Meltdown Ophilion - Book One

38_DEEP UNDERGROUND

Fel took the lead this time. He reached for the handle which turned easily. "They must use this quite often. I wonder how many points of entry they have?"

There was a stairway which led further underground in a square pattern. They shone their beams into the darkness below but couldn't detect the bottom.

Without a word they began descending, slowly at first, then more quickly as they found their rhythm. A minute later they found themselves at a dead end, deep underground. The stairs ended for no apparent reason. They searched the walls. Nothing.

"Well," Orion's voice echoed through the stairwell, "I guess we missed something. This has to be the right entrance," he looked around at the others. Maybe there was a door we missed on the way down."

They started slowly back up the stairs searching the walls for clues. Two minutes later they found what they were looking for. It was a small service door which looked as if it were designed for a child's playhouse. Fel automatically activated the projector. There was no new reading.

"Only one way to find out," Orion muttered. He turned the handle and pushed the door inwards. They felt a draught blow towards them bringing with it an earthy mineral smell. Orion aimed his searchbeam and saw the outlines of a small room mostly filled with medium sized pipes which ran through vertically, from ceiling to floor. There were ancient monitoring panels with dials and levers. He saw the skeletal remains of a small animal in one corner. Probably a hiebra-luren.

He crouched through the small opening, searching for an exit. "There's a way through over here," he called back in a whisper. He began walking slowly through the narrow tunnel while the others climbed in. After a few meters it opened up into a large service passage leading in two directions.

"Well, this is a little better," Fel said hopefully, "let's see what we got now." He activated the projector. "Positive direction!" he smiled, exhaling with relief. They gazed in unison at the hologram which indicated a right turn. They began their walk through the serviceway in higher spirits.

"I think we have to go quite a way," Fel said; "probably to the edge of the field, from what I can tell." After walking down the decaying passageway for over twenty minutes it made a curve to the left. Before them was a high wall made of mineral panels. They observed it with irritation. Fel shook his head, "It has to be further." He activated the hologram again to confirm. It clearly showed the path continuing for at least three hundred meters to their fourth position.

"Maybe there's a secret door," Celli offered, "let's look around."

Their search was fruitless.

"There's got to be something," she said, feeling frustrated and afraid. "I thought the projector would lead us to it."

"You don't think the projector indication could be wrong, do you?" Orion asked.

Fel remained silently holding the projector in his hand, considering what Orion had said. "The Antarion said we should be able to figure it out without much problem. I just don't get it."

"They're Antarion," Orion quipped, "Their version of 'without much problem' is not like our version of 'without much problem.'"

Celli frowned at Orion and raised her eyebrows.

"Now would be a good time to establish a relay" Orion murmured mostly to himself, but they knew that at this point the Antarion would only help them if they deemed it necessary, and they hadn't come to their aid yet. Maybe they don't see us clearly down here. Maybe there's too much interference.

They all stood staring at the wall in front of them in silence wondering how help would come – if it would come. They could always go back – if all else failed.