atlantis.found-第93部分

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　　　　　〃Any　attempt　to　stop　us；〃　Hugo　said　confidently；　〃will　e　too　late。　The　Fourth　Empire　is　inevitable。〃
　　　　　〃I　sincerely　pray　that　will　be　the　case；〃　said　Karl；　as　he　entered　the　auto　ahead　of　the　women。　Usually　gallant　around　the　ladies；　Karl　came　from　the　old　German　school　where　men　never　yielded　to　women。
　　　　　The　driver　of　the　electric　car　left　the　aircraft　hangar　area　and　entered　a　tunnel。　After　a　quarter　of　a　mile；　they　entered　a　vast　ice　cavern　that　enclosed　a　small　harbor　with　long　floating　docks　that　rose　and　fell　with　the　tide　from　the　Ross　Sea。　The　high…roofed　channel　that　ran　from　the　inner　harbor　to　the　sea　curved　gently；　allowing　large　ships　to　navigate　the　passage　while　the　ice　cliffs　blocked　all　view　from　the　outside。　Light　throughout　the　plex　came　from　overhead　fixtures　containing　dozens　of　halogen　bulbs。　Four　submarines　and　a　small　cargo　ship　were　moored　beside　the　docks。　The　entire　harbor　plex　was　deserted。　The　cargo　cranes　stood　abandoned；　along　with　a　small　fleet　of　trucks　and　equipment。　There　wasn't　a　soul　to　be　seen　on　the　docks　or　the　vessels。　It　was　as　if　their　crews　had　walked　off　and　never　returned。
　　　　　〃A　pity　the　U…boats　that　served　our　venture　so　efficiently　all　these　years　will　be　lost；〃　said　Elsie　wistfully。
　　　　　〃Perhaps　they　will　survive；〃　Blondi　consoled　her。
　　　　　Hugo　smiled。　〃When　the　time　es；　I　will　personally　return　to　Valhalla　to　see　how　they　fared。　They　deserve　to　be　enshrined　for　their　service　to　the　Fourth　Empire。〃
　　　　　The　old　tunnel　that　ran　nine　miles　through　the　ice　between　the　hidden　dock　terminal；　the　aircraft　hangar；　and　then　to　the　sea…mining　extraction　facility　had　also　been　excavated　by　slaves　from　the　old　Soviet　Union；　their　preserved　bodies　now　frozen　in　a　mass　grave　on　the　ice　shelf。　Since　1985；　the　tunnel　had　been　expanded　and　constantly　realigned　because　of　the　shifting　ice。
　　　　　In　the　beginning；　the　efforts　to　extract　valuable　minerals　from　the　sea　had　proved　a　dismal　failure；　but　with　the　nanotechnology　revolution　pioneered　by　Eric　Drexler　in　California；　along　with　his　wife　Chris　Peterson；　Destiny　Enterprises　had　thrown　its　immense　wealth　and　resources　into　a　project　to　control　the　structure　of　matter。　By　rearranging　atoms　and　creating　incredibly　tiny　engines；　they　had　totally　reinvented　manufacturing　processes。　Molecular　machines　could　even　produce　a　tree　from　scratch。　The　Wolfs；　however；　threw　their　efforts　into　extracting　valuable　minerals　such　as　gold　from　seawater；　a　process　they'd　achieved　and　gone　on　to　refine　until　they　were　producing　a　thousand　troy　ounces　of　gold　a　day　from　the　Ross　Sea；　along　with　platinum；　silver；　and　many　other　rare　elements。　Unlike　ore　pulled　from　the　ground　and　then　expensively　processed　by　crushers　and　chemicals；　the　minerals　extracted　from　the　sea　came　in　a　nearly　pure　form。
　　　　　The　engineering　center　of　the　Destiny　Enterprises　sea…mining　facility　was　a　great　domed　structure　whose　interior　looked　similar　to　the　vast　control　room　at　the　NASA　space　center。　Electronic　consoles　were　manned　by　thirty　scientists　and　engineers　who　monitored　the　puterized　electronics　of　the　nanotech　mining　operation。　But　this　day；　all　operations　for　the　extraction　of　rare　metals　from　the　sea　had　e　to　a　halt；　and　all　Wolf　personnel　were　concentrating　their　efforts　on　the　ing　split　of　the　ice　shelf。
　　　　　Karl　Wolf　entered　the　expansive　room　and　stopped　in　front　of　a　spacious　electronic　board　that　hung　from　the　center　of　the　domed　ceiling。　In　the　center；　a　large　map　of　the　Ross　Ice　Shelf　was　displayed。　Around　the　edges；　a　series　of　neonlike　tubing　distinguished　the　ice　from　the　surrounding　land。　The　tubing；　which　stretched　from　the　mining　pany　around　the　ice　shelf　and　ended　three　hundred　miles　from　the　opposite　end；　was　green。　The　section　from　where　the　green　ended　was　continued　in　red　to　the　edge　of　the　sea。
　　　　　〃The　area　in　red　is　yet　to　be　programmed？〃　Karl　asked　the　chief　engineer；　Jurgen　Holtz；　who　walked　up　to　the　Wolf　party　and　gave　a　sharp　nod　of　his　head　in　greeting。
