May 11, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: This is weird. None of us has a signal. Hopefully, everything reconnects soon. I miss you. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

“Hi Anna.” (A deep sigh.) “Today has been. Well, to say it has been rough is an understatement. I don’t think this will send, even when you reconnect to the network. It just does not feel right going to bed without talking to you, so this will have to do. I sincerely hope you are all living in blissful ignorance down there in the snow. It was just awful, Anna. I had a God’s-eye view of the end of the world. That is overly dramatic, but it doesn’t feel like it.” (Faint rustling noise of a hand rubbing against an ear.) “We were just watching it all. It does not seem real. Reports are hard to come by. The entire communications network is down, so all we have to go off of is what our sensors picked up and what they have at the base. Do you remember back in junior year history when we were learning about the Cold War? It all seemed so ridiculous in that classroom. There was no way anyone would risk Mutually Assured Destruction; apparently, it took only fifty years for people to forget that would be the outcome. We watched it all play out right in front of us. You know the worst part of it? Seeing that you were offline. I know you are safe. As safe as anyone can be. I was monitoring every data stream I could access to make sure you were out of harm’s way today. I just hope it stays that way. I love you. I do not say that enough. I should end every sentence with it. Stay safe for me.”

May 12, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: I missed talking to you last night. How is the flight going? You must be exhausted. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: Still no signal? That’s weird. I know our signal here is shady at times, but I thought it would have at least come back long enough to send something from yesterday. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

(The sound of someone collapsing onto a bed) “I can still taste the potassium iodide we had to take. It almost tastes like someone put washers in my mouth while I was sleeping. I added extra honey to my coffee this morning, hoping to mask it a little, but it didn’t do much. Do you have any at your station? This whole hardening protocol has been unpleasant but necessary. I hope you at least have something. (The rustle of bedding followed by fast rhythmic typing) I’ve been tracking the total electron count over your location. The noise is too loud for me to even try getting a signal through to you. I wouldn’t even be able to manage it from the ground. You can probably imagine that morale isn’t great here. El is doing his best to keep everyone’s spirits up, but if he takes any more energy pods, he might just vibrate us off course. We’re expecting to make landfall in a couple of days. I have been guiding the crew at the base on what to monitor, as well as everyone up here. I swear my comms pad hasn’t stopped pinging for more than a few minutes at a time. Every time I hope it is from you. I know better than to think that right now. It would be a miracle if you could get a signal out with the equipment they send you. I am honestly surprised you can get a decent signal even on a clear day. You would think the government could afford something better than the array you have. I should have sent a booster with you. I should have delayed this test flight so I could go with you.” (The faint sound of someone calling for Rick can be heard in the background.) “I guess that is my cue. Maybe I’ll manage to get a few hours of rest tonight.”

May 13, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: We are thinking they forgot to warn us about maintenance. It isn’t like we’re in the Arctic, hundreds of miles away from anyone else or anything. At least we had pancakes for breakfast. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: I have never seen the sky look like this. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: (Picture of a sky the color of a three-day bruise with an orange-tinted sun) [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

(This recording has significantly less background noise.) “I finally made it back home. Guess it was too much to hope that you would be in bed waiting for me? There was about a 400% increase in stratospheric soot, so there was a bit more turbulence than we would have preferred. Either that or El was on energy pods again. We may have to stage an intervention for him if he keeps going at this rate. He looked like he was about to go to sleep for a few days, though. I think I’m the last one up from the crew. I had to check on the hard seals after we landed. The base had been contained before our arrival. Luckily, it looks like the hangar airlock system performed to spec. I stopped by Comms before heading home. It looks like the TEC is still too high for even our ground-to-ground arrays. I don’t think you would even be able to get a single byte of data through that noise.” (The sound of someone shifting on a bed). They were busy at Comms, though; they were setting up some kind of beacon in case someone could receive it. (A deep inhale) Your pillow still smells like you. I know you were supposed to be gone for a few more months, but this trip feels longer than that. Hurry back, we should have plenty of ice here for you to look at soon enough if the models are right. You thought our tunnels between buildings were overkill. They are about to be the most popular feature here.”

