the side。 Thin ice scattered all about underneath it。 Looks like they tried to cross a snow bridge that didn't hold。〃
He turned to face Riley； his face grim； his voice tinny over the short…range radio frequency。 〃And； sir； they's pretty fucked up。〃
The hovercraft lay forty feet below the surface； its rounded nose crumpled inward by the downward impact； every one of its windows either shattered or cracked into distorted spider…webs。 A thin layer of snow had already embarked upon the task of erasing the battered vehicle from history。
Two of the hovercraft's occupants had been catapulted by the impact right through the forward windshield。 Both lay against the forward wall of the crevasse； their necks bent backward at obscene angles； their bodies resting in pools of their own frozen blood。
Rebound Simmons stared at the grisly scene。
There were other bodies inside the hovercraft。 He could see their shadows inside it and could see star…shaped splatters of blood on the cracked windows of the hovercraft。
〃Rebound？〃 Riley's voice came in over his helmet inter。 〃Anybody alive down there？〃
〃Don't look like it； sir；〃 Rebound said。
〃Do an infrared；〃 Riley instructed。 〃We got twenty minutes before we gotta hit the road； and 1 wouldn 't want to leave and find out later that there were some survivors down there。〃
Rebound snapped his infrared visor into place。 It hung down from the brow of his helmet； covering both of his eyes like a fighter pilot's visor。
Now he saw the crashed hovercraft through a wash of electronic blue imagery。 The cold had taken effect quickly。 The whole crash site was depicted as a blue…on…black outline。 Not even the engine glowed yellow； the color of objects with minimal heat intensity。
More important； however； there were no blobs of orange or yellow within the image of the vehicle。 Any bodies that were still inside the hovercraft were ice cold。 Everyone on board was most certainly dead。
Rebound said； 〃Sir； infrared reading is nega…〃
The ground gave way beneath him。
There was no warning。 No preemptive cracking of the ice。 No sense of it weakening。
Rebound Simmons dropped like a stone into the crevasse。
It happened so fast that Buck Riley almost missed it。 One second； he was watching Rebound as he peered out over the edge of the crevasse。 The next second； Rebound simply dropped out of sight。
The black rope slithered out over the edge after the young private； uncoiling at a rapid rate； shooting out over the rim。
〃Hold fast！〃 Riley yelled to the two Marines anchoring the rope。 They held the rope tightly； taking the strain； waiting for the jolt。
The rope continued to splay out over the edge until whack！； it went instantly taut。
Riley stepped cautiously over to the right； away from the edge of the crevasse； but close enough so that he could peer down into it。
He saw the wrecked hovercraft down at the bottom of the hole and the two bloodied and broken bodies pressed up against the ice wall in front of it。 And he saw Rebound； hanging from his rope； two feet above the hovercraft's banged…open starboard door。
〃You OK？〃 Riley said into his helmet mike。
〃Never doubted you for a second； sir。〃
〃Just hold on。 We'll have you up in a minute。〃
〃Sure。〃
Down in the crevasse； Rebound swung stupidly above the destroyed hovercraft； From where he hung he could see in through the open starboard door of the hovercraft。 〃Oh； Jesus。。。；〃 he breathed。
Schofield knocked loudly on the big wooden door。
The door was set into the square…shaped base structure that supported the main dome of Wilkes Ice Station。 It lay at the bottom of a narrow ramp that descended about eight feet into the ice。
Schofield banged his fist on the door again。
He was lying flat on the parapet of the base structure； reaching down from above the door to knock on it。
Ten yards away； lying on his belly in the snow at the top of the ramp with his legs splayed wide； was Gunnery Sergeant Scott 〃Snake〃 Kaplan。 His M…16E assault rifle was trained on the unopened door。
There came a sudden creak； and Schofield held his breath as a sliver of light stretched out onto the snow beneath him and the door to the station slowly began to open。
A figure stepped out onto the snow ramp beneath him。 It was a man。 Wrapped in about seven layers of clothing。 Unarmed。
Suddenly the man tensed； presumably as he saw Snake lying in the snow in front of him； with his M…16 pointed right at the bridge of the man's nose。
〃Hold it right there〃 Schofield said from above and behind the man。 〃United States Marines。〃
The man remained frozen。
〃Unit Two is in。 Secure；〃 a woman's voice whispered over Schofield's earpiece。
〃Unit Three。 In and secure。〃
〃All right。 We're ing in through the front door。〃
Schofield slid down from his perch and landed next to the man on the snow ramp and began to pat him down。
Snake strode down the ramp toward them； his rifle up； pointed at the man。
Schofield said to the man； 〃You American？ What's your name？〃
The man spoke。
〃Non。 Je suis Fran？ais。〃
And then in English； 〃My name is Luc。〃
There is a tendency among academic observers to view Antarctica as the last neutral territory on earth。 In Antarctica； so it is said； there are no traditional or holy sites to fight over； no historical borders to dispute。 What remains is something of a terra munis； a land belonging to the munity。
Indeed； by virtue of the Antarctic Treaty； since 1961 the continent has been divided up into what looks like an enormous pie chart； with each party to the treaty being allocated a sector of the pie。 Some sectors overlap； as with those administered by Chile； Argentina； and the United Kingdom。 Others cover monumentally vast tracts of land…Australia administers a sector of the pie that covers nearly a whole quarter of the Antarctic landmass。 There is even one sector…that which covers the Amundsen Sea and Byrd Land…that belongs to no one。
The general impression is one of a truly international land…mass。 Such an impression； however； is misguided and simplistic。
Advocates of the 〃politically neutral Antarctica〃 fail to acknowledge the continuing animosity between Argentina and Great Britain as to their respective Antarctic claims； or the staunch refusal of all of the parties to the Antarctic Treaty to vote on the 1985 UN Resolution that would have dedicated the Antarctic landmass to the benefit of the entire international munity； or the mysterious conspiracy of silence among the Treaty nations that followed a little…known Greenpeace report in 1995 that accused the French government of conducting secret underground nuclear detonations off the coast of Victoria Land。
More important； however； such advocates also fail to recognize that a land without clearly defined borders has no means of dealing with hostile foreign incursions。
Research stations can often be a thousand miles apart。 Sometimes those research stations discover items of immense value…uranium； plutonium； gold。 It is not impossible that a foreign state； desperate for resources； would； upon learning of such a discovery； send an incursionary force to appropriate that discovery before the rest of the world even knew it existed。
Such an incident…insofar as it could be known…had never happened in Antarctica before。
There's always a first time； Schofield thought as he was led into Wilkes Ice Station by the Frenchman named Luc。
Schofield had heard a recording of Abby Sinclair's distress signal； heard her mention the discovery of a spacecraft buried within the ice underneath Wilkes Ice Station。 If the scientists at Wilkes had； in fact； discovered an extraterrestrial spacecraft； it would definitely be something other parties would be interested in。 Whether or not they had the nerve to send a strike team in to get it was another question。
In any case； it made him more than a little uneasy to be greeted at the doors of an American research station by a French national； and as he walked down the dark； ice…walled entrance tunnel behind Luc； Schofield found himself gripping his automatic pistol a little more tightly。
The two men emerged