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

He acknowledged her with a wave, then paused to sip from a glass of water.

"Has the site been dated?" she asked.

He swallowed, nodding. "We did some cursory radio-carbon dating. As near as we can tell, about
five-point-two million years."

"What!" Ashley jumped out of her seat a second time. "That's impossible."

"It's been repeated at several labs," he replied, his smile condescending.

The eyes of the auditorium were now upon her. Some lighting technician even highlighted her with a small
spot. She shaded her eyes with a hand. "But the first hominids, the earliest ancestor of modern man, only
appeared on the planet four million years ago. And these early hominids did not have the tools or social
structure to build anything like this."

He shrugged. "That's why we're here." He clicked for the next slide: a photograph of a tunnel in the base
of the wall. "These tunnels leave this colossal chamber in many different directions, connecting to other
caverns and tunnels. We believe that down one of these passages lie the answers to the questions raised
by Professor Carter. Who built the dwellings? Who made the carvings? Where are they now?"

The audience remained stunned, silent. Ashley sat back down, still in shock.

"I have put together a small team to begin that exploration. To venture deeper into the maze of tunnels
and discover what else may lie below. The group will be led by Professor Ashley Carter, an expert in
paleoanthropology and archaeology. The others on the team are leaders in their respective fields."

He pointed to a blond-haired woman seated several chairs over from Ashley. "Accompanying the team
will be Professor Linda Furstenburg, a biology professor from the University of Vancouver, to study the
unique biosphere we've discovered down there. Also a geologist, Khalid Najmon," he said with a nod
toward an Arab gentleman seated with his legs crossed to Linda's left. "He, as many of you know, will be
assisting us in mapping the riches below Antarctic ice. His findings may alter our view of this continent."

Blakely finished by pointing out the other two men seated in the front row. "All the way from Australia,
Benjamin Brust, a world-renowned cave explorer, will be mapping the intricacies of this unique cavern
system. And that smartly dressed man in the uniform is Major Michaelson of the U.S. Marines, who, with
two other trained military men, will be accompanying the team to aid in logistics and protection."

He waved his arm to encompass the group before him. "Ladies and gentlemen, here is your team." A
murmur of applause spattered across the crowd.
Ashley tried to sink deeper into her seat.

After some further details were explained and a handful of questions answered, the meeting ended.
Satisfied, Blakely left the podium.

In the adjacent room, he sighed and loosened his tie. The first part was over. Roland, who had been his
assistant for over fifteen years, entered with the slide tray. Blakely nodded to him.

"That went very well, sir," Roland said as he boxed the slides. "The government representatives and your