Subterranean (7 page)

With her son begging for a window seat in the tight compartment of the wide-treaded Sno-Cat, Ashley had found herself squished between Jason and Ben. Linda, unencumbered by a son, had nabbed the seat next to the driver. The other members followed in a second vehicle.

The tunnel opening loomed ahead. It was originally a natural fissure that sliced deep into the side of Mount Erebus. Explosives and mining equipment had widened the fissure and smoothed a passageway into the volcanic mountain. She held her breath as their vehicle bounced over the lip into the cavernous tunnel, wide enough for two trucks. A regular two-lane highway into the heart of a volcano.

The walls, rough-hewn from blasting and drilling, were lighted by halogen lamps strung along the ceiling. As the Cat ground around a curve, daylight vanished; the lamps remained the only illumination. The driver clicked on the headlights, spearing the darkness ahead.

Though it seemed as if they were traveling on level ground, she knew from the briefing that they were heading at a downward angle; the tunnel, four miles long, would descend almost four thousand feet.

But it was slow progress. Even traveling at a snail's pace, the bumpy roadway kept jarring her into Ben's side. “Sorry,” she said, pushing herself off his shoulder.

“No worries. I was sort of enjoying it.”

She smirked at him. Did he ever stop?

Linda turned to face them. “Do you mind if I open my window a crack? I'd like to . . . well . . . it's kind of stuffy.”

Ashley's eyebrows pulled together. Linda's complexion blanched, her lips dry and caked. Probably hadn't liked the helicopter ride either. She could definitely sympathize, but it was damned cold outside. “I don't know. I don't want Jason to catch a chill. Perhaps—

“A little fresh air sounds good,” Ben said. He reached and squeezed Ashley's hand. “Jason, do you mind?”

Ashley stared down at Ben's hand. He kept squeezing as though trying to communicate to her. She bit back a retort.

Her son, glued to the tunnel ahead, mouth open, waved a hand at them. “I don't mind.”

“Fine,” Ashley said, “go ahead, Linda. But Jason, you stay bundled up.”

Linda grinned weakly and turned forward once more. A gush of icy wind swirled into the compartment as she lowered her window an inch. With her nose to the window, Linda inhaled deeply, visibly relaxing.

Ben released Ashley's hand. She burrowed deeper into her parka, clutching the hood around her face. She turned to question Ben, but he continued to study Linda, his brow tight with concern.

Resigned, Ashley leaned back and watched the overhead lamps wink by as they passed under them.

Down the white rabbit's hole went Alice.

Blakely sat next to the driver, staring at the taillights of the Sno-Cat up ahead. He had been studying the passing tunnel walls, eyeing the electrical and communications cables. All was in order. As long as the base commander didn't try any last-minute sabotaging of his plans, everything was prepared.

Khalid leaned forward from where he sat in the rear of the Sno-Cat. “How much farther?” he asked.

Blakely glanced over his shoulder to face the geologist. “We'll reach the shaft elevators in about ten minutes. Be at Alpha Base by dinner. So relax. Enjoy the ride.”

Khalid nodded, and Blakely watched the Egyptian return to studying the passing lamps and cables, his dark eyes taking in all the details.

Swinging back in his seat, Blakely understood the geologist's edginess. This waiting gnawed at one's nerves.

*     *     *

Ashley stretched muscles cramped by the ride. She glanced back as the second Sno-Cat trundled into the large cavern and discharged its passengers, then returned her attention to the massive elevator—a cage of iron bars.

Jason was exploring around the huge crates that filled the back half of the cave. He looked like a mouse scurrying among a child's spilled toy blocks. “Jason!” she called. “Stay close, hon.”

Her son waved his acknowledgment.

Blakely, enlisting Ben's aid, waved toward the elevators. “Help me with these doors.”

Ben and Major Michaelson hauled the doors aside so the crew could enter. Jason had wandered over. Ben tousled his hair. “Ready for this, mate?”

Jason grinned as he entered the garage-sized elevator, big enough to park both Sno-Cats. “Oh, yeah. This is so awesome.”

Ashley eyed the interior of the elevator. The ceiling and floor were sheets of solid red iron, but the walls were just one-inch-thick iron bars. Like a gigantic birdcage.

“We'll travel about the equivalent of two hundred floors,” Blakely said as the doors closed. “Took three years alone to mine out this six-hundred-meter shaft that separates the floor of this rift from the cavern below.” He yanked a lever, and Ashley felt the familiar lurching as the elevator dropped with a rumble.

She held Jason's hand. How safe was this contraption? She voiced her concerns.

Blakely smiled. “We've hauled heavy machinery with this elevator. Even several trucks. It'll hold the group of us just fine.” He tapped the metal wall of the cage. “This is the lifeline of Alpha Base. It's maintained like an expensive Swiss watch and guarded like the crown jewels.”

Ashley noticed Khalid's smile. Amused at her feminine fears, she thought. Just another macho man, fearless in the face of reason. She watched him as he eyed the cage, studying it.

An uncomfortable silence took hold as the team continued their descent. The only illumination came from a single lamp in the ceiling of the cage. It felt like they were suspended in space.

