Dry Ice (16 page)

“I’ve never had a problem getting emails from outside. Why are you saying this one was blocked? Who blocked it?”

From the corner of her eye, Tess saw that Greg had gone very still, sitting as rigid as a wall of ice in his chair, radiating an anger that was just as hard and just as cold. His eyes bored into her.

Scared that I’m going to tell the truth? Well, don’t you worry. I will. Eventually.

Tess gave the questioner a small, tight smile. “What’s your name?”

“Etienne Pascal.”

“Thank you, Etienne. I’m glad you asked. I can’t give you the answer you want right now. For the moment, suffice it to say that I know that it was, but I need more data before I present my findings. I’ll welcome the question again and answer more fully when I’ve looked into the situation at greater depth.” She let her gaze sweep the room.

“As you know, I’ve recently been named a vice president of special projects for Flint. Part of the reason Flint hired me is that the board of directors wants Greg at the corporate headquarters, developing new projects. They want me to continue the excellent work that he has begun here. Being here is the culmination of a dream—” She managed not to smile when she said it. “—and I have only the utmost respect for Greg’s many years of hard work, devotion, and innovation, and for his creative genius, which has brought TESLA from a fantasy to reality.”

Her eyes swept the room again, making contact with as many people as would meet her gaze. “Let me reiterate that I wish I had a better way to tell you this. I know it’s a shock. I know that. But I am confident that together we can make this a seamless transition and continue TESLA’s vital and exciting work. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of you. Until we get a chance to chat, I want you to know that I have an open-door policy. Don’t hesitate to ask me questions. Stop me in the hall. Sit down next to me at dinner. Don’t be shy.” She paused for a beat. “Please join me in offering my thanks to Greg Simpson for all he’s done.”

Knowing everyone in the room was paying close attention, Tess looked directly at Greg and began to applaud. The others shuffled to their feet and followed suit while Greg remained in his chair, flushed and glaring at her. Then he stood up stiffly and faced his followers. The applause died immediately. The sudden silence in the room nearly vibrated with suppressed emotion as they all waited for … something. Greg offered a tight thank-you and a brief bow, then left the room without saying more and without making eye contact with anyone but Tess. Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, the two security agents followed him.

Okay, then. One publicly humiliated narcissist is now headed back to civilization.

Nearly everyone came forward to shake her hand and welcome her, but no one was effusive. Most were cordial; a few couldn’t manage to hide their hostility; others were hesitantly sympathetic. No one lingered, and in a matter of minutes, the room was empty of everyone but Tess, Nik, Fred, and Tim.

“That went well,” she said, forcing a smile.

“Sarcasm aside, it did go pretty well,” Tim said. “You didn’t expect them to welcome you with open arms, did you? Or for him to behave with anything resembling grace?”

“No, but I didn’t expect to be set up like that, either. Tighten noose, release trapdoor, see body swing.” She paused and shook her head. “He’s really a jerk, isn’t he?”

“
You’re
asking that question?” Nik replied. “You could’ve returned the favor by telling them he censored their email. Why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t see the point. I’m not vengeful, despite the rumors,” she said with a tired grin. “Sometimes I bite, sometimes I bark, and sometimes I just move on. Besides, I have the emails and can show them to anyone who doubts me.”

“Well, let’s get this show on the road,” Tim said after a brief, awkward silence.

“Right. Thanks, guys. Let me know when you’re ready to head to the plane,” she replied, and the two executives left the room with a nod.

“So, what about you? Are you still with me, Nik?”

“You’re not the only one who plays it straight. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.” He shrugged. “I mean, hell, why not be on your side? This is the most excitement we’ve had down here since the kitchen fire on Christmas Eve.”

“I appreciate it, Nik. I’ll see if we can’t take that excitement factor a notch higher, then,” she replied with a laugh. “I’m all for setting short-term goals.”

Carmel McTeague, the pilot who’d flown the plane from Capetown to TESLA, strolled into the room with a certain amount of swagger in her approach. “That was some speech.”

“Glad you liked it,” Tess said.

