I contemplated the screen in front of me for as long as I could bear before I went in search of de Villiers.
* * *
The corridors were quiet, the artificial light making a mockery of time. I glanced at my watch: half past ten. I’d spent a week at the southern tip of Chile to try and get accustomed to new circadian rhythms, but I had precious little knowledge of how Australis itself operated, or of how the crew considered time when all was darkness outside.
I took deep breaths as I walked. There was no point going in all gung-ho. It was probably just a mistake, just needed a word and it’d be sorted. It never occurred to me that de Villiers might not actually be in his quarters.
I frowned at the blank door. All I wanted to do was work, to find my purpose – and I couldn’t do a thing, not one useful thing. I slammed my fist into the cool metal, echoes spilling down the corridor.
“You know, I’m impressed. It usually takes longer than this to get riled by the commander.”
I spun round; I hadn’t heard Fischer approaching. She eyed me strangely as I mumbled an apology. She stood straight and proud and, though she was a good two inches shorter, gave me the impression of looking down on me. There was a faint scent of something sweet about her.
She smiled, her eyes becoming sharp. “Anton will be up at the mine. What did you want him for? Anything I can do for you?”
“…No. No, nothing, just – I just had some problems with my compscreen.”
“If you want technical help, you’d be best to talk to the janitor.”
“The janitor?”
“Max. That’s what she calls herself.” Fischer half-smiled. “But she’ll be up at the mine as well. Sorry. She and Anton are usually up there, tinkering, tinkering.”
“Tinkering with what?”
“Trying to make things run better. Anton cares about digging more than he does for any human.”
“But – he seems personable, though.”
Fischer raised an eyebrow, smiling with something more like genuine humor. “Trying to gauge my reaction, Anders?”
I shrugged and brought a smile to my own lips.
She laughed at my tacit acknowledgement. “Anton and I have an understanding,” she said. “I don’t particularly care for the man, but he has his uses. Mostly in that he keeps out of my business.”
“You seem very relaxed about it.” I was, I realised, actually enjoying this conversation. I could keep up with this aspect of Fischer’s personality. My earlier frustration had dissipated.
“About what, in particular? Talking about my colleagues? You’re going to be here for at least six months. We all are. If you haven’t got a handle on the politics of twelve people by the end of the shift, then you really aren’t worth… Well, let’s just say that I wish you well. I don’t know you, Anders, but I’ll tell you this. We’re all one big family here on Australis. Not necessarily a happy family, but working this close with the same people, day in, day out, builds a certain…loyalty. If you’re here to break that up, then you’re not going to be popular.”
And, just like that, the fun was over. “Why would I be here to break you up?”
She gave me a long, contemplative look but said nothing.
“So – look, all I want is to do my job—”
“Job?” She laughed. “Job? You’ve not got any job, Anders. Not if—” She broke off. “Look, you’re just here to sit back and enjoy yourself. Read. Flirt. Fuck. Just find a way to pass the night shift without going insane, or driving anyone else insane. If you can do that, then maybe the Psych’s got the right person after all. And for God’s sake, call me Julia. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together. Best get…familiar.”
* * *
It seemed that everyone else had work to do, for no one was in the rec room. I made myself a strong coffee and drank it in silence. I accessed the viewscreen and flicked through the menus for a while without putting anything on. I was restless; back home I’d have gone out for a walk. But in Antarctica? I just couldn’t face the prospect of getting suited up and fighting with the conditions.
I thought of Weng, and why she might hate de Villiers. I thought of Greigor, with all his Latin elegance and those eloquent looks that put me in mind of some classic Hollywood heartbreaker. I thought of Max.
I went to the refectory. There was no one there either – I wondered what Abidene might be doing, if he had any other duties or if he was already working on the next meal. Maybe he was talking crops with Maggie.
The room was spotless; if it had been used for breakfast, there was no sign. I hadn’t eaten yet, so, just as I’d done the night before, I pushed my way into the kitchen. It too was pristine. I found a half loaf of bread, carefully wrapped, in a cupboard. I located a knife and cut myself a piece, feeling like a naughty child. I had no idea if this was allowed or not, but I made a good effort to leave everything as I found it: I rinsed the knife in the sink, swept the crumbs I’d made into my hand – and then to the sink. The loaf went back in the cupboard.
