mreilly.icestation-第33部分

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　She　ran　her　finger　across　a　line　on　the　page。　
　〃Huh？〃　she　said　aloud。　Another　reporter　at　a　desk　nearby　looked　up　from　his　work。　
　Alison　didn't　notice　him。　She　just　continued　to　stare　at　the　page　in　front　of　her。　
　Her　finger　marked　the　point　on　the　map　designated　latitude　minus　66。5　degrees　and　longitude　115　degrees；　20　minutes；　and　12　seconds　east。　
　Alison　frowned。　
　Her　finger　was　pointing　at　the　coastline　of　Antarctica。　
　
　
　
　The　Marines　gathered　around　the　pool　on　E…deck　in　silence。　
　Montana；　Gant；　and　Santa　Cruz　wordlessly　shouldered　into　scuba　tanks。　All　three　wore　black　thermal…electric　wet　suits。　
　Schofleld　and　Snake　watched　them　as　they　suited　up。　Rebound　stood　behind　them。　Book　Riley　walked　off　in　silence　toward　the　E…deck　storeroom；　to　check　on　Mother。　
　A　large　black　backpack…the　French　team's　VLF　transmitter　that　Santa　Cruz　had　found　during　his　search　of　the　station…sat　on　the　deck　next　to　Schofield's　feet。　
　The　news　of　Samurai's　death　had　rocked　the　whole　team。　
　Luc　Champion；　the　French　doctor；　had　told　Schofield　that　he　had　found　traces　of　lactic　acid　in　Samurai's　trachea；　or　windpipe。　That；　Champion　had　said；　was　almost　certain　proof　that　Samurai　had　not　died　of　his　wounds。　
　Lactic　acid　in　the　trachea；　Champion　explained；　evidenced　a　sudden　lack　of　oxygen　to　the　lungs；　which　the　lungs　then　tried　to　pensate　for　by　burning　sugar；　a　process　known　as　lactic　acidosis。　In　other　words；　lactic　acid　in　the　trachea　pointed　to　death　due　to　a　sudden　lack　of　oxygen　to　the　lungs；　otherwise　known　as　asphyxiation；　or　suffocation。　
　Samurai　had　not　died　from　his　wounds。　He　had　died　because　his　lungs　had　been　deprived　of　oxygen。　He　had　died　because　someone　had　cut　off　his　air。　
　Someone　had　murdered　Samurai。　
　In　the　time　it　had　taken　Schofield　and　Sarah　to　go　out　and　meet　with　Montana　at　the　perimeter　of　the　station…the　same　time　it　took　for　Rebound　to　climb　down　to　E…deck　and　collect　Luc　Champion…someone　had　gone　into　the　dining　room　on　A…deck　and　strangled　Samurai。　
　The　implications　of　Samurai's　death　hit　Schofield　hardest　of　all。　
　Someone　among　them　was　a　killer。　
　But　it　was　a　fact　that　Schofield　had　not　told　the　rest　of　the　unit。　He　had　only　told　them　that　Samurai　had　died。　He　hadn't　told　them　how。　He　figured　that　if　someone　among　them　was　a　killer；　it　was　better　that　that　person　not　be　aware　that　Schofield　knew　about　him。　Rebound　and　Champion　had　been　sworn　to　silence。　
　As　he　watched　the　others　suit　up；　Schofield　thought　about　what　had　happened。　
　Whoever　the　killer　was；　he　had　expected　that　Samurai's　death　would　probably　be　attributed　to　his　wounds。　It　was　a　good　assumption。　Schofield　figured　that　had　he　been　told　the　Samurai　hadn't　made　it；　he　would　have　immediately　assumed　that　Samurai's　body　had　simply　given　up　the　fight　for　life　and　died　from　its　wounds。　That　was　why　the　killer　had　suffocated　Samurai。　Suffocation　left　no　blood；　no　telltale　marks　or　wounds。　If　there　were　no　other　wounds　on　the　body；　the　story　that　Samurai　had　simply　lost　the　battle　with　his　bullet　wounds　gained　credence。　
