"James Rollins - Subterranean" - читать интересную книгу автора (Romeyn Henry)

"Still, why me? There are other paleoanthropologists with similar interests."

"Several reasons. One"тАФhe began ticking off the points on his fingersтАФ"you've demonstrated you can
manage teams on other digs. Two, your nose for detail is superb. Three, your perseverance in solving
mysteries is bone-hard obstinate. Four, you're in excellent physical shape. Five, you've earned my
respect. Any other questions?"

Satisfied for now, she shook her head, slightly embarrassed. She fought back a blush. Rarely did one
hear praise in her field. Uncomfortable, she changed the tack of the conversation.

"Now that we're partners, maybe you can tell me where you discovered this unique artifact." She rose to
clear the dishes. "Somewhere in Africa, I'd guess."

He smiled. "No, in Antarctica, actually."

She glanced over her shoulder, trying to judge if he was testing her. "There are no primitive cultures on
that continent. It's a barren glacier."

Blakely shrugged. "Who saidon it?"

She rattled a dish in the sink. "So where, then?" She turned to him, leaned back against the sink, and
dried her hands with a damp dish towel.

He just pointed a single finger toward the floor.

Down.


TWO
Black Rock, Australia

BENJAMINBRUST WATCHED A BROWN COCKROACH SKITTERacross the white lavatory
sink. He crossed over to the bars, running a hand across the stubble that had grown over his cheeks
since his incarceration. The stink of old urine in the cell was less intense by the door. A khaki-uniformed
military guard glanced up from theGQ magazine on his lap. He nodded to the guard, who, without
acknowledgment, returned to his reading.

At least Ben's client, Hans Biederman, was recuperating well. Thank god for that. He sure as hell didn't
need an involuntary manslaughter charge on top of everything else. Mr. Biederman was due to fly back to
Germany today, having received no more than a slap on the wrist for their little escapadeтАФwhile Ben, as
the planner of the expedition, had a long stint in a military prison ahead of him.
 For the past five years, Ben had specialized in escorting those with the proper ticket price to exotic
locales to see rare sights. Trips that required bending, even breaking a few rules to accomplish. He
specialized in underground adventures: abandoned diamond mines in South Africa, monastic ruins buried
under the Himalayas, undersea tunnels off the Caribbean coastтАФand now, here in Australia, a set of
stunning caverns restricted by the military from human sight.

The caverns were on a remote section of the Black Rock military installation. These exquisite caves had
been discovered and mapped by Ben himself four years ago when he had once been stationed here.