Mirrors to Atlantis

Chapter 3

Five days drifted by, and Polina had nearly forgotten about the application she had submitted to her manager, Viktor. On this particular day, as she arrived at work, ready to punch in her time, an unexpected sight greeted her in Viktor's office - two men dressed in suits.

"Good morning, Polina," Viktor greeted her with a smile.

"Hello, sir." Polina glanced at Viktor, then at the two men in suits, and back to Viktor. She began, "I was ju..."

Viktor interrupted her, "These are the scientists you were eager to speak to last week, Polina. Would you like to discuss your application with them?"

Polina blushed, her memory of the application returning in a rush. She was no longer sure if she wanted to participate in this mysterious experiment. The heat of embarrassment washed over her as an awkward silence stretched on.

"Uhhhh... yes," she finally stammered.

One of the suited men, Dr. Vlail Kaznacheev from the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, introduced himself, "Hello, Polina. I am Dr. Vlail Kaznacheev, and this is my assistant, Dr. Pasternak. We're conducting experiments involving Kozyrev mirrors at our facility here. I'd be delighted to answer any questions you may have."

Dr. Kaznacheev's unusually friendly demeanor disarmed Polina. Her curiosity surged, and the questions she had pondered for a week flooded her mind.

"How much is the compensation?" Polina asked with wide eyes.

"20,000RUB per hour," Dr. Kaznacheev replied, causing Polina's jaw to drop in astonishment.

"What exactly do you want the subjects to do? That's a substantial amount of money," Polina inquired.

Dr. Kaznacheev's eyes sparkled with excitement as he explained, "You simply sit inside a mirrored tube for as long as you can and report any experiences you have while inside. It's as straightforward as that."

The Doctor's enthusiasm seemed to grow on Polina, and she found herself becoming more intrigued. The simplicity of the task, combined with the generous compensation, pushed her other concerns aside. What could go wrong by merely sitting in a tube and collecting 20,000RUB per hour? The prospect of a change from her monotonous life excited her.

As Polina and the doctor discussed further details of the experiment, she began to anticipate the extra income and the possibilities it might bring. Perhaps she could finally visit her old home in Vaiya, see old friends, or even gather enough savings to escape her frozen life in Dikson. For the first time since her mother's death, a glimmer of hope for her future stirred within her. She felt as if she might be able to grasp happiness again, provided she secured this opportunity and made the most of it until she could break free.

With a smile, Polina shook hands with the doctor and Viktor before returning to her post at the register, where she spent the remainder of her shift daydreaming about the possibilities this opportunity might bring. She watched Viktor escort the doctor to the front of the store, exchange pleasantries, and say goodbye.

"Will he be back for more applications next week?" Polina asked Viktor as he headed back to his office.

Viktor stopped, pausing for a moment. He straightened his back and walked over to Polina, his demeanor shifting. "Do you realize how naive it is to agree to this kind of testing? Is money all you care about? Don't you value your health? You asked only two questions? I hope this doesn't interfere with your work here at the grocery."

Polina was stunned into silence, her face flushing with embarrassment. Where had this sudden change in Viktor's attitude come from? She remembered him smiling in the office when he accepted her application last week with no objections. The testing sounded benign enough; she had been concerned they might cut funding for test subjects before she could save enough money for a visit to Vaiya at the very least. Viktor's unexpected reaction left her confused and unsettled.

After Polina's shift ended, Viktor had Marta close out her register and sign the cash drop. Polina was thoroughly perplexed by Viktor's reaction to something that seemed to be none of his business. She arrived home to the dimly lit two-bedroom apartment she shared with her father, Boris. He sat at the kitchen table, the floor lamp casting the only light in the room. It felt depressingly familiar.

"Hello, Kitty. How was work today?" Boris asked, as he did every day.

"Fine. I applied for a position at the science facility with a Dr. Kaznacheev," Polina began.

"That's nice," her father replied without looking up from his dinner.

"I thought with the extra money, I might plan a trip to Vaiya, visit some old friends, and see Mama's grave," Polina continued.

"Mm-hmm," Boris acknowledged with a nod, still focused on his meal.

"The pay is 20,000RUB per hour."

"That's probably too good to be true," Boris doubted. "Are you sure they didn't say 2,000RUB?"

Polina was adamant that the pay was indeed 20,000RUB per hour, but her father continued eating, not looking up or asking further questions.

As Polina removed her winter wear at the door and headed to her room, she flopped on her bed, staring up at the ceiling until sleep claimed her. In her dreams, she returned to her home in Vaiya for the first time in ages. It felt so vivid. She dreamt of her mother dancing in their summer garden, picking tomatoes for dinner. She could see her mother holding the tomatoes in a makeshift basket made from the skirt of her dress, her bare feet exposed. She remembered her mother teaching her how to identify ripe tomatoes and select the best ones for harvest.

Morning arrived all too soon, and Polina's alarm interrupted her short reunion with her mother's memory. She was abruptly reminded of her harsh reality-the eternally dark sky, the orange glow from the street lamps casting an eerie hue on the walls of her room, and the freezing air waiting on the other side of her blankets. She pulled the covers up over her head, seeking a few more moments with her mother's memory before reluctantly accepting that the day must begin. Those precious moments, however, never came, and her alarm sounded once more, demanding her to rise from her warm fortress.

At work, Viktor had reverted to his typical aloof and unconcerned demeanor, much to Polina's relief. Just as she was counting her till, a young, petite blonde girl with wide-set blue eyes and a pink headband approached her register.

"Good morning, miss! My name is Svetlana, and I'm here for an interview with..." She retrieved a piece of paper with scribbled notes. "Viktor! Do you know where I can find him?"

Polina suspected that Svetlana might be her replacement but answered, "Yes, he's in the back office," pointing in the direction of Viktor's office. Svetlana hurried toward the office and knocked.

Polina watched Viktor's warm

smile as he greeted Svetlana and invited her into his office. A pang of anxiety struck her. Was Viktor planning to replace her due to their disagreement about the test subjects? She quickly dismissed the thought, reminding herself that it might be a temporary position while Marta went home for Christmas.

As Polina rang up a customer's items, she noticed Svetlana exiting the office, waving joyfully. Polina raised a hand to acknowledge her and continued working.

"She's very nice, eager to work, and doesn't want to become a victim of some scientific study," Viktor remarked quietly, appearing next to Polina without her noticing. She rolled her eyes.

"Is she my replacement?" Polina scoffed.

"No, but I need a backup in case you have an unfortunate accident at this 'science lab'," Viktor retorted. Polina just rolled her eyes.

"You have about three days before my first appointment, so we'll see in what condition I return," she replied.

"I'm sure we will," Viktor said as he walked away, grabbing a coffee on his way.

Polina couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into Viktor. She questioned his abrupt change in attitude. What had driven this grumpy old man to behave so strangely?