The Antarctic wind was less of a breeze and more like a slap from an angry ice god. But that didn't stop the Elixr team.
Nope, they had alien tech, questionable confidence, and seven backpacks filled with "just-in-case" snacks. Probably all Finch's doing.
Their chosen spot: a flat ice plateau surrounded by jagged snow cliffs, far from research stations, GPS surveillance, and nosy scientists who might faint if they saw a floating power core.
Magira, in full leader-mode, stood atop a crate shouting orders.
"Team, we have seventy-two hours to get the base up and running. Let's not freeze our dignity before we freeze our limbs!"
Santy was already halfway buried in snow trying to power up the underground heat stabilizers.
"Do we have to start with the part buried ten feet below frostbite? My fingers are filing a protest."
Alice Fox, stylish even in thermal wear, activated a drone that projected the architectural layout.
"This is the blueprint. Dome A is for living, Dome B is the tech hub, and Dome C... is Finch's kitchen-slash-mad lab."
Finch, visibly excited, held up a metallic egg-shaped device.
"Did someone say fusion toaster-slash-spaghetti printer?"
Stanley sighed.
"Nobody said that. No one has ever said that in the history of the universe."
Trouble from the Start
Magnet was in charge of dome inflation. Yes, inflation. Elixr tech allowed base structures to be stored like deflated balloons—just hit the activation and poof, instant alien bubble mansion.
Magnet slapped the remote.
"Stand back, nerds. Dome A, inflating in 3... 2...—"
PHOOM!
Instead of expanding gently, Dome A shot up like a startled octopus, whacking Stanley in the face and knocking Alice's glasses into the snow.
Alice (deadpan): "Excellent. Now I'll be stylishly blind."
Magira rubbed his temple.
"Maybe we try Dome B next. Gently, this time."
Dome B – The Tech Hub of Mayhem
Dome B came up smoother. It shimmered in an invisible spectrum that hid it from satellites and nosy seagulls. Inside, rows of floating consoles began booting up.
Santy plugged in the central AI, "TESSIE" (Technological Emergency System, Slightly Intelligent, Possibly Evil).
TESSIE's screen flickered to life.
TESSIE: "Hello. You've awakened me. Again. For the fifth time in two planets. I see you still haven't fixed your personality flaws."
Finch whispered,
"I missed her sarcasm. It's like getting insulted by a toaster."
Magira ignored the sass.
"TESSIE, link us with all Earth surveillance bypass protocols. Cloaking, defense shields, emergency bunker settings—on."
TESSIE: "Processing… Warning: You are in proximity to penguin territory. Penguins are unpredictable. Proceed with caution."
Stanley: "That's... oddly specific."
Dome C – Chaos & Casseroles
Meanwhile in Dome C, Finch was turning a small room into his lab/kitchen/gadget-stable. He already had a nanobot-infused spatula and a thermal-soup cannon.
Alice (peeking in): "Is it safe?"
Finch (beaming): "No idea!"
The walls glowed with soft blue, powered by reactor pebbles the size of acorns. One accidentally rolled into Finch's coffee mug. He shrugged and drank it anyway.
Finch: "If I grow a third eye, we'll finally have a lookout."
Building Begins
Outside, Magira, Santy, and Magnet worked on establishing the perimeter defenses.
Santy: "Thermal shields ready. But if anyone sneezes too loud, they might trigger the anti-matter alert."
Magnet: "That's comforting. I'll just keep my allergies in."
Alice, back from her snow trek to retrieve her sunglasses, returned with alarming news:
"A penguin was watching me.
From behind a rock.
It didn't blink for five minutes."
Stanley looked up from calibrating the solar camo panels.
"It's probably a spy.
You know how penguins are."
Magira: "Nobody knows how penguins are. That's the problem."
O the First Night – Chaos Strikes
Night fell like a cold hammer. The base, now semi-operational, glowed under its cloaking dome.
Everyone gathered in Dome A for their first warm meal—some kind of glow-stick stew courtesy of Finch.
Magira (tasting it): "It's... edible. I think."
Finch: "That's the highest compliment I've received since I burned toast that didn't explode."
Just as everyone started to relax,
TESSIE's voice boomed through the intercom.
TESSIE: "Alert. Movement detected outside Dome B. Unidentified lifeforms approaching."
They rushed to the control console.
The infrared feed showed... a group of penguins.
Marching.
With purpose.
Alice: "Are they forming ranks?"
Stanley (horrified): "That one's carrying a fish like a sword."
Magnet: "We're not ready for a penguin uprising!"
Magira: "Hold steady. We came here to hide from Nilgiris, not start a war with Emperor birds."
By the next morning, the base looked impressive: shimmering, silent, alien.
From above, it appeared like a simple snow field. Inside, it was buzzing with activity.
The AI defense matrix was online.
The energy reactors were stabilized.
The food printer stopped exploding (mostly).
And the penguins? Well, they backed off. For now.
Santy, scanning global signals, nodded to Magira.
"No signs of Nilgiris' satellites.
We're off the grid."
Magira smiled, genuinely.
"This is it.
Our foothold on Earth.
The real work begins now."
Finch, dragging a hover-cart filled with glowing eggplants, added,
"First, breakfast. Then maybe invent an anti-penguin laser. Just in case."