　What　the　killer　had　not　known；　however；　was　that　asphyiation　did；　in　fact；　leave　a　telltale　sign…lactic　acid　in　the　trachea。　
　Schofield　had　no　doubt　that　had　he　not　had　a　doctor　present　at　the　station；　the　lactic　acid　would　have　gone　unnoticed　and　Samurai's　death　would　have　been　attributed　to　his　bullet　wounds。　But　there　had　been　a　doctor　at　the　station。　Luc　Champion。　And　he　had　spotted　the　acid。　
　The　implications　were　as　chilling　as　they　were　endless。　
　Were　there　French　soldiers　still　at　large　somewhere　inside　the　station？　Someone　the　Marines　had　missed。　A　lone　soldier；　maybe；　who　had　decided　to　pick　off　the　Marines　one　by　one；　starting　with　the　weakest　of　their　number；　Samurai。　
　Schofield　quickly　dismissed　the　thought。　The　station；　its　surrounds；　and　even　the　remaining　French　hovercraft　outside　had　been　swept　thoroughly。　There　were　no　more　enemy　soldiers　either　inside　or　outside　Wilkes　Ice　Station。　
　That　created　a　problem。　
　Because　it　meant　that　whoever　had　killed　Samurai　was　someone　Schofield　thought　he　could　trust。　
　It　couldn't　have　been　the　French　scientists；　Champion　and　Rae。　Since　the　end　of　the　battle　with　the　French　they　had　been　handcuffed　to　the　pole　on　E…deck。　
　It　could　have　been　one　of　the　scientists　from　Wilkes…　while　Schofield　was　outside　with　Montana　and　Hensleigh；　they　were　all　in　their　mon　room　on　B…deck；　unguarded　by　any　of　the　Marines。　But　why？　Why　on　earth　would　one　of　the　scientists　want　to　kill　a　wounded　Marine？　They　had　nothing　to　gain　from　killing　Samurai。　The　Marines　were　here　to　help　them。　
　There　still　remained　one　other　alternative。　
　One　of　the　Marines　had　killed　Samurai。　
　The　mere　possibility　that　that　might　have　happened　sent　a　chill　down　Schofield's　spine。　The　fact　that　he　had　even　considered　it　chilled　him　even　more。　But　he　considered　it　nonetheless；　because　aside　from　the　residents　of　Wilkes；　a　Marine　was　the　only　other　person　in　the　station　who'd　had　the　opportunity　to　kill　Samurai。　
　Schofield；　Sarah；　and　Montana　had　been　outside　when　it　had　happened；　so　Schofield　was　at　least　sure　about　them。　
　As　for　the　other　Marines；　however；　there　were　difficulties。　
　They　had　all　been；　more　or　less；　working　alone　at　different　places　in　the　station　when　the　murder　had　occurred。　Any　one　of　them　could　have　done　it　without　being　detected。　
　Schofield　checked　them　off　one　by　one。　
　Snake。　He　had　been　on　C…deck；　in　the　alcove；　working　on　the　destroyed　winch　controls　that　raised　and　lowered　the　station's　diving　bell。　He　had　been　alone。　
　Santa　Cruz。　He　had　been　searching　the　station　for　French　erasing　devices。　That　search　had　turned　up　nothing　but　the　VLF　transmitter　that　now　sat　silently　at　Schofield's　feet。　He　had　also　been　alone。　
　Rebound。　Schofield　thought　about　the　young　private。　Rebound　was　the　prime　suspect。　Schofield　knew　it；　Rebound　himself　knew　it。　He　was　the　one　who　had　said　to　Schofield　that　Samurai　was　stable　enough　for　him　to　go　down　to　E…deck　and　fetch　Champion。　He　was　also　the　only　one　who　had　been　with　Samurai　since　the　battle　had　ended。　For　all　Schofield　knew　Samurai　had　been　dead　for　over　an　hour；　killed　by　Rebound　long　ago。　
