mreilly.icestation-第39部分

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　Schofield　watched　the　three　Marines　as　they　reached　for　their　face　masks　and　prepared　to　jump　into　the　murky　pool。　Then　he　turned　and　scanned　the　pool；　empty　save　for　the　diving　bell　that　hovered　out　in　the　center。　The　pod　of　killer　whales　had　left　the　area　about　forty　minutes　ago　and　hadn't　been　seen　since。　As　he　gazed　at　the　pool；　however；　he　felt　someone　tap　him　on　the　shoulder。　Schofield　turned。　
　And　saw　Sarah　Hensleigh　standing　in　front　of　him。　Dressed　in　a　figure…hugging　blue…and…black　thermal…electric　wet　suit。　Schofield　was　momentarily　taken　aback。　For　the　first　time　that　day；　he　noticed　just　how　shapely　Sarah　Hensleigh　was…the　woman　had　a　great　body。　
　Schoheld　raised　his　eyebrows。　
　〃This　is　what　I　wanted　to　ask　you　about　before；〃　Sarah　said。　〃When　we　were　outside。　But　I　never　got　a　chance。　I　want　to　go　down　with　them。〃　
　〃I　can　see　that；〃　Schofield　said。　
　〃This　station　lost　nine　people　down　in　that　cave。　I'd　likd　to　know　why。〃　
　Schofield　looked　from　Hensleigh　to　the　three　Marine　divers　on　his　left。　He　frowned；　doubtful。　
　〃I　can　help；〃　Sarah　said　quickly。　〃With　the　cave；　for　example。〃　
　〃How？〃　
　〃Ben　Austin…one　of　the　divers　who　went　down　there　at　the　very　start…said　it　was　an　underground　cavern　of　some　sort；　right？〃　Sarah　said。　〃He　said　it　had　sheer　ice　walls　and　that　it　stretched　off　for　several　hundred　feet。〃　Sarah　stared　at　Schofield。　〃My　guess　is　that　if　the　walls　in　that　cave　are　sheer；　then　it's　a　good　bet　that　the　cave　was　formed　by　some　kind　of　seismic　event　in　the　past；　some　kind　of　earthquake　or　undersea　volcanic　eruption。　Sheer　walls　are　created　by　sudden　upthrusts　of　rock；　not　slow；　gradual　movement。〃　
　〃I'm　sure　my　men　will　be　safe　from　sudden　upthrusts　of　rock；　Dr。　Hensleigh。〃　
　〃All　right　then。　I　can　tell　you　what's　down　there；〃　Sarah　said。　
　That　got　Schofield's　attention。　He　turned　to　the　three　divers　standing　by　the　edge　of　the　pool。　〃Montana；　Gant；　Cruz。　Just　hold　on　a　minute；　will　you？〃　Schofield　turned　back　to　face　Sarah　Hensleigh；　his　eyes　serious。　〃All　right；　Dr。　Hensleigh；　tell　me　what's　down　there？〃　
　〃All　right；〃　Sarah　said　as　she　collected　her　thoughts。　She'd　obviously　thought　about　this　a　lot；　but　now　Schofield　had　put　her　on　the　spot。　
　〃Theory　One；〃　she　said。　〃It's　alien。　It's　a　spacecraft　from　another　planet；　from　another　civilization。　Now；　that's　not　really　my　field…it's　not　really　anyone's　field。　But　if　that　thing　is　alien　then　I'd　give　my　right　arm　to　see　it。〃　
　〃Mother　already　gave　her　left　leg。　What　else？〃　
　〃Theory　Two；〃　Sarah　said；　〃it's　not　alien。〃　
　〃It's　not　alien？〃　Schofield　raised　an　eyebrow。　That's　right；〃　Sarah　said。　〃It's　not　alien。　Now　this　theory；　this　theory　really　is　my　field。　This　is　pure　paleontology。　It's　not　a　new　theory　by　any　means；　but　until　now；　no　one's　been　able　to　find　any　evidence　to　prove　it。〃　
　〃Prove　what？〃　
　Sarah　took　a　deep　breath。　〃The　theory　goes　that　once；　a　long　time　ago；　there　was　civilized　life　on　Earth。〃　
　She　paused；　not　for　effect；　but　rather　to　wait　for　Schofield's　reaction。　
　At　first；　Schofield　didn't　say　anything；　he　just　thought　about　it　for　a　moment。　Then　he　looked　at　her　hard。　〃Go　on。〃　
　〃I'm　talking　about　a　long　time　ago；〃　Sarah　said；　gaining　momentum。　〃I'm　talking　before　the　dinosaurs。　I'm　talking　four　hundred　million　years　ago。　Now；　when　you　think　about　it。。。　when　you　think　about　it　in　terms　of　human　evolution；　it's　really　very　possible。　
　〃Human　life　as　we　know　it　has　been　on　Earth　for　less　than　a　million　years；　right？　Historically　speaking；　that's　not　a　long　time。　If　the　history　of　the　Earth　were　the　twenty…four　hours　in　a　day；　then　the　period　of　modern　human　presence　would　amount　to　about　three　seconds。　What　we　would　call　civilized　human　life…human　life　in　its　Homo　sapiens　form…has　been　here　for　an　even　shorter　period　of　time；　not　even　twenty　thousand　years。　That's　less　than　a　second　on　the　world's　time　clock。〃　
　Schofield　watched　Sarah　Hensleigh　closely　as　she　spoke。　She　was　excited；　speaking　quickly。　She　was　in　her　element。　
