“It does, but we still require a backup system. Don’t look so nervous; it’s the same unit used on our old Los Angeles–class attack subs. The core can be jettisoned in an emergency.”

“What are these four smaller spheres?”

“Submersibles that double as escape pods. There’s also an emergency egress station—for whatever good that will do you. Water’s too cold and far too deep to survive.” He pointed to the middle deck, the largest of the three. “Second level services the needs of the crew. Everyone gets their own private quarters and bathroom. There’s a cafeteria, kitchen, arboretum, which converts CO2 to oxygen, reverse osmosis plant to convert seawater or whatever they have on Europa to pure water, and multiple storage areas. This centrally located chamber here will be used as an entertainment area on Oceanus II, on Oceanus I we had to use it to hold the cryogenic pods for the thirty-day snooze. We could only fit the original twelve inside, yours had to be placed in another area.”

“Hope it’s not the laundry room.”

General Schall pointed to a vertical tube running through the core of the sphere. “What is this? It looks like an elevator shaft.”

“Actually, it’s a watertight chamber that holds the GOLEM mainframe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things to do before we fly out to the dive site. Major Gazen will pick us up outside the Crary Center in four hours. Report to the staging area in this building an hour beforehand so we can outfit you properly. According to my last communication with Commander Read, with the windchill, it’s minus thirty-seven degrees Fahrenheit out there.”

There was a part of me that wanted to cancel the mission right there; only my soul mate’s presence out in that −37°F freezer kept me from changing my mind.

The things we do for love …

Chapter 8

8

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

—REINHOLD NIEBUHR, the Serenity Prayer

OMEGA TRAINING SITE
THIRTY-SEVEN MILES DUE WEST OF MCMURDO STATION
ROSS ICE SHELF

“Coldest temperature ever recorded out here was minus a hundred twenty-nine degrees Fahrenheit back in 1983.” Major Gazen shouted to be heard over the chopper’s rotors, the sound echoing as we soared over the ice sheet. “Make sure your clothing isn’t too tight. Tight layers of clothing leave no room for trapped air. You need the air as an insulator.”