Episode 56: Where Silence Falls and the Sky Holds its Breath

0:00Mor shark I'm sorry.

0:41I want to make sure everybody takes precautions and observe safety procedures in advance of the ice feet coming back for the season. Bumbles. I done took all the valuables and them, uh, the Kesska said, the fragile little things out of them summer huts. No worry there. We're going to chain them doors up real tight, like a crawfish boil it. And make sure all them gator lights are charged up to full burst. Fire crew is on the job. Fire crew! Okay, remember that nobody walks over to or back from any of the science stations without a buddy and a strong light. Rail in if you see, hear, or most likely smell any ice feet around.

1:21Bumbles. Okay, um, what else we got, Tommy? A satellite time for research project. Right, right, right. Okay, Dr. Jobak and I posted the schedule for the next four weeks and allotted equal time and base priority access against the schedules all departments submitted. Y 'all need to keep in mind we're about eight weeks out from Lawman Center Review. If any he gets called to testify, there may be a need to rotate schedules to accommodate, but we'll deal with that as it gets closer. Band case? Uh, not yet, Doc. Almost. Oh, he's missing out on band case with these dang blind things. The flapjacks notwithstanding, I appreciate you rotating schedules for me, see?

1:59Let's see, next up, um... A-pod maintenance. Say what now? A-pod is due for mechanical and operational inspections. No, I know what it is, Tommy. Who authorized that? It's the first time hearing of it, and I'm the chief. Oh, uh, it was... Uh, was... Oh, I'm... Kenan. Huh. Up here less than a month, and he's already gone for my job. You know what? Okay. All right. If I'm going to schedule like he's in charge, he can be in charge of inspection. Make a note in the duty roster that he's on point for the work. Oh, Lucille's going to love this one. Oh, um, hey there, Zeke. I have a question for you.

2:40Go ahead, Miss Alice. Well, now, I don't want to be no bother, and I am sure as shooting appreciating all the hard work you folks are doing down there in the arches, But, uh, well, we've been having problems with the food deliveries coming up. What you talking about, Miss Lady Alice? Well, uh, we're sending our weekly grocery list down to the logistics arch, but, um, well, we don't always get the goodies we send down for, and I really want to make you all my famous frog eye salad. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. What she said, you know, we asked for more icy hot footage, Jim. and we got some girly smelling body lotion.

3:20Dad, why you smell like my Aunt Lola, Francine? When will the decaf coffee be replaced? Anytime soon? We ordered more printer paper and got three ring binders. Pancakes! I see you, people. I do. I promise. Give me a day to figure this out and we'll see about getting the logistics arch to be more accurate with the shipments up from the archers. For right now, please give Tommy a list of anything critical you need or don't have, and we'll get them to you quickly. Is that cool? Okay, then. Well, I think that's all we have today, then. Thanks for coming by, and I'll see you on the flip side. Oh, man.

4:02You'll get this figured out, buddy. You're still getting used to the new role and responsibilities. Don't beat yourself up. No, I get it, Lord, man, I do. It's just so many big changes hitting all at once, you know? This gig from Wainwright to me, you becoming Marshall, all the President's restrictions on foreign national, last-minute staffing changes. I'm not saying I expected this to be easy, but I wasn't thinking there would be a stacked deck either. I don't know I'd call this a stacked deck exactly. I mean, to me it looks more like you stepped in to help fill a gap. Oh, I stepped in all right.

4:37Look, we get changes around here, Bass. No arguing that. Just not so many big ones all at once, you know? If I didn't know better. If you didn't know any better what? I'd say it's the ice making things go faster. The ice? How? Oh, don't sit there and look at me like you don't see some hand or force controlling things down here. Like I have all the answers. Look, I'm not saying things down here aren't unusual. But sometimes things are just the way they are. No mystery or higher purpose. Just life. Doesn't mean that fate or the ice or God... Careful now, lawman. I was going to say that none of them are necessarily messing with you or us.

