Sol remained by the tunnel where they had entered. Terry Reid and his two fellow guards, Ronda Tate and Mike Gates, stood nearby. It seemed as though they were all waiting for something. Maybe they were simply anticipating the findings of the team. Aston himself felt like a spare wheel. Syed was the biologist, and there was no marine life for him to investigate using his specialty expertise. So he’d seen a weird door under Lake Kaarme. So had Jo Slater. He was superfluous to this group in every way.
Several small side passages led off from the cavern, radiating out away from the one they had entered through. Aston began exploring them, ducking to fit without banging his head. The first few were dead ends, and Aston couldn’t suppress his discomfort. He remained unnerved by the place. He could see no reason to believe they were anything but naturally-formed, yet the place had what he could only describe as an alien vibe. As he headed for the fourth passage, exploring clockwise, Sol called out.
“Okay, team. Once you’ve got what you want from here, shall we call it a day there? I know Syed wants to use the lab up top and I’m sure Larsen has some following up to do.”
“We haven’t been down here long,” Aston said. “Don’t you want to go on further?”
“Of course, but I want to do it well-equipped. You’ve all got an idea of what we’re facing here now, so when we come back tomorrow I want us to be ready for a long haul. We’ll bring supplies and aim to explore further, maybe spend the equivalent of a couple of days or more down here, yes? We’ll head back up now, you can make your notes, think about all the stuff you want to bring down, whatever else you may need. Feel free to leave anything here that you won’t need until next time. It’s about lunchtime, so by the time we get back up you’ll all be ready for a meal, I think. We’ll go eat and you can rest and plan for tomorrow.”
He gestured to the tunnel behind him and the team slowly made their way back to the elevator.
7
Aston was happy to be back in the world of light and sky, even if it was the wild expanse of Antarctica. The caverns had been amazing but oppressive, and he was pleased to get back to the base. He also had to admit the catering at the place was impressive. SynGreene clearly had money to burn on this expedition. Once everyone had helped themselves from the varied buffet and sat to eat, Sol Griffin tapped a glass for their attention.
“We’re on our own recognizance for the rest of today, so feel free to rest, work, whatever suits you. There are lab facilities for any who want them, and WiFi for your devices or a computer lab with desktops you can use. After lunch, come and see me and I’ll show you all where to find those things. You’ve had a glimpse of what’s before us, so think about what else you might want to take down tomorrow and that’s when we’ll get into it properly.”
Sol sat back down and tucked into his lunch. Aston ate slowly, savoring the delicately seasoned shrimp and crunchy snow peas, trying to process all he’d seen. And trying to think why he was there. The thought of his debts finally being cleared was good, but he wondered what other price he might pay for this endeavor.
Syed moved over to him, her face dark. “Can you believe I didn’t think to take a sample of the damned fungus?”
“Really?”
“Yes! I was so pre-occupied by the new fern we found, I forgot to get the fungus or whatever it is. I might try to go back down this afternoon.”
Aston shrugged. “I wouldn’t worry about it. That fern will keep you busy. Get the other stuff when we go back tomorrow. It’s not going anywhere.” He glanced over at Sol, eating happily, but altogether too comfortable in his command. “Besides,” Aston said. “I don’t think he’ll let you go back on your own, or without the full party. I think he’s going to insist we all stay together.”
Syed frowned. “Maybe you’re right. Honestly, what kind of biologist am I, not collecting samples?”
“Better than me!” Aston laughed. “I didn’t take anything, or do anything.” His feeling of uselessness persisted. But if SynGreene wanted to pay him a ridiculous amount of money for little to no work, so be it.
Syed smiled and patted his shoulder. “I’m going to ask Sol anyway.” She moved away, but Aston didn’t fancy her chances.
“What did you mean when you said, ‘It’s similar’?”
Aston startled, looking up from the food he was pushing around his plate. Slater had moved into the seat beside him and he hadn’t even noticed.
“So, you’re talking to me now?”
Slater smirked. “I talked to you earlier.”
Aston huffed a laugh. “You made a bloody fool out of me in from of Sol and the others, if that’s what you mean.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t think you deserve it?”
Aston’s dark mood grew darker still. “Whatever I might deserve, it’s not that kind of juvenile display.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Is that right?”
Before he could say anything he might later regret, Aston chose to remove himself from the conversation altogether. It was ironic, after days of trying to get Slater to talk to him that he walked away now, when she finally offered him some words. He wasn’t even certain he was in the right, only that he was pissed off at her. What a mess the whole thing was. He felt her eyes on his back as he scraped his unfinished lunch into a composting bin and put the plates in the dirty dishes tub for the base staff to collect later.
Sol put out one hand, touching Aston’s arm to stop him as he went to leave. “Sam, make sure to bring along some basic gear tomorrow, all right?”
“Basic gear?” He glanced over and saw Syed’s dark expression. Clearly Sol had refused her request to go back this afternoon.
“Sure. There’s probably no need for full SCUBA at this point, but we might come across underground lakes or something. So pack a wetsuit and mask or something in case there is deep water to investigate.”
Aston narrowed his eyes, wondering what the man might know that he wasn’t letting on. Maybe he’d penetrated deeper into the caverns than he cared to admit. “Is that likely?”
Sol laughed. “Who knows what’s likely down there? Is anything you’ve seen so far even remotely expected?”
“No, I suppose not.”
Sol gave a curt nod, flashed an insincere smile, and returned to his seat, giving his full attention once more to his food.
Aston left the canteen and strolled aimlessly around the base, thinking through all he’d learned so far. Sol’s suggestion that he pack basic dive gear, while suspicious, actually gave him a sense of purpose. At least if there were aquatic areas to investigate he wouldn’t feel like such a spare wheel around the place. And Slater had talked to him, so that was something too. She only wanted to know about the door, of course, but the Lake Kaarme door was an experience only they had shared. He probably should talk to her about it. Maybe when he felt less annoyed.
The corridor he followed led to the northern end of the base, a large recreational room. Several bookshelves lined one wall, comfortable lounges were scattered around the space, a big-screen TV and DVD player in one corner. Aston spotted a PS4 tucked into the TV cabinet too and smiled. Maybe shooting the hell out of some zombies or something would help him relax.
He saw two feet sticking over the end of one sofa and moved around to discover Dig O’Donnell laying back, reading a paperback. The man looked up as Aston appeared.
“Samuel! How are things?”
Aston nodded. “Just Sam thanks, Dig. I only get called Samuel when I’m in trouble.”
“You’re not in trouble now?”