mreilly.icestation-第5章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　Schofield　nodded　slowly；　taking　the　names　in；　paring　them　to　a　list　he'd　seen　on　the　Shreveport　two　days　previously。　It　had　been　a　list　of　the　names　of　every　French　scientist　stationed　at　d'Urville。　Champion；　Cuvier；　and　Rae　were　on　it。　
　There　was　a　knock　on　the　door　and　Schofield　turned。　
　Sergeant　Morgan　〃Montana〃　Lee　stood　in　the　doorway　to　the　dining　room。　Montana　Lee　was　a　nugget　of　a　man；　stocky　and；　at　forty…six　years　of　age；　the　oldest　member　of　the　unit。　He　had　a　pug　nose　and　a　heavyset；　weathered　face。　Ten　yards　behind　him　stood　his　partner；　Corporal　Oliver　〃Hollywood〃　Todd。　Tall；　black；　and　lean；　Hollywood　Todd　was　twenty…one　years　old。　
　And　in　between　the　two　Marines　stood　the　fruits　of　their　sweep。　
　One　woman。　
　One　man。　
　One　young　girl。　
　And　one　seal。　
　
　
　
　〃They　got　here　about　four　hours　ago；〃　Sarah　Hensleigh　said　
　Schofield　and　Hensleigh　were　standing　on　A…deck；　out　on　the　catwalk　that　looked　out　over　the　rest　of　the　ice　station。　
　As　Hensleigh　had　already　explained；　Wilkes　Ice　Station　was　essentially　a　great　big　vertical　cylinder　that　had　been　bored　into　the　ice　shelf。　It　dived　five　stories　straight　down；　all　the　way　to　sea　level。　
　Indented　at　regular　intervals　on　the　walls　of　the　cylinder　were　metal　catwalks　that　ran　around　the　circumference　of　the　cylinder。　Each　catwalk　was　joined　to　the　one　above　it　by　steep；　narrow　rung…ladders；　so　that　the　whole　structure　looked　kind　of　like　a　fire　escape。　
　Branching　out　from　each　catwalk；　burrowing　into　the　icy　walls　of　the　cylinder；　was　a　series　of　tunnels　that　formed　the　different　levels　of　the　station。　Each　level　was　made　up　of　four　straight　tunnels　that　branched　out　from　the　central　shaft　to　meet　a　curved　outer　tunnel　that　ran　in　a　wide　circle　around　the　central　well。　The　four　straight　tunnels　roughly　equated　the　four　points　on　a　pass；　so　they　were　simply　labeled　north；　south；　east；　and　west。　
　Each　catwalk/level　of　Wilkes　Ice　Station　was　labeled　A　through　E…A…deck　being　the　highest；　E…deck　signifying　the　wide　metal　platform　that　surrounded　the　large　pool　of　water　at　the　base　of　the　massive　underground　structure。　On　C…deck；　the　middle　level；　Sarah　said；　a　narrow　retractable　bridge　was　able　to　extend　across　the　wide　central　shaft　of　the　station。　
　〃How　many？〃　Schofield　asked。　
　〃There　were　five　of　them　at　first；〃　Sarah　said。　〃Four　stayed　here　with　us；　while　the　fifth　guy　took　the　others　back　to　d'Urville　on　their　hovercraft。〃　
　〃You　know　them？〃　
　Sarah　said；　〃I　know　Luc　and　I　know　Henri…who　I　think　wet　himself　when　he　saw　you　guys　walk　in…and　I　know　of　the　fourth　one；　Jacques　Latissier。〃　
　After　Montana　had　led　Hensleigh　into　the　dining　room　a　few　minutes　earlier；　it　hadn't　taken　long　for　Schofield　to　figure　out　that　she　was　the　person　to　speak　to　about　the　previous　week's　events　at　Wilkes　Ice　Station。　
　While　all　the　others　looked　either　dejected　or　tired；　Sarah　had　appeared　collected　and　in　control。　Indeed；　Montana　and　Hollywood　had　said　that　they'd　found　her　while　she　had　been　showing　one　of　the　French　scientists　the　core…drilling　room　down　on　E…deck。　His　name　had　been　Jacques　Latissier…a　tall　man　with　a　thick　black　beard…and　he　was　also　on　Schofield's　mental　list。　
　Sarah　Hensleigh　stared　out　over　the　central　shaft　of　the　station；　deep　in　thought。　Schofield　looked　at　her。　She　was　an　attractive　woman；　about　thirty…five；　with　dark　brown　eyes；　black　shoulder…length　hair；　and　high　arching　cheekbones。　Schofield　noticed　that　around　her　neck　she　wore　a　glistening　silver　locket　on　a　chain。　