5:21What's that saying? God doesn't give you more than you can handle? Yeah, spoiler alert. That ain't nowhere in the Bible. It's a misquote. Paul and Corrine. You know what? They've done that all for now. All right, then. Tell me what I can do to help Zeke. You know I'll do it. I appreciate that, Beth. Can you give me a couple hours to come up with some plan? And if I need anything, then I will. Hey, guys. Thomas. Sorry, I'm sorry. It's... Well, you better listen to this. One of the Dexters was reviewing incoming radio logs from last month before deleting them. They flagged this just now. It came in on the last official day of summer season, which we were celebrating the return of Sydney and everything else.

6:02Now? Do I... Please confirm transmission. Transmitting confirmed. I don't know if this is going to work. I'm trying random phase shifts. Allison Scott, can you read me? This is Emery Water. Still not dead. Urgent message. This line has been altered. Loosing carrier wave stability. No baths. Do not remain on station. Leave before the winter season and the last flames, or everybody dies.

6:42Why are we just being given this now? Gosh, it came in after last flight departed. Even if we had heard it, there would have been no way out. Oh, great. Now on top of this, I'm going to get blamed for everybody dying. Anything else go wrong today, Lord? Want to have me persecuted for anything else while you're at it? Just wanted to say thanks, Zeke. While we're here so long, you ain't running out of pancakes in the galley. Logistics didn't sound enough better. I'm having a bad day. I bet they'd have pancakes if Neil deGrasse Tyson were here. Recording stopped.

7:24Good morning, y 'all, and I hope all my polies are doing wonderful this morning. Today is Thursday, March 9, and it's 0900 on the tip. This is Miss Cheryl Lynn here with your South Pole daily announcements. Oh, now listen up. If you've been wanting to spike that volleyball or dive for the save, now's your chance. The Amundsen Icepicks are having their tryouts this week, so mark your calendars because we're gathering at 1600 sharp on Saturday for some good old-fashioned competition. Coach Glenn's been working hard to get us ready for the summer 2023 season, but he did ask me to kindly remind Team Captain Landry that we might want to lay off the Cajun hoodoo curses this year, especially when we're playing against the Murdo Mud Dogs.

8:16We want a fair game, not one where the other team gets struck by an unexpected swarm of locusts or something. So bring your A-game, but leave the hexes at home. Let's see who's got the chops to make the team. All right folks, y 'all ready for a little entertainment to kick off the evening? If you're looking to watch something that'll make you scratch your head and maybe even question your life choices, we've got two movies lined up tonight that'll fit the bill. First up at 1900, we've got The Enchanted Llama, a film that critics have been calling the most baffling train wreck of 2022. If you enjoy watching CGI llamas trying to solve crime while inexplicably bursting into song, this one's for you.

9:02Then at 2100, we've got Jurassic werewolves, which is exactly what it sounds like. A bunch of werewolves who've somehow gotten their paws on dinosaurs. It's as wild as it sounds, and it's been called a cinematic nightmare. But hey, maybe you're into that kind of thing. You can catch them in the B1 lounge if you're feeling brave enough to sit through them. Oh, look at this now. We've got some big news from the National Science Foundation. Yep, they're looking for input on the upcoming major station upgrades as part of what they're calling the South Pole Station Master Plan, or SPSMP. That's a whole lot of letters, but what it means is that they're going to be modernizing the station and putting in some shiny new infrastructure to support the future of science here at the South Pole.

9:52They'll be considering everything from the redevelopment of existing buildings to possibly putting up some new ones, and they want to hear from you, the people who live and work here, about what would make your day-to-day life a little easier or better. Now, I reckon some of y 'all might have some wild ideas, but let me give you a couple to start us off. How about a professional cornhole stadium, or even a fancy ballroom for all our parties in advance. But seriously, send in your thoughts because they're listening. Oh boy, I sure hope you're ready for a mighty fine meal today because Lunch Lady Alice got some good eating lined up for you.

