Prey

"We will stay, yes?"

"You want that?"

"It is a long time for me to be wanting to come to this place. Now that I am here, I have no wish to depart so soon."

"I know the feeling." Julia waved the rest of her team over. "Listen up."

Kendall frowned as he stepped into the circle. "Bad news, Boss?"

"Not likely, Kendall. Here's the poop: we're staying. If we don't someone else will just have to come down here and sort this whole thing out. We're here, we've got supplies and the expertise to keep things running until we get a fresh team down here."

Vikorsky cleared his throat. "What about the mission?"

"The mission profile stays the same. We've just added a few more responsibilities, that's all. If we can get to the bottom of why there seems to be no one around this place, we will. If not, then we won't."

"Sounds promising," said Kendall.

"Plane's right there, if you want to back out of this and go home," said Julia. She waited for Kendall to say something.

He didn't.

Julia took her cue again. "I'd prefer you stayed, however. I need every one of you and your knowledge. We've got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in."

Kendall bit his lip but said nothing.

"There's more good news," said Julia. "We've got a storm heading straight for us that's due to hit within a few hours. It's going to be a big one. That means we need all that equipment and supplies unloaded from the palettes and stored inside the station. Are we clear?"

All of the men nodded. Julia smiled.

"Right, I need Vikorsky and Nung to get inside and give me a check on the station itself. Check the instruments and communications gear. Make sure the greenhouse is up to snuff. I don't want us losing fresh greens to this storm. Powdered broccoli makes me sick."

A few laughs. That was good. "The rest of us will get the gear unpacked and stowed. If we hustle we might even get it done quick enough so we can relax this evening while we're getting buried alive.

"Well, shit," said Wilkins. "That's the best thing I've heard all day." He turned to the team. "Okay, you heard the lady, let's get the lead out. Kendall, Darren you're with me and Mick. Let's get it on, people."

Julia stepped back and let Wilkins take the lead from here on out. He was better at motivating. She'd chosen him for his ability to instill confidence in the team, among other things.

Mick smiled as he dashed past her. "Nice job, chief. I think you'll make this work after all."

"You had some doubts?"

He grinned. "Be lying if I said no. But I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. I'm glad I was."

"Thanks."

She turned and grabbed Havel. "Come on, buddy. We've got work to do."

The storm hit them harder than anyone expected. A seething swirl of blinding snow and ice that thundered against the pre-fabricated cylindrical units of the station — it reminded Julia of being inside an oil drum and having someone pound on the outside with a hammer.

Peering out of the windows made Wilkins shudder. "Glad we're in here. Helluva night to be out."

Kendall snorted across the room. "You scared of a little snow?"

"That's not snow," said Wilkins. "That's Mother Nature reminding us that we're nothing but tiny pimples on the backside of life."

Kendall pushed his dinner away from him. "Nifty visual. Thanks." He yawned. "If no one objects, I'm turning in for the night. It's been a long a day."

Julia took a sip of coffee. "Thanks for your help today."

"No sweat, Boss."

She watched him go. Wilkins shook his head. "Guy's a piece of work, that one is."

"Too bad he's one of the best damned technicians and jack-of-all-trades I've ever seen. I wish to hell we could have left him behind."

"He's here just like we all are," said Nung.

"And why's that?" Darren spoke around a forkful of spaghetti.

"Because we're being paid to be here," said Nung. "Ain't that right, Julia?"

She smiled. "Sure. I mean, I guess so. Yeah." She frowned. "Well, maybe it's more for me."

"More what? More money?"

"No. No. I meant more than the money for me."

Wilkins lit his pipe. "Well sure. I mean this is the bottom of the goddamned world. Who wouldn't want to come down here for a spell and see this kind of natural beauty up close."

Julia looked at him. What was it about that statement that made her think there was more to what Wilkins had said than just those words alone? She shook her head. "I've dreamed of this place since I was a teenager."

Darren looked up. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's not something that I could really explain, I guess." Julia sipped her coffee and listened to the wind beat out a discordant rhythm against the research station. "It's just I've always know I'd come down here eventually. I didn't know what kind of effort it was going to take on my part. I just sort of knew I'd be coming here." She looked up. "Sounds silly, I know."

Silence draped the room. Wilkins cleared his throat and exhaled a smoke ring. "It's not silly. It's not silly at all. It makes a whole lot of good sense, actually."

"Thank you."