mreilly.icestation-第4部分

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　Schofield　ordered　the　hovercraft　to　a　halt　half　a　mile　from　the　station。　No　sooner　had　it　stopped　than　the　port…side　door　slid　open；　and　the　six　Marines　leaped　down　from　the　hover…craft's　inflated　skirt　and　landed　with　muffled　whumps　on　the　hard…packed　snow。　
　As　they　ran　across　the　snow…covered　ground；　they　could　hear；　above　the　roar　of　the　wind；　the　crashing　of　the　waves　against　the　cliffs　on　the　far　side　of　the　station。　
　〃Gentlemen；　you　know　what　to　do；〃　was　all　Schofield　said　into　his　helmet　mike　as　he　ran。　
　Wrapped　in　the　blanket　of　the　blizzard；　the　white…clad　squad　fanned　out；　making　its　way　toward　the　station　plex。　
　
　Buck　Riley　saw　the　hole　in　the　ice　before　he　saw　the　battered　hovercraft　in　it。　
　The　crevasse　looked　like　a　scar　on　the　icescape…a　deep　crescent…shaped　gash　about　forty　meters　wide。　
　Riley's　hovercraft　came　to　rest　a　hundred　yards　from　the　rim　of　the　enormous　chasm。　The　six　Marines　climbed　out；　lowered　themselves　gently　to　the　ground；　and　cautiously　made　their　way　across　the　snow；　toward　the　edge　of　the　crevasse。　
　PFC　Robert　〃Rebound〃　Simmons　was　their　climber；　so　they　harnessed　him　up　first。　A　small　man；　Rebound　was　as　nimble　as　a　cat　and　weighed　about　the　same。　He　was　young；　too；　just　twenty…three；　and　like　most　men　his　age；　he　responded　to　praise。　He　had　beamed　with　pride　when　he'd　overheard　his　lieutenant　once　say　to　another　platoon　mander　that　his　climber　was　so　good；　he　could　scale　the　inside　of　the　Capitol　Building　without　a　rope。　His　nickname　was　another　story；　a　good…natured　jibe　bestowed　upon　him　by　his　unit　in　reference　to　his　less　than　impressive　success　rate　with　women。　
　Once　the　rope　was　secured　to　his　harness；　Simmons　lay　down　on　his　stomach　and　began　to　shimmy　his　way　forward；　through　the　snow；　toward　the　edge　of　the　scar。　
　He　reached　the　edge　and　peered　out　over　the　rim；　down　into　the　crevasse。　
　〃Oh；　shit。。。。〃　
　Ten　meters　behind　him；　Buck　Riley　spoke　into　his　helmet　mike。　〃What's　the　story；　Rebound？〃　
　〃They're　here；　sir。〃　Simmons's　voice　was　almost　resigned。　〃Conventional　craft。　Got　somethin'　in　French　written　on　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　gr