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”—she waved at the steel cage—“this
well
. 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 I
am
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 removed—
today
.”

Ashley shook her head; droplets flew from the tip of her nose. She wiped her brow. Damp. The humidity must be close to a hundred percent. But the air! She inhaled deeply. It was so clean.

She squinted, but the far wall was blocked by the massive pillar. Damn. She had hoped to spy the dwellings.

“Mom! Look!” Jason pointed toward the cavern floor.

Sighing in exasperation, she stood on tiptoe, leaning her forehead against the cold bars. Below, buildings and tents dotted the floor, lit by searchlights and festooned with lamps. A deep chasm, like a black wound, cut the base in two. A lighted bridge crossed the gap, linking the two halves. It was their destination.

Alpha Base.

“Look over here,” Linda exclaimed. “You can see fish!”

Ashley sidled behind Linda, placing a hand on her shoulder, peering over and down.

At the edge of Alpha Base, reflecting the lights of the camp, was a mammoth lake, covering several hundred acres, rippling gently. From above, a few glowing residents of the lake could be seen gliding and darting under the glassy surface. Strangely poetic.

“Cool,” Jason exclaimed.

“And how, mate.” Ben nudged Ashley with an elbow. “Amazing, ain't it?”

Ashley nodded, her mind numb. Anxious to explore, her qualms from a moment ago were a dim memory. “Am I remembering correctly? Did you say the cavern was five miles across?

Blakely nodded, a smile playing about his lips. “Approximately.”

Ben whistled.

Within minutes, the cage settled to the cavern floor, secure in its berth. A uniformed escort stood ready to guide them to their quarters. Blakely faced the group. “We're home!”

Alpha Base, Antarctica

A
SHLEY WATCHED WITH A SMIRK AS
J
ASON DARTED
around his bedroom. Her own room in the two-bedroom suite was just as impressive. Hard to believe each member of the team had a separate suite in the main dormitory of the base. The perks of working on this mission were getting better and better. Lace curtains, walnut desks, thick upholstered chairs, designer wallpaper. Who would have thought they were two miles underground?

“Look, Mom.” He pointed to a desk in the corner of his room. “A real Pentium II. Not one of those slowpoke clones.”

She hated to burst his balloon, but he had to learn sometime. “That's for your homework.”

Jason turned to her, his jaw hanging open. “It's the beginning of summer, Mom!”

“It's only a couple hours each day. While I'm gone, I want you to put this time to use. There's a library on the base. I want you to check out two books while I'm gone and write a book report on each.”

His looked aghast, his eyes wide. “Some summer!”

“It'll be fun. Roland will be”—she dare not say ‘baby-sitting,' or Jason would never forgive her—“watching you. He'll be staying here while I'm gone. I expect you to mind him.”

He scrunched up his face, irate.

“If you mind your manners and do your homework . . .
without sulking
. . . there are some surprises in store for you.”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice thick with skepticism. “Like what?”

“First, I found a martial arts expert on the base who can continue your lessons here. If you want to get your yellow belt by year's end, you're gonna need to practice while I'm gone.”

The black cloud over his face lifted just a bit.

“Plus, they have electric bikes and Jet Skis to ride.”

Jason grimaced. “Why electric?”

“To help protect the ecosystem they limit the number of combustion engines down here. It's the military's small contribution to cavern preservation.” Ashley remembered Ben's scowl as they traveled across the base, grumbling the entire way about the blatant abuse of the fragile ecology. Still, Jason's pout drew back her attention. She brushed some loose strands of hair away from her face. “But, Jason, that's not all they have planned. There's also fishing, basketball, you name it. Plenty to keep you entertained while I'm gone.
And
if you do well with your studies, Dr. Blakely has promised you can join him in the control room and help monitor our progress. You'll even be able to talk to me.”

“Well, I guess that's okay,” Jason said, still pouting a bit.

“Finally,” she said, pointing back into the main room of the suite, “they have cable. A hundred and fifty channels, all decoded.”

“Wow, I gotta check that out.”

She caught him by the sleeve as he barreled past her. “Whoa, there, sonny. First, we have dinner in a half hour. Go get yourself cleaned up.”

“Geez, Mom. Can't a guy have a little fun?” He stomped toward the bathroom.

She grinned. Just like home. Only two miles below the bottom of the earth's surface.

*     *     *

“So what do you think, kid?” Ben asked as he approached Linda's back.

She stood at the edge of the lake, nicknamed the “Bottomless Pit” by the grunts. Only a foot away, black water lapped at a rock from the waves created by a passing Navy pontoon boat.

He scratched at the stubble on his cheek.

She glanced over at him, the light of the camp dancing in her eyes. “It's wondrous.” She pointed at the ceiling several hundred feet up. “It's like being outside.”

He nodded, then shrugged in the direction of the water. “Thinkin' of skinny-dipping?”

She smiled. “No, but you could.”

“Oh, no, you'd snatch up my skivvies and have the whole base laughing at me.”

She grinned wider, more relaxed. “That's not what I meant. I meant you
could
actually swim in there. I've heard that some of the Marines do it. The water is quite warm. Eighty-two degrees. I tested it. Heated by volcanic vents.”