10:33So gather around and let me tell you what we've got cooking for lunch and supper today. For lunch, we're serving up two real tasty options. First up, we got fried chicken. Crispy, golden, and just like Mama used to make. We've also got a side of mashed potatoes with gravy. And don't forget the buttermilk biscuit, honey. Now, if you're looking for something a little lighter, we've got a grilled chicken salad with all the fixings. Fresh greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a nice ranch dressing to top it off. And for all my vegetarians out there, we're taking care of y 'all too. We've got a vegetable stir fry made with all kinds of fresh veggies.

11:10zucchini peppers and onions tossed in a sweet soy glaze you won't be missing the meat i promise or you can try our stuffed portobello mushrooms filled with a hearty mix of quinoa spinach and cheese and baked to perfection now for dinner tonight we've got two more options that'll make your taste buds do a happy little dance first we've got a slow cooked pot roast with all the trimmings, carrots, potatoes, and onions cooked just right. Y 'all, this is comfort food at its finest. If you're in the mood for something a little lighter, try our grilled salmon served with wild rice and steamed broccoli.

11:48It's a nice healthy choice that'll fill you up without slowing you down. And for my vegetarians, again, don't worry, Alice has you covered. A veggie lasagna made with layers of tender pasta, ricotta cheese, spinach, and marinara sauce. Or how about a chickpea and spinach curry? It's got a nice spicy kick and comes served over a bed of jasmine rice.

12:15Finally, I have an announcement from our new station manager, Ezekiel Bustamante. Please submit a list of any sundries y 'all need to Thomas so we can work to get the supply distribution problem solved as quickly as possible. He wants to thank all of you for being patient while he and many others are getting acclimated to their new jobs and responsibilities. He's gonna work to get all the static cleared up as quick as he can. Bless his heart. So there you go. You take care now my police. Y 'all need anything. Between now and my announcements tomorrow, y 'all just holler at me or Mr. Kelly. You have a wonderful and blessed day.

12:56Thank you.

13:10That was a message Ops Center recorded a month ago. So the little Crutchberry is still alive after all. Good for him. Kind of a scary message, though. We're all going to die if Bass doesn't leave the station? Or didn't leave the station before winter started? I was able to intercept it before the Dexter who first heard it logged it in. Dr. Jovak, Wainwright, none of the Atlas team knows this exists yet. And I want to keep it that way. It's no sense in letting them in on this. It does, however, beg the question. Right, like... What's Emery doing for food? What? No. So, the question of what we're going to do with this information.

13:52Actually, it's a square tack. What'd you all tell me? It wasn't exactly a featherweight palooka. Like the tie in the old free bag, eh? If it's been out there for a whole year and nobody bought C-rations at last, what you been taking on? Hey, I think, um... Let's stay on topic here, people. Sorry, Sidney, our meetings aren't usually this scattered. They are, too. No need to apologize. I'm the new kid in the class and learning the ways you all have already established. Please, go ahead. Okay, this isn't exactly certified science. Somebody jumping from one time frame to another through, well, I guess a wormhole or null space corridor, perhaps?

14:30But we don't know if time there is the same as here. Oh, here we go. Strap in, Brema. They're about to go all nerdy on us. No, no, Dr. Jains is absolutely correct. Sometimes, in Star Trek, the time-nihilation correlation isn't always one-to-one. Even though 12 months has passed here, for Emery, it may have only been two months. Or maybe 24 months, if it moves faster where he is. I prefer my theory more. The point is, everybody, is there are things that we absolutely know and things we can only speculate on for now. We don't know how much time has passed for Emery, but we know he's alive. Distortion in the recording notwithstanding, he sounded like his old self.

15:15He was joking about cartoons in the first message Chris got during Christmas, and he was joking about still being alive in this one. He's in good spirits. Not distressed, seemingly. So this would indicate he's healthy and not starving and safe as possible. So let's pivot back to Zeke's question. What do we do next? We'll get him back. Well, no shit we'll get him back, Chris. Excuse me, Lord. But step one is, how the hell do we get there? Hell, really that's step two. Step one is more like, where is there anyway? Where is the station going to appear? There's lots of ice out there. I assume just because you're head of the station now doesn't necessarily mean the Atlas team is keeping you in the loop.

