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But a dozen of the closest tanks had the frost recently scraped frolow of the overhead bulbs shone plainly upon the sight inside The interior of each tank was filled with solid ice, a perfect blue clarity

And like an insect trapped in amber, a shape was embedded in the heart of each tank Naked Huony Pal Men Women Even children

Matt stared down the long tunnel Tank after tank How ht He saw the shocked looks on the others’ faces

Two h, looked more embarrassed than horrified

He walked back to the main room and faced them: Lieutenant Bratt and Amanda Reynolds “What is all this?” He waved an arm down the hall

Craig appeared at his side Washburn and the civilian scientists gathered with him

“It’s what the Russians are trying to cover up,” A back to World War Two Used for human experimentation”

Matt studied the barred door Greer and Pearlson stood guard there For the et the door open They were probably wary of the return of the grendels after chasing theunfire But that fear wouldn’t keep them out forever

“What were the bastards trying to do here?” Washburn asked, looking the most shaken, her stoic demeanor shattered

Amanda shook her head “We don’t know We locked down the lab as soon as we discovered as hidden here” She pointed to a glass cabinet that contained a neat row of journals, covering two shelves “The answers are probably there But they’re all coded in soe script We couldn’t read them”

Craig approached and cracked the door open He leaned over, studying the bindings “There are nuer down the journals “If I’ht, from January 1933…to May 1945” He pulled the last one out and flipped through it

“Twelve years,” Bratt said “It’s hard to believe this operation ran for so long without anyone knowing”

Amanda answered, “Back then, communication up here was scant Travel rare It wouldn’t be hard to hide such a place”

“Or lose it when you wanted to,” Matt added “What the hell happened here?”

The biologist, Dr Ogden, spoke frohtened from one tank “I may have an idea”

Everyone turned to him

“What?” Bratt asked brusquely

“The grendels,” he said to the lieutenant commander “You sahat happened The speci frozen for centuries”

Amanda’s eyes widened “That’s impossible”

Bratt turned to her “No, ht I saw it happen with my own eyes”

Dr Ogden continued: “Such a miraculous resurrection is not unheard of in the natural world Certain turtles hibernate in frozenthaw”