May 14, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: Another weird sky day. The southern horizon looks almost grubby. I’d say a storm is coming, but it is completely still. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: I know you’re probably slammed with the test flight, but I am starting to get worried. Can you just ping me if you see this? I love you. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

“How did I ever survive four years sharing a dorm with Wilson? We had to increase the air pressure inside the buildings to keep the soot out if there is a gap in our seal. I made sure to ramp up the differential as gradually as possible. Wilson has not stopped complaining about his ears popping. Nathaniel actually threw a pack of gum at him. Can you picture Wilson chewing gum? He hums to keep the sound of his own chewing from being too loud when he’s eating a normal meal. I think he might actually have a mastication-induced heart attack if he chewed gum.” (Fingers drumming on the bed) “What else can I tell you about? The livestock have all been moved inside and treated for radiation and pollution exposure. This is the first time the agricultural levels have been completely full and sealed, but checks are all nominal. I hope you are keeping yourself safe. I keep thinking of things I should have packed for you to help you through this. I am sorry I fell short.”

May 15, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: I may die of boredom. I inventoried the rations last night just to have something to do. We have enough food for another year, so try not to worry. This chocolate will not last, though. My sweet tooth is going to take a serious hit this time. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

(The sound of a stylus tapping against the edge of a tablet) “Everything is running better than I honestly expected for running as a closed system for the first time. The bio-filters on the exterior walls are struggling with the soot levels, but increasing the flow rate through the external hydroponics seems to help. It will be a moot point if the current particulate density holds for long. They won’t be getting enough sunlight soon. We’ll have to rely primarily on wind and geothermal for power, but that should still be enough for base operations. The seals are all holding.” (The tapping stops) “I wish I could take pride in it all working as well as it is. Everyone seems to think I should be. I would rather be tackling multiple failures with you here than have this all be perfect without you.”

May 16, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: It is so quiet here that it actually woke me up. The wind seems to have stopped completely; our turbines aren’t generating anything. I have never seen it so still. I had to watch a video of us at my parents’ cottage last summer just to hear your voice. The silence is starting to get to me. [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

“I spent most of the day in Comms today. The ionospheric ripple is bouncing our radio waves unpredictably. We are struggling to find any other signals. I had to report to the Council on how everything is holding up so far. I have the feeling that these meeting requests will become more regular.” (He sounds frustrated) “I clearly don’t have anything better to do than to reassure a trio of people who probably can’t even understand the most basic physics problems, much less the complexity of a system like ours. These few minutes I spend recording these notes for you are the only time I get to breathe or even be alone. I have spent most of the last week having my attention pulled in multiple directions and expected to answer every question with certainty. I understand that everyone is scared.” (A pause while his breathing slows) “I don’t think anyone is more terrified than I am, though. The core of everyone’s world is here with them, but not mine. You’re thousands of miles to the north, and I am doing my absolute best to reach you. It is hard not to resent every request that pulls me away from that.”

May 17, 2038

A. Rutherford: Good morning, Brodie! [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

A. Rutherford: Brodie, what is going on? I just went out to check the sensors, and the snow is gray. It smells almost like ash. It even stained my pants when I brushed it off my gloves. I might be going crazy, but the sun doesn’t seem as bright. I took off my sunglasses to check the snow; it should be too bright to do that. This isn’t a maintenance issue, is it? [STATUS: UNDELIVERED]

Transcript of Undelivered Voice Note from B. Rutherford to A. Rutherford

“Everyone is settling into a new normal here. This was the first day that I haven’t been bombarded with questions. It is starting to sink in for people that this is just what the base was built for, and how much effort went into the design and construction. I have had multiple people come up to congratulate me on how well everything is holding up, but I do not want to hear it right now. The one thing I need to be functioning is not. I cannot get enough strength to the communications systems to cut through the noise out there. The worst part is that I do not know if I can fix it. I am trying, Anna. I am. I keep running the numbers and analyzing the data, hoping that something will change. Even a tenth of a percent might be enough. (A long, frustrated sigh) I should get some sleep. This week has been exhausting.”

(A few hours later) “Brilliant, I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep, but I was convinced one of my alerts went off. I must have dreamt it. I have set up a few protocols to check your coordinates and alert me to any positive changes in the ionosphere, so I can try to reach you. It must have been wishful thinking. Now, I cannot fall back asleep.” (One set of footsteps echoes in the background) “I had to get out into the tunnels for a walk to try to clear my head. Everything back at our place reminds me of how you are the one person missing. You know, I took this job to try to make some important difference in this world. To save it in some way. What is the point of it all if I cannot save you, too?” (A door closes, followed by a stifled sob. His voice is tight when he starts to speak again.) “What am I supposed to do? I do not even remember who I am without you. Please, hold on. I will find some way to get you home. There has to be something.”