With Zavala leading, they pounded down the corridor and practically vaulted up the ladder onto the deck and into the sunlight.

Austin had tried keeping track in his head of the seconds that had elapsed since they heard the noise, but in their rush he had lost count. There was no time to get in the boat, start the motor and cast off. Not stopping to snatch their flotation vests, they ran for the lower side of the ship and launched their bodies off the side.

When they came up, they swam as fast as they could. The ship would create suction as it sank, and they didn't want to get caught in it. They were well away from the vessel when they stopped swimming and looked back.

The lower rail had dropped so that it was entirely under water. The ship itself was poised at a dangerous angle, with the deck almost perpendicular to the surface of the sea. Zavala's sneezing seagull must have landed, because the ship suddenly reached the tipping point and rolled over. It floated for several minutes, looking like the shiny wet back of a gigantic turtle. As water flowed into the hold, the ship sank lower, until only a small circle of the hull was visible. Then that, too, disappeared, and was replaced by a frothy mound of bubbles.

The sea had taken back its own.

NUMA 6 - Polar Shift

16

PLEASED TO MEET YOU, Professor Kurtz,“ said Harold Mum-ford, a professor of zooarchaeology. ”Is Earl Grey tea all right?"

“My favorite,” said the man seated in Mumford's office at the University of Alaska's Fairbanks campus. He had a long face, with a prominent jaw and light blue eyes. His brown hair was going gray.

Mumford poured two cups of tea and handed one to his guest. “You've had a long journey. Fairbanks is quite a distance from Berlin.”

“Yes, Germany is many miles from here, Dr. Mumford. But I've always wanted to come to Alaska. It is the last frontier.”

“That's changing fast,” said Mumford, a portly, middle-aged man who had a face like a friendly walrus. “Hell, we've even got a Wal-Mart in town. But with very little effort, you can get into some pretty rugged country, full of grizzly bears and moose. I hope you make it to the park at Denali.”

“Oh yes. That's on my agenda. I'm very excited about the prospect.”

“It's an all-day trip but well worth the time. I'm sorry you missed Karla Janos. As I mentioned on the phone, she left on a field trip a few days ago.”

“It was a last-minute decision to come here,” Schroeder said. “I had some unexpected time to spare, and decided to drop by the university on a whim. It's quite nice of you to see me on such short notice.”