　At　that　moment；　the　little　girl　came　out　onto　the　catwalk。　Schofield　guessed　that　she　must　have　been　about　ten。　She　had　short　blond　hair；　a　small　button　nose；　and　she　wore　thick　glasses　that　hung　down　awkwardly　over　her　cheeks。　She　looked　almost　ical　in　the　bulky　pink　parka　that　she　wore…it　had　a　terribly　oversize　wool…lined　hood　that　flopped　down　over　her　face。　
　And　behind　the　little　girl；　loping　out　onto　the　metal　catwalk；　came　the　seal。　
　〃And　who　is　this？〃　Schofield　asked。　
　〃This　is　my　daughter；　Kirsty；〃　Sarah　said；　putting　her　hand　on　the　little　girl's　shoulder。　〃Kirsty；　this　is　Lieutenant　Schofield。〃　
　〃Hi　there；〃　Schofield　said。　
　Kirsty　Hensleigh　just　stood　there　for　a　moment　and　stared　up　at　Schofield；　taking　in　his　armor；　his　helmet；　and　his　weapons。　
　〃Cool　glasses；〃　she　said　at　last。　
　〃Huh？　Oh；　yeah；〃　Schofield　said；　touching　his　silver　anti…flash　glasses。　bined　with　his　snow　fatigues　and　his　white…gray　body　armor；　he　knew　the　reflective　single…lens　glasses　made　him　look　particularly　icy。　A　kid　would　like　that。　Schofield　didn't　take　the　glasses　off。　
　〃Yeah；　I　guess　they　are　pretty　cool；〃　he　said。　〃How　old　are　you？〃　
　〃Twelve；　almost　thirteen。〃　
　〃Yeah？〃　
　〃I'm　kind　of　short　for　my　age；〃　Kirsty　added　matter…of…factly。　
　〃Me；　too；〃　Schofield　said；　nodding。　
　He　looked　down　as　the　seal　flopped　forward　and　started　sniffing　at　his　knee。　〃And　your　friend　here。　What's　his　name？〃　
　〃She's　a　girl；　and　her　name　is　Wendy。〃　
　Schofield　reached　down　and　let　the　seal　sniff　his　hand。　She　wasn't　very　big；　about　the　size　of　a　medium…sized　dog；　and　she　happily　wore　a　cute　red　collar。　
　〃Wendy。　What　kind　of　seal　is　she？〃　Schofield　asked　as　he　began　to　pat　Wendy　on　the　head。　
　〃Arctocephalus　gazella；〃　Kirsty　said。　〃Antarctic　fur　seal。〃　
　Wendy　started　winding　her　head　around　in　Schofield's　hand；　forcing　him　to　pat　her　behind　her　earflap。　He　did；　and　then　suddenly　Wendy　dropped　to　the　ground　and　rolled　over　onto　her　back。　
　〃She　wants　you　to　rub　her　tummy；〃　Kirsty　said；　smiling。　〃She　likes　that。〃　
　Wendy　lay　on　the　catwalk；　on　her　back；　her　flippers　held　out　wide；　waiting　to　be　patted。　Schofield　bent　down　and　gave　her　a　quick　rub　on　the　stomach。　
　〃You　just　won　yourself　a　friend　for　life；〃　Sarah　Hensleigh　said；　watching　Schofield　closely。　
　〃Great；〃　Schofield　said；　rising。　
　〃I　didn't　know　Marines　could　be　so　friendly；〃　Sarah　said　suddenly；　taking　Schofield　slightly　off　guard。　
　〃We're　not　all　heartless。〃　
　〃Not　when　there's　something　here　that　you　want。〃　
　The　ment　made　Schofield　stop　and　look　at　Sarah　for　a　long　second。　Clearly；　she　was　no　fool。　
　Schofield　nodded　slowly；　accepting　the　criticism。　〃Ma'am；　if　you　don't　mind；　if　we　could　just　get　back　to　what　we　were　discussing　before；　you　know　two　of　them；　and　you　know　of　one　of　them；　right？〃　
　〃That's　right。〃　
　〃What　about　the　fourth　one；　Cuvier？〃　
　〃Never　met　him。〃　
　Schofield　moved　on。　〃And　how　many　did　they　take　back　to　d'Urville？〃　
　〃They　could　only　fit　six　people　in　their　hovercraft；　so　one　of　their　guys　took　five　of　our　people　back　there。〃　
　〃Leaving　the　other　four　back　here。〃　
　〃That's　right。〃　
　Schofield　nodded　to　himself。　Then　he　looked　at　Hensleigh。　〃There　are　a　couple　of　other　things　we　need　to　talk　about。　Like　what　you　found　down　in　the　ice。　And　the　Renshaw　。。。　incident。〃　
　Sarah　understood　what　he　was　saying。　Such　matters　were　best　discussed　in　the　absence　of　a　twelve…year…old。　
　She　nodded。　〃No　problem。〃　
　Schofield　looked　at　the　ice　station　around　him：　at　the　pool　down　at　the　bottom；　at　the　catwalks　set　into　the　walls　of　the　cylinder；　at　the　tunnels　that　disappeared　into　the　ice。　There　was　something　about　it　all　that　wasn't　quite　right；　something　that　he　couldn't　quite　put　his　finger　on。　
　And　then　he　realized；　and　he　turned　to　face　Sarah。　〃Stop　me　if　this　is　a　stupid　question；　but　if　this　whole　station　is　carved　into　the　ice　shelf　and　all　the　walls　are　made　of　ice；　why　don't　they　melt？　Surely　you　must　generate　a　lot　of　heat　in　here　with　your　machinery　and　all。　Shouldn't　the　walls　be　dripping　constantly？〃　
