Nova-1

'Looking forward to seeing you. Take care on the last leg.' The radio crackles out. 'See you soon, Nova-1,' he says back. 'Over and out.' Not four hours later, the bulbous towers loom out of the white blur of the ice storm, two metal spheres mounted on cylindrical bases. The false warmth of relief flushes through him and he turns to face the team behind him. He can't read their faces below the goggles and masks, but their stances mimic his own. After a week and a half of trudging and camping through icy plains blasted by blizzards, it'll be more than welcome to put his feet up with a hot coffee in the protection of some very thick and insulated walls. But the door is stuck, which turns his relief to concern. The lock is frozen over, which means it hasn't been checked for a long time, and the light next to the magnet is off, which means the power's out. The team's biologist and the mechanic come back from a quick reconnoitre and report the same thing has happened to all the facility doors. They have to use the mechanic's circular saw to cut through the metal bar of the lock and just hope they can fix it later. Inside, his breath plumes before him. Colder than outside. Aside from the layer of frost that covers everything, the inside of the first hut looks undisturbed. The seats around the table are arranged neatly, the pantry is almost completely stocked, and there's even a half-drunk cup of coffee on the table, frozen solid, waiting for him. After they find the back rooms, the sleeping quarters, are empty, the team medic says what they're all thinking. 'Where is everyone?' There is a mumble of speculation. Did they get caught in a blizzard? Not all of them surely. Power failure then? Both generators? They'd have evacuated back to the mainland. While they talk he checks the calender, frozen to the side of the wall. The last date crossed is more than a year ago. 'No one's here, that's clear enough,' he says to them, halting their speculation. He draws in a deep breath. 'So who did I speak to this morning? Who've I been speaking to these last two weeks?' Paddy Dobson 5th June 2021