Subterranean by James Rollins Read Free Book Online

Jason was ahead of her. She didn’t want him wandering off and getting lost.
    Warmth. The interior was heated but felt humid and sticky, the pungent odor of sweat prevalent. Crinkling her nose, she noticed the hallway was lined with a rainbow of colored parkas hung on pegs.
    Blakely directed them to hang up their parkas. “Don’t worry about them being stolen. To steal someone’s coat is a hanging offense here.”
    Ashley helped Jason off with his parka and hung it next to hers.
    â€œWe’ll only be stopping for lunch, then proceeding directly to Alpha Base,” Blakely continued. “The E-mess is at the end of this corridor. Help yourselves and unwind. We’ll meet back here in two hours. There’s also a recreation room with Ping-Pong and pool tables around the corner from E-mess. Enjoy yourselves.”
    â€œYou won’t be joining us?” Ashley asked.
    â€œNo, I’m meeting with the base captain to iron out the last few details.”
    After Blakely left, they proceeded to the mess hall. A few Navy personnel raised an eyebrow or two as they passed. One young gentleman stared at Ashley for longer than she liked, until a stern glare sent him scurrying. As a whole, though, the Navy crew seemed unfazed by the newcomers. She guessed that as a base of operation for the National Science Foundation, they had become accustomed to an influx of new faces.
    Ashley balanced a tray laden with two apples, a thick sandwich of luncheon meats, and a pint of milk. Jason had tried to fill his tray with pudding and cookies until she pointed for him to return the treats. “Lunch first. Then you can have a chocolate pudding and one cookie.”
    Jason moped his way to the table with the smallest sandwich he could find, his eye still straying to the dessert bar.
    Ben joined them at their table. Major Michaelson, Khalid, and Linda took a neighboring table.
    â€œWe’re almost there,” Ben whispered in her ear as he sat. “At the threshold of a new world. How are you holding up, Captain?”
    Whether from his words or his ticklish breath, a shiver traveled down her back. “Fine,” she said. “Just wound up tight. Anxious to tackle the caves.”
    â€œMe too.” With a big smile, he held out a hand, fingers trembling. “I get the shakes until I get started.”
    She couldn’t tell if he was joking with her. He was so hard to read. “To be this close . . .” She shrugged. “It’s nerve-wracking.”
    â€œI know how you feel,” Ben said with a nod. “I’ve been caving for two decades. This is my first chance to scoop booty on a new system.”
    â€œScoop booty? What’s that?”
    â€œSheesh, Mom!” Jason said, seated beside her, appalled. He spoke around a mouthful of sandwich. “It’s a caving guy’s word. It means to be the first to discover new stuff.”
    â€œOh . . . I see,” she said, smiling at her son’s attempt to impress her.
    â€œBen and I talked. He’s told me all about—what’d you call it again?—oh, yeah . . . the virgin’s passage.”
    â€œWhat?” She turned to Ben. “What the hell have you been telling my son?”
    â€œVirgin passages,” Ben said, straining to hold back his laughter. “Passages never walked by man. That sort of thing.”
    â€œOh,” she said, suddenly chagrined. “I thought—”
    He interrupted with a sloppy grin. “I know what you thought.”
    She bristled. “So you think you’re the next Neil Armstrong?”
    â€œWho?”
    She shook her head at his ignorance. “The first man who stepped on the moon. ‘One giant step for mankind.’”
    Ben’s eyes brightened. “Exactly! To be the first human to see something new. Like no other thrill.”
    She remembered the hidden Anasazi tomb she had discovered, pulse racing, breath shallow, as she tipped