“Of course. If I was to bring you some coffee and sandwiches, would you consider working later?”
What else was there to do? Francis had no other plans and wasn’t up to another night of vodka shots. He consented.
Hamlin had been sitting at his kitchen table for two hours. He was torturing himself with the deafening silence of the house and recent, powerful memories of Deborah. How had he so misread her and their relationship? The scotch in his tumbler had been swirled incessantly but he hadn’t taken as much as a sip from it.
Antarctica. Complete isolation. Nothing but meaningful research.
Penance.
“So, at the end of it all, perhaps that’s what this is. A chance for some self-flagellation. Is that what I need?”
He mulled the notion over in his head. Maybe he needed some punishment for the as of yet unrecognized mistakes he had made, which no doubt led him to this apocalyptic break down of what had been his life. Maybe the hidden overlord who resided in his unconscious mind would release him from loathing and pity if he punished himself voluntarily with academic solitary confinement. Maybe. He knew he had to make a decision now, regardless of the direction he chose.
“Oh, damn it all to hell.” He picked up his phone and dialed.
Several hours had gone by, but Hamlin couldn’t really be sure about the passage of time. He had noticed that there was a shortage of clocks in this place. He was now on his sixth slide from the sample. The mood in the room was about to change dramatically.
“Wait a minute. Here we go. What are you?”
Sokolov was on his feet in an instant. “What have you found?”
Francis was still observing as calmly as possible. “It’s alive and moving whatever it is. I’m at high magnification, so it’s pretty small. If I had to make a quick guess, I’d say it was bacteria of some sort. There isn’t a heavy concentration, but I can definitely see one little bastard splashing around in there.”
Sokolov rubbed his hands together. “Excellent, Doctor. Capture the image, if you please. I can hardly wait to see it.”
He nodded without looking up. “Okay, no problem. Then I’ll see what else is lurking in here.”
“Doctor Konstantine is an expert on bacteria, so we will give him an opportunity to get involved as well. When you have finished with that slide, he can have his turn at analysis.”
Francis was pumped with the discovery. He wanted to prepare more slides and go for the big one—protozoa. They were single celled creatures that in many ways shared the same traits as larger, more complex animals. If he could find one, it would be relatively quick and easy to determine if it was a never before seen species. Konstantine didn’t have to wait long for the slide. Sokolov focused his attention on the study of the bacteria. Peace and quiet settled back over the lab. That suited Francis just fine.
They were late for supper but the rest of the staff hadn’t yet dispersed from the dining area. All of them were eager to hear about the discoveries of life from the Lake Vostok samples. Sokolov had cautioned Hamlin and his research partner about saying anything speculative. As long as they stuck to the facts, he had no issue with sharing the information. Francis wasn’t keen on censorship, expressed or implied. He spoke openly to the gathering and his candour earned him respectful glances from the group.
“So you actually saw life which may be unique to our modern world. How extraordinary.” Francis recognized the tall woman with the cute face from the previous evening, although the memory was somewhat imperfect. He saw her in his mind as being just slightly distorted, as if through a double-pane window with vodka injected between the gaps.
“Just bacteria so far, but that’s a good sign. Wherever one type of life exists, you can count on there being others. Virtually all life relies on some sort of symbiotic relationship. There are microscopic creatures that eat bacteria.”
She frowned. “Eats bacteria? I didn’t realize that was possible.”
“Oh yes. It actually forms the basis of most food chains. Many protozoa are capable of eating them. It’s fascinating, really.” He was having a hard time eating his own meal while talking to and being observed by the entire crew. He pushed his plate away and then took a long drink of reconstituted orange juice and ice. “There are bacteria that actually consume crude oil. They are used in clean-up operations. Protozoa won’t eat oil, but they will eat the bacteria that eat the oil. It’s truly amazing.”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Sokolov interjected, “may I suggest that we disperse somewhat. Last night wasn’t exactly restful for the good doctor, so let’s not add to his weariness by being thoughtless of his condition.”
The group murmured its agreement and several members immediately walked out of the room.
“Perhaps we can set up rotating visits of the lab so you can all get a personal feel of what is being done there.” Sokolov assumed the role of a benevolent overlord easily. “That might be a more appropriate time to have your questions answered. We could start as soon as tomorrow if there is sufficient interest.”
Francis was willing to bet that Sokolov himself had every intention of being present during these tours he had offered and would ensure that no matter which questions were asked, too much information would not be given out, inadvertently or intentionally.
“You really haven’t been given a proper tour of the facility yet. Could I interest you in one?”
Francis smiled at the tall woman. “I’d be delighted. Unfortunately, if we’ve been properly introduced, I don’t recall the moment.”
“I suppose not. I’m Vladlena Sayanski. Call me Lena.”
“Charmed. My friends call me Ham—Fran was never appealing to me.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I will use that. It seems somehow juvenile to me. You shall be Francis to me for now.” She hooked her arm in his and led him astray.
The tour took eleven minutes in total. It started with the sleeping areas and ended with the boiler room. The overall impression was still one of surprise for Francis at how slummy everything looked. It was functional and obviously well maintained, but everything looked cheap and old. This seemed to get under his skin for some reason. He decided that he would make it his mission to formulate a clear picture of why this was so.
“Francis, I am going to make a suggestion now. I would like you to come into the boiler room with me and make it part of the tour.”
“Why? Don’t tell me you have cutting edge technology in there. Or maybe that is the only part of this station that looks like the Taj Majal?”
She gave him a smile. “No, none of those things.” Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. “It is the only truly warm environment here, and it is the only place that tends to afford some privacy in these tight quarters.”
“I see. Do you want to have a frank discussion?” Her intentions were unclear to him.
Her eyes took on a sleepy, seductive look. “My dear doctor, what I want is to undress in front of you and then teach you something about Russian women. Then I want to find out if what I have heard about American men is true.”
Francis was almost but not quite speechless. “What’s that?”
She checked the hall and made sure it was empty. She leaned forward, put her head close to his, and gently bit his ear. “Do you have an enormous penis? Is it like they say?”
He was able to formulate a response. “My pride won’t let me say no.”
“Then perhaps you could enlighten me. That is, if you think it is a good idea.”
As it turned out, he did.