A few minutes later； Renshaw pulled him out of the water and dragged him up onto the iceberg。
Schofield dropped down onto the ice…breathing hard； soaking wet； freezing cold。 He was gasping for breath； his body overwhelmed with fatigue； and at that moment…with the French submarine destroyed and himself and Renshaw hopelessly marooned on an iceberg…the only thing in the world that Shane Schofield wanted to do was sleep。
In the Capitol Building in Washington； D。C。； the NATO conference reconvened。
George Holmes； the U。S。 representative； leaned back in his chair as he watched Pierre Dufresne； the head of the French delegation； stand to speak。
〃My fellow delegates； ladies and gentlemen；〃 Dufresne began； 〃the Republic of France would like to express its total aid unconditional support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization； this fine organization of nations that has served the West so well for almost fifty years 。。。〃
The speech dragged on； extolling the virtues of NATO and fiance's undying loyalty to it。 George Holmes shook his head。 All morning； the French delegation had been calling recesses； stalling the conference； and now； all of a sudden； they were pledging their undying loyalty to the organization。 It didn't make sense。
Dufresne； finished speaking； sat down。 Holmes was about to turn and say something to Phil Munro when suddenly the British delegate to the conference…a well…groomed statesman named Richard Royce…pushed his chair back and stood up。 〃Ladies and gentlemen；〃 Royce said in a very articulate London accent； 〃if I may beg your indulgence； the British delegation requests a recess。〃
At that very same moment； directly across the road from the Capitol Building and the NATO conference； Alison Cameron was entering the atrium of the Library of Congress。 prised of three buildings； the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world。 In fact； its goal upon its founding was to be the single largest repository of knowledge in the world。 That is what it is。
Which was why Alison was not surprised to learn that the object of her search…the mysterious 1978 〃Preliminary Survey〃 by C。 M。 Waitzkin…was to be found at the Library of Congress。 If any library was going to have it； the Library of Congress would be it。
Alison waited at the Inquiries Desk as one of the library's attendants went down to the stack to get the survey for her。 The Library of Congress was a closed…stack library； which meant that the staff got the books for you。 It was also a non…circulating library； which meant that you were not allowed to take books out of the building。
The attendant was taking a while； so Alison began to browse through another book she had bought on the way to the library。
She looked at the cover。 It read：
THE ICE CRUSADE：
REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR SPENT IN
ANTARCTICA
DR。 BRIAN HENSLEIGH
Professor in Geophysics； Harvard University
Alison scanned the introduction。
Brian Hensleigh； it appeared； was the head of Harvard University's geophysics faculty。 He was into ice core research…a study that involved extracting cylindrical ice cores from the continental ice shelves in Antarctica and then examining the air that had been trapped inside those ice cores thousands of years before。
Apparently； so the book said； ice core research could be used to explain global warming； the greenhouse effect； and the depletion of the ozone layer。
In any case； it appeared that for the whole of 1994 this Hensleigh fellow had worked at a remote research station in Antarctica collecting ice core samples。
The name of that research station was Wilkes Ice Station。
And its location： latitude minus 66。5 degrees； longitude 115 degrees； 20 minutes； and 12 seconds east。
At that moment； the attendant returned and Alison looked up from the book。
〃It's not there；〃 the attendant said； shaking her head。
〃What？〃
〃I checked it three times；〃 the attendant said。 〃It's not on the shelf。 'Preliminary Survey' by C。 M。 Waitzkin； 1978。 It's not there。〃
Alison frowned。 This was unexpected。
The attendant…her name badge said her name was Cindy… shrugged helplessly。 〃I don't understand it。 It's just。。。 gone。〃
Alison felt a sudden rush of excitement as something occurred to her。
〃If it's not there； wouldn't that mean that someone is reading it right now？〃 she asked。
Cindy shook her head。 〃No； the puter says that the last time it was loaned out to anybody was in November 1979。〃
〃November 1979；〃 Alison said。
〃Yeah； spooky； huh？〃 Cindy looked about twenty years old； a college student no doubt。 〃I got the name of the borrower if you're interested。 Here。〃 She handed Alison a slip of paper。
It was a photocopy of a Request Form； similar to the one Alison herself had filled out to get the survey。
The Library of Congress obviously kept every form on file…probably for exactly this situation。
On the Request Form； in the box marked 〃Name of Person Requesting Item；〃 was a name：
O。 NIEMEYER
〃It happens；〃 Cindy the attendant was saying。 〃This Niemeyer guy probably liked it so much that he just walked out with it。 We didn't have magnetic tags on our books back then； so he probably just slipped out past the guards。〃
Alison ignored her。
She just stood there； entranced by the Request Form in her hand； by this twenty…year…old piece of evidence that had been sitting in a filing cabinet somewhere in the depths of the Library of Congress； waiting for this day。
Alison's eyes glowed as they stared at the words：
O。 NIEMEYER
Brigadier General Trevor Barnaby walked across the pool deck of Wilkes Ice Station。 He'd been in control of Wilkes Ice Station for a little over an hour now； and he was feeling confident。
Only twenty minutes ago he had sent a team of fully armed divers down in the station's diving bell。 But it would be at least ninety minutes before they reached the underground cave。 Indeed； the diving bell's cable was still plunging into the pool at the base of the station right now。
Barnaby himself was dressed in a black thermal wet suit。 He planned to go down to the underground cave with the second team…to see for himself what was really down there。
〃Well now；〃 he said as he saw Snake and the two French scientists handcuffed to the pole。 〃What have we here？ Why； if it isn't Sergeant Kaplan。〃 By the look on his face； Snake was obviously surprised that Barnaby knew who he was。
〃Gunnery Sergeant Scott Michael Kaplan；〃 Barnaby said。 〃Born： Dallas； 1953； enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age eighteen in 1971； small arms expert； hand…to…hand bat expert； sniper。 And as of 1992； under suspicion by British Intelligence as a member of the American spy agency known as the Intelligence Convergence Group。
〃I'm sorry； what is it that they call you？ Snake； isn't it。 Tell me； Snake； is this a mon occurrence for you？ Does your manding officer often chain you to poles； leaving you at the mercy of the ining enemy？〃
Snake didn't say anything。
Barnaby said； 〃I would hardly have thought that Shane Schofield would be the kind of master to chain up his loyal squad members。 Which means there must be some other reason why he chained you up； n'est…ce pas？〃 Barnaby smiled。 〃Now； whatever could that reason be？〃
Snake still said nothing。 Every now and then； his eyes would steal a look at the diving bell's cable as it plunged into the pool behind Barnaby。
Barnaby turned his attention to the two French scientists。 〃And who might you be？〃 he asked。
Luc Champion blurted out indignantly； 〃We are French scientists from the research station Dumont d'Urville。 We have been detained here against our will by American forces。 We demand that we be released in accordance with international…〃
〃Mr。 Nero；〃 Barnaby said flatly。
A mountain of a man stepped out from behind Barnaby and stood next to him。 He was at least six…foot…five； with broad shoulders and impassive eyes。 He had a scar that ran down from the corner of his mouth to his chin。
Barnaby said； 〃Mr。 Nero； if you please。〃
The big man named Nero calinly raised his pistol and fired at Champion from point…blank range。
Champion's head exp