Chapter Text
Fires roared in the distance, consuming the research facility. A plume of dark smoke was rising towards the sky, and above it, beyond it, a darker spiraling tower breaching through the clouds, through the heavens, and towards the great black beyond.
Mountain, they called it. Mountain it wasn’t.
He dragged his lame leg across the snow, pacing as fast as he could, away from the fires, away from the mountain.
Away from what hunted him.
*
Day 01
The receiver is on and my favorite music is playing. The sound quality is incredibly clear this close to the source. The rest of the crew is yet to acquire a taste for it.
They’re all so green. I've already had to babysit the engineer in his attempt to boost the generators. They're also a little on edge, I can tell, and no, it's not just my choice of music. I suppose it's understandable. We’re all far from home, and the conditions are a little extreme. But I believe some proper field work will set them straight.
My joints are not having the best time in this stifling cold, and my cough got a little worse, but that was to be expected. The extra heater should suffice, once we get the generators going properly, of course.
Will this suffice as a mental wellness entry mandated by company policy? My wrist is cramping, and I'd rather be munching on my leftovers. I can tell Jayce made it, not his mother. Only he'd know my inclination towards Marmite and where to put it.
I miss him already.
Can't wait to see him.
The note he left me was very charming. If I didn’t know better I’d think he was █████████ never mind.
Speaking of leftovers, there’s some strange frozen remains in the lab, likely left from the construction crew. A lot of the lab is iced over and as of now unusable. And so many dust motes flying in the air, I was expecting serious issues with that, but so far so good.
*
"You'll be coming then, yes?"
Jayce had just dropped his tray next to Viktor's when he asked, his voice rising over the din of the cafeteria. He didn't answer until he took the seat.
"Yeah, but it's a little complicated."
Viktor scoffed, his ire long since raised by the management, but these days he didn't even bother hiding it. "They're cutting corners to an absurd degree. I'm the only senior scientist they're willing to part with. And can you guess the size of the crew?"
"Six?" Jayce joked, obviously, because that number would be absurd for the scale of the project.
"Eight. Including me."
Jayce choked on his cup of sub-par coffee, eyes wide as he looked at Viktor, hoped he was joking this time. The grim look and the head shake said enough. "The fuck is wrong with them…"
A rhetorical question; they both knew it came down to funds, and how to save them.
When the two of them discovered the strange signal emitting from Mount Targon—a matter of sheer luck and their own willingness to work on highly sensitive R&D tech they created outside of work hours—The Piltover Institute of Science and Technology was eager to be the first to plant a flag of ownership on a new discovery. Two planes full of construction crew and several truckloads of material got shipped to the frozen waste on the other side of the continent to build a research facility, first and foremost.
The signal was strange. It was faint, barely there, but a constant recursive impulse that found no match in human made technology. That's as far as they dared to elaborate when the council asked for an explanation of their findings. Viktor had more complicated, more cosmically oriented ideas of what this was. Jayce kept his thoughts and ideas down to earth, where enough rogue elements existed to produce something equally mysterious. Both agreed further research was necessary to establish what exactly they were dealing with.
All Piltover heard was the possibility of accolades and discovery, and they were quick to mobilise.
A small research facility was erected at the foot of Mount Targon, despite the harsh weather, even harsher cold, and negative function of the comms channel. But a snag with one of the snow coaches delayed half the crew's return. A few weeks went by before another one could reach them, but by then the research facility was deserted. Not a soul in sight.
They pegged the mystery on snow madness, a newly minted term based on the unfavorable condition of the returned crew. All that reached the working floors of the institute were hushed rumors of debilitating insomnia, claims of howling winds carrying unintelligible words, of groaning and moving mountains, of people disappearing from their posts long before the return trip. Rumors had it, some of them begged to be sent back.
Clearly, six months was too long to be left in such inhospitable territory. While rumors of ghost stories were a fun water cooler topic, the rumors of money being lost on compensatory damage was not.
This was a cost-cutting deal, and a quick attempt not to let the facility go derelict. It needed to be manned and maintained. It needed a crew, and not necessarily a big one. Early summer at Mount Targon, a balmy -17°C. Seven assistants, one head scientist. Piltover’s unwillingness to expand the team for this three month venture was a part of great contention.
"So, what's the complication?" Viktor asked.
"I need to finish the project they saddled me with, first." Jayce stabbed at his lunch. "So I'll be a few weeks late."
