Hannah Ross: The Last Outpost: An Antarctic Dystopia

“You can call me Buck. Or, at the very least, Scott. Mr. Buckley has too much of an official ring, and I’m not sure I’m prepared to handle that.”

Zoe smiled. “I understand. I expected you to be… I don’t know, older? You have some big shoes to step into. Have you met Anders Lindholm already?”

“I have. He seems very… impressive.”

“He’s been running the station since before I was born. It’s hard to believe he’s actually leaving.”

“Was he easy to get along with?”

“You could say that. Anders has his… quirks, and he’s nearly omniscient. It’s like he knows everything that happens at McMurdo at every given moment, and that’s not to be taken for granted, if you keep in mind that this place houses over a thousand people over the summer, and about two hundred and fifty during the winter. He’s laid back, Anders, and doesn’t see himself as the big boss who’s supposed to tell people what to do. He just expects everyone to get on with their job and do it well. You slack off, you are irresponsible, you find yourself out pretty soon, without even much of a warning. Anders just shoots a letter to the U.S. Antarctic Program headquarters, and they tend to listen to what he says, you know? Well, here you go — Building 155.”

Scott found himself in front of a large building painted blue. “Almost everything you might need is on the ground floor — the galley, that is, the dining hall, the ATM, the common rooms, etc. The quarters are on the second floor. Do you need help with that suitcase?”

Zoe looked quite fit enough to handle the large suitcase, while he was huffing and puffing, but still he declined help with a shake of the head, and they mounted the stairs to a long corridor which reminded Scott of his student dorm days. Many doors, some of them open, led off to the personnel quarters, and Scott heard snatches of conversation, laughter and music. A couple of people passed down the corridor, greeted Zoe, and shot Scott a curious look.

“Some people are off duty, as you can see,” Zoe said. “You’ll have time to properly introduce yourself later. Well, here you go — these are your quarters, and here’s your access card and your key, in case the card gets stuck.”

The quarters were very neat and tidy, and Scott guessed someone had probably put them in order in anticipation of his arrival. There was a single bed with an iron bestead, a two-door closet, a desk and a chair, a two-seat couch, a small TV. A little nook housed a kitchenette, complete with a small refrigerator, a sink, a two-burner electric stove and a couple of shelves for utensils. A single door led off the main sleeping and living area, presumably to the bathroom. With a sigh of relief, Scott let go of his suitcase and dumped his backpack upon the bed.

“This is nice,” Zoe said enthusiastically, looking around. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to the high-level staff quarters before. It’s twice as big as the quarters I share with my roommate, and you even have your own place to fix a bite to eat. But… is anything the matter? You look disappointed.”

In fact, Scott was looking around and trying to imagine how on earth he might convince Brianna to quit their nice roomy house in Wisconsin and move to Antarctica to share this little dorm apartment with him. It seemed nearly impossible.

“No, no, this is perfect,” he hastened to assure Zoe. “In fact, this is a lot warmer than I expected,” he shrugged off his parka and took off his gloves.

“Glycol heating system. Pretty efficient,” she said. “But really, did you expect anything more… lavish?”

“Not really,” Scott said. “I’m just wondering where my wife is going to sleep if she makes up her mind to join me.”

“Ah, that one’s easy. See that metal handle under your bed? You pull it, and a twin bed springs out.” Then, in quite a disconnected manner, she shook her head with a rueful look. “This is just my luck,” she said half-laughingly. “Any time a semi-decent-looking guy comes to McMurdo, it turns out he’s already hitched.”

Scott raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean, semi-decent?”

Zoe chose not to elaborate. “Well, I really must run. I’ll leave you to unpack,” she patted his shoulder in a friendly manner. “You can get lunch in about an hour down at the galley — or, if you’re too hungry to wait, you can pick up a sandwich at the vending machine in the corridor down below.”

“Thanks,” said Scott, “see you later… hang on, Zoe,” he suddenly remembered something important. “I need to make a call home. How do I go about that? My cell phone isn’t working.”

“No, not for calls — there’s no coverage. But you can connect to the internet through your phone or your laptop — apply to access the local network, and I’ll connect you in a minute. Or you can go to the computer room downstairs. But you must keep the time difference in mind,” Zoe glanced at her watch. “It’s ten o’clock in the morning here, and we’re… I don’t know, nineteen, twenty hours ahead of most of the US?”

Scott made a quick calculation. It was about three o’clock in the afternoon in Madison — a pretty good time to make an Internet video call to Brianna. “I think I’ll be in good time if I call now.”

“Great. I’ll connect you as soon as I get back to my desk. The internet can be a bit patchy here, though. There are days, especially in winter, when all we can reasonably manage are emails. So… see you at lunch?”

“I guess so. I’m curious to see the dining hall. The food is pretty good, I’ve heard.”

“They only told you that to get you to sign the contract,” Zoe said with a twinkle in her eye. “No, seriously, it’s OK. Sometimes there’s a little lack of variety, and menus get predictable, but once in a while the cooks throw a punch. Well, I’m off. Best of luck, Buck.”

Once he was left alone, Scott pulled out an energy bar out of his backpack and munched on it while he waited for Zoe to get back to her desk. He imagined there would be enough time to unpack later. After a few minutes, he took out his laptop and attempted to connect to the Wi-Fi. After a process of about thirty seconds or so, he read the message, ‘ACCESS GRANTED’, and was online.

After so many days at sea, he lost track of the routines back home, and didn’t remember whether Brianna is supposed to be still at work. He knew his call would register in an alert on her cell phone, however, and in a moment he was rewarded by an established video connection and, for the first time in weeks, he saw his wife’s face.

Brianna looked as neat and well-groomed as ever, and he noticed that she had gotten brighter highlights. She wore very little makeup, very tastefully done, and had on her cashmere sweater with the pearl buttons. She smiled widely, the dimple in her left cheek, the one he so adored, clearly visible. “Honey!” she exclaimed. “This is a surprise! Have you arrived already?”

“Yes, I’m here at McMurdo. Safe and sound, as you can see. Are you back from work?”

“Just got home, or I would have missed your call. How are things over there? Are they treating you decently?”

“I’ve only just arrived, so haven’t got a hold on things yet, but it all looks very promising. The station seems well-arranged, and I got a nice room all to myself, with a bathroom and everything.”

Brianna laughed. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

“Considering everything, yes. Things are pretty crowded here during the summer. But there’s enough room for me… and for you, Brianna, if you decide to take the leap.”

A shadow flitted over her face. “I don’t know, Scott. I have to think about it.”

He decided to let the matter drop for the time being. “The area looks magnificent — majestic views. I look forward to doing some hiking, as soon as I have time, of course.”