Area 7

438 Pages·2003·0.93 MB·English

by  Matthew Reilly

DON’T MISS THESE OTHER THRILLING NOVELS
BY MATTHEW REILLY
TEMPLE
ICE STATION
AVAILABLE FROM ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS
AND TURN TO THE BACK OF THIS BOOK FOR AN
EXCERPT FROM HIS NEXT NOVEL
CONTEST
COMING SOON IN HARDCOVER
FROM ST. MARTIN’S PRESS
OUTSTANDING PRAISE FOR NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING
AUTHOR
MATTHEW REILLY
AND HIS NOVELS
AREA 7
“Reilly, the pedal-to-the-metal action novelist from Australia …
can inspire awe. How many heroes, after all, can kill an enemy aboard the space
shuttle in outer space, then return to Earth and dispatch another foe by pushing
him into a pool full of meat eating Komodo dragons all over the course of less
than an hour?
Speed demons, take note.” —Publishers Weekly
“Reilly’s … most suspenseful blow-‘em-up to date. The jet boat chase through
the blind chasms of Arizona’s Lake Powell puts the Bond books to shame.” —
Kirkus (starred review)
“Australia’s Reilly punches his way onto bookstore and library shelves with
another action-packed adventure … Packs a wallop.”
—Booklist
TEMPLE
“As good as it gets when it comes to action thrillers … brilliant.”
—The Charleston Post & Courier
Turn the page for more acclaim …
“A new thriller star, a combination of Ian Fleming meets Tom Clancy.” — Tulsa
World
“Reilly’s book has adrenaline in super-sized quantities.”
—Orlando Sentinel
“The action just keeps on coming … Michael Crichton meets Indiana Jones.” —
Kirkus Reviews
“A great read … nonstop action adventure … If you want rollicking adventure,
old-fashioned escape ala Indiana Jones or Allan Quatermain, look no further
than TEMPLE.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Reilly writes with chilling cleverness and can be entered, with deafening
gunfire, in the Michael Crichton/John Grisham showcase.
Cliff hangers (literally) abound.”
—The Weekend Australian
ICE STATION
“It takes a really good action thriller to shove its way into this space, but ICE
STATION made it with ease. What follows are some of the wildest and most
sustained battles in an action thriller in a long time.” —The Chicago Tribune
“Employing crude but effective prose, a nonstop spray of short, punchy
paragraphs, and cliff hangers galore, this is grade-A action pulp.” —Publishers
Weekly
“A fabulous Hovercraft chase ensues, followed by even more spectacular movie-
style stunts (with a genuine cliff-hanger, just for fun). Alistair MacLean meets
the X-Files, in a first novel by Australian writer Reilly that’s as satisfying as a
wide-screen Hollywood blockbuster.” —Kirkus Reviews
“ICE STATION grabs you like seeing a Glock pointed at your head. If you want
action—and I mean serious action with hard-as-nails marines and cutting edge
weapons—then pick up Matt Reilly’s ICE STATION.” —Richard Marcinko,
author of the Rogue Warrior series
“Once you start reading ICE STATION, you’re not going to want to be
interrupted by anything. The whole thing moves at the speed of light. Matthew
Reilly instantly catapults himself into the top rank of adventure/suspense
writers.”
—Warren Murphy,
GRANDMASTER and THE FOREVER KING
“The pace is frantic, the writing snappy, the research thorough.
Deaths and derring-do aplenty, plus high-tech gadgetry and old-fashioned
heroics. Un-put downable.”
—The Weekend Australian Review of Books
“Supersonically paced … This is a seriously good book.”
—The Daily Telegraph
“Indiana Jones goes to Antarctica. … ICE STATION is a ripping read … fast
and inventive, with lots of action, and is obviously backed by good research
about weaponry, science, and international jealousies.” —AW Magazine
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES
BY MATTHEW REILLY
TEMPLE
ICE STATION
AREA 7
MATTHEW REILLY
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this
book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the
publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for
this “stripped book.”
First published in Australia by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
AREA 7
Copyright Š 2001 by Matthew Reilly.
Excerpt from Contest copyright Š 2003 by Matthew Reilly.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St.
Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY
10010.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001054458
ISBN: 0-312-98322-0
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Press hardcover edition February 2002p> St. Martin’s Paperbacks
edition February 2003p>
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10010.
10 987654321
For John Schrooten, my friend
I’LL TRY TO BE QUICK. SINCERE THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO:
Natalie Freer—who gets to see (and put up with) my creative eccentricities up
close. Her patience and generosity know no bounds.
My brother, Stephen Reilly—tortured writer, constructive and creative critic, and
good friend; and to his wife, Rebecca Ryan, because they come as a package.
My wonderful parents—Ray and Denise Reilly—for encouraging me to build
miniature movie sets for my Star Wars action figures when I was a kid; my
creativity comes directly from them.
My good friends John Schrooten, Nik and Simon Kozlina, the whole Kay clan
(notably Don, who made me shrink the size of the cats in Temple), and to Paul
Whyte for accompanying me on an extraordinary trip to Utah while researching
this book.
A special mention to two American friends—Captain Paul M. Woods, U.S.
Army, and Gunnery Sergeant Kris Hankinson, USMC (retired), who generously
gave of their time and assisted me with the military details of this book. Any
mistakes are mine, and were made over their objections.
And finally, once again, thanks to everyone at Pan Macmillan and Thomas
Dunne Books. This is our fourth outing together and it still rocks. Thanks to
Gate Paterson, Jane Novak, Sarina Rowell, Paul Kenny, and Pete Wolverton.
And, of course, as always, to the sales reps for the countless hours they spend on
the road between bookstores.
To anyone who knows a writer, never underestimate the power of your
encouragement.
All right! Now on with the show. …
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
SPECIAL AREA (RESTRICTED) NO. 7
GROUND LEVEL: Main Hangar
LEVEL 1: Hangar Bay
LEVEL 2: Hangar Bay
LEVEL 3: Living Quarters
LEVEL 4: Laboratories
LEVEL 5
LEVEL 6: X-rail platform
GROUND LEVEL: MAIN HANGER
LEVEL I UNDERGROUND HANGAR BAY
Air
LEVEL 2: UNDERGROUND HANGAR BAY
shaft
LEVEL 6: X-RAIL PLATFORM
Regular
elevator
Tunnel
blast doors
>
rail engines
Maintenance
vehicle
The single greatest fear that America faces today is that its military forces no
longer tolerate the continuing incompetence of its civilian leadership.