"…And?" Viktor asked, hands steepled and lunch long since abandoned. He knew better. Knew it wouldn't be that simple.
"And," Jayce paused, chewing through the overcooked piece of meat as he found the best way to deliver the rest of the news. "They're not actually allowing me to come, not even with a pay cut."
Viktor's face fell. "But, you said—"
"So I dipped into my deep reserve of vacation time and took two months off that coincide with your absence," Jayce grinned around his next bite. "Very incidental, of course. Getting there will be a bit of an adventure, but I'll figure it out."
"Jayce," Viktor shock-whispered. "That'll get you in serious trouble."
"What are they gonna do? Fire me?" Jayce snorted. He knew his worth, and so did Piltover. "Fat chance."
"Sanctions aren't out of the question," Viktor chided, but there was a matching grin growing subtly on his face, despite his attempt to sound grave.
It had been a while since they both did something daring in the name of science. Would be a shame to let Piltover forget just what combination of reckless and crafty got them that renowned advancement in battery tech some seven years ago when two really big brains collided in a shocking display of innovation.
"I'll deal with the sanctions," Jayce waved off the concerns.
"It's becoming a lot to ask. I can't—"
A violent set of coughs tore its way through him like a wrecking ball, ruining the moment. Jayce put his hand around his back, gently patting.
"What did the doctor say?"
"Same old."
"Bullshit." It was Jayce’s turn to chide.
Viktor fixed him with a stern look, then gave up with a sigh. "He told me I should reconsider my involvement. That my health is not up to par with the environment."
Jayce slid his arm around his shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. "But you're not going to reconsider," there was a touch of something resigned Jayce couldn't hide from his voice. Viktor nodded and gave him a scrutinizing look that Jayce dismissed with a subtle shake of his head. "And I'm not gonna leave you hanging. We said we'd do this together and we will."
"Thank you," he could feel Viktor relax, the tension leaving his shoulders. "I'll owe you big time."
"You won't owe me shit, Viktor. You're my best friend," Jayce said, "and I love you."
There it was, that look in his eyes, the one Jayce only knew how to categorize as soft and pleased. He always got that look when Jayce pulled the L word on him.
*
Day 05
The dogs won't stop howling. They sound scared. I went to check on them (my leg really didn’t like that) but I couldn't figure out what was bothering them.
Joy says they're mourning. I sent Yelena and Mikhal to gather some data closer to the mountain. On a sled, of course. The results are amazing, and they managed my request to bring back some geological samples. They managed to lose a dog, too. And their nerve. Both of them have been huddled up within the facility since their return. Yelena said it was just a little unsettling, something about the winds and how they sounded like voices. Mikhal said he saw human features in the groves and ridges of the black rocks that make up Mount Targon.
Like I wrote previously, green and easily spooked.
That said, the music on the receiver has changed tune for the third time. I'm getting very tempted to play with the transmission protocol. Jayce would not be pleased to hear that.
I feel like whatever is here, is listening. Maybe even trying to communicate.
Day 06
The leftovers finally thawed enough to get a better look at them. About the size of a dog and utterly anomalous, something I’ve never seen before. It reminds me of a cocoon, but my eyes are having a hard time conceptualizing the color to properly describe it.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was a color our eyes can’t adapt to. A wavelength beyond our spectrum. Which is ridiculous. It’s just kind of shifting all over the place. “Iridescent” might be the word closest to what I’m looking for.
Maybe something came in and huddled away from the cold? Died? There’s terrible little info on the fauna of this place.
The music of the mountain helped me stay calm and collected, though. Proper safety measures were taken, the anomaly contained within the biohazard unit, but the findings will not be reported to the wider team. They’re still on edge.
*
It was the last Christmas party that changed something. Viktor wasn't keen on coming, but he only had so much resistance against Jayce's coaxing.
Come on, don’t leave me alone with them! They'll bore me to tears, and you know how I get with a few drinks in me.
A lot more talkative and a lot more snappy. The kind of snappy that would tell their boss to eat a dick for those poorly allocated resource funds they had to wrestle with for the last three months. But a few hard drinks were had, anyway. Just enough to loosen his mind and his tongue. Just enough to get him pondering the nature of his own words.
He didn't remember the context, but he did remember the clear moment when he said it, outside on the balcony, away from the crowd while catching some fresh air. His arm was around Viktor—where it often was, if he dared to inspect his habits—both huddled close to keep away the December chill.
