"Andre Norton - Operation Time Search" - читать интересную книгу автора (Norton Andre)

dared to try. We use the mound for a checkpoint."

"Still having trouble over that?"

Fordham frowned. "We gave out the story that we are
clearing to build an addition to the labs. This Wilson who is
making all the fuss is chronically opposed to government
authority. He's built up this `Save our historic mound'
crusade mainly to get himself space in the city papers and to
harass the project. Started a rumor last year that we were
dabbling in some weird new experiment that would blow
the whole county off the map. He was warmed then by the
security people. But he believes this mound thing is safe.
However, `Save our historic mound' isn't as good for
arousing interest as `Look out, the eggheads are going to
blow us up.' His campaign is already running down.

"However, the mound makes a good checkpoint because it
is older than any other surviving man-made landmark
hereabouts."

"What if you turn up mound builders instead of
Atlanteans?"

"Well, then we'd have a better set of films than those we
already possess to rivet attention on the project, though
those we do have are more to our real purpose."

"Yes," agreed Hargreaves. "And if this does work-if we can
get through ourselves-"

"We can tap natural resources, riches such as we cannot
imagine in this era. We've plundered and wasted and used
up most of the living treasures of our world. So now we
have to try to pillage somewhere else. Well, shall we go to
see-Atlantis?"

Hargreaves laughed. "Seeing is believing; one picture is
worth a volume of words. Give me a good film to take
back to Washington, and I may be able to up your
current appropriation. All right-show me Atlantis."

The weather for early December was surprisingly mild. Ray
Osborne opened the collar of his leather jacket. His ex-
paratrooper boots flattened ragged clumps of last season's
grass. The shadow of the Indian mound enclosed him now.
Early Sunday morning-Wilson had been right in his
suggestion about the time. The fence had had a gap just as
he had promised. There was only one building in sight, the
tower part of the hush-hush installation. And on this side of