16:01No, they are not. I am definitely not in their secret handshake club. I don't have any more information than the rest of you. Even if they aren't bringing you up to speed on Atlas, well golly, they must still want you to go with them. You are the chief engineer still, and you're already aware of the situation. They haven't said, and I don't think that they will. Non-Atlas people going last year caused a mess of things. I'm betting they want to put the cover back in the undercover mission. So them were still on a trip for biscuits. Oh. Oh, oh, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what we do know, what, like, we do know is the when, right?

16:46What? No, no, no, the when, Marshal Duder, sir, not the what. Still, Deputy Duder for now, I'm not sure I'm following you, Dr. Dobbers. Wait, who? No, no, no, come on, people, not who, not what, the when. Kendra, when did Patrick get his doctorate? Oh, I'll fill you in later, Sydney. Bass, sweetheart, he's saying even if we don't know the where, we do know the when. I think Patrick is on to something here. Exactly that. You said when old Doc Wainwright first filled you all in that the time travel station appears every single year at the exact same time, just in different places inside of an area, right?

17:33Just like how my cousin Jimmy always hid his stash in his garage from his parents, but never could remember exactly where. Why the dang it now, man. Now I'm doing it when, not where. The when is April 12th. I'm still not clear how knowing the when is going to help us get Emery back. Oh, come on, people. We got this. That's exactly what Doc Jennings said. There is what we know and what we speculate. Oh, keep going, Dr. Dauber. I think now I know where you're heading. Very nice work. Okay, okay. So, we know the bad guys are going to be headed to there, right? I mean, they too know the when. They have to have a way to know the where, too, right?

18:21The satellite imaging system. Just like how I found out last year. Couldn't we just use that system to tell us the where, like last year? After Dr. Wainwright discovered we knew about the base, they took steps to lock those systems down and paid off the satellite technicians to forget all about it. Don't we issue satellite time and priorities anyway for the station's usual research projects? Can we just do that? Nah, it's a good idea, but there are some areas where they black out permitted use. That whole portion of the ice, the big old no-go. How? Any request we submitted for SAT time and SAT imaging has to go through BOLO.

19:00They flag it for sure and not because... No, no, no, no, no, no. Y 'all just need to open up your minds. Think outside of the icebox. I ain't getting hooked on no reefer there, Polly. That stuff makes you all loopy and will send you to the laughing academy. Where? Not where. How? I don't know. Third base. What? None of you's ever seen the app? Costello baseball bit? Freaking classic. This would make a very interesting paper. Focus now, people. Patrick, go on and give us the how. How to get to the where? Probably the easiest part of the whole chimichanga, right? How will the bad guys get to the where?

19:44Anybody want to guess? First ones of you guys that says how, pow, right in the kiss of Alice. The naughties. Oh, Patrick, That is brilliant. Just for that, I'm going to overlook the greenhouse grow operation a couple more months. Sweet. We tag the Nodwell Snowcats. Wainwright and his crew will need one to get to the station. And each one has an internal GPS tracking device for life safety purposes. But you have to figure that Jocelyn would know about the GPS, find it, and disable it. She might know about the main GPS system, but I can have a backup installed and not let anybody else know. During the winter, we only keep one Noddy active.

20:23Not like people are driving around out there in this winter. The rest get decommissioned until just before summer. I'll grab a GPS unit out of one of the stored ones and put it in the act of naughty. I'll also bring out one of the others out in mothballs early, say a few days before so when they go out, we can be an hour or so behind them. Solid plan there, Patrick. Yep. That's entering my special treat for the day. Oh, gosh. Who's going to go this time? Me. Aw, heck, Chris, that was already assumed. But who else? Oh, don't look at me. I had enough time traveling with the Halen jumps. I'm in. Uh, no, buddy.