"You're my best friend," he said, and that was an indisputable fact. He’d never clicked this perfectly with another person in his life, both during work and out of it. When he had done his coaxing, he had done it over lunch he brought to Viktor’s apartment, unannounced yet expected, his usual stop after gym because it just so happened Viktor lived nearby.
And it just so happened that he chose his gym relative to his best friend’s place. And it just so happened that he made the extra effort to drive even further off and get one of Viktor’s favorite takeouts—for coaxing purposes, of course. And it just so happened that Viktor always had some fancy specialty coffee and a V60 in his cupboard, even though he couldn’t care less for the drink, unlike Jayce.
He could go on and on, there were a hundred little things where the two of them silently moulded themselves around each other in a charming display of symbiosis. Like that very comfortable pull-out couch Viktor bought, definitely not for his own use. And how Jayce went through extensive interior modification for his Honda Civic, just to make it more comfortable for a disabled passenger.
Viktor looked up and grinned at him, and Jayce didn't think much about what he'd say next. The words just came out, sliding into place like a missing puzzle piece neither was aware of. "And I love you."
Another fact sober Jayce would wax poetically about if he could. The power of friendship and all that. But a slightly buzzed Jayce worked within a time dilation. The reindeer headband jingled as Viktor tilted his head, eyes growing wide, and they really were such nice eyes. His face faltered for a second before a smile so bright, so content, so rare with how wide and pronounced it was, lit up the night.
Viktor had a drink or two, maybe just enough to excuse the way he leaned in towards Jayce, head resting on his shoulder as he said, "I like the sound of that."
It seared itself in Jayce’s mind, that soft look paired with an overly pleased timber in his far too sober voice. It got Jayce thinking, considering all the ways you could love someone.
*
Day 08
Found roof access, and my leg didn't even complain about the climb much.
I'm doing a day-time journaling session because of good weather, because I need paper to draw, and because I needed a break from the people.
The view here is quite breathtaking, and it really gives credence to the otherworldly feel of this place. Old settlers of the region used to consider Mount Targon a god that fell from the heaves, and there's something to it. It's the shape, it's so unusual. One massive twisting spire whose top you can't see from how far into the clouds it reaches. And there’s always clouds up there. It's surrounded by more standard mountain ranges, almost nested among them, save for the one side we're facing. Fairly geologically wondrous in both shape and color, if our resident rock expert is to be believed. Franz can't even determine the age of the sample, or what gives it that dark color. Says his equipment isn't cooperating, but he doesn't look angry about it, just fascinated.
I can understand that.
The view up here looks exactly the way the music sounds. I've seen this mountain before. I've heard it with my eyes.
Jayce would understand.
Addendum: The dogs are still howling. I turned the receiver on just to drown out their noise. Mikhal locked himself in his room, refusing to let anyone in. Says he's feeling sick.
He's following proper protocol, and I'm not sure why everyone is so worried about it.
*
The stars beckoned, an infinite blackness full of distant specks of light that pulsed with a rhythm. He knew that rhythm, his favorite melody, a daily listen, a companion in the silence of his study that guided his hand. Visions of mountain peaks he'd never seen before, of snow and ice covered land that had never seen the color green, a black rock spire twisting towards the heavens and beyond them. And beyond the stars. And beyond the infinite darkness. Something wiggled in the margins of dark matter, filling out the voids of distant emptiness, something unknowable and so, so very close. Something that beckoned, a siren's song that had him dreaming a cold void full of something other, something that waited for him. A void in the shape of him, just him and—
The warmth of Jayce's hands landing in his shoulders was a shock to the system, his little day dream popping like a balloon, like a dream. He was uncomfortable, slouching over his desk, over a mess of papers filled with graphite sketches he doesn't have the clearest memory of making.
Mountains. He was drawing mountains again, the kind he'd never seen before, and yet he couldn't get the shape right. He just knew there was something missing, but the warmth of his hands had him sitting up, and shoving the whole mess away.
Jayce pulled the headphones off of his head and put them on, and there was that face he always made, like he bit into a lemon, clearly not as enchanted by the music as Viktor was.
"Getting a little obsessive, Vik," he said after giving it a moment to dazzle him, and when it didn't, he pulled the headphone off and hit the stop button on the transceiver.
