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

Feeling the need to break the silence, Ashley turned to Blakely. "You know," she said, "something has
been bothering me. And I imagine a few of the others too."

"Hmmm?" He seemed lost in reverie.

Ben perked up, pushing off the wall he had been leaning on. The others too were staring at them with
interest.

"Let's be honest here," she said. "Are we here to investigate this continent or rape it?"

Blakely's eyebrows arched.

"We all know science doesn't pay"тАФshe waved at the steel cageтАФ"thiswell . More's at stake than just
an archaeological investigation."

"True," Blakely said, taking off his glasses and rubbing at the bridge of his nose, "but let me assure you,
first and foremost Iam a scientist. To me, the mission has been and always will be a scientific one. That is
one of the reasons I chose you to head this team, Professor Carter. I want this mission to remain a
scientific venture. But we don't live in a vacuum. This mission does have some significant economic and
political ramifications."

Blakely added, "Don't be so quick to judge. It gets the bills paid. Gets me my equipment." He pointed at
the others, then at her. "And it gets me a prime team."

"Still," she said, "what's the final tradeoff for this exploration? If we end up with a strip-mined and
blasted continent . . . that's too hefty a price tag. I can live without answering the mystery of the caverns."

He stared at her, a sad look on his face. "Can you really, Professor Carter?"

She opened her mouth to declare her convictions, but the lie would not come out. She had asked
Blakely to be honest. Could she be any less? She remembered the diamond figurine, glowing in the last
rays of the setting sun. She closed her mouth. Damn.

He nodded and pointed down. "Here it comes."

Just then a breeze rushed into the cage, blowing back her parka hood. A warm breeze! At the same
time, light burst up from below. The elevator had just dropped into the cavern.

The ceiling of the cave, illuminated from below, dripped with damp stalactites, huge mountains hanging
upside down. Several reached to the floor to form gigantic pillars. A natural colonnade. The elevator was
descending beside a pillar twice the diameter of their own cage. Ashley noticed someone had scrawled
graffiti on the column. An arrow pointing down with the rough-lettered words, "Hell . . . one mile!"

Ben frowned. "Defacing a cavern. That's not only poor taste, but among cavers it's considered bad
luck."

Blakely scowled at his assistant Roland. "Let's get that removedтАФtoday."

Ashley shook her head; droplets flew from the tip of her nose. She wiped her brow. Damp. The