“I’ll give you a heads-up when we’re ready to head back to the hangar. You know, for good-bye kisses and all that,” Carmel replied with an irreverent grin. “I’m aiming for an hour. We’ve got Bessie all checked out and fueled up and humming, so we’re just waiting on the guest of honor and his luggage.” She paused. “And just so you know, Dr. Beauchamp—”

“Tess.”

“Thanks. Just so you know, other than Nik here, these Teslans are not the friendliest bunch of Icers I’ve known.”

“Thanks. I’ll withhold judgment until I’ve actually met a few more of them.” Tess turned to Nik. “Would you mind doing the honors?”

“I thought you’d never ask. Should we start with the townies or the gownies?”

“Townies,” Tess replied. “They might be bigger pushovers.”

“You’ve been away too long, Tess. There’s no such thing as a pushover among those who winter over on the Ice.”

*   *   *

“Nik, do you know where Tess is?”

He unclipped the small walkie-talkie from his belt and brought it close to his mouth. “She’s with me. We’re in the greenhouse. Do you need her?”

“Greg’s gone to the ready room to suit up for the flight.”

“Great, thanks, Dan.” Nik hung the radio on his belt. “Shall we?”

Tess nodded and glanced at her watch. “Not bad. It’s only been forty-five minutes. Looks like they’ll take off on time.”

“Carmel doesn’t mess around. She’s too used to the weather here. When she says ‘wheels up in an hour,’ it usually happens.” He held the door to the greenhouse open so she could pass through into the corridor separating it from the rest of the ground floor.

Tess turned to shake the hand of Mick Fender, who managed the space.

“Mick, this place is amazing. You’d never know you were in Antarctica. It’s a … biosphere in miniature. An entire farm in one thousand square feet,” she said, looking past him into the small space lush from floor to ceiling with vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, and redolent with good earthy scents.

“Thanks,” he replied, beaming. “Come down whenever you need a reality fix. Just walking around and breathing the air down here is therapeutic.”

“I’m sure it is. I’ll take you up on the invitation.”

Tess and Nik let the heavy doors swing shut behind them.

“Flint should have put pictures of that in the files they gave me,” Tess remarked. “It’s incredible that anyone can make that happen down here. I mean, rabbits, chickens, pygmy goats … indoors? In Antarctica? I thought real books were a luxury. I can’t imagine what the bean counters at Flint thought when orders came through for shipping cubic yards of
dirt
across the world.”

“Considering the orders came in under Greg’s pet project, I’d say they just sighed and paid them,” Nik said with a laugh. “Yeah, it’s a pretty cool place. Mick’s a little quirky and can get touchy at times, but he’s half botanist, half farmer, and total genius. And a veterinarian. Not bad for a kid who grew up in a walk-up in Brooklyn not knowing that chickens existed outside of shrink-wrapped grocery store packages. But if you need any surgical procedures done, make sure Kendra does them,” Nik added drily.

“I’ll keep that in mind. The ready room is down this corridor, right?” Tess asked, then pointed to the radio at Nik’s hip. “I need one of those.”

“You’re right. I should have taken care of that already. I’ll get you one as soon as we go upstairs.”

They came to a stop outside the windowed door to the ready room. Tess could see that Greg was the only occupant. He sat on a bench, pulling on the layers of clothing he’d need to leave the habitat. Stepping aside, Nik opened the door and let Tess go in alone.

Greg glanced up at her briefly, then returned his attention to what he was doing.

“Have a safe trip,” she said, hoping her tone was somewhere between pleasant and professional.

“That’s outside my control,” he replied, his voice as dry and cold and brittle as the air outside.

Okay.
She cleared her throat. “Thank you for everything you’ve done here, Greg. It’s a real tribute to your creative genius that you could bring an installation like this into existence. I think the transition will be smooth, although I know I have a steep learning curve ahead of me.”

He looked up at her again, frigid amusement in his eyes. “You have no idea. But you now have what you’ve probably always wanted.”

“That’s not—,” Tess began.

