This is a Test

Ch. 4 - Part I - The First Test

The next morning was scheduled for Cashe's physical. He assumed Miranda was a decent enough doctor, as she tapped his knee with a rubber hammer without fumbles. She checked his heart and blood pressure, all while asking him questions as to his mental health.

"And how are you doing? Any feelings of isolation or claustrophobia?"

"I think I've acclimated just fine."

"Anything you long for from your everyday life?"

"Not really." He paused in consideration. "Well, maybe my streaming services."

It was the only thing he missed besides a regular paycheck. Each Saturday night, he would enjoy a fine meal, settle in front of the computer, and spend a good half-hour tapping the Dislike button to remove shows from his line-up queue. He only kept the services for the occasional good business program; otherwise, he found more enjoyment trying to train algorithms to stop offering him cartoons, Korean romances, and cooking competitions.

"What about friends or family?" Miranda inquired.

Cashe shrugged. "I never had any of those."

He realized his mistake. He opened a door and needed to shut it fast. He added, "Well, not until now."

She gave him that empty-eyed look of hers. He knew she debated believing him or not, and he assumed she deferred to trust by the fact she smiled as she continued her examination. Monitoring more vitals, she probed further for weaknesses. She would find none. Save for possibly Lia, Cashe understood that he was the sanest person there.

Miranda unwrapped the blood pressure cuff from his arm. "You mentioned suicide earlier. I hope you understand that it can be uncomfortable subject to be discussed."

"I believe it is a subject that should be considered in an expedition such as this."

She nodded slowly. "I agree, but that may be why they chose me for this. I left medicine for psychiatry, specializing in depression. I have lost several patients, even a loved one, to suicides and it is an uncomfortable subject for me."

"I see. I will endeavor to not mention it again in your presence." If she had suffered a trauma, he had no desire to stoke the flames of her anguish. Besides, accommodating the others' feelings could be seen as promoting a positive work environment.

After another half-hour of his life lost, he was permitted to leave. Exiting the office, he almost collided with Dante, who said, "Oh. Hey, there, Randy."

Cashe dead-eyed the man. "I do not know why you persist in calling me Randy."

"It's a friend name. It shows we're friends. No need to be so formal around one another."

"How would you like it if I called you Danny?"

He beamed. "It wouldn't bother me at all."

"It would bother me. It is not your name, so I will not be calling you that."

Cashe walked off. He didn't know what it was going to take to get the message through.

He passed Karina as he traversed through the hydroponics lab to enter the newly-formed tunnel where the drones toiled. Some carved into the glacier with chainsaws. Others placed the ice shards into an awaiting cart, which, once filled, would drive remotely away. In this new space, Cashe would build out the habitat.

The structure was an amalgam of concepts. Cashe was to implement each one over time to test their efficacy. The current assignment was to build an airtight corridor that could be assembled by one able-bodied person with minimal strength. The design, simply described, comprised of interlocking picture frames where two panels could be slid in and secured by bolts. Between the panels, piping would carry water, fiber optic cables, and electrical wiring, in addition to seals and insulation. The last design elements were in the ceiling, where he would install a line of chemical fire extinguishers and the occasional surveillance camera.

Cashe possessed no construction experience before Anoptica, but they had provided months of training in what they required. Experts had already designed the structure; his job was but to ensure it was assembled correctly. He was to report on the ease of construction, any issues, and where things could be improved.

His breath fogged before him. Having dressed simply for the exam, he now needed warmer clothing. Finding enough space to work, he left the tunnel and headed through the hydroponics lab towards the main hallway. In passing Karina, she paused from fiddling with her plants to give Cashe a big, fake smile. "Have a good day, Randy."

Dante had a pathological need to be liked; Karina was just a shit-stirrer. Cashe understood her. He leaned towards her, reducing his voice to a hush. "You know, I usually don't like people calling me Randy, but with you, I'll make an exception."

Her smile crashed and burned into a scowl in milliseconds. Cashe grinned, knocked on her desk twice, and walked away. He doubted she'd call him anything less than "Dr. Cashe" now, at least to his face.

He collected a thermal jacket from the garage and placed a ski mask and gloves in the pockets. He did not put them on yet, as they would impede his functioning and it was already taxing working with the air tanks on his back. He went to the machine shop. Both the plastic and the metal 3-D printers had run all night, so Cashe expected a wide assortment of panels and supports ready for assembly. Anticipating the room as empty, he instead found Lia coding at one of the consoles. She hummed along with some music but stopped upon spotting him. She retrieved her oxygen canister and translator before lowering her head and departing.

This displeased Cashe. He did not like inadvertently chasing her away from someplace she felt comfortable. Lia only spoke when necessary, avoided him and the others, and seemed a fine worker. The fact that she strove to avoid interactions with him made her presence the only tolerable one of the lot. Once he finished there, he would draft her an email proposing they schedule times in the shop to prevent them from accidentally encountering one another.

Despite the incessant rattle of equipment, part of the machine shop's appeal was that the servers generated heat that offset the room's chill. After all, they lived inside a glacier. The robotic arm above the printers had already removed and stacked the metal supports. The printer was deep into crafting bolts when the alarms sounded.

Cashe pulled his mask over his face during that three-second warning before the ceiling extinguishers exploded open, blasting everything below under copious plumes of white cloudy gas. The printers halted mid-stroke and all other machinery paused as well. The monitors in the room flickered and Cashe anticipated another test message.

Instead, the screens were bisected by a yellow line and displayed two images. One was a plug-in motherboard; the other, the location where it belonged. Under each sat pulsating red arrows. An ingenious design. The diagnostics determined the problem and solution. The two arrows would lead through the complex, showing where the repair part could be found and where to place it. So simple, a numbnut could figure it out.

He'd let the numbnuts figure it out.