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

spots."

"Sounds good," Ashley said. "I thinkтАФ"

Ben continued, "Also, by buddying up, we can conserve our batteries by having each pair only keep a
single lamp lit. In this darkness, even a single light casts a big spot." He grinned at her. "After a day down
here, too much light hurts the eyes. Trust me."

She nodded. Turning to the rest of the team, she pointed a thumb at Ben. "Let's do it, then. Everyone
pick a partner."

Ben stepped immediately toward her. "Howdy, partner."

"Whoa," Ashley said. "Did you happen to notice we have an odd number of people here? As leader, I'll
join other pairs as the need arises."

By this time, Linda and Khalid had already matched up, and the two SEALs had their heads bowed
together, whispering. The remaining teammates, Michaelson and Ben, stared at each other.

"Shit," the major mumbled.

"Me and my dumb ideas," Ben said with a shake of his head.

Ashley hid a grin as she adjusted her pack. "With that out of the way, let's head on. We've got a lot of
ground to cover."

She nodded toward the pair of grumbling men. "Ben and Michaelson will take the point. Let's all pay
strict attention to Ben for the next few miles. He's the most experienced in caving, and I want everyone to
learn proper spelunking skills and safety precautions. Let's not end up like that other team."

The group shifted backpacks into place and excess hand lanterns were clicked off. The level of light,
Ashley noted, did not diminish to any significant degree. She followed Ben and Michaelson. As she
walked, she cast her lantern back and forth, the darkness sucking at her light.

Her mind turned to her missionтАФboth missions. She imagined being stranded in this Stygian blackness,
watching the last of her batteries drain away while the darkness enveloped her in a cold embrace. She
shivered. And what about the cliff builders, those long-lost ancestors of man? How did they survive in
this eternal darkness?
 She shook herself from this reverie as the team arrived at the next wormhole entrance. She stepped to
the front.

Ben had his notebook-sized compass open, a geopositional tool tuned to a radio transmitter at the base
that allowed Ben to calibrate not only their precise position in relation to the points of the compass but
also the team's depth.

"They call this a map?" Ben said. As guide, he was keeper of the sketchy diagram drawn by the previous
searchers. "It's crap. Look." He shoved the paper toward her. "No compass points, no distinct cavern
delineations, no depth markers . . . No wonder the other team got lost!"

"That's why you're here," Ashley said. "You just map our way back home. We're counting on you."