Viktor got up to stretch, his bones cracking and complaining. He must have been hunched there for a while. "Is this not the kind of discovery that warrants such focus?"
"Sure," and he landed a hand back on his shoulder, Viktor powerless to the gravity that had him leaning in. "But at this point, you're gonna start listening to it before bedtime."
What if he already was? What if he woke up every morning dreaming those discordant tunes, pulling them into the waking world in a fantastic display of auditory hallucinations?
Jayce had that look in his eyes, the one his doctor tried to pull off but couldn't, the one that said I'm worried about you, please take care of yourself. Jayce had the look down to a science. It was just about the only thing that had Viktor budging to practice some self care.
The poor sleep from all the coughing that kept him up at night must be reflecting on him.
“I’m open to better distractions,” he said, because he had an idea about why Jayce was here.
“How about," Jayce turned them both around towards the door, and slipped his arm around Viktor's shoulders, "we go get some lunch. The good stuff, not cafeteria bullshit."
Viktor did not fight the gravity when it had him leaning in. All that close contact had him feeling a certain kind of way, and he's convinced he would agree to murder if Jayce just asked nicely enough. He leaned into the warmth of his long standing lab partner, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he pretended to think.
"I'll bring the car," Jayce said, and squeezed him in closer, likely because he saw him favoring his good leg again.
The music of the signal had its hold on him, but Jayce… Jayce was something else. The only person capable of getting him to abandon work, for example, and with so little push back.
"I think I'd like to stretch my legs," Viktor said, and he didn't lie, but maybe he chose that course just to make their lunch a little longer.
He knew his place on the food chain. But there was no crime in indulging with something sweet.
*
Day 12
Bad weather permeates this place no matter the season. It was so dark out today from the storm clouds that I confused AM for PM.
I've had little sleep but that was due to the discovery. I've written more extensive notes elsewhere but the cocoon flowered during the night. I’d call it empty, but definitely organic. Scraped some of its insides for studying.
Crew still in the dark, for their own good. One of the younger engineers asked if we really had to stay here for three months.
On a brighter note, the lost dog came back, scratched patently at the front entrance until someone (me) finally took notice. Not sure why he didn't start barking, like his brethren, who, by the way, STILL refuse to stay quiet. Hopefully Joy will take care of them.
