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"If none of the survivors can open an eency exit, we may have to cut our way inside"

"Sparks fro jet fuel," said Lieutenant Cork Sie-control team He bore the confident look of a o in through the main cabin door Doc Gale, here, will need all the space he can get to remove any stretcher cases"

"I agree," said Pitt "But a pressurized door that's been jaainst its stops by the distortion of the crash will take ti to death in there Our first job is toto insert the vent pipe from the heater"

He broke off as Giordino cut a steep Turn and dropped doard a flat area only a stone's throw from the wreck Everyone tensed in readiness

Outside, the beat of the rotor blades whiPPed up a s site into an alabaster-colored stew that wiped out all vision

Giordino had barely touched the wheels to the ice and set the throttles on idle when Pitt shoved open the loading door, jue Behind hi of supplies while Cork Simon and his team willched the auxiliary heater and the snowmobile onto the ice

Half-running, half-slipping, pi e, carefully avoiding open breaks in the ice

The air reeked with the unwelcome smell of jet fuel He climbed up the ice MOUnd that was piled a meter thick over the cockpit s

Clireased ra into the cockpit, but quickly gave it up: it would have taken an hour or h the packed ice and then tunnel inside

He slid down and ran around to the reht section isted and broken fro toward the tail it lay on the ice, crushed against the sunken fuselage only an ar as a platform over the open water, Pitt dropped to his hands and knees and tried to peer inside The lights frolas, and he had to cup his hands around his eyes to close out the glare, At first he could not detect any movement, only darkness and a deathly stillness

Then, quite suddenly, a grotesque face materialized on the other side of the , scant centimeters from Pitts eyes

He unconsciously stepped back The sudden appearance of a wo over half the features, all distorted by the hairline cracks running through the , startled Pitt momentarily

He quickly shook off the shock and studied the unble dark hair, and one olive-brown eye was enough to suggest a very beautiful woht charitably

He leaned close to theand yelled, "Can you open an eency exit hatch?"

The plucked eyebrow raised a fraction, but the eye looked blank