Tundra 37 (10 page)

“Hey there, you must be Gemme Reiner, Cupid’s other half.”

She shook her head and tsked-tsked in reproof. “You’ll have to come up with a new name. I’ve been reassigned.”

He held out a paw of a hand, complete with thick hairy fingers and a scar running from his thumb to his wrist. “Name’s Tech. And I know. You’re the new analyst for Alpha Blue.”

She grabbed his hand and shook it tightly. “You’re on the team?”

“Yuppers. I’m the engineer. I work with your father down in the core.”

She recalled her dad coming home and complaining about a guy showing up to work with too much wheat beer in his belly. Gemme coughed and then cleared her throat to cover it up. “Oh yeah, I think he mentioned you before.”

“Me and him, we go way back. He’ll do anything for a fellow core worker.”

“Sounds like my dad.” Thank goodness her father had covered up the incident. At least she had one ally on the team.

“Good, you’re here.” Brentwood’s tenor voice, refreshing and melodic, echoed down from above.

Gemme whirled around, ponytail flying. The lieutenant stood on the top platform, looking like the digital representation of a Roman God basking on the steps of Maison Carrée in her antiquities text.

Okay, now my imagination is getting out of hand.

She gawked as he worked his way down to them in his prim uniform, complete with a shiny, golden lapel pin of the
Expedition
and a pressed white shirt poking out from a blue polar fleece top stretched across his hard chest. His minty aftershave floated over, tingling her nose.

“Ms. Reiner, I believe we’ve met before.” His fingers wrapped around her hand. Normally she had a firm grip for handshakes, but her fingers turned to jelly in his grasp. The warmth of his skin transferred to hers.

“And I’m Tech Dougherty.” The older man chimed in, interrupting Gemme’s moment of bliss. Brentwood released her hand to shake the old man’s paw.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Dougherty.”

“Naw, just call me Tech.”

“Sure thing, Tech.” Brentwood scanned the bay, distracted.

Tech followed his gaze. “Missing someone, chief?”

“Yes, one member of the team is late.”

“I’m right over here.” Luna appeared the same time the ventilators came on, and the air current flung her golden hair over her shoulders like an interplanetary superhero cape. She’d zipped her jumpsuit to the great canyon between her breasts, and each curve popped out like the top of a grapefruit.

Isn’t she going to freeze?
Gemme shivered just looking at Luna’s bare skin. Gemme tugged on the collar of the turtleneck underneath her uniform. Along with the three pairs of polar fleece pants making her butt look like a marshmallow, she had enough clothes on for both of them combined.

Maybe I overdid it?

“Excellent.” Brentwood smiled. “Nice of you to join us, Ms. Legacy. Now we can begin the briefing.”

“This is it? The whole team?” Tech furrowed his large unibrow. “You’d think the Seers would send out an army. No offense, ladies.”

“None taken.” Luna smiled and licked the curve of her upper lip. She jumped down the last four steps and landed next to Gemme. “Nice to see you, Gemme, dear.”

“Hi, Luna.” Gemme swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling mousy and plain. She wanted to reach over and zip the final few inches of Luna’s jumpsuit, just enough so the swell of skin didn’t pop out and make them all gawk. Why would their mission need a biologist, anyways?

Luna leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I don’t suppose you still have my ticket?”

Gemme shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Luna. It was destroyed in the comet shower. I barely got out of there alive.”

“Pity.” Her eyes turned frosty and Gemme fought the urge to back away.
Pity that I lost the ticket, or that I got out alive?

Brentwood cleared his throat to get them to pay attention, and she and Luna turned their heads. “The reason for such a small team stands right behind us.” He lifted his arm and pointed to a vehicle with double sets of tires a foot taller than him. “Allow me to introduce our transport.”

The massive land truck stood before Gemme like some monster of the deep ready to barrel through anything in its path.

“What is it?” Gemme circled the tire. The sheer size inspired awe, making her feel a fraction safer than before. As least she wouldn’t be trekking on foot.

“A landrover.” Brentwood leaned on the shiny silver spoke. “The prototype, the only one assembled on the
Expedition
.”

“I heard of these. They were meant for Paradise 18.” Tech ran his hands over the bumper. “I never thought I’d ride in one.”

