Frauleinstein

Chapter XV: So That's What Happened, Part I

"This particular tunnel, I believe, was someone's escape route from the castle. It was well hidden at the other end; the old pivoting wall with a hidden latch trick. They marked the route with the occasional carving in the rock. I suppose they didn't have a light they could count on. You can see one here; I've added a splotch of paint to them so they're easier to find.

"When I originally reached the end in the woods there was a hatch that opened inward, and a short dig to the surface. It occurred to me that a small explosive charge would be rather handy to do the digging for me, should I ever need to go that way again. It also occurred to me that a huge explosive charge would be a good way of closing it up again afterward. I rather pictured myself on the other side of that explosion, but whatever works, I always say."

Zolfina was grateful for the sound of Roddy's voice. His stories of his underground adventures, in his calm, relaxed voice were very reassuring. Although the arduous journey took almost two hours, it seemed far less. Nevertheless it was with a huge sense of relief that Zolfina found herself once again in the underground passages of the castle. The man-made cut stone walls might have been from another century, but they were reassuringly human.

"Do you recognize where we are?" Roddy asked as they reached the end of a short T-junction.

Zolfina looked up and down the new corridor. "The dungeons, they are in this direction. Yes?"

"Correct," Roddy said. "So we're going in that direction."

Once again Roddy led the way, as the pair continued on through the underground maze to the old control room. It was here they were finally able to put their burdens down.

It was definitely the same room as Zolfina remembered from 1944. The general layout, the entrances and exits, including the stone stairway leading to the surface and the deep chasm leading to certain death, were all still exactly the same. She could picture the space filled with soldiers and scientists in her mind's eye. The equipment had all been replaced, now less military-looking, more modern and computerized, but the purpose was obviously still the same. The operating theatre remained, as did the unbearable sense of terrible evil.

"Let's destroy this place," Zolfina spat with disgust.

Roddy walked further into the room. "You told me once that this pillar supported the roof; all the stone of the ceiling and everything on the surface above. Do you remember that?"

"Yes," Zolfina confirmed. "It was originally just natural stone, but the engineers evaluated it, and reinforced it as you see."

Roddy opened his ancient box of explosives. "Then it's coming down."

Roddy demonstrated to Zolfina how the explosive material could be molded and fixed to the pillar. There was no chance of explosion, until the detonators were inserted. Roddy set himself the task of stripping wires to the detonators, then wiring them together. One detonator was inserted into each block of explosive and then the primed explosive was attached to the pillar. Within twenty minutes they had the pillar completely wired, ready to bring down the entire cavern.

Zolfina looked in the explosives box, finding it completely empty.

"Is there no more wire?" she asked. "How will we be far enough away from the blast?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," Roddy told her. He reached into the tool box, finding two small devices. Roddy flipped a small switch on both.

"This is a remote detonator," he explained. He pressed the large button on one device, and was rewarded with a blinking green light on the other. "It has a pretty good range, although that will be reduced considering the charge is underground. But I expect we'll be able to detonate from above ground at least, hopefully outside the building above."

Yes, hopefully," agreed Zolfina. "Especially since the building is expected to fall!"

Roddy wired the remote unit to the detonators. One last check of the wiring and they were ready to leave...

"Bring the girl this way. I'll get the lights!"

Roddy and Zolfina looked up, as the doorway at the top of the stone stairs opened and a voice drifted down to them. Roddy barely had time to pull Zolfina back into the dark tunnel before the lights flickered on across the large cavern. They stood quietly in the shadows, and waited to see what would happen next.

"Quickly, bring her down here!"

An older, white-haired man led the way. Roddy recognized the two men who followed, from his confrontation at the Golden Crown. They were carrying what appeared to be a woman's body; whether she was dead or simply unconscious he couldn't tell.

The older man ran across the laboratory, and returned pushing a wheeled gurney. "Lay her down here. Hurry, she could wake at any moment!"

 The two men set the girl down on the gurney. Then the three of them set about strapping her arms and legs down, immobilizing her. Roddy and Zolfina watched with increasing concern.