I started listening to the music on my headphones again. I noted several deviations, and it's funny, because as soon as I became cognizant of them, the deviations slipped to another point.
I’m beginning to recognize it as a language. I’m beginning to hear words.
̷̨̬͕̏͘ ̴͍͍̲̙̓̈́̈́ ̵̰̆ ̴̭̹̝̥̫́̌͊ ̵̪͘ ̸̧͌̿ ̷̞̆̍ ̷̨̧͉̟̹̒̍̀́ ̶̡̯̭̞̮̀͌ ̴̡̛̞͎̯̻́ ̷̱̼̪͐̈́̑̚ ̸͇̲͓̅̌̉͗͠ͅ ̷̳͔̖̐̄͝ ̵̨̨̥̳̓̅̚̚ ̷̫̑̚͝ ̶̟̗̬̹͆ ̶̛͈̣̦̘͜ ̷͔̬̈́̀̒̑ ̷̠͇̗͂̿̈ ̵̩͖͛̑̇͋ͅ ̸͍̰̑͝ ̷̬̬̱̀̀͜ ̷̛̠̝͍͔̭̾̈́ ̵̝̱̹̬̼́͋͂͘͝ ̶̪̍̌̇͠͠ ̵̪̩̹̖͗̾ ̷̬̈́̓̌͘ ̴̥̯͔̭̻̔͒ ̷̳͈̪̔ ̶̭̥̼̍̃͒̚ ̴̬́̽̋͗ ̸̦͍̹̯̹̿́ ̷̧͙͇̺́͐͋͗͝ ̶̠̝͂̍̀̏͝ ̸͓͊̽̅͝ ̸̦͌ ̷̛̻͔̃͜ ̶̧̬̠̑ ̴̺̼̦̅̀ ̶̘̻̹̺̋̔ ̸͙͔͎̠̀̌ ̸͕̼̀͜ͅ ̴̹̄ ̶̧̺͎̪̓͊͘̕ ̷̩̣̻̐̂͝ ̵̧̙̻͕̊ ̷̖̯̺̙͒̈́̔̕ ̶̢̢̲̗̭͒̾̀ ̷̤̙̓́̉ ̸͓̼̞͌́̑̄́ ̶̨̘͎̳͂ ̴̧̝̙͍̪̒͗͌́ ̵̲̹̔͛ ̶̛̱̪͎̀̋ͅ ̷̢̨͚͛͂̃͝ ̸͖̖̑̋̀ͅ ̷̪̈́͛͠ ̴͖͍̺͚̀͂ ̴͈̮̬̔́ ̷̧̛̦̠̱͒͗͛͐ ̶̡̻̟̍͂͜ͅ ̵͈͉̰͋ ̶̰̭̪͉͚͂͒͋͌ ̴̖̟̎ ̴̣̤̞̦̤̀̀͘ ̸̢͈͍͙͕̑̔͝ ̴͓͔̭̪̈́̈́͝ ̶̜̘̋̐̕͠͝ ̸͎̇̽ ̸͖͉͇̳͚͌͊̂́̊ ̷̥͎̽́ ̸̤̌͛ ̴͔̗͕̰͆̆͛̕͘ ̴̖̿͆ ̷̗̫͎͉̾̋͜ ̶̜̬͚͝ ̴̩̖̠̣͛͑ͅ ̶̠͍̭͒̈́̎̎ ̸͚̬̎̊̍̋͛ ̶͚͉͍̳̭̌͆͒̅̿ ̶̳͓̅ ̵̝͍̯͈̫̂̓͊̊ ̷͖͎̼̗̅̎̚ ̴͛̀̓̒͜͠ ̶̮̹̫̗͕́̒̍̔̅ ̴̧̧̰̝̊͊ͅ ̸̭̩̯̭̋̔̊̈̏ ̴̰̖͗́̆̚͜ͅ ̴̟̌̋̅̀͜ ̴̘̮̹̤̹̈́͂́͛ ̶̱̥̥͉͌ ̵̡̪͎̝̽̀͐͛̓ ̷̛͙̣̉͝ ̸͙̞͈̒͆ ̶͎͎̕ ̶͔͍͒͑͋ ̵̜̻̖̤͓̕ ̸͇͖͓̒̽͒ ̷̖̬͎̓̀͝ ̴̮̠͓̩͔́ ̸̨̣̙̍̍ ̶̬̙̽ ̵̗̜̭͈̐̀͗ ̸̤̱̰̻͇̅̈́͘͘͠ ̶͉̯͈̮̫̎ ̵̫̹̳̝̻̉͒͒͂͒ ̶̟̺̏̊͌̐͜ ̸̧̲̹̓̎͐̓ ̷̥̲̂̐͗̕͠ ̴̛̹̩̀̇̈͠ ̸͕̺̌̈́̌͝ ̸̱̺̖̉ͅ ̷̜̮͇͋̔̆̆̽ ̵̭̱̹̻̫̍͌̚͠ ̷̭̱͐ ̶̺͙̝̲̓̎̇̕͝ ̴̧̼̩̗̻̄̀ ̵̖̬̻̈́̈̎͊͠ ̴̿͐̉̀ͅ ̷̢̰͕̏́̾͛̊ ̶̨̭̀͆̃̾͑ ̸̥̪́͛ ̸͇͎̰̟̂ ̸͉̗̩̹̎̉̋̾̋ ̴̰̘͇̰̒̈̑̀̕
Day 13
Got very tempted to play with the transmission, but one of the assistants came for a talk. Yelena, worried about her sick friend. She asked if the rock samples could have been contaminated with something. She asked about Franz and his weird behaviour.
I have no idea what she's worried about. It's cold, people get sick. And Franz… Well, we're scientists. A little crazy comes baked in. I would never consider talking to yourself, or your fancy rock, an issue of character or mind. I talk to myself all the time as I work.
Well, I imagine I’m talking to Jayce, which is close enough. It feels nice. It helps with problem solving.
*
The tarmac was loud and windy, yet the midday sun radiating off the asphalt was unrelenting. The plane was on standby, waiting for the last few crew members to board.
And Viktor, who was taking his sweet time running through the equipment list once again. Stalling, really. It was a monday, and mondays were always the busiest, which meant Jayce would inevitably be running a little late.
They didn't make any plans, but Viktor knew. He knew Jayce would be coming with the same kind of certainty that had him convinced this expedition would change his life forever. So he stalled, having another pass at the papers, when he finally heard heavy footsteps beating over the din of the engines, approaching.
