The cards were faded and no one was really familiar with the game, but most knew the basics of poker and all were eager for a distraction. It turned into quite a spectacle. Imaginary fortunes were won and lost, tempers flared, cards were tossed, and accusations made. Even Sokolov played for a while before excusing himself for some unknown but important activity that required his immediate attention elsewhere.
The first day of isolation was almost over before the novelty of poker wore off. This left relatively little time for indulging in vodka based refreshments, a definite plus in terms of the condition they were going to be in the following morning.
Day two presented a fresh set of challenges in terms of entertainment. Hamlin broke with his original ration of digital movies and presented The Lord of the Rings trilogy (the extended version) followed later in the day by a couple “B” movies featuring sharks, piranhas, and a ridiculous amount of cleavage (not necessarily in that order). That combined with microwave popcorn, vodka, and cheap Russian cigarettes (in designated areas only) got them through the day.
It was a relief to discover that day three found the storm abating to the point where work could progress as normal. Francis couldn’t wait to get back to the lab.
He processed slide samples with a smile on his face. He had discovered a total of six different types of bacteria since starting his work, along with several viruses. That alone could get his name mentioned in the scientific studies presented to future scientists. Beyond that, he was starting to entertain the idea that he could be involved in winning a Nobel Prize. Delusional thinking, perhaps—but he allowed it because of the cheap thrill it gave him. It made a nice offset to the emotional drag of realizing that he was stuck here for the next three months or so, no matter what else happened. He would go back to civilization with a new set of coping skills if nothing else.
It was mid-afternoon Moscow time when Sokolov entered the lab carrying a new sample. Hamlin looked over as he came through the doorway and noticed his smile. If it extended any further, his face would be in danger of splitting in half.
“What have we here?” Francis asked. “Your face gives you away, Sokolov. No wonder you’re only a mediocre poker player.”
The smile didn’t waiver.
“This is it, my dear doctor. The culmination of nearly three decades of work and research.” He extended the core sample like he was offering a Fabergé egg.
“A bit delicate, is it?” He accepted the tube.
“This sample could contain life never before seen. Who knows what wonders are now held in your hands? A little respect is not out of order, in my opinion.”
Hamlin knew Sokolov was right. It boggled his mind when he really thought about it.
“Only one way to find out. Let’s have a good look at this bad boy. Give me a few minutes to prep a sample. I assume you’ll be staying to see this for yourself.”
Sokolov nodded. “Wild horses could not drag me away, Doctor. Please proceed.”
Hamlin started to walk toward the workbench he would use. “So you can’t get it to the surface in liquid form, I see.”
“Quite true. By the time the sample reaches the surface, it is frozen hard. But I suspect the short amount of time would not be fatal to most life forms that survive in the frigid temperatures of Vostok.”
Francis nodded. “A reasonable theory. I’ll soon put it to the test.” He pulled the core sample part way out of the tube. He noticed with his unaided eyes that the coloration was different.
“The water must be turbid,” he observed. “This sample has suspended particulate in it. I assume it’s organic.”
Sokolov stepped closer. “How exciting. Doctor Konstantine, perhaps you could assist in order to move this along.”
Hamlin waved him off. “I don’t think it would help. Not at this point, anyway. If we were working from multiple samples, maybe. Let me slog through this one myself. This won’t take long.”
Sokolov maintained a degree of poise. “Very well. Please continue. I shall refrain from any further interruptions.”
But he was unable to keep his word. As Francis proceeded to prep the first slide, he noticed a faint, high-pitched beep. Sokolov reached into his pocket and withdrew a small device furtively.
“That is most interesting and unfortunate. I’m afraid I must leave you at this key moment. Rest assured I will return as soon as possible. If you would be so kind, Doctor, as to file any digital photos immediately, I will review them from my office. Perhaps you could flag anything exciting or noteworthy by putting the file name in red.”
Hamlin wondered how something that timely and important could come out of nowhere at an Antarctic research station, but kept his thoughts to himself.
“Certainly. I will do just as you have requested.”
“Excellent,” Sokolov replied. “Then I shall bid you a temporary farewell.” He zipped up his monster parka and disappeared out the door.
Francis smiled and shook his head, but refrained from saying anything controversial or derogatory. Since learning that the lab might be wired for sound monitoring, he had gradually been learning to keep his tongue and choose his words carefully.
“That was unusual,” he said. Surely that choice of wording was safe enough.
Konstantine was grinning like a lunatic but chose not to reply.
“Anyway, here we go. First sample of the good stuff.” Hamlin walked carefully to his workstation.
Konstantine stopped what he was doing, stood, and walked over beside him.
“I hope you don’t mind. Perhaps close proximity will make me feel like I’m part of this.”
“No problem as far as I’m concerned,” Hamlin said. “Maybe you can get some weird, quasi-scientific osmosis thing going. I’m happy to share.”
It was not lost on him that this moment could change mankind’s knowledge and understanding of the past. He was trying to focus on doing his job. With the slide in place, he looked through the microscope at low magnification.
Konstantine leaned closer. “See anything yet?”
Hamlin looked carefully. “I do. So far, it looks like standard organic crud. They must have jammed the probe right into the seabed and stirred things up. There’s a lot of stuff in here.”
“Stuff?”
“Sorry, I apologize for being so technical. I should have said ‘shit.’ Looks like clay and rotting organic matter, maybe algae residue or something similar. It’s quite typical for a Benthos layer, if we use the oceans as a standard for measurement.”
Konstantine nodded. “We weren’t really hoping for typical results. We were hoping for something new and different.”
“I know,” Hamlin said. “Something never seen before by the eyes of man. Let’s turn up the magnification and see what’s happening up close and personal.”
He looked for some time without comment.
Konstantine was getting restless.
“Well? What do you see?”
“Hmm. Well, numbers of life, including bacteria and viruses, are way lower than you would expect in the open ocean, but that’s no surprise. They are there, just in way smaller numbers. There doesn’t appear to be any phytoplankton. Again, that’s no surprise, as the sunlight doesn’t reach to these depths. The phytoplankton form a base food source for other life, so without them, naturally we would expected fewer life forms, at least in terms of the overall concentration. Now, here’s the interesting part. I see some protozoa.”
Now Konstantine was getting excited. “Really? Is it something you recognize?”