Mimicry

Chapter 2 - Acatalepsy

One evening or another, the researchers had finished their work shift and were hanging out in the common room, bar Jake who had dedicated an extra hour or so to studying a certain newly-discovered tektite cluster sampled on the eastern side of the island.

Faith, ever the competitive soul, was playing a tense game of pool with Josh, hoping to maintain her 3-game winning streak against this paragon of gaming fortitude. Both were only on 2 balls left of each type, along with the ominous 8 ball somehow staring at both players with an evil glare.

John and Essie were comfortably nestled in the sofas engaging in their regular chess sessions. Essie was insistent on being able to defeat her beloved boyfriend back home, and John was willing to impart his admittedly slightly overestimated abilities, for lack of chess masters already on Bouvet. This iteration involved a particularly riveting theory lesson on the St. George defence, Wright variation - a dubious opening but certainly an intriguing one. Essie's eyes shone with fascination, eager to eventually unleash this bad boy once she's reunited with her partner.

The chill atmosphere was occasionally broken by the sounds of exasperation from the bar - Ceriann and Kate were, as ever, fighting it out on the dart board. Their daily matches were truly a spectacle for the rest of the crew; though all of them liked to dabble themselves, Kate and Ceriann were the undisputed ultimate darters. This derby match between the two held similar weight to the World Cup final, not to mention its tenseness. As always, the two were neck-and-neck in scores, though both were hitting a dry streak, at the expense of the wooden panelling housing the extra cache of spirits as well as John's not-so-secret stash of blue curaçao bottles. Kate's most recent attempts at hitting a double 17 were, so far, not bearing fruit. Neither were Ceriann's attempts at hitting her double 14. Still, they pushed on, despite the mountain of adversity eliciting the groans of vexation that could stir the great Hypnos himself from his peaceful slumbers.

This was a homely atmosphere greatly appreciated by the crew, and all were looking forward to their nightly film watch-alongs once Jake finished his tasks. Jake was normally the first to finish up; the thought of inefficiency was unattractive with the prospect of hanging out with his fellow researchers and friends, but this was a new prospect that deserved special consideration.

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Accompanied only by the distant whirring of the generators and Jake's seismograph ceaselessly scribbling away, Jake was still poring fruitlessly over his element records to decipher the geological makeup of these tektites. 

One side of Jake's lab was dedicated to his geological studies. Here, a collection of rock and mineral samples from various parts of the island were displayed, dutifully labelled and catalogued. A rock saw and grinder stood alongside.

On the other side of the lab, Jake's meteorological equipment was set up. A large screen displayed real-time weather data collected from various sensors around the island. In the centre of the room, a large workbench was cluttered with maps, charts, and satellite images. 

Jake's personal touch was evident in the lab, too. Photos of cloud formations, storms, and various geological formations adorned the walls. A small shelf held a collection of books on meteorology and geology, written by the field's greats - Edmonds, Penny, Hanmer - were well-used and filled with bookmarks. The most well-worn was his trusty diary, bristling with research notes, personal thoughts and whatever else Jake thought of writing.

He opened it up once again.

Date:  October 20, 2030

Stumbled upon an intriguing find today - a sizeable cluster of tektites on the island's eastern side on the Rodwell cliffs. Indicative of a meteorite strike. Their shapes always get me, some streamlined like cosmic tears, others rough and scalloped. Their smoother size and smaller shape than usual could tell us a lot about their trajectory and velocity as they re-entered the atmosphere. This debris must have been flung very high following impact. Quite a spectacle of nature, if you ask me.