Base 'Machu Picchu' stands on land steeped in blood - on Wiencke Island. Where the blackened ruins of a Chilean outpost, wiped from the face of the earth by the Argentinians, once stood, the Peruvian flag now flies. Its creation was not just a gesture of goodwill, but a shrewd move in a larger geopolitical game. In the context of the cold war flaring up between Brazil and Argentina, Chile is using the Peruvians as a strategic buffer, understanding that a repeat attack, but this time on a neutral country, would be an international incident that Buenos Aires can ill afford. The Peruvians built their tents on the ghost of the tragedy itself, unwittingly becoming guardians over a foreign grave. And in this place, its majestic name, a reference to the impregnable citadel of the Incas, sounds like a cruel mockery.

The base is now bustling with activity. Peruvian scientists, full of enthusiasm, are deploying equipment and taking their first samples, believing their research will bring glory to their homeland. But their optimism is as fragile as the thin ice on the coastal puddles. The generator can barely handle the load, and the thin tent walls are a poor defense against a wind that grows fiercer by the day.

They look to the horizon with hope, unaware that the Exile itself is already preparing their first, and perhaps final, test.