　Sarah　said；　〃It's　not　a　stupid　question。　In　fact；　it's　a　very　good　question。　When　we　first　arrived　here；　we　found　that　the　heat　from　the　exhaust　of　the　core…drilling　machine　was　causing　some　of　the　ice　walls　to　melt。　So　we　had　a　cooling　system　installed　on　C…deck。　It　works　off　a　thermostat　that　keeps　the　temperature　steady　at　…1°　Celsius　no　matter　what　heat　we　produce。　The　funny　thing　is；　since　the　surface　temperature　outside　is　almost　thirty　below；　the　cooling　system　actually　warms　the　air　in　here。　We　love　it。〃　
　〃Very　clever；〃　Schofield　said　as　he　looked　around　the　ice　station。　
　His　gaze　came　to　rest　on　the　dining　room。　Luc　Champion　and　the　other　three　French　scientists　were　in　there；　sitting　at　the　table　with　the　residents　of　Wilkes。　Schofield　watched　them；　deep　in　thought。　
　〃Are　you　going　to　take　us　home？〃　Kirsty　said　suddenly　from　behind　him。　
　For　a　long　moment　Schofield　continued　to　watch　the　four　French　scientists　in　the　dining　room。　Then　he　turned　to　face　the　little　girl。　
　〃Not　just　yet；〃　he　said。　〃Some　other　people　will　be　here　soon　to　take　you　home。　I'm　just　here　to　take　care　of　you　until　they　do。〃　
　
　
　
　Schofield　and　Hensleigh　walked　quickly　down　the　wide　ice　tunnel。　Montana　and　Hollywood　kept　pace　behind　them。　
　They　were　on　B…deck；　the　main　living　area。　The　ice　tunnel　curved　around　a　wide　bend。　Doors　were　sunk　into　it　on　either　side：　bedrooms；　a　mon　room；　and　various　labs　and　studies。　Schofield　couldn't　help　noticing　one　particular　door　that　had　a　distinctive　three…ringed　biohazard　sign　on　it。　A　rectangular　plate　beneath　the　sign　read：　biotoxin　laboratory。　
　Schofield　said；　〃They　said　something　about　it　when　we　got　to　McMurdo。　That　Renshaw　claimed　he　did　it　because　the　other　guy　was　stealing　his　research。　Something　like　that。〃　
　〃That's　right；〃　Hensleigh　said；　walking　fast。　She　looked　at　Schofield。　〃It's　just　crazy。〃　
　They　came　to　the　end　of　the　tunnel；　to　a　door　set　into　the　ice。　It　was　closed　and　it　had　a　heavy　wooden　beam　locked　in　place　across　it。　
　〃James　Renshaw；〃　Schofield　mused。　〃Isn't　he　the　one　who　found　the　spaceship？〃　
　〃That's　right。　But　there's　a　whole　lot　more　to　it　than　that。〃　
　Upon　arriving　at　McMurdo　Station；　Schofield　had　been　given　a　short　briefing　on　Wilkes　Ice　Station。　On　the　face　of　it；　the　station　seemed　like　nothing　special。　It　contained　the　usual　assortment　of　academics：　marine　biologists　studying　the　ocean　fauna；　paleontologists　studying　fossils　frozen　in　the　ice；　geologists　looking　for　mineral　deposits；　and　geophysicists　like　James　Renshaw　who　drilled　deep　down　into　the　ice　looking　for　thousand…year…old　traces　of　carbon　monoxide　and　other　gases。　
　What　made　Wilkes　Ice　Station　something　special　was　that　two　days　before　Abby　Sinclair's　distress　signal　had　gone　out　another　high…priority　signal　had　been　sent　out　from　the　station：　This　earlier　signal；　sent　to　McMurdo；　had　been　a　formal　request　seeking　the　dispatch　to　Wilkes　of　a　squad　of　military　police。　
　Although　the　details　had　been　sketchy；　it　appeared　that　one　of　the　scientists　at　Wilkes　had　killed　one　of　his　colleagues。　
　Schofleld　stared　at　the　barred　door　at　the　end　of　the　ice　tunnel　and　shook　his　head。　He　really　didn't　have　time　for　this。　His　orders　had　been　very　specific：　
　Secure　the　station。　Investigate　the　spacecraft。　Verify　its　existence。　And　then　guard　it　against　all　parties　until　reinforcements　arrived。　
　Schofield　remembered　sitting　in　the　closed　briefing　room　on　board　the　Shreveport；　listening　to　the　voice　of　the　Undersecretary　of　Defense　on　the　speakerphone。　〃Other　parties　have　almost　certainly　picked　up　that　distress　signal；　Lieutenant。　If　there　re