The bread was coarse and dry – almost like the wine had been – and I wondered if it had been produced here on the base. I swallowed it down and took another bite.
And then I heard Abi’s voice from the storeroom. I froze on my heels, the sudden urge to flee strong within me. I strained my ears, trying to make out the words.
“De Villiers,” I caught. “De Villiers and his parties… Can he not just carry on with his work? He is insufferable—”
“Well, what do you expect—” A woman’s voice, not one I could immediately place. Words I couldn’t catch.
“I don’t know what the Company was thinking, putting him in charge. He turns everything into a competition, into a game.”
“It’s who he is. Too late to do anything now.”
Abi muttered something in response.
“You think I don’t know that? I have to watch Greigor—”
Maggie? Could be.
“—have to limit de Villiers’s influence before—”
“Oh, damn the commander. Damn the Company!”
“You don’t have to shout. You—”
But she quietened and I lost the conversation.
I stayed there, not moving, for a little longer, but I didn’t get anything else. I put the last of the bread into my mouth and slipped away.
I was going to have to keep an eye on the chef and the scientist.
* * *
It was the woman, Max, who came to take me out to witness the equinox.
I hadn’t seen anyone for hours – not since I’d run into Fischer. I’d been in my rooms, where, as I didn’t seem to have any formal duties, I’d done my best to pass the time by adding to my journal and trying to make my room my home. I’d failed; there was no way, with my pathetic bag of possessions, that I could make the place seem like anything other than a drab box. In the end I fell asleep across my bed, a wave of tiredness sweeping over me unexpectedly.
The knocking on my door woke me instantly. I jerked up, thinking I must have dreamed the disruption, but then it came again: a firm rapping, and someone calling. “Mr. Nordvelt? Are you there?”
I took the few paces to the door and opened it. There stood the beautiful woman from last night – Max, the one who called herself the janitor, still wearing dirty old overalls. They struck me as much more attractive than the loud shirts of the doctor or Greigor.
“Mr. Nordvelt. Anton – the commander – he asked me to fetch you for the party.”
I blinked. “The party. The equinox?”
She nodded. She seemed a little nervous. It was natural, I suppose – I was a stranger to her. But it didn’t help me to relax.
I tried to smile but it didn’t feel right on my face. “Call me Anders. So we’re going out, then? Do we ne
ed anything?”
“We have to suit up, obviously. But Abi should have the food sorted, and the commander has the drink—” She paused and shrugged. “Are you coming?”
So I followed her out of my office, down the corridor and to the foot of the stairs. It was funny how she seemed a lot more confident when she was moving, graceful in her work boots, comfortable in her skin.
“So, how are you settling in?” she asked as we ascended.
“Not too bad. It’s only been a day. I’ve not met everyone properly yet.”
“You’ll get used to it. I really like it here. Once you’re used to the quiet, you’ll see how beautiful it is.”
“Antarctica?”
“Well, I’m not talking about this stairwell.”
“Why do you call yourself the janitor?”
She laughed; she had a good laugh. Not the decorous twinkle of the debutante, but something deeper, earthier – more real, somehow. It was impossible not to smile back at her.
“’Cause I get to clean up everyone else’s mess. Why else?”
“Isn’t it a bit beneath you?”
“I started it myself. When the others use it it’s a nickname, that’s all. You must know the staff structure here on Australis – de Villiers in overall command, you as security, and Fischer as doctor? Then there’s the support staff – Keegan, Weng, Abidene, Maggie and Greigor. They’re the scientists, the researchers. Even Abi – he’s developing new nutritional supplements with Maggie. They’re the clever ones, not like us grease-monkeys.” She grinned. “But we’re all researchers in a way. Pioneers.” She paused to shoulder open a door. “Where was I? Oh, yeah – Fergie and Dmitri are the miners, Mikhail and Theo the oilmen. I don’t have a set role like the others. I fix things when they break – and when other people break them. Hence I’m the janitor.”
“Do they keep you busy?”
She laughed again, her voice echoing down the corridor. “Yeah, busy enough. Anton’s full of ideas, and it’s usually me who has to either implement them or explain why he’s being ridiculous.”