Everything she’d read and seen on-line indicated the solar flares that had been cooking on the far side of the sun — and heating up news lines around the world — were at last set to make their highly trumpeted appearance. It would almost surely be a brief one. But Annie had been persuaded it also would be dramatic… especially in Antarctica.
Given their high threshold of tolerance for challenging circumstances, she doubted the majority of polar bases would have much to worry about. In fact, she was sure their personnel would await the event with delirious anticipation, seeing it as an opportunity to gather scads of exceptional astrophysical data and enjoy one humdinger of a light show when the aurora australis got an energetic cosmic jolt. For most of them it would be like having ringside seats at an extravagant once-in-a-lifetime circus that came rolling into their backyard. Few to none would complain if the price of admission included a spell of erratic communications and ambiguous blips and ghosts on their radars that would be construed by imaginative Atlantis mappers as signs of the Lost Continent rising. While she realized power fluctuations and outages were a more serious potential consideration, Annie also knew virtually all of the ice stations had hardened electrical systems, and multiple backup generators that would kick in if their primaries were effected by the sun’s demonstrative tizzy.
The situation at Cold Corners gave Annie pause, though. Its water supply plant was down, its security compromised… existing predicaments that would be magnified by what were only nuisance problems elsewhere. The last thing the crew here needed was to have their difficulties compounded, to become more isolated than was usually the case because of radio and satcom disturbances. And the last thing Annie wanted was to be leaving when they were in a pinch. Many of the researchers were longtime friends. There was Megan. And yes, there was Pete.
Annie sighed. Like it or not, she was shipping out, soon and without any choice. But she still had time to make herself useful, talk to Meg about the latest info she’d gotten off the computer, give her recommendations on how to address some of the technical hiccups that might be expected during the solar outbursts. Her soap, dental floss, and makeup could wait till afterward to be tucked away in their luggage pouches.
She rose, strode to her door, started to pull it open.
And then blinked in surprise.
Pete Nimec stood in the partial opening, his hand raised in the air, frozen as if he’d been about to knock.
“Pete,” she said, startled.
“Annie,” he said, his eyes as surprised as hers.
They stood there in silence, her hand on the doorknob.
Nimec lowered his arm and indicated the parka he’d left on after hitching a ride back from the chopper pad aboard one of the big-wheel shuttles.
“The reason I’m wearing this is I was about to leave base—” He cut himself short. “Well, I’m pretty much on my way out… there’s a helicopter waiting to take me into the valleys right now… ”
“I’d heard.” Annie nodded toward her open carry bag. “It so happens I’m busy packing
“Ah,” he said. “If I’m getting in your way—”
“No, no. It was just a comment.”
“Ah,” he said.
“About the timing,” she said.
“Right.”
There was another beat of silence.
Nimec inhaled.
“Annie… can I come in a minute?” he said. “I’d like to talk. That is, I’d like to apologize for not… you know… talking to you sooner…”
“It isn’t your fault.” She opened the door a bit wider. “We’ve both had our hands full here at Cold Corners, and our paths just haven’t crossed—”
Nimec was shaking his head.
“I don’t mean talking to you
She looked at him, but said nothing.
“Months before this occasion,” he said.
She remained quiet.
“I want to explain why I never called you,” he said. “After you invited me for the Thanksgiving holiday—”
“You don’t have to—”
“I do. Really. If you’ll let me.”
Annie stood watching Nimec another long moment. Then she nodded slowly, opened the door the rest of the way, and shut it behind him.
They faced each other in the room.
“Okay,” Annie said, a step or two inside the door. “You were saying…”
Nimec swallowed hard, his throat even scratchier now than it had felt in Megan’s office.
“Annie,” he said, and halted. Which he guessed made it three, or maybe four times he’d already done that like a bumbling fool. “When we first met… in Florida, remember…?”
“Yes, Pete,” she said. “I told you I’ve been busy. But I think my recollection’s fairly intact.”
“Good,” he said. “Of course, that is. Anyway, when we met…”
“In Florida…”
“Right… well, I knew right off we could never be friends.”
She arched a puzzled eyebrow.
“Oh?”
Nimec shook his head, frustrated with himself. Had he just said what he
He held up his hand.
“No, wait, that isn’t what I mean,” he said. “What I mean is that I didn’t want to be
“I know, Pete. I felt the same way,” Annie said. “I thought we both realized it.”
“Exactly,” he said.
“What surprised me was that you could choose to let something that special go.”
Nimec’s heart was racing in his chest.
“I didn’t,” he said.
“Pete—”
“I never let it go.”
“Pete—”
“Not for a day. Not for a single minute—”
She gave him a look.
“Pete, is it only me, or are you aware it’s been
“I am,” he said. “I didn’t intend—”
The sudden anger on her features stopped him.
“I don’t care what you intended,” she said. “You aren’t even making sense. Did it occur to you… did you ever once in all those days and minutes of supposedly not letting go think it might be wise to
Nimec looked at her.
“Annie,” he said. “I was afraid.”
She touched a hand to her forehead in disbelief, rolled her eyes.
“Come on,” she said. “We aren’t two college kids—”
“I know. I know that. But after my wife left me… I guess the idea of getting close to someone else… opening myself up to a woman—”
Annie flashed him another silencing glance.