Jayce crashed dramatically against one of the crates, clearly winded, and dropped a plastic bag of something on it, something in containers. He wiped sweat off his brow, and Viktor wasn’t too happy about the weather either, but he tried his best to enjoy the warmth. There was a change of clothes waiting on the plane, a thick parka and a whole lot of cold in his future.
“That’s a little extreme,” Jayce said, still leaning on the crates and looking at something packed and ready to go.
“Ah, yes,” Viktor said after leaning over himself to have a look. “For clearing out snow and frost, Works better than shovels, allegedly.”
Jayce raised a skeptical eyebrow. Viktor wasn’t too crazy about flame throwers either, but he wasn’t going to be the one to operate them anyway. One less problem in a sea of them.
"Is this for me?" Viktor leaned in, a smile already infecting him as he poked around the plastic bag, his nose catching the scent of varied aromas. Something sweet, something salty, and something sour.
"Yeah, uhh,” he seemed to struggle with a bashful look, opting to glance around before saying his peace. “Mom sends good luck and a safe trip."
It was possible to feel even warmer in this weather. "Thank you, Jayce."
He scoffed. "I know you… I know you've got nothing but protein bars packed for your trip."
"They make for a perfectly balanced meal."
Jayce made a gagging sound, as if he didn't help himself to a few every now and then when he'd get out of the gym and they’d head for work together.
Viktor hooked his cane on one of his arms and spread them, a very clear invitation that Jayce didn't waste time fulfilling.
And they were very much out of time, if the yelling to please board was to be taken into account. But that didn't stop the hug from lasting. Viktor counted the seconds spent squeezed against Jayce's chest, always aiming to pass that five second mark that arbitrarily marked a divide between proper and improper.
"You be careful now, okay?" Jayce spoke into his hair, sending cool shivers down Viktor's back, even in this heat. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."
A laugh bubbled out of Viktor. "That's an awfully short list."
*
Day 14
The goop I scraped onto a petri dish is "acting out". It seems to be reacting to organic material and heat. That last one is a negative. The petri dish almost burst from the agitation one warmed up piece of metal wire caused.
I lowered the temperature in the biohazard unit, just in case. And the lab, frankly. I'll have a look at the generators myself, I feel like they're working a bit overtime. A likely reason why my joints haven’t been complaining these days, but we have to conserve power first and foremost.
Franz was lingering outside the lab as I was exiting. Didn’t respond to my inquiries, just kind of lingered there. He looks like he hasn’t been getting any sleep. And I hear Joy is sleeping in the kennel.
Who am I to judge. I forgot to eat today. I’m pretty sure I forgot to sleep, too.
*
He read the note several times during the plane ride.
Will read it many more during cold nights in the bunk of his bed.
Of all they’ve exchanged, private hand-written notes were not among them. He knew the neat handwriting of one Jayce Talis like the back of his hand from how many work notes and research journals they exchanged and traded. But this? This felt different. Looked different, too. Much more carefully written, like it had been penned five times before settling on the final version. There was something intimate about it, they way it was folded up in three parts and placed into an envelope signed J.T.
The likelihood of Viktor imagining all of that out of personal desperation was also a possibility. After all, the letter started pretty casual, with an anecdote of Rio’s behaviour during her trial period in Jayce’s apartment.
And then there was that other part.
You keep lying to your doctor about swimming.
No, Viktor was merely obfuscating the truth with words like I’ve looked into it, and I’ll be sure to visit the pool. No need to expose himself as someone who’s never learned how to float, let alone swim.
Well, have you even considered rectifying that? Because I was thinking, when we wrap up the winter expedition, we’ll be back home to our own local winter, and I think it’d be fun if we went somewhere warmer for a while.
Viktor imagined swinging palms and a warm breeze.
Just you, me, and a little celebratory vacation. I know you’re hoarding those days worse than me, and a nice little rest could do you good. Both of us, really. I think it would be fun to teach you how to swim.
Viktor imagined turquoise water and Jayce, already in there, dripping with salt water, chest bare and beckoning him in. He’d be holding one of those foam noodles, threatening him with a good but embarrassing time.
Viktor imagined a hotel room with one bed. Or two beds that would become one a few days in, because surely… No, unlikely. But, maybe? It was fun to imagine, fun to indulge in a vision of something sweet.
