Prologue, Chapter One Summary

A Coast Guard plane on standard iceberg patrol detects something very unusual in one of the icebergs below. As they crew flies down for a closer look, they discover a burned out ship entombed in an iceberg. They drop a red dye flare on the iceberg to mark its position and radio in the find to their headquarters. As they fly away, two unidentified men in white snowsuits watch the plane depart, then radio an unknown source.

Lt. Commander Lee Koski, Commander of Coast Guard Cutter Catawaba is watching an extremely skilled helicopter pilot land on his deck in a severe storm. He tells his Executive Officer, Lt. Amos Dover, to bring the pilot and passenger to the Officer's Messroom, where he will receive them. Lt. Cmdr. Koski is puzzled about what urgency would bring someone in this weather...