　　　　　〃Yes；　that　is　correct。〃　Holtz　raised　a　hand　and　gestured　at　the　board。　〃We　are　in　the　process　of　setting　the　molecular　triggering　devices。　We　have　about　another　four　hundred　miles　to　program　to　the　end　of　the　tunnel　at　the　sea。〃
　　　　　Karl　studied　the　constantly　changing　red　letters　and　numbers　on　the　digital　displays　spaced　around　the　map。　〃When　is　the　critical　moment？〃
　　　　　〃The　final　process　for　splitting　off　the　ice　shelf　is　timed　for　six　hours。　。　。〃　Holtz　paused　to　stare　up　at　a　series　of　numbers　showing　the　time　left　until　doomsday。　〃Twenty…two　minutes　and　forty　seconds　from　now。〃
　　　　　〃Any　problems　that　might　cause　a　delay？〃
　　　　　〃None　we're　aware　of　All　puterized　procedures　and　their　backup　systems　have　been　inspected　and　scrutinized　dozens　of　times。　We　have　yet　to　find　the　slightest　hint　of　a　possible　malfunction。〃
　　　　　〃An　amazing　feat　of　engineering；〃　Karl　said　quietly；　while　gazing　at　the　colored　tubing　surrounding　the　ice　shelf。　〃A　pity　the　world　will　never　know　of　its　existence。〃
　　　　　〃An　amazing　feat　indeed；〃　echoed　Holtz；　〃boring　a　ten…foot…diameter　tunnel　fourteen　hundred　miles　through　the　ice　in　two　months。〃
　　　　　〃The　credit　goes　to　you　and　your　engineers　who　designed　and　built　the　molecular　tunneling　machine；〃　said　Elsie；　pointing　at　a　large　photo　on　one　wall。　The　picture　showed　a　hundred…foot…long　circular　boring　machine　with　a　thrust　ram；　a　debris　conveyor；　and　a　strange…looking　unit　on　the　front　that　pulled　apart　selected　molecular　bonds　within　the　ice；　producing　powder…snow…size　chunks　small　enough　to　be　transported　to　the　rear　of　the　conveyors　to　the　open　sea。　A　secondary　unit　rebonded　the　tiny　chunks　into　near…perfect　crystalline　solid　ice　that　was　used　to　line　the　tunnel。　When　in　full　operation；　the　tunneler　could　bore　through　fifty　miles　of　ice　in　twenty…four　hours。　Having　acplished　its　purpose；　the　great　machine　now　sat　under　a　growing　sheet　of　ice　outside　the　mining　facility。
　　　　　〃Perhaps　after　the　ice　melts；　we'll　have　an　opportunity　to　use　the　tunneler　again　on　subterranean　rock；〃　Karl　said　thoughtfully。
　　　　　〃You　think　the　ice　will　melt　away？〃　asked　Elsie；　puzzled。
　　　　　〃If　our　calculations　are　ninety…five　percent　correct；　this　section　of　the　Antarctic　will　end　up　eighteen　hundred　miles　north　of　here　two　months　after　the　cataclysm。〃
　　　　　〃I've　never　quite　understood　how　all　this　is　going　to　break　off　the　entire　ice　shelf　and　send　it　out　to　sea〃　said　Elsie。
　　　　　Karl　smiled。　〃I'd　forgotten　that　you　were　the　family　intelligence　collector　in　Washington　for　the　past　three　years　and　were　not　provided　with　details　of　the　Valhalla　Project。〃
　　　　　Holtz　held　up　one　hand　and　pointed　to　the　giant　display　board。　〃As　simply　as　I　can　explain　it；　Miss　Wolf；　our　nanoputerized　machine　constructed　a　vast　number　of　molecular　replicating　assemblers；　which　in　turn　constructed　over　many　millions　of　tiny　molecular　ice…dissolving　machines。〃
　　　　　Elsie　looked　pensive。　〃In　other　words；　the　replicated　assemblers；　through　molecular　engineering；　can　create　machines　that　can　produce　almost　anything。〃
　　　　　〃That's　the　beauty　of　nanotechnology；〃　replied　Holtz。　〃The　replicating　assembler　can　copy　itself　in　a　few　minutes。　In　less　than　twenty…four　hours；　tons　of　replicated　machines；　moving　trillions　of　atoms　around；　drilled　holes　into　the　ice　every　six　inches　above　and　below　the　tunnel。　Once　the　ice　tubes　were　drilled　to　a　predetermined　depth；　the　nanoputer　closed　down　all　further　instructions　to　the　machines。　In　sixteen　hours；　the　moment　our　meteorologists　have　predicted　a　strong　offshore　wind　in　bination　with　a　favorable　current；　a　signal　will　be　sent　to　reactivate　the　machines。　They　will　then　finish　the　job　of　dissolving　the　ice　and　separating　the　shelf　from　the　continent；　allowing　it　to　drift　out　to　sea。〃
　　　　　〃How　long　will　that　take？〃　asked　Elsie。
　　　　　〃Less　than　two　hours；〃　answered　Holtz。
　　　　　〃Then　ten　hours　after　the　final　break；〃　Karl　explained；　〃the　displaced　weight　of　the　Ross　Ice　Shelf　will　have　moved　far　enough　away　from　the　Antarctic　continent　to　throw　off　Earth's　delicately　balanced　rotation　just　enough　to　cause　a　polar　shift　in　unison　with　a　crust　displacement；　sending　the　world　into　a　devastating　upheaval。〃