Reality was a lot more uncertain, and there was a deadline in his future.
The only certainty Viktor had was the call of the mountain he was heading towards. A certainty that promised something otherworldly.
*
Day 15
Something around sunset had Mikhal acting out. He went to check on the dogs and as far as I know he's still in the kennel. Or so I hear. I've spent most of my day in the lab.
Here’s the real highlight — I engaged the transmission protocol and sent a message on the signal's wavelength. Nothing fancy, just a little "Hello". The results were immediate and devastating. The signal stopped. I just stopped. The line was dead silent, just some static crackling, nothing.
I had a bit of an anxiety attack. A miserable experience, but I found myself pacing in circles without a cane. I pretended I was talking to Jayce to calm myself, but I barely worked.
I may have fucked something up. Should have waited for him. Our heads always worked best together.
Day 16
A sled and two dogs are missing. Mikhal had his comms on him so we can tell he went somewhere towards the mountain. I'm going with the search party, mostly to inspect the mountain up close. The signal is still dead.
The dogs are quiet, though, so there's one win.
Addendum: The empty seat in the snowcat remained empty. We found his sled and we found his discarded gear. Clothes and all. No sign of the man, but he can't have gone far in that state of undress. The team is very distraught and very demoralized, and I have no signal.
It feels like I lost a comfort. I’m not sure what to do about that.
At least my leg doesn't hurt.
At least Jayce will be here soon.
*
“How is this allowed?”
He understood why Viktor said nothing about it. Jayce knew he could get a little draconian when upset, but he thought this was a legitimate reason to be at the very least concerned.
The comms admin just shrugged. “Weather and geographical interference, not much we can do.”
“So there’s absolutely no contact with the research team? None at all?”
“We got a low bandwidth radio transmission sending pings every hour, along with shortform data.”
“That’s it?” Jayce held back from exploding on a man who clearly had nothing to do with it, but barely. “And if something goes wrong?”
“Well, if someone engages the emergency system, we’d receive a different ping.”
And do what, exactly? A rescue mission would take days. But that was catastrophizing; he just wanted to send a message, maybe make a call. Hear how Viktor was doing out there, alone.
Well, no, he wasn’t alone, the same way Jayce wasn’t alone. But even in a crowd of people, if Viktor wasn’t there, an immense sense of emptiness invaded his being. Not the healthiest thought to have about a friend, and Jayce didn’t even have the luxury of his newly realised feelings to fall back on.
This sensation of deja-vu, of knowing Viktor for only seven years yet feeling like he’d been a part of him forever had been with Jayce… forever.
Which made his next discovery almost earth-shattering.
“My boy, we weren’t inclined to send either of you on the first run, and precisely for those issues,” dr. Heimerdinger said. “I did not enjoy sending anyone out there for so long and with such poor safety nets.”
“So why did you?”
No amount of short patience and talking through his teeth unnerved the old bat, who always felt like he was stuck in a completely different film than the rest of them.
“Ah, well, Viktor appealed to me personally to set this in motion as soon as possible. And, goodness, I found it hard to deny a dying man his last wish.”
The silence from Jayce was deafening. The look on his face must have said it all.
“Oh dear,” the first sign of dr. Heimerdinger looking a little ruffled breached the surface. “You didn't know.”
Jayce didn’t know.
*
Day 18
tuned the generators properly today. franz was in the lab when i got back. i didn't share my access codes so i don't know how he got in. but he didn't seem very surprised to see the cocoon.
would rather he was someone else, but it still felt nice to observe it with some company. it has this pulsing, lifelike quality to it, like an organ in motion. it's almost relaxing.
franz didn't say much but when he opened his mouth, all i heard was the signal speaking to me again.
i think i spoke back.
Day 20
i wonder if jayce is listening. i wonder what's on his mind. does he know what i did? is he upset?
complaints about the cold again, but the temperature is finally perfect. franz agrees. joy, too. even my leg agrees. and i don’t remember the last time i coughed.
*
He used to have a drinking problem. He used to have a lot of problems before he met Viktor. That was kind of a turning point for him, for the better. A bottle of whiskey hadn’t been a mainstay in his apartment for seven years.
It felt neither good nor bad to break that streak. It felt like nothing. A whole lot of nothing.