21:04That's not a good idea this time. Say what now? You're the boss now, Zeke. I don't know what's going to happen when we just suddenly roll up on the Canadian station by quote-unquote coincidence. It would help if we had a high-ranking person backing up why we were there, like the new station manager. protect our cover story and validate how it really was a coincidence. He's right, Zeke. I know how much you'd like to go, but it's probably best for you to stay back this time. I'll go. Yeah. If we're going to come up with a valid reason why I'd send out a naughty team onto the ice in the winter, I can think of like two, maybe three reasons.

21:45But, yeah, none of them would be making sense why the head of Dark Sector was out there. What if the G-Man wanted to take the old doll face out for a midnight sonata, huh? He's dizzy for the dame and wanted to drive her out for some parking, huh? Right, Fred? 120 miles out in the cold for sex? Oh! Katrin and I are in! We'll make it a real swingin' time. See what I did there, Doc? Like, you know how the puppet speaks, but not... You know what I'm sayin'? Ugh. Never, Fred. Yeah, I don't see that one playing out either. All right, I have some paperwork I need to send back to the Chief of Staff's aide.

22:22Zeke, rack your brain and see what makes the most sense. Go ahead with your plan for the GPS monitoring. So, Sidney, you still glad we're able to convince you to join us? Glad I got the invite. I don't often get to witness group psychosis on this magnitude. Gosh, Dr. Bremmer, we're not fooling here. If you saw even... I was joking, Thomas, I assure you. Oh, good one. You got me. Kendra, you okay? I'm fine, honey. I just stood up too fast. Oh, the air in here is a bit off. Patrick and I will hold back and check the heater and ventilation systems. Keep me posted, but for now, I have to go figure out how we're going to get this supply issue fixed and soon.

23:07Tommy, let's hit the LR on our way back. See you all for the weekly meeting on Sunday afternoon.

23:28oh just perfect i get one night alone in this place to run five miles with my own thoughts and i have to share that gym with you didn't think you'd be the type to come to the gym honestly Thought you're more of a watching from the shadows type. And jog on, lad. I've got a rare night off and I need to burn some steam before I keep... You don't own the gym, you know. And hey, bit past your prime for chasing down crims, aren't you, Marshmallow? If I knew you were going to be here, I would have brought my headphones to drown you out. I hear your mate is making a great mess of being the new station leader.

24:11Bollocks tough even the most routine of matters in his first month on the job. You think you know everything, huh? Maybe you should focus on your own little job. Looks like you're stuck with it going forward. Larry gets a promotion, not you. No action, no fun, no future. Could say the same for you, Grandad. At least I'm not legging it after dodgy old blokes with warrants and weak knees, eh? Surprised you've even noticed with how absent you are most days. off doing whatever government lackey things those with real power in the DIA had the lackey pissants do. Oh, come on, Pass. As insults go, that isn't even on the pitch.

24:53You've thrown better skip passes in your time. I think a man in his, what, 60s could do better. You're so cute when you're trying to act like you matter. I mean, it must sting, right? That most exciting part of your day is making sure your boss Wainwright's coffee order is correct? The term is client. Not a boss, you tosser. My paycheck still comes from the DOD, not Beauregard Lowing. I don't work for Wainwright. Client? I thought the term was a john. Oh, wait, I'm sorry. That's for prostitutes. No, that's right. Still not even close to top-tier insults, Grandad. I'm embarrassed for you. But then again, rumor has it your performance has been suffering all around.

25:42Even late at night with the good doctor. Don't be ashamed, Marshmallow. Loss of stamina happens to most lads in their winter years. I can promise you there aren't any complaints. My stamina is just as strong as my resolve to make sure nothing you and your pals are doing down here puts anybody in danger.

26:11You know, sometimes it's not about the action. Some of us like working in an agency that doesn't burn out its marshals by running them into the ground. I mean, look at you, Marlow. You're practically dust. I'm surprised your knees aren't aching. Right. Sure. You say that now, but you just wait. That corporate world won't be so shiny when you find yourself out of the DIA. People like you don't have any staying power, Jocelyn. You're disposable. Disposable? Oh, please. At least I've got a purpose. Something worth fighting for. You can't seem to go two weeks without somebody trying to kill you. Must be that yank charm you ooze.