SSSD - Serious and Sober

Alison has a lot of questions. About Norway, about Antarctica, and about the others back at the Outpost. She learns that Signe finds Julie ‘odd’ but likes her. Linda is unpopular by virtue of being the one who gets to study the mysterious metals freely. Signe speculates that Golda must have in some capacity messed up to be assigned here. Alison could easily talk about what Golda was like in the sack, but chooses not to, and Signe notices that. In response to tactful questioning, Signe acknowledges that Birgitte has spent a night or two in Julie’s room, but that there’s no indication of romance. She mentions that this sort of thing is not unheard of, although she admits an American intern showing up and conquering two crewmembers immediately is not typical.

Conquering is Signe’s word, not Alison’s.

“I don’t think of it that way,” Alison tells her as they putter along. “I think down here there’s no harm in helping each other stay warm.”

Signe projects warmth and friendliness, but she is not the most expressive person. It’s difficult to tell how that answer lands.

SSSD

The American outpost is somehow even worse than the Norwegian one, and it’s immediately evident why. They’re equally old and sad, but the Norwegians make an appreciable effort to keep things orderly. The American outpost is by no means a mess, but those sensibilities valuing neatness and pragmatism aren’t on display to the same degree. A tarp flaps in the wind, and some crates are stacked not haphazardly, but still not straight, as they would be at Outpost 69.

This is the hard part. Alison steels herself and climbs out into the frigid air. Signe does the same, pausing. It’s the horizon that has her attention.

“Is that bad weather?” Alison asks.

“Yes.”

“Is it coming this way?”

“I don’t know.” Signe gets her medical bag and passes it to Alison, then hauls a massive toolbox out of the snowcat.

They trudge to the main building, and Signe’s about to knock when the door opens.

The woman inside smiles and points a finger.

“Sixty-niners, right?”

“Yes,” Signe replies.

“Come on in. This is because of the radio, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Signe says gamely.

They step into a building not so different from their own. This is Outpost 51, and the layout is similar. It’s not as clean and tidy, but compared to the outdoors, it is perfectly welcoming. The Americans also have actual decorations, which Alison appreciates. There must be one or more Disney adults in this place, because even in this short hallway she sees a poster for Moana, a wreath on the supply room door bursting with the seven dwarves, and a runner-style rug with 101 Dalmatians on it.

She shudders.

“Renee,” the woman greeting them says, offering her hand. She’s Alison’s height, and soft with lovely bronze skin. Glossy and curly, her hair is glorious. Maybe too glorious. Alison and Signe shake hands with her and introduce themselves. “Well, come on in. You can put that stuff down. Want some coffee?”

They do want coffee. Soon they’re drinking it in the rec room while Renee explains what’s happening. The American science team is due for rotation and the bulk of the team has already flown out for the season. She says the next group isn’t due just yet, so their outpost is running with a skeleton crew.

The reason for the communications issue is that the team took their sat phones with them, and the one here at Outpost 51 is unaccounted for. On top of that, about 24 hours after the chopper left, the radio stopped working and they haven’t been able to figure out why.

“Oh, hi,” Alison says, waving to the woman standing in the hallway. She’s a pretty brunette with short hair, wearing a parka dusted with snow. She still has her mittens on, and water is dripping on the floor.

“Hey, Liz. Team 69 came to check on us,” Renee calls to her. “They brought a sat phone. So we can tell Wahlberg to get a move on.”

Liz doesn’t react to that. After a moment she walks away. They can hear her squishing footsteps. Renee rolls her eyes, then frowns.

“Something wrong?” Signe asks.

Renee shakes her head. “No. Bell and Margot are around here somewhere too. Don’t worry. None of us bite.”

Signe insists on looking at the radio. It definitely isn’t working, but it’s not clear what’s wrong with it.

Alison jumps in surprise when she hears the click of the door behind her. It’s Renee; she stepped away for a few minutes. Signe looks at her curiously, as though to ask why she closed the door. The three of them are alone in the radio room.

“Guys, that storm’s coming. You’ll never make it back to 69 before dark,” Renee tells them bluntly. “I’m really sorry. And I’m sorry about Liz. She’s being weird.”

“I think anyone would be uneasy with no radio and so few people,” Signe says diplomatically.

Renee nods, frowning. She seems neither unduly stressed nor especially relaxed to Alison, but Alison’s been trying to read the vibes of Norwegians for days. It’s hard to recalibrate back to Americans.

“I need to ask for a favor,” she says.

“Of course,” Signe replies.

“I saw Liz earlier and Bell’s in the lab. But I don’t think I’ve seen Margot since last night and she wasn’t in her room just now. I think she might’ve gone somewhere.”

“Why?”

Renee beckons them to the window. Already, snow is falling outside. It’s not a thick storm yet, but it’s escalating. There are several buildings out there, but she’s pointing to a larger one with a rounded roof.

“Because last night, the garage was closed up,” she says.

Indeed, the big doors are slightly ajar.

“If she’s out there, we need to get after her. Before the snow covers her tracks. There’s a shack past that hill and the shed over that way. I doubt there would still be a trail, but with it coming down like this there definitely won’t be in an hour. Maybe she even went to the dig? I don’t know. I still haven’t checked the whole compound. Can you help me look for her?”

It goes without saying that Alison and Signe will help.

Should they check the compound?

Or check for a trail outside?