“This is great!” I exclaimed. It was stupidly perfect how all my problems were suddenly solved with the strategic application of money.
“We’re glad you think so,” Avella said, and then tapped the folder again. “There’s an Amtrak ticket in here for two days from now. That should give you enough time to wrap up everything you need to here in New York City. Courier all the rest of the paperwork back to me before then, and then pack for a long trip. Don’t worry about clothing except for travel clothes. But otherwise, take with you what you’d want to bring on a several-months-long trip. And don’t forget your passport.”
I took the folder. “Where am I going?” I asked.
“BWI airport, to start,” Avella said. “As for the rest—you’ll find out.”
CHAPTER
4
Tom Stevens met me at the BWI rail station as I got off the train, and looked at my carry-on and backpack. “That’s everything you’re bringing?” he asked me.
“I was told I only needed to bring travel clothes,” I said. “And other than that, I’m bringing a lot.” I pointed to the carry-on. “Personal hygiene products and snacks.” I turned to bring attention to my backpack. “All my electronics and several terabytes of movies, music, and books. Sunglasses and a baseball cap. I don’t know, I figured I would need sunglasses and a baseball cap. Did I do it wrong?”
“No, you did it fine,” Tom said. “We’ll cover everything else. It’s good to see you, Jamie. Thank you for taking the job. You’re really saving our asses on this.”
“Well, you really saved my ass, so we’re even.”
“I’ll take that.” He presented me with a ticket. “Your travel documents.”
I took a look at the ticket. “Where the hell is Thule Air Base?” I asked.
“Greenland.”
“We’re going to Greenland?” I sputtered. “Are we hanging out with polar bears?”
I could see Tom grinning behind his mask, which I knew he was wearing as camouflage now, just as I was. “Come on, we have to take a shuttle to the airport. Let’s get you checked in. Our flight doesn’t leave until two in the morning. We’ve taken over a lounge.”
* * *
“Greenland?” Brent said to me, over video, on my phone.
“Right?” I said. I was sitting in the Chesapeake Club Lounge, which in normal times, as I understood it, was the lounge British Airways passengers used before they boarded their flights to London. Today, however, it was populated by a few dozen KPS staffers, many of whom, like me, were chatting away on their phones, presumably to friends and loved ones, while they still could.
“I guess they have polar bears there,” Brent said.
“And seals,” I reminded him. “They can get pretty big.”
“I suppose. I don’t know. I just assumed that when they said you’d be working with big animals you’d be going to Africa. As far as I knew, that’s where they kept all the big animals.”
“That’s your bigoted colonial cultural past showing,” Laertes shouted, off-screen.
“No, it’s not,” Brent yelled back, and then turned back to me. “I mean, it probably is.”
“I’m just worried that I’ve severely underpacked warm clothes,” I said.
“Gut a polar bear and crawl inside,” Laertes shouted, still off-screen. “Like a tauntaun.”
“Stop helping,” Brent shot back. “I’m pretty sure they won’t let you freeze,” he said to me.
“That’s what Luke thought,” Laertes shouted.
“Don’t listen to him,” Brent suggested.
I smiled and changed the subject. “Are you two going to be okay while I’m gone?” I asked.
“Are you kidding? Jamie, you’ve saved our asses. We don’t have to move, and we’re not going to starve. I could kiss you.”
“Spicy!” Laertes shouted.
“Not that kind of kiss,” Brent qualified.
“No, I get it,” I said. “Apparently, I’m doing a lot of ass-saving today.”
“Also spicy!” Laertes added.
“You’re going to miss his interjections to our conversations,” Brent promised. “And our conversations, come to think of it.”
“I know it. I’ll drop you updates when I can.” If I can was more like it, but I didn’t want to say that at the moment.
“Sounds good. Don’t let them give you shit because you’re the newbie. And if they do give you shit, let us know.”