　〃What　paleontologists　usually　say；〃　she　said；　〃is　that　a　whole　matrix　of　factors　contributed　to　the　rise　of　the　mammals；　and　hence　the　rise　of　human　life　on　Earth。　The　right　distance　from　the　sun；　the　right　temperature；　the　right　atmosphere；　the　right　oxygen　levels　in　the　atmosphere；　and；　of　course；　the　extinction　of　the　dinosaurs。　We　all　know　about　the　Alvarez　theory；　how　an　asteroid　slammed　into　the　Earth　and　killed　all　the　dinosaurs　and　how　the　mammals　rose　out　of　the　darkness　and　took　their　place　as　the　rulers　of　the　world。　What　if　I　was　to　tell　you　that　there　is　evidence　that　there　were　at　least　four　other　such　asteroid　impacts　on　this　planet　in　the　last　seven　hundred　million　years。〃　
　〃Asteroid　impacts；〃　Schofield　said。　
　〃Yes。　Sir　Edmund　Halley　once　suggested　that　the　entire　Caspian　Sea　was　created　by　an　asteroid　collision　hundreds　of　millions　of　years　ago。　Alexander　Bickerton；　the　famous　New　Zealand　physicist　who　taught　Rutherford；　hypothesized　that　the　seabed　of　the　entire　South　Atlantic　Ocean…between　South　Africa　and　South　America…was　one　great　big　bowl…shaped　crater；　caused　by　a　massive　asteroid　impact　over　three　hundred　million　years　ago。　
　〃Now；　if　we　assume…as　we　so　readily　do　in　the　case　of　the　dinosaurs…that　every　time　one　of　these　cataclysmic　asteroids　hit　the　Earth　a　civilization　died；　we　can　only　ask；　what　other　kinds　of　civilizations；　like　that　of　the　dinosaurs；　have　also　been　destroyed？　What　several　academics　have　suggested　in　recent　years…Joseph　Sorenson　from　Stanford　is　the　most　well　known…is　that　one　of　these　civilizations　may　have　been　human。〃　
　Schofield　looked　at　the　other　Marines　on　the　deck　around　him。　They　were　all　listening　to　Sarah　intensely；　rapt　in　her　story。　
　Sarah　went　on。　〃You　see；　on　average；　the　Earth　tilts　on　its　vertical　axis　half　a　degree　every　twenty…two　thousand　years。　What　Sorenson　postulated　was　that　about　four　hundred　million　years　ago　the　Earth　was　tilted　at　an　angle　not　unlike　the　angle　it's　tilted　on　today。　It　was　also　no　farther　from　the　sun　than　it　is　now；　so　it　had　similar　mean　temperatures。　Ice　core　samples；　like　the　ones　we　get　from　this　station；　have　shown　that　the　air　was　a　mix　of　oxygen；　nitrogen；　and　hydrogen；　in　quantities　very　similar　to　that　of　our　own　atmosphere　today。　Don't　you　see　it？　The　matrix　was　the　same　then　as　it　is　now。〃　
　Schofield　was　slowly　beginning　to　believe　what　Sarah　was　saying。　
　Sarah　said；　〃That　cavern　down　there　is　fifteen　hundred　feet　below　sea　level；　that's　two…and…a…half　thousand　feet　below　the　average　land　level　of　Antarctica。　The　ice　down　there　is　easily　four　hundred　million　years　old。　If　it's　upthrusted　ice　from　deeper　down…ice　that　was　raised　by　an　earthquake　or　something…then　it　could　be　a　lot；　lot　older。　
　〃I　think　that　whatever　is　down　there　is　something　that　was　frozen　a　long　time　ago。　A　long　time　ago。　It　could　be　alien；　it　could　be　human；　from　human　life　that　existed　on　this　planet　millions　of　years　ago。　Either　way；　Lieutenant；　it'll　be　the　greatest　paleontological　discovery　this　world　has　ever　known　and　I　want　to　see　it。〃　
　Sarah　stopped；　took　a　deep　breath。　
　Schofield　just　stood　there；　silent。　
　Sarah　spoke　softly。　〃Lieutenant；　this　is　my　life。　This　is　my　whole　life。　Whatever's　down　there　is　perhaps　the　greatest　discovery　in　the　history　of　mankind。　I've　been　studying　my　whole　life　for　this…〃　
　Schofield　looked　curiously　at　her；　and　she　cut　herself　off；　sensing　that　he　was　about　to　speak。　
　〃What　about　your　daughter？〃　he　said。　
　Sarah　cocked　her　head。　She　hadn't　expected　him　to　ask　that。　
　Schofield　said；　〃You're　willing　to　leave　her　up　here　alone？〃　
　〃She'll　be　safe；〃　Sarah　said　evenly。　Then　she　smiled。　〃She'll　be　up　here　with　you。〃　
　Schofield　hadn't　seen　Sarah　Hensleigh　smile　before。　It　illuminated　her　face；　lit　up　the　whole　room。　
　Sarah　said；　〃I'll　also　be　able　to　identify　our　divers　who　went　down　to　that　cave　before；　which　might　be…〃　
　Schofield　held　up　his　hand。　〃It's　all　right；　you　convinced　me。　You　can　go。　But　you　use　our　scuba　gear。　I　don't　know　what　happened　to　your　people　down　there　before；　but　I　have　a　sneaking　suspicion　that　whatever's　down　there　heard　the　noise　of　their　breathing　gear　and　I　don't　want　the　sa