“Yes. The Seers had planned for the landrovers to go into production in the next generation. That’s why we only have the single prototype. It fits four people comfortably and is capable of lugging the mining equipment behind it.”

“How fast can it go?” Luna wrapped her fingers around a spike in the tire. She reminded Gemme of Sleeping Venus pricking her finger on the world’s axis. But in Gemme’s world, she’d be more like the evil queen of black holes.

Brentwood raised his hand. “Before we explore the landrover’s capabilities in depth, I need Tech to tell us about hyperthium, the purpose of our mission and the one mineral that’s going to keep the
Expedition
alive.”

He clapped Tech on the back. “The audience is all yours.”

“Well, lemme see…” As Tech rambled under his breath, Gemme wondered if they’d find anything with such an oddball team. More likely, they’d drive each other crazy and end up frozen in a ditch.

Tech cleared his throat. “Hyperthium is found in igneous rock, with the largest concentration in granite. Other hyperthium containing minerals are spodumene and petalite, but it’s mainly the granite that we’re after. Due to its alkaline tarnish, hyperthium metal is corrosive, meaning you shouldn’t touch it.”

He pointed a finger at Luna as if rubbing her hands all over hyperthium was all she dreamed about.

“Got it, Tech.” Luna grinned like a panther waiting to strike. Gemme straightened her crooked turtleneck and focused on Tech’s words. She felt more like a goose than any type of predator.

“Breathing in hyperthium dust can irritate the nose and throat. Higher exposure can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs leading to pulmonary edema.”

Gemme crinkled her nose. With frostbite, hypothermia, and strange alien creatures, she had enough to worry about. Pulmonary edema, whatever that was, ranked low on her list.

Tech rubbed his beard as if he’d hidden the answers in the rat’s nest below his chin. “The first scouts to explore Tundra 37 reported a large amount of hyperthium on the southern side of the planet, twenty five meters below a layer of ice.”

Brentwood placed a hand on Tech’s shoulder and squeezed. “Excellent warnings, Tech.”

The lieutenant looked to Gemme and Luna. “We have the scout’s initial coordinates. All we need to do is travel to the dig site and set up the equipment. Gemme, you must analyze the size and composition of the mineral deposit. Tech will set up the mining drill, and Luna’s with us in case any indigenous species decide to show up. She’s on the lookout for anything we can eat on this ice rock. So if you see something moving, you go to her. All other reports must be filed with me.”

“Got it.” Gemme nodded and gave Brentwood a serious stare to make sure he knew she’d processed all Tech’s information.

Luna laughed, her fingers wiggling in the air. “Come on, let’s ride this crazy beast. I call front seat.” Gemme looked down at her space boots.

Tech shrugged and glanced at Gemme. “Guess you’re stuck in the back with me.”

She frowned, disappointment a heavy rock in her stomach. She’d rather sit near Brentwood, but at least Tech provided a pleasant substitute for Luna. Besides, she wasn’t supposed to be having feelings for him anyway. She’d agreed to keep far away.

“Sure. You can tell me old war stories about my dad.”

He scratched his head and rolled his eyes. “Where do I start?”

“Start at the beginning, we’ll have all day.” As Gemme stuck her boot on the indents leading to the hatch, Brentwood caught her hand. She turned around, thinking she’d forgotten her backpack or done something wrong.

“I’m glad to have you with us, Ms. Reiner.” His eyes gleamed like jewels from Old Earth. She wanted to hold his hand forever, to never face the cold world outside. His grip remained firm, giving her strength. Blood flowed into her cheeks.

Tech watched with a curious eye behind Brentwood. She kept her answer professional. “I’m glad to be of service, Lieutenant.”

She thought he’d let go, but his eyes remained steady, staring into hers as if something special existed between them and he only needed to delve a little deeper to find it. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Gemme’s heart beat fast against her rib cage.
Like a comforting embrace, a passionate kiss, or you.

She blinked her emotions away. “Will do, Lieutenant.”

He released her and her heart tugged as if it had attached itself to him.

“Need a minute?” The corner of Tech’s mouth curved.

“No, I’m fine.” Gemme climbed into the landrover wondering how her heart would ever survive this mission, never mind the cold.

The portal opened, walls parting into two halves. The metal screeched as it dug into the crevice in the hull for the first time in hundreds of years. This wasn’t a chamber lock with dematerialized particles. Gemme watched the ship open entirely, exposing its bowels to the harsh reality of wind and ice.

