“More like a cave,” Austin said. “We found Karla Janos, and were on a Russian icebreaker headed for the Siberian mainland.”

“Glad to hear she's okay. She may be our only hope.”

Austin was struck by the seriousness in Trout's voice. He sat up on the edge of the bunk.

“Our only hope for what, Paul?”

“Gamay and I found a copy of the Kovacs Theorems in Los Alamos. I did a computer simulation based on the Kovacs stuff and existing material on polar reversal. The situation doesn't look good.”

“I'm listening.” Austin was fully awake now.

Trout paused. “The simulation showed that the magnetic polar reversal is not as elastic as some people think. A shock that's strong enough to cause a magnetic polar reversal will trigger a geologic shift of the earth's crust.”

“Are you saying that a polar shift, once begun, is irreversible?”

“That's the way it looks.”

“Is there any margin for error in the simulation?”

“It's so slim as to be negligible.”

Austin felt as if a wall had fallen on him. “We're talking about a catastrophe.”

“Worse,” Trout said. “This is a doomsday scenario. The worldwide destruction if this thing is unleashed is beyond anything that can be imagined or previously experienced.”

“How long do we have?”

“The reaction would be immediate. The timing depends on when the people who've been causing the whirlpools and giant waves decide to pull the switch.”

“I may be able to offer a ray of hope.” He told Trout about his encounter with Barrett, and the possibility of an antidote for a polar shift.

“Encouraging. When will you get back to Washington?”

“We'll make landfall tomorrow. We've got a plane waiting. I'll call when we're in the air to give you an ETA.”

“I'll be standing by.”

After hanging up, Austin sat in his darkened stateroom listening to the grumble of the ship's engines and cursing the slowness of ocean travel. He had been unaware of the urgency of the situation when Captain Ivanov invited him to sail on the icebreaker. Austin could have gone back with Petrov, but he politely refused the offer, saying it was important for him to talk to Karla Janos. Petrov had given him a knowing smile, and told Austin to call on him anytime.

Since coming aboard Austin had spent very little time with Karla. After she and Maria had a tearful reunion, and Uncle Karl got patched up, everyone retired to their respected staterooms to catch up on badly needed sleep.