Kaiju Preservation Society(9)

“And if I do?”

“Angrily consume your bacon on the toilet, is my advice.” Dr. Lee lifted the first syringe. “Ready?”



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“Did your shots go well?” Avella asked, when I returned to her office.

“I didn’t murder Dr. Lee,” I said. “But that may be because I can barely move my arm right now.”

“Thank you for not murdering our doctor,” she said, then she removed her mask. “I was vaccinated weeks ago,” she said, when she caught my look. “And now that you’ve had your shots, I don’t have to pretend I haven’t had mine. But I’ll put it back on if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s fine.” I thought about taking mine off but didn’t.

Avella tapped a folder on her desk. “We have some paperwork for you to fill out. We need information so we can direct deposit your salary and get you enrolled in our medical and benefits programs. We also have some optional paperwork here that gives us a limited power of attorney so we can deal with things like your rent and school loans.”

“What?”

Avella smiled. “Tom didn’t tell you about that, I see. In addition to your salary, KPS covers your monthly rent and any school loan payments you might have. If you have credit card or other commercial debt, you have to pay that, but we can either pay it for you and deduct it out of your salary, or help you set up an automatic payment for it if you haven’t already done so.”

“That’s terrific,” I said.

“We’ll be asking a lot of you, Jamie. And we’ll be taking you away from the world when we do it. The least we can do is make sure you have a place to come back to. Speaking of salary, I realize we haven’t discussed numbers yet. If it’s acceptable to you, we’ll start you at a hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.”

“I mean, that’s fine,” I said, dazed.

“That doesn’t include the ten-thousand-dollar signing bonus to act as a bridge to your first paycheck.”

“Of course it doesn’t,” I blithered, stupidly.

Avella reached into her desk and pulled out a manilla envelope and passed it over to me.

I stared at it. “Is that…,” I began.

“Two thousand in cash and a cashier’s check for the rest,” she said. “Although if you prefer we can Venmo the eight thousand.”

“Can I…” I stopped.

Yes?” Avella asked.

“I was going to ask if I can transfer this to my roommates, to help them cover their expenses while I’m gone.”

“It’s a cash bonus, Jamie. You can do whatever you want with it. And if you’re still worried about them, while you’re away we can arrange to have some of your salary sent to them. We do that a lot. We’re an international organization, and a lot of our employees send remittances home. This would be pretty much the same thing.”

“This is great!” I exclaimed. It was stupidly perfect how all my problems were suddenly solved with the strategic application of money.

“We’re glad you think so,” Avella said, and then tapped the folder again. “There’s an Amtrak ticket in here for two days from now. That should give you enough time to wrap up everything you need to here in New York City. Courier all the rest of the paperwork back to me before then, and then pack for a long trip. Don’t worry about clothing except for travel clothes. But otherwise, take with you what you’d want to bring on a several-months-long trip. And don’t forget your passport.”

I took the folder. “Where am I going?” I asked.

“BWI airport, to start,” Avella said. “As for the rest—you’ll find out.”





CHAPTER

4




Tom Stevens met me at the BWI rail station as I got off the train, and looked at my carry-on and backpack. “That’s everything you’re bringing?” he asked me.

“I was told I only needed to bring travel clothes,” I said. “And other than that, I’m bringing a lot.” I pointed to the carry-on. “Personal hygiene products and snacks.” I turned to bring attention to my backpack. “All my electronics and several terabytes of movies, music, and books. Sunglasses and a baseball cap. I don’t know, I figured I would need sunglasses and a baseball cap. Did I do it wrong?”

“No, you did it fine,” Tom said. “We’ll cover everything else. It’s good to see you, Jamie. Thank you for taking the job. You’re really saving our asses on this.”

“Well, you really saved my ass, so we’re even.”

“I’ll take that.” He presented me with a ticket. “Your travel documents.”

I took a look at the ticket. “Where the hell is Thule Air Base?” I asked.

“Greenland.”

“We’re going to Greenland?” I sputtered. “Are we hanging out with polar bears?”

I could see Tom grinning behind his mask, which I knew he was wearing as camouflage now, just as I was. “Come on, we have to take a shuttle to the airport. Let’s get you checked in. Our flight doesn’t leave until two in the morning. We’ve taken over a lounge.”



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