The brightness blinded her and she raised her arm to block the sheer white. The engines sputtered on and she pitched forward as the wheels turned underneath her. Bracing herself against the back of Brentwood’s seat, she prepared herself for the unknown. No one spoke as the landrover crept into the light.

The cold seeped in quickly, settling in the marrow of her bones. Gemme shivered, hugging her shoulders and sticking her fingers underneath her arms. Brentwood flipped a switch and a current of warmer air blew by her face, providing a meager hint of warmth.

Solaris Prime blinded her with unbridled light, reflected off the snow. As her eyes adjusted, the shape of mountains formed in the distance, poking up from slabs of pure, unbroken ice. Brentwood turned the wheel and the landrover skidded right, raining flecks of snow on the windshield. In moments, a brutal wind blew the flakes away. Out of the left sight panel, Gemme saw the outer hull of the
Expedition
for the first time.

Her heart plummeted. All those years she’d drawn the mighty ship in art class in perfect geometric circles and squares. Now her home amounted to a heap of broken metal with chipped paint spelling out
x..pedi..on
.

“Man, we really wrecked it, didn’t we?” Tech muttered from behind her. He peered over her shoulder and Gemme sat back, allowing him room to catch the view. She’d seen enough.

“Remember, Tundra 37 is our new home. The
Expedition
is only a temporary shelter. We’ll construct new buildings,” Brentwood called to Tech and Gemme over his shoulder.

Although he meant to comfort them, deflation spread through Gemme’s spirits, as if she found her hero masquerading as an illusion. They rode on an artificial substitute, a dream of the first Lifers of the
Expedition
. The precariousness of life overwhelmed her, and she slumped in her seat wondering if they could build a home out of ice and snow.

“You sure the atmosphere is breathable?” Luna covered her mouth with her hand.

“You’re breathing it now.” Brentwood’s head turned and Gemme saw him smile in profile. “We’ve breathed it for hours. The Seers pumped it in to run the ventilators in the ship.”

Luna coughed as if he tricked her. “No wonder my lungs hurt like hell.”

“That’s the cold, not the quality of air.” Brentwood spoke like a schoolteacher. “Our lungs are used to a regulated environment. We’re all going to have to make changes, even our bodies.”

He sounded like he mentioned a change of clothes instead of habitat. Gemme knew Brentwood had to maintain a calm demeanor, but she wanted to hear something else from his lips, some sort of complaint, something real to assure her she wasn’t the only one having trouble adapting.

Tech grumbled beside her, “I’ve got goose bumps where the lights don’t shine.”

“The heat will increase in a moment,” Brentwood explained. “The engine has to warm up.”

Gemme’s teeth chattered and she contemplated pushing against the hulk of Tech’s right side for warmth. Luna didn’t look cold at all. In fact, she still had the zipper down so low the light shone in places it shouldn’t. Maybe all that padding in front provided insulation?

One look at Tech convinced her against cuddling up. Luna would have a field day with more stuff to pick on her with, and she didn’t feel right about Brentwood seeing her close to another man.

Not like he was hers or she was his.

Gemme sighed, screaming at her inner thoughts to shut up and waited for heat to spread through the compartment. The
Expedition
grew smaller out of the corner of her visor, her one tie to everything that defined her. Without it, she navigated uncharted waters. No routine decided her life. Cast adrift on frozen tundra, Gemme wondered how much of her true self she’d discover and how many of her fears she’d confront.

She thought of all the people inside the hull: her parents, Ferris, and even Vira. These people counted on them to find the mineral deposit. Gemme closed her eyes and told herself to toughen up.

Hours passed and the frozen landscape blurred into monotony. Luna spoke in hushed tones with Brentwood, like a secret meeting of two close friends. No matter how much Gemme strained her ears to hear enough to join in the conversation, only stray tidbits wafted to the backseat.

Luna was smarter than she let on.

Frustration eating a hole in her stomach, Gemme munched on a soybean wafer from her backpack and dozed off with the crumbs still on her legs. Her head jerked when she fell forward too far. The side cushion of the seat provided a place to prop up her face without straining, but blocked out any chance of joining the conversation. First day on the job, and they’d already left her out. Giving up, Gemme closed her eyes and lost herself to exhaustion.