Page 4 of Broken Bonds

“He’s an odd one,” Charlie shrugs. “It’s almost as if he was made for isolation. It makes him a very difficult individual to live with.”

“Is there anyone living there with him now?”

“Nope.” Charlie shakes his head. “To be honest, most people don’t make it to their fully contracted time. He scares them off long before then…so, take that as a warning, I suppose.”

I grin. “Oh, don’t worry about me. This Dr. Pyrrhos sounds fascinating. I’ll be fine.”

He arches an incredulous eyebrow. “You say that now, but a few weeks with that hermit, I guarantee you’ll be booking a flight home.”

I laugh. “And I guarantee I’ll be good. Trust me, I’ve faced worse than a grumpy, anti-social scientist in my life.”

An understatement, but no reason to have poor Charlie worrying for me any more than he already does.

“Well, as long as you radio before winter, we’ll be able to come pick you up pretty much any time,” he tells me.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” I reply with a polite nod.

Charlie still looks somewhat distressed that he hasn’t managed to convince me to just turn back now, but I shrug his worry away. I’m too pumped up to let it weigh me down right now.

I turn my attention back to the window. The trip down here was long and exhausting, and my whole-body aches in that way that lets me know I’m going to pass out really soon. However, my sheer excitement is keeping me awake at present. I can’t wait to see the outpost and set up my lab. I can’t wait to begin studying my birds to see if their regenerative properties can be duplicated in some way for human use.

Suddenly, the pilot’s voice crackles through the headset I’m wearing.

“We’re preparing for our descent,” he says matter-of-factly. “It should be about five minutes.”

I nearly squeal with my giddiness but manage to contain myself so I don’t look like a complete idiot in front of these guys. Holding onto my composure by my fingertips, I gaze out the window and watch as the ground starts to grow closer and closer. From where I’m sitting I can’t really see the facility, but that doesn’t stop me from nearly pressing my face to the glass to try and get a look.

We touch down smoothly and I pull off my headset. My leg is bouncing impatiently as I wait for the door to be opened, and once it is, I make my way out into the frozen landscape, being sure to keep my head ducked until I’m free of the propellers. With a grin, I gaze around once I can stand upright once more and my eyes land on the facility. I gape. It looks like something from the future. My mind actually wanders toStar Wars, and Luke’s aunt and uncle’s home. Except, instead of a desert, I’m surrounded by eternal winter.

Charlie moves to stand next to me.

“Well, what do you think?” he asks.

“It’s gorgeous,” I sigh.

Charlie chuckles. “We’ll see if you’re still saying that in a few months. Come on, let me show you to your new home.”

Grinning ear-to-ear, I follow as Charlie leads me to the main door of the facility, all thoughts of the strange Dr. Pyrrhos temporarily pushed from my mind.

Aleixo

The sound of the helicopter approaching makes me groan out loud. Damn it. I’d nearly forgotten I’m supposed to get a newroommatetoday. It’s a shame, really. It’s been so nice having the place all to myself again.

Well, I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I’ll very likely have it to myself once more soon. Other scientists don’t tend to last very long around here. Something that’s entirely intentional on my part. When the organization overseeing the facility informed me that they would start putting other people with me, I’d pushed back against the notion. However, I was basically told I can either put up with it, or get out myself. Not an option at this point in my research. So, I put up with it. I let them come here and disrupt my quiet existence.

And then I do everything I can to make them go away.

Pushing off of my stool, I leave my microscope with the Petri dish of phoenix cells I’d been observing for the past hour or so and trudge out of my lab. Might as well greet the newbie, I suppose. See what kind of fresh meat they’ve brought me this time.

Making my way through the facility, I reach the front area and stand opposite the door, waiting. I can hear people outside, though their voices and movements are muffled, but I can tell they’re approaching the door when their racket grows louder and louder.

When the door starts to open, I tense, a feeling of dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. All these years by myself in Antarctica have not helped me improve upon any of my social graces, and I’ve developed somewhat of an anxiety around people. Not something I had anticipated when I’d decided to relocate here, but a small price to pay for the breakthroughs I’ve managed to make so far.

The door swings open, and with it comes a blast of cold that has me ducking into the passageway I’m standing next to in order to avoid the brunt of it. Two figures walk inside. One is Charlie – I’d recognized that bundled buffoon anywhere – and the other must be my housemate. The person is bundled up in so much fluffy looking winter gear, I can’t tell anything about them other then they’re about medium height.

I lean against the doorway of the hall and cross my arms over my chest. I’m wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, which isn’t much against the icy cold still seeping in as Charlie struggles to shut the door behind him. Sometimes I forget how much more delicate humans are than phoenixes. These two won’t even begin to shed their layers until that door is firmly closed.

Once Charlie finally manages the deed, he turns and his eyes land on me. I can tell he’s grimacing beneath his high-collar and goggles, and I can’t stop the little smirk that curls my lips.

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