Beneath the Ice Read Online Free Page B

asked.
    “We’re the construction arm of the navy,
ma’am,” Larimore explained. “ ‘We build, we fight’ is our
motto.”
    Next, Perry turned to a brown-haired woman
with cover-girl cheekbones and hazel eyes.
    “Sarah Hardy, robotics, King’s College,
London.” There was a slight twang to her words.
    “You don’t sound British,” Jack said with a
wink.
    She smiled. “I’m not. I grew up in Austin,
Texas. My family moved to England when I was a teenager. I’m with
NASA.”
    “Thank you, Sarah,” Perry said. “Jack?”
    The large man stood, bowed, and then said,
“Jack Dyson, civil engineering, MIT, and all-around swell guy.”
Perry saw Dr. James roll his eyes. “My job is to make sure Perry
doesn’t make a mess of this operation.”
    “Translation: He’s the other project
manager,” Perry explained.
    “Gleason Lane,” Perry’s friend said without
waiting for a cue. “Like Perry and Jack, also MIT, except I majored
in a challenging discipline—computer science. I handle all the tech
stuff except robotics. That’s the lovely Sarah Hardy’s
expertise.”
    “Perry Sachs,” Perry said. “Project
director, Sachs Engineering, architecture, MIT.”
    “Architecture!” Dr. James exclaimed. “You’ve
got to be kidding. Why would Pentagon honchos send an architect to
Antarctica?”
    “Because he’s the vice president of Sachs
Engineering,” Larimore said before Perry could reply. “They have
built things in places you can’t even imagine. They’re a known
quantity at the Pentagon.”
    “That’s something else that bothers me,” Dr.
James said. “What does the Pentagon want down here? The
International Antarctic Treaty of 1959 prohibits any military
action or bases.”
    “Which is why a civilian is leading this
project,” Larimore said.
    “It’s just like the military,” Dr. James
complained. “I’m at the bottom of the world and have been given
only the barest of information. If we’re leaders on this team, then
why don’t we have the whole story?”
    “That’s why we’re meeting right now,” Perry
said. “I’m going to bring everyone up to speed, but it probably
won’t satisfy you. Right now, I know more about this project than
anyone in this room, and I can tell you: It’s not much.
    “Six months ago,” Perry continued, “a
radarsat image of Lake Vostok was taken by NASA as well as another
aerogeophysical survey by aircraft. These have been done before,
but a change was noted.” He folded his arms. “As you know, we are
situated over an under-ice lake named for the Russian research
center many miles east of here. There are nearly eighty under-ice
lakes in Antarctica. Lake Vostok is, by far, the largest.”
    “It’s roughly the size of Lake Ontario,” Dr.
James interjected.
    “Was about the size of Lake Ontario,” Perry corrected. “It’s
larger. It’s grown.”
    “Not possible,” Dr. James
said with a dismissive wave. “Things move slowly in this
environment. The ice cap below us is moving at one centimeter per
day. That means that one year from today, our camp will be four
meters closer to the ocean. Four meters— that’s all. Vostok could not have grown by any perceptible
amount since the last survey. Maybe it’s just a misinterpretation
of data.”
    Perry shook his head. “NASA doesn’t think
so. The Pentagon doesn’t think so. The lake is 10 percent larger.
Three months ago, another survey was done, and the lake had changed
another 2 percent.”
    “That would mean the ice above the lake is
melting,” Gwen said.
    “And melting fast,” Jack said. “Relatively
speaking that is.”
    “Are you suggesting that the Antarctic ice
cap is melting below our feet, Mr. Sachs?” Dr. James asked. “That’s
not possible, not in any time less than millions of years.” He
paused for a moment, shaking his head as if attempting to convince
himself. “It’s absurd. It can’t be.” He released a humorless
chuckle. “Of course, it would be bad if it