Greg ignored her interruption. “I leave you with the old admonition to be careful what you wish for because you will surely get it. You wanted to make a name for yourself in our small corner of academia, and you did. Now you want the power and the glory that goes with it—”

The patronizing sneer embedded in his words strafed her ego. “
No!
That’s not—”

“But can you handle it?” He paused, then reached for the heavy insulated overalls. “It would be easiest on the staff if you use my office. I’ve only removed my personal effects. I’ve left all my files for you. I’ve been locked off the system, of course, but my computer is still in the office, and there’s a copy of my hard drive on a set of flash drives in the top drawer of the desk. Nik will make sure you get set up with passwords. I’ve told Ron—” He looked up. “He’s the lead programmer as well as director of IT. I’ve instructed him to delete all of my passwords from the system.”

Five more minutes. Suck it up for five more minutes, and he’ll be out of your life.

With an effort, Tess swallowed the overwhelming desire to defend herself and instead uttered a tight, barely gracious, “Thank you. I—”
God, how I hate you.
“Thanks for leaving everything for me, Greg. I’ll do my best—”

“I didn’t do any of it to make your life easier. I did it to ensure that this installation and the arrays continue to carry out their mission.” He turned to look at the window on the door leading to the operations area. “It seems we’ve got an audience.”

Tess looked behind her to see a small swarm of people standing in the corridor, chatting with Nik but clearly waiting to get into the ready room. “Is that the flight crew?”

“No, Tess,” he said after a brief, belittling pause. “The flight crew is already at the plane. This is the ground crew. I don’t want to keep them waiting. Open the door.”

Though bristling at his imperious tone, Tess reminded herself again that these were his last minutes on site, and pulled the door open.

“Come on in, the water’s fine,” she said with a big, fake smile. The ground crew that would take him to the hangar and assist in the plane’s departure crowded into the small room. She hadn’t met all of them yet, so Tess just smiled and maneuvered to the door. “Godspeed, Greg, and I wish you all the best. I’ll see the rest of you in a little while.”

Fred caught her eye and she took a few steps to where he and Tim and the security guys stood. She shook their hands and offered quiet thanks, then backed out of the room and shut the door behind her.

Letting out a long breath, she looked at Nik. “Can I watch it take off from somewhere?”

He grinned. “Afraid it might not?”

Yes.
“Of course not.”

*   *   *

The huge plane held no cargo. Every sound echoed off the bare walls. Greg sat away from the incoming flight’s crew members and the four other passengers—the two executives and their henchmen. He didn’t need company. The noise of the plane precluded conversation anyway.

The massive engines revved and began to scream, then the plane began lumbering down the blue-ice runway. He shut his eyes as the aircraft lurched into the air, and then he smiled broadly, knowing that Tess herself would put his plan into action the moment she logged on to TESLA’s internal network.

Everyone would realize almost immediately that things were going wrong, and they were smart enough to know
why
they were going wrong, but it would take them more time than they had left in this lifetime to figure out
how
those things were happening and how to stop them. And Tess, clueless, optimistic, open-minded Tess, might never figure out that she was the problem, that every time she logged on, she would be speeding up the actions he had planned for the world. Because before she could determine that, she would have to remember his words and divine their true meaning. It was all right there in the open, though, like a parting gift she didn’t deserve. He’d been completely candid: he
had
done everything he could to ensure that this installation and the arrays would fulfill their mission.
His
mission.

CHAPTER
11

Nik ushered Tess into his office without any conversation. He didn’t turn on the lights, but instead went to the far wall and pulled open the heavy draperies that covered the expanse of windows facing the airstrip. Tess stood next to him, battling a strange mixture of both elation and deep isolation that threatened to engulf her as she watched the plane slowly exit the hangar and maneuver into position at the end of the runway. The sight of it triggered a slow, wet, unwelcome burn behind her eyes; at the same time, it sent a powerful shot of adrenaline to her bloodstream.

I’m it. Greg is on his way to the U.S., and I’m here.
She swallowed hard.
Please let things go right.

From one hundred yards away, Tess could see the glow of the engines increase as the outbound pilot brought them up to full power. The plane began to move slowly, but in what seemed like only seconds, the huge, pale body of the Ilyushin was racing along the runway, its flashing wing lights sparkling on the slick ice beneath it. At last, the nose lifted and the wheels relinquished their grip on the earth. The plane rose steeply, slicing through the star-studded polar darkness as it banked sharply to the right. Then it disappeared from view.