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tretched down to the water ten meters below。
Schofield looked down into the hole； saw the calm water lapping up against the edge of the enormous iceberg。
〃We're gonna die out here； aren't we？〃 Renshaw said from behind him。
〃I'm not。〃
〃You're not？〃
〃That's my station and I'm gonna get it back。〃
〃Uh…huh。〃 Renshaw looked out to sea。 〃And do you have any idea as to exactly how you're gonna do that？〃
Schofield didn't answer him。
Renshaw turned around。 〃I said； how in God's name do you plan to get your station back when we're stuck out here！〃
But Schofield wasn't listening。
He was crouched down on his haunches； looking down into the semicircular hole the torpedo had carved into the iceberg。
Renshaw came over and stood behind him。
〃What are you looking at？〃
〃Salvation；〃 Schofield said。 〃Maybe。〃
Renshaw followed Schofield's gaze down into the semicircular hole in the iceberg and saw it immediately。
There； embedded in the ice a couple of meters down the sheer； vertical cliff face； Renshaw saw the distinctive square outline of a frozen glass window。
Schofield tied their two parkas together and； using the two jackets as a rope； got Renshaw to lower him down to the window set into the ice cliff。
Schofield hung high above the water； in front of the frozen glass window。 He looked at it closely。
It was definitely man…made。
And old； too。 The wooden panes of the window were weathered and scarred； bleached to a pale gray。 Schofield wondered how long the window…and whatever structure it was attached to…had been buried inside this massive iceberg。
The way he figured it； the blast from the submarine's torpedo must have dislodged the ten meters or so of ice in from of the window； exposing it。 The window and whatever it was attached to； had been buried deep within the iceberg。
Schofield took a deep breath。 Then he kicked hard； shattering the window。
He saw darkness beyond the now…open window； a small cave of some sort。
He pulled a flashlight from his hip pocket and； with a final look up at Renshaw； swung himself in through the window and into the belly of the iceberg。
The first thing Schofield saw through the beam of his flashlight was the upside…down words：
HAPPY NEW YEAR 1969！
WELE TO LITTLE AMERICA IV！
The words were written on a banner of some sort。 It hung limply：…upside down…across the cave in which Schofield now stood。
Only it wasn't a cave。
It was a room of some sort…a small wooden…walled room； pletely buried within the ice。
And everything was upside down。 The whole room was inverted。
It was a strange sensation； everything being upside…down。 It took Schofield a second to realize that he was actually standing on the ceiling of the underground room。
He looked off to his right。 There seemed to be several other rooms branching off from this one…
〃Hello down there！〃 Renshaw's voice sailed in from outside。
Schofield poked his head out through the window in the ice cliff。
〃Hey； what's happening？ I'm freezing my nuts off out here；〃 Renshaw said。
〃Have you ever heard of Little America IV？〃 Schofield asked。
〃Yeah；〃 Renshaw said。 〃It was one of our research stations back in the sixties。 Floated out to sea in '69 when the Ross Ice Shelf calved an iceberg nine thousand square kilometers big。 The Navy looked for it for three months； but they never found it。〃
〃Well； guess what；〃 Schofield said。 〃We just did。〃
Cloaked in three thick woolen blankets； James Renshaw sat down on the floor of the main room of Little America IV。 He rubbed his hands together vigorously； blew on them with his warm breath； while Schofield…still dressed in his waterlogged fatigues…rummaged through the other rooms of the darkened inverted station。 Neither man dared to eat any of the thirty…year…old canned food that lay strewn about the floor。
〃As I remember it； Little America IV was kind of like Wilkes；〃 Renshaw said。 〃It was a resource exploration station； built into the coastal ice shelf。 They were after offshore oil deposits buried in the continental shelf。 They used to lower collectors all the way to the bottom to see if the soil down there contained…〃
〃Why is everything upside…down？〃 Schofield asked from the next room。
〃That's easy。 When this iceberg calved； it must have flipped over。〃
〃The iceberg flipped over？〃
〃It's been known to happen；〃 Renshaw said。 〃And if you think about it； it makes sense。 An iceberg is top…heavy when it breaks off the mainland； because all the ice that's been living underwater has been slowly eroded over the years by the warmer seawater。 So unless your iceberg is perfectly balanced when it breaks free from the mainland； the whole thing tips over。〃
In the next room； Schofield was negotiating his way through piles of rusty overturned junk。 He stepped around a large； cylindrical cable spooler that lay awkwardly on its side。 Then he saw something。
〃How long did you say the Navy looked for this station？〃 Schofield asked。
〃About three months。〃
〃Was that a long time to look for a lost station？〃
In the main room； Renshaw shrugged。 〃It was longer than usual。 Why？〃
Schofield came back in through the doorway。 He was carrying some metal objects in his hands。
〃I think our boys were doing some things down here that they weren't supposed to；〃 Schofield said； smiling。
He held up a piece of white cord。 It looked to Renshaw like string that had been covered over with white powder。
〃Detonator cord；〃 Schofield said as he tied the white powdery cord in a loop around his wrist。 〃It's used as a fuse for close…quarter explosives。 That powdery stuff you see on it； that's magnesium…sulfide。 Magnesium…based detonator cords burn hot and fast…in fact； they burn so hot that they can cut clean through metal。 It's good stuff； we sometimes use it today。
〃And see this。〃 Schofield held up a rusted pressurized canister。 〃VX poison gas。 And this〃…he held up another tube… 〃sarin。〃
〃Sarin gas？〃 Renshaw said。 Even he knew what that was。 Sarin gas was a chemical weapon。 Renshaw recalled an incident in Japan in 1995 when a terrorist group had detonated a canister of sarin gas inside the Tokyo subway。 Panic ensued。 Several people were killed。 〃They had that stuff in the sixties？〃 he asked。
〃Oh； yes。〃
〃So you think this station was a chemical weapons facility？〃 Renshaw asked。
〃I think so； yes。〃
〃But why？ Why test chemical weapons in Antarctica？〃
〃Two reasons；〃 Schofield said。 〃One： Back home； we keep nearly all of our poison gas weapons in freezer storage； because most poison gases lose their toxicity at higher temperatures。 So it makes sense to do your testing in a place that's cold all year round。〃
〃And the second reason？〃
〃The second reason is a lot simpler；〃 Schofield said； smiling at Renshaw。 〃Nobody's looking。〃
Schofield headed back into the next room。 〃In any case；〃 he said as he disappeared behind the doorway； 〃none of that's really much use to us right now。 But they do have something else back here that might be helpful。 In fact； I think it might just get us back in the game。〃
〃What is it？〃
〃This；〃 Schofield