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

grabbed the phone on the desk and pulled it to him. What he was going to do was much worse.

Ignoring Sung's objections, he dialed a number and gave a password. He listened as he was connected
through a series of operators. Finally, a familiar voice. Blakely answered, "Sir, I'm having trouble with the
base commander." He paused. "Yes, sir. That's right. He's right here, sir."

Blakely smiled and passed the phone to Sung. "Your boss."

Sung slowly reached and took the phone. "Hello, this is Commander Sung."

Blakely watched the commander's face drain of color, then refill a bright red. Again Blakely could tell
when someone's ass was getting chewed.

"Yes, I'll do it," Sung said, voice high. "Right away, Mr. Secretary. I understand the President's wishes."


SIX
JUST A MINUTE LONGER. THEN IT WILL BE OVER.

Even though Ashley was strapped securely to her seat on the Navy helicopter, she gripped the handhold
above her head. A sudden bump and turn of the craft caused her grip to tighten to a white-knuckled
clamp. A dull throbbing behind her eyes warned of an impending headache. Just land this damned
contraption, she thought. As if in answer, the helicopter dived downward.

Jason whooped as the helicopter tilted toward the icy wall of rock. The slopes of Mount Erebus filled
the entire starboard view, seemingly an endless series of snowy cliffs and black chasms climbing to
heaven.

Ashley closed her eyes, her stomach in her throat.

Jason tugged on her sleeve. "You gotta see this, Mom!".

She pushed his hand away. "Not right now, honey."

"But you can see the hole! It's freakin' weird."
She groaned, opening an eye. The world was a tilted plate, and the base of Erebus swung into view
below them as they circled downward. The area below was festooned with orange tents, like boils on a
white butt. A road of gouged mud and slush led out from the tent site to a black mouth in the cliff face of
Erebus, large enough to drive a double-decker bus into. Snow blew from the opening as if the gaping
mouth were exhaling.

The helicopter righted itself and descended like an elevator to the landing site, ice and snow billowing
around them as they touched down.

Blakely yelled above the noise of the rotors inside the transport helicopter. "All right, folks! There's two
Snow Cats just outside to transport us to the fissure."

Ben, seated across from her, grinned. "It's all downhill from here."

With her son begging for a window seat in the tight compartment of the wide-treaded Sno-Cat, Ashley