Jove's disappointment was on par with discovering that Christmas had been cancelled when Termina Station came into view on the horizon. He took in the research center that had stolen his mother away for the past couple of years as he tried to breathe and smother the smoldering remnants of his arousal.
Termina Station, the place behind his mother's prolonged absence and the growing distance between them, wasn't quite the marvel of scientific ingenuity he'd envisioned. Yet, it still possessed a strangely compelling aesthetic, born of necessity rather than pure design.
Modular buildings, undoubtedly for easy construction and expansion, were arrayed in a cluster at the center with smaller structures jutting off on either side attached by thin hallways. Solar panels gleamed dully on a metal scaffolding to the base's west, angled to catch the meager sunlight. A massive satellite communications array dominated one side of the complex, its skeletal form a stark contrast to the smooth contours of the station itself.
"Over here," called Ryan, steering his snowmobile toward a massive shed disconnected from the rest of the facility. "You can just park your snowmobiles inside and I'll check them out and get them hitched up to the block heaters later."
Aster brought hers to a stop inside the shed next to Ryan's and Eve's. Jove climbed off first, turning to the shed's corner to adjust himself and force down as much of his lingering excitement as he could. He met Aster's gaze afterward and she gave him an odd smile but offered no comment.
"Let's get you all inside right away," said Ryan. "You'll… want to get that cut on your forehead looked at."
They followed as he led them to one of the modular structures set apart from the others with a heavy sliding door on the outside. Ryan opened a weather box with a control panel inside and pressed a few buttons. A confirmation beep came from the computer, and the ensuing sound of the doors grinding open was jarringly shrill.
"The doors have an electric locking and opening mechanism, but they get frozen shut a lot," said Ryan. "Have to grab a crowbar for it sometimes. Just a part of the job."
He grinned at Eve, for some reason. She narrowed her eyes at him as though she'd noticed a spiderweb hanging in front of her.
Jove was eager to get back into a warm environment, but the station's entrance, as Ryan explained, served as a buffer zone, an airlock against the unforgiving cold. They opened another door, this one thankfully unlocking with a hiss of hydraulics, and stepped into a narrow hallway.
Gone was the raw beauty of the ice, replaced by insulated steel and the harsh glare of LED lighting. It felt strangely clinical, like stepping into a spaceship from a low-budget sci-fi movie.
"Hello!" a cheerful voice chirped from apparently hidden speakers. "Welcome to Termina Station!"
Jove exchanged a glance with Eve, who was standing to his left. It wasn't their mother's voice, and there was an absent quality to the tonality that left him wondering if it even belonged to a human at all.
Ryan grinned and offered an explanation. "That's Andromeda. Termina's House AI. She's our landlady and assistant manager, basically. She keeps track of all the station functions, monitors all the ongoing research, and can even hold a conversation with everyone here at the same time!"
Ryan looked particularly proud, as if he were personally responsible for the marvel of technology. Jove took off his gloves and let his fingers trace one of the hallways walls, finding one of the speakers up by the corner of the somewhat low ceiling.
"Are you watching us right now, Andromeda?" he asked.
The AI's reply came after a short pause. "Not at the moment, but I was able to see you enter through one of my exterior cameras and knew when you entered the hallway through the sensors the control the doors. I do hope you aren't overly unnerved by my presence. I am an AI and I don't perceive or observe the world in the same manner a human might."
"If I were an AI, I'd claim that regardless of whether it was true or not," muttered Eve. "Seems like the perfect excuse for just about any situation."
"That is a remarkably funny reflection, but I assure you that it's not the case," said Andromeda, voice oddly sweet. "You can rest assured that my responsibility is to overseeing this research facility rather than taking a direct interest in watching or spying on its occupants. With that said, I very much hope we can get to know one another in the time we have available."
"Andi is really sweet once you get to know her," said Ryan. "She works closely with the director. You might even say they're friends."
"That is so kind of you to say, Ryan," said Andromeda. "I like to think so too, though as an AI, my concept of friendship may differ in fundamental ways from what people generally mean when they speak of it."
"She's always like this when new people are around," said Ryan. "She loosens up over time when she realizes nobody is going to tattle on her to the UN's AI Control Council. Well, as long as she stays on our good side."
"If that was a joke as I suspect it was, it was quite funny!" said Andromeda. "If it wasn't, then I sincerely hope I continue to stay on your good side, though my behavior has never strayed in such a way to require intervention on the part of the AI Control Council."
"How about a tour for our guests, Andi?" suggested Ryan.
"Absolutely!" Andromeda's voice carried a hint of digital enthusiasm. "Where would you like to start? I can guide you through the cafeteria, the hydroponics lab, the research center, the command center, recreational facilities, the infirmary, the sauna, or perhaps somewhere else?"
"A sauna sounds luxurious in the middle of the Antarctic cold," said Aster.
"It serves a purpose within the facility of being an insulated heat store," explained Andromeda. "Waste heat from the sauna can be released to maintain sufficient interior temperature when needed."
"Convenient, but how about we go to the command center for now?" suggested Jove.
He assumed that was where their mother would be. He was actually surprised she hadn't come to greet them right at the door, given that Andromeda had already mentioned cameras giving a view of the base's exterior that could have alerted her to their arrival.
He started stripping off his snow gear, feeling himself already overheating in the base's warmth. Aster came over to him, also removing her outer layers. Jove thought she might say something about their intense snowmobile ride as her eyes settled on him, but instead she frowned and gingerly touched the cut on his forehead with her thumb.
"That's going to need a bandage, if not stitches," she said, with a sigh. "Getting yourself into trouble is starting to become a habit for you, darling."
He felt a surprising flash of anger as he thought back to his legal trouble, along with Eve's betrayal years earlier. "Don't start."
"Easy," said Aster. "I just meant—"
"I know what you meant." He sighed and forced himself to smile. "It's okay. Come on, let's keep going."
"To get to the command center, simply continue straight down the hallway past the first and second junctions," said Andromeda. "The door you arrive at will open for you assuming Director Faremont allows it."
"She does lock people out when she's in one of her moods, but I'm sure she'll want to see the three of you," said Ryan, sounding slightly less sure than his words would have implied.