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laughter tickled across the room—“but we discovered a few scattered artifacts.” He clicked through the next series of slides. One of the slides was the diamond fertility figurine.
    Ashley was numb as she settled back into her seat. She raised her hand. “Excuse me, Dr. Blakely.”
    He acknowledged her with a wave, then paused to sip from a glass of water.
    â€œHas the site been dated?” she asked.
    He swallowed, nodding. “We did some cursory radio-carbon dating. As near as we can tell, about five-point-two million years.”
    â€œWhat!” Ashley jumped out of her seat a second time. “That’s impossible.”
    â€œIt’s been repeated at several labs,” he replied, his smile condescending.
    The eyes of the auditorium were now upon her. Some lighting technician even highlighted her with a small spot. She shaded her eyes with a hand. “But the first hominids, the earliest ancestor of modern man, only appeared on the planet four million years ago. And these early hominids did not have the tools or social structure to build anything like this.”
    He shrugged. “That’s why we’re here.” He clicked for the next slide: a photograph of a tunnel in the base of the wall. “These tunnels leave this colossal chamber in many different directions, connecting to other caverns and tunnels. We believe that down one of these passages lie the answers to the questions raised by Professor Carter. Who built the dwellings? Who made the carvings? Where are they now?”
    The audience remained stunned, silent. Ashley sat back down, still in shock.
    â€œI have put together a small team to begin that exploration. To venture deeper into the maze of tunnels and discover what else may lie below. The group will be led by Professor Ashley Carter, an expert in paleoanthropology and archaeology. The others on the team are leaders in their respective fields.”
    He pointed to a blond-haired woman seated several chairs over from Ashley. “Accompanying the team will be Professor Linda Furstenburg, a biology professor from the University of Vancouver, to study the unique biosphere we’ve discovered down there. Also a geologist, Khalid Najmon,” he said with a nod toward an Arab gentleman seated with his legs crossed to Linda’s left. “He, as many of you know, will be assisting us in mapping the riches below Antarctic ice. His findings may alter our view of this continent.”
    Blakely finished by pointing out the other two men seated in the front row. “All the way from Australia, Benjamin Brust, a world-renowned cave explorer, will be mapping the intricacies of this unique cavern system. And that smartly dressed man in the uniform is Major Michaelson of the U.S. Marines, who, with two other trained military men, will be accompanying the team to aid in logistics and protection.”
    He waved his arm to encompass the group before him. “Ladies and gentlemen, here is your team.” A murmur of applause spattered across the crowd.
    Ashley tried to sink deeper into her seat.
    After some further details were explained and a handful of questions answered, the meeting ended. Satisfied, Blakely left the podium.
    In the adjacent room, he sighed and loosened his tie. The first part was over. Roland, who had been his assistant for over fifteen years, entered with the slide tray. Blakely nodded to him.
    â€œThat went very well, sir,” Roland said as he boxed the slides. “The government representatives and your other financial backers seemed very pleased.”
    â€œYes,” he said with a tired smile. “I think so too.” He pulled off his jacket and let it drop on a nearby chair. He sat down in another.
    Roland placed the slide carousel in a cardboard box. “No one even suspected there was a previous exploration team.”
    He shrugged. “They have no need for that information right now.”
    â€œBut what