Page 29 of Legend of Scorpio
“Alone?” At her nod he asked, “What happened to your partner?”
She frowned.
He indicated his clothes. “You said you had one when we first met and I found his duffel of clothes.”
“I lied. It’s only me out here. Those must have been left behind by the previous guy.”
“What happened to him?”
She shrugged. “I was told he didn’t work out.”
“Was he also digging at the ice?”
“I would assume so. Since I’ve arrived, I’ve received daily coordinates on where the company wants me to chip.” Her brow furrowed. “I did think it odd they had me popping from glacier to glacier with no rhyme or reason.”
“They wanted you to find the door,” he mused aloud.
“Seems obvious now,” she replied with a grimace.
“I do wonder why they didn’t just send in a team with a flamethrower to melt the damned things.”
“Because there are rules they have to follow. The Antarctic is a protected place. You can’t just start demolishing glaciers.”
“Ever hear of ruins inside one?”
“Nope. As for rocks embedded in them, while it does happen, it’s usually stray ones picked up by moving glaciers.”
A bell dinged.
“Food’s ready,” he announced, heading for an alcove that showed some domed dishes.
She blinked. “Where did those come from?”
“The kitchen.”
“You have a cook on staff?”
“Yeah. Cleaners too.”
“How are they hired? Do they live here?”
“The tower housekeeper handles all that. We just reap the benefit.” He carried the tray to a table and whipped off the domes to reveal plates filled with a mixture of food. A fresh garden salad with grilled chicken. A pitcher held iced tea.
The food was beyond delicious, the freshness making her happy after a week of MRE rations, the easiest thing to supply and use in the Antarctic.
After the meal, Scorpio rose and said, “I should get started on my research of Cetus.”
“What about me?”
“There’s a game room on the floor below with televisions. A library above.”
“Oh.” Then despite it being pathetic, she asked, “When will I see you again?” because the idea of being alone in this place daunted.
“A few hours. I’ll come find you for dinner.”
With that, he left, and Rebecca sat at the table for a bit, finishing her iced tea, wondering what would happen to her.
And if she would ever be able to leave.