1 You are standing on the Toan Glacier in northern Greenland, staring
       down into the black void of the crevasse. You shiver as you wonder
       whether you were lucky or unlucky to be invited on this
       expedition. Standing next to you are Gunnar Larsen of the National
       Research Institute and Dr. James Sneed, a geologist. A small black box
       containing a signal transmitter is suspended over the crevasse by two
       long poles. The transmitter is wired to a console a few yards away in
       the ice. Dr. Sneed turns a dial as he monitors the display
       screen. "Well?" Larsen's voice is impatient. Sneed looks up, a broad
       smile on his face. "This is it, friends-the Bottomless Crevasse."
       "Any radar return?" Larsen asks. Sneed shakes his head. "None." For a
       minute no one speaks. Like you, the others must feel excited to have
       reached their goal but also a little sad. It was just a year ago that
       your old friend, Dr. Nera Vivaldi, radioed from this spot that she had
       reached the Bottomless Crevasse. A few moments later, her radio went
       dead. She was never seen again.
       
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