SSSD - Stick to Marit

There’s no romance in the shower this time, although crush goggles have now made Ro blind to any flaws or blemishes that might have once existed on Marit’s pale, tattooed body. Marit is tense and preoccupied, and Ro is as well, but with the language barrier, Ro only knows half of what’s been said.

They get dressed and Marit wordlessly accepts Ro as her company, and only when she’s zipping up her sturdy coveralls and slinging her tool belt around her hips does she pause and seem to actually think about Ro’s existence.

“Are you OK?” she asks.

<I am good,> Ro replies bravely, showing her a thumbs up.

Marit nods. With her gloves in her teeth, she picks up her clipboard to consider the work orders for the day. It seems like she likes to do repairs and maintenance in the morning and then clean in the afternoon, which makes sense to Ro. A chunk of their morning was eaten up by the search for Birgitte, and now there’s no telling what the others are getting up to. Marit’s “Office” which is really just a supply room, is by the east entrance. Ro hears people moving around, up and down the long hallway, but she can’t see them from here.

Linda’s looking for her rat, and Ro still isn’t sure what that’s about. Metal in the ice? Tissue? Concerns that Birgitte was doing something like… scientific espionage? Well, science and business are closely linked in an age when the most meaningful stocks in the market are tech companies. Did someone out there suspect that there was something valuable here? Did Birgitte take money to peek into the cookie jar? That seems to be the idea that was floated, but the Norwegians don’t seem fully convinced.

Tissue in the ice? Like a woolly mammoth? Is somebody out there planning to pull some Jurassic Park bullshit? Ro honestly can’t tell if that idea is crazy or dead-on. Given what it costs to buy a home even in Florida, she’s inclined not to give the benefit of the doubt to capital interests.

<It’s only getting worse,> Niv calls from the radio room, which is also where her weather setup is. She probably means the storm.

Marit puts her clipboard back on its peg and starts loading a toolbox. Ro doesn’t question her. It looks like Marit is making an executive decision to prioritize certain things, and that theory is confirmed as Ro follows her, acting as her assistant.

Marit checks the water supply. The plumbing. The generators. The furnace.

Finally, she checks and inventories emergency supplies: SOS beacons, flare guns, rations, and inflatable shelters. The existence of extensive supplies should be a comfort, but it’s really just anxiety-inducing. Ro can’t help but feel like if they ever have to use this stuff, they’re boned. Birgitte was frozen half to **** inside an actual structure with a heater. These inflatable shelters might work in the cold in the real world, but this is Antarctica and there’s a bad storm going on.

Birgitte being out of action means there’s no cook; they have to fend for themselves. Marit seems to be content with a smoke break, a glass of water, a protein bar, and then a slug from a vodka bottle followed by a cup of coffee. It’s not exactly Ro’s ideal lunch, but she goes along with it.

As they change lightbulbs in the hallway, she sees Golda emerge from the kitchen with two plates. Then Niv comes back inside, kicking snow off her boots.

“Ro.”

“Right. Sorry.” Ro steadies the ladder, then hands another long fluorescent bulb up to Marit to install. They’re at the east end of the long hallway. Ro can feel that corridor stretching out behind her, and it makes her skin crawl. She turns to look back.

Linda stands alone thirty feet away, watching them.

Ro waves hesitantly. Linda goes into the sleeping quarters.

The vibe is so weird right now. The Norwegians had always had this weirdly familiar, yet still sort of distant relationship going on in this place. Now that there are problems, they’re leaning into that distance and professionalism. Everything is brisk and curt. Maybe this is how they show nerves.

Marit periodically stops by Medical to check on Birgitte, only to find her sleeping and they aren’t able to wake her up. Julie has sedated her, and that only puts Marit more on edge.

Things only get worse at dinner. They find Niv, Golda, Julie, and Linda in the kitchen, eating convenient things like canned soup and cookies out of packages. They all have coffee and more coffee is brewing. Something has obviously happened, but Marit and Ro were outside checking the vehicles.

Ro goes straight for the coffee to warm up while Marit confronts the crew.

<What happened?>

<Starlink,> is the reply. Or at least, Ro thinks that’s what they’re saying.

“Like the internet?” she asks. Niv nods.

Right. They do have an internet connection here, but most of them aren’t allowed to use it for the same security reasons that came up around the Birgitte theory. Golda, Niv, Linda, Signe, and Julie are all connected. Marit, Birgitte, and the interns are not.

“Is it not working?” Ro asks.

Linda shakes her head. Ro doesn’t ask about the rat; Linda obviously hasn’t found it. She probably won’t; the outpost is a small place for humans but a big one for a rodent. And realistically, it’s probably frozen somewhere.

The radio doesn’t work in the storm and the internet is down. Someone said that they’d called for a medical evacuation for Birgitte earlier in the day on the sat phone, but nobody’s going to be showing up here until the weather clears. Birgitte’s on an IV now to keep her hydrated, and after dinner, Marit goes to the infirmary to sit with her.

Ro doesn’t want to leave her there alone, but she also doesn’t want to intrude. She settles in the Rec Room with her book, and it is painfully quiet except for the occasional footstep in the corridor.

It’s getting late.

Should she see if she can be helpful somewhere?

Or check on Marit?

[ Open ]