The only something he felt was when he turned on the transceiver, and listened to that scratchy mystic tune. Not because he grew a fondness for it or anything close to it, but because somewhere out there, on the other side of the fucking world, Viktor was listening to it as well, and that was as close to contact as Jayce was going to get, for now.
He was in the bathroom, lethargically brushing his teeth, when he heard something strange. Or, lack thereof. The crackling from the transceiver was silent. It just stopped.
Jayce padded back to the livingroom, expecting to find Viktor’s cat chewing on the cable or something. But Rio was napping in her cushy nest, and the green light was on.
And the signal was gone.
He had half a mind to get a screwdriver and open it up, but as soon as he placed his hand on the radio box, the speakers crackled to life and he heard it.
Ḩ̴̛̗̤̮̈́̈́̏̀ ̴̪̞̞̰̝̏̀́̉͑E̷̠͍̣͒̓͆͠͝ͅ ̶̛̦̳͔̘͐́͋L̵̯̱̮͌ ̴̩̍̏͐̔̊L̵̝̠͝ ̸̛̱̞̺̬͉̑͒Ö̶̤̬̥́̎͘͜
At first he thought he was hearing things, or mishearing. But then he heard it again.
H̴̓͜ ̴̦̠̆ẻ̸͚̠ ̷̜̀̚l̷̦̒̅ ̵̤͒l̴̲̚ ̷̼͂̐o̷͙͉͛
And again, in ten second intervals. And each time, the voice a little clearer to his ears, each repetition bringing a little more clarity, a little more recognition, until he heard Viktor’s voice.
He turned the machine off and aimed a look of betrayal at the half empty bottle on the desk. He poured the rest of it down the drain.
He had one more week of work to get through, he had a cat hotel to arrange for Rio, and he had to iron out the final bit of logistics for those favors he was about to cash in to get him where he needed to be.
This was no time to start loosing his fucking mind.
*
Day 22
yelena keeps crying about something. i told her to visit joy and the dogs. i told her they know where mikhal is.
franz has become very useful. whenever i need something, he's right there. i need to show the rest of the crew how to be this useful.
doesn't speak much, but when he opens his mouth i hear it again. it helps me think.
think
think
i think i know where to get some sleep. it looks so warm and soft in there. like a hug
doesn’t smell like him, though
but he’ll be here soon
soon
soon
*
He confirmed it with dr. Heimerdinger and several other coworkers, just to make sure he wasn’t crazy.
There was good news. Everyone confirmed the signal stopped transmitting. The comms admin also confirmed there was no distress signal from the research base which meant on that end, everything was hunky-dory.
And then there was the bad news.
There was no signal. There was nothing. Dr. Heimerdinger had it running for thirty minutes with Jayce in the room as they tinkered with the settings to try and adjust the wavelength. But there was nothing but the crackle of silence coming through the speakers.
Except when Jayce was alone. Except when he was at home, alone, transceiver on, a drink in hand again, and yes, for a while it would be just the silence. And then—
j̸͍̼͆̐̀̌͊̚ ̸̞̹͎̻͈͈̈́͆̃͂a̴̡̛̮̲͇̟͖͌͑ ̸̨̟͙̭͐ỳ̸̺̬̓̑̅ ̵͕͍̙̝͗̑̎̚͜ċ̶̦̇̔ ̵̧̥̦̙̉̿̓̿̈͠ẹ̶͖̰͖̙̅̌̇͛̎͊
Words. Sounds. Muffled and barely audible. Chewed up with static. Recursive. Repeating. Like the signal but different.
ċ̴̢̻͙̜́̃̈́̎̓ ̶͚̰̺͖̭̔͑͑̈́͋͆̽ǫ̷̛̺͚̏̾̃̿̚ ̸̨̣̙̙̫̅͒͜m̴̝̩̄̍͐́̈ ̵̥̑̋̂͋̂͘͠e̸͈̪̻̅̎
The longer he listened, the longer he sat there trying to make out the messages, always and inevitably, the voice would end up sounding like Viktor.
ś̸͓̟̬̞̽͐͠ ̴̫̄͑́̾o̶͖̓ ̷̣̤̃̊͜ǒ̶͚̱̲̲̂͋ ̵̯̪͎̲̈́̈́̄͊n̵̺̝̎̈́̀͑
He understood Viktor’s obsession now. He understood not being able to turn the sound off. But where Viktor heard music and melody, Jayce heard the warning sirens of something having gone terrifying wrong.