　But　why？　It　was　this　question　that　Schofield　just　couldn't　figure　out。　Rebound　was　young；　twenty…one。　He　was　fresh　and　green　and　eager。　He　followed　orders　immediately；　and　he　wasn't　old　enough　to　be　jaded　or　cynical。　The　kid　loved　being　a　Marine；　and　he　was　as　genuine　a　kid　as　Schofield　had　ever　met。　Schofield　had　thought　that　he　had　a　good　measure　of　Rebound's　character。　Maybe　he　hadn't。　
　The　thought　of　Rebound　as　the　killer　did；　however；　trigger　one　other　unusual　thought　in　Schofield's　mind。　It　was　a　memory；　a　painful　memory　that　Schofield　had　tried　to　bury。　
　Andrew　Trent。　
　Lieutenant　First　Class　Andrew　X。　Trent；　USMC。　Call　sign；　〃Hawk。〃　
　Peru。　March　1997。　
　Schofield　had　gone　through　Officer　Candidate　School　with　Andy　Trent。　They　were　good　friends；　and　after　OCS　they　had　risen　to　the　rank　of　First　Lieutenant　together。　A　brilliant　strategic　thinker；　Trent　was　given　mand　of　a　prized　Atlantic…based　Marine　Reconnaissance　Unit。　Schofield…not　quite　the　tactical　genius　that　Trent　was…was　awarded　a　Pacific…based　one。　
　In　March　of　1997；　barely　a　month　after　he　had　taken　mand　of　his　Recon　Unit；　Schofield　and　his　team　were　ordered　to　attend　a　battle　scene　in　the　mountains　of　Peru。　Apparently；　something　of　tremendous　importance　had　been　discovered　in　an　ancient　Incan　temple　high　in　the　Andes　and　the　Peruvian　President　had　called　upon　the　United　States　for　aid。　Bands　of　murderous　treasure　hunters　are　rife　in　the　mountains　of　Peru；　they　have　been　known　to　kill　whole　teams　of　university　researchers　in　order　to　steal　the　priceless　artifacts　that　the　researchers　find。　
　When　Schofield's　unit　arrived　at　the　mountain　top　site；　they　were　met　by　a　squad　of　American　troops；　a　single　platoon　of　U。S。　Army　Rangers。　The　Rangers　had　formed　a　two…mile　perimeter　around　a　particular　rain　forest…covered　mountain。　On　top　of　the　mountain　stood　the　crumbling　ruins　of　a　pyramid…shaped　Incan　temple；　half…buried　in　the　mountainside。　
　A　Marine　Recon　Unit　was　already　inside　the　temple；　the　captain　of　the　Rangers　informed　Schofield。　
　Andy　Trent's　unit。　
　Apparently；　it　had　been　the　first　unit　to　arrive　on　the　scene。　Trent　and　his　team　had　been　doing　some　exercises　in　the　jungles　of　Brazil　when　the　alarm　had　been　raised；　so　they　had　been　the　first　to　arrive。　
　The　Army　Ranger　Captain　didn't　know　anything　else　about　what　was　going　on　inside　the　ruined　temple。　All　he　knew　was　that　all　other　units　arriving　at　the　scene　had　been　ordered　to　secure　a　two…mile　perimeter　around　the　temple　and　not　to　enter　it　for　any　reason。　
　Schofield's　unit　went　about　doing　what　they　had　been　ordered　to　do；　and　before　long　they　had　reinforced　the　two…mile　perimeter　around　the　temple。　
　It　was　then　that　a　new　unit　arrived　on　the　scene。　
　This　unit；　however；　was　allowed　to　pass　through　the　perimeter。　It　was　a　SEAL　team；　someone　said；　a　bomb　squad　of　some　kind　that　was　going　in　to　defuse　some　mines　that　had　been　laid　by　whoever　was　in　there　with　Trent's　Marines。　Apparently；　there　had　been　heavy　fighting