turned their eyes toward the sea as a series of loud whoops from the

ship's siren echoed -off the jagged mountains.

Dodging newly-formed ice calves, floating low and opaque, and the

winter's first bergs, which resembled the ruins of Gothic castles, the

Polar Explorer came about slowly and entered the mouth of the fjord. for

a time the ash-blue sea hissed quietly past the scar-red, and then it

turned to white.

The immense prow of the icebreaker effortlessly bulldozed a path through

the ice pack, heaving to less than fifty meters from the wreckage.

Knight stopped engines, climbed down a ladder to the ice and graciously

offered the facilities of the ship to the security and investigation

teams as a command post-an offer that was thankfully accepted without a

second's hesitation.

Pitt was impressed with the security.  The news blackout had not yet

been penetrated: the story given out at Kennedy Airport revealed only

that the U.N. flight was overdue.  It was only a matter of another hour

before a shrewd correspondent got wise and blew the whistle.

"I think my eyeballs just froze to their lids," Giordino said gloomily.

He was sitting in the pilot's seat of the NUMA helicopter, trying to

drink a cup of coffee before it froze. ,Must be colder than a Minnesota

dairy cow's tit in January."

Pitt gave his friend  a  dubious  look.  "How  would  you  know?

You haven't been outside your heated cockpit all night."

"I get frostbite by looking  at  an  ice  cube  in  a  glass  of

Scotch." Giordino held up one hand, five fingers an all spread.

"Look at that. I'm so stiff with cold I can't make a fist."

Pitt happened to glance out the side window and spotted Commander Knight

trudging over the ice from the ship.  He walked back to the cabin and

opened the cargo door when Knight reached the boarding ladder.  Giordino

moaned in self-pity as his precious heat escaped and a frigid breeze

engulfed the interior of the chopper.

Knight waved a greeting and climbed on board, exhaling clouds of vapor.

He reached inside his parka and produced a leather-covered flask.

"A little something from the sick bay.  Cognac.  Can't begin to guess

the brand.  Thought you might find a good use for it."

"I think you just sent Giordino to heaven," Pitt said, laughing.

"I'd rather be in hell," Giordino muttered.  He tipped the flask and

savored the brandy as it trickled into his stomach. Then he raised his

hand again and made a fist.  "I I'm cured."

"Might as well settle in," said Knight.  "We've been ordered to remain

on station for the next twenty-four hours.  If you'll pardon the awful

pun, they want to keep us on ice until the cleanup is over."

"How are the survivors doing?" inquired Pitt.

"Miss Kamil is resting comfortably.  Incidentally, she asked to see you.

Something about having dinner together in New York.  "

"Dinner?" asked Pitt innocently.

"fullny thing," Knight continued.  "Just before Doc Gale surgically