"Bloomin' Ada!" exclaimed a stunned Sean.
"The writing's in English!" said an equally stunned Kevin.
"It turned into English before my very eyes!" said Libby.
"Call me a plonker," said Sean, "but there's no technology that can do that where we come from."
"There isn't any technology anywhere that we know of that can do anything anywhere near like that!" insisted Catherine.
"Is it magic?" asked Libby.
"Not like in Harry Potter books," said Catherine. "Someone once said that Magic's just hiding a technology or a science we've yet to understand."
"Yeah," agreed Sean. "There's bound to be an explanation."
"Yes, Sean," said Catherine, looking thoughtful, "but whatever explains this 'magic', it isn't anything to do with Humanity as we have been brought up to believe in."
"Call me-" started to say Sean, when he was interrupted by Catherine:
"Make it original this time!" insisted Catherine. She and the others knew he was going to say, "Call me a plonker, but..." He was always saying it.
Sean stroked his chin deep in thought, then gave a little victorious smile and said, "Call me Ishmael, but that strange writing-I'll bet it was alien writing. I bet the technology that transformed it into English was alien technology."
"I think as ridiculous as it sounds, you might be right," said Catherine. "I can't think of another explanation. By the way, I liked your Moby Dick reference. The more I think about it, the cleverer it sounds."
"I don't get it?" said a confused Libby.
"It's silly," said Kevin. "Just forget about it, Libby. I'm sure he'll never use such a daft joke again."
Just then, the ground above them shook, even though the tunnel remained perfectly still. A few loose chunks of concrete from the edge of the fissure fell down, some of them bouncing off the ladder's rungs.
"Quick!" shouted Catherine. "Move down the tunnel, I think the fissure is closing up!"
Sure enough, they moved, and the fissure did close up. There was a small pile of concrete pieces on the tunnel floor beneath where the fissure had been; however, the tunnel remained undamaged.
"That's torn it!" said Kevin. "We've got no choice now, but to explore the tunnel."
"Don't worry, Libby," assured Catherine, "we'll find our way out. I mean the tunnel doesn't seem as if it can be damaged, and it must lead somewhere."
"Perhaps we should start off our exploration by actually reading the writing," suggested Kevin.
The children walked back to the writing and started to read:
Main Exit To Planet Surface!
Please remember on return to use the decontamination brick. All specimen bags and flasks must be sealed! Do not forget your key or you will have to undergo testing from the Vertos-an unpleasant experience, even for Farlan scientists! The city awaits your successful return.
"Hmm..." murmured Catherine, deep in thought. "I have a feeling aliens might well be involved. I think I know a bit about what's happened. I think the tunnel is near enough indestructible. This is obviously one end of the tunnel. That's why the fissure occurred here and how we were able to enter. The fissure occurred at the weakest point. The other end of the tunnel must exit to a waiting city."
"But we'd know if there was a city under London, surely," said Kevin.
"I doubt we'd know about a city that probably has the means to hide itself with incredible technology," replied Catherine. "But I have a feeling this tunnel is very ancient. Not just thousands of years old, but maybe even millions of years old. I think the city might still be there, or it might have been intentionally destroyed. I have a feeling this tunnel was abandoned many years ago."
"But why?" asked Sean.
"I dunno, matey."
"This is over my head," said Libby. "Remember, I'm only nine. Before hearing anymore of this nonsense or going any further, I'm having a bar of chocolate."
Before anyone could warn her not to, Libby took off her rucksack and sat on a large blue coloured brick. No sooner had she done this than a cylinder of blue swirling energy formed around her and a horizontal red disk of light whooshed up and down the cylinder. Then, quickly, the cylinder faded away.
"Libby!" exclaimed Sean, making his way towards her.
"Stop, Sean!" shouted Catherine, halting Sean in his tracks. "Libby, do you feel all right?"
"I feel more than all right. I've never felt better. I feel like I've just had the best bath of my life. And you know how I always felt as if my hair had head lice in it-even though Mum got rid of it? Well, that feeling's gone. I don't feel any itchiness."
"Roll up your sleeve and look at your elbow!" commanded Catherine.
Libby dutifully obeyed her older sister. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "My scab has gone!"
"I think that huge blue brick you're sitting on is the decontamination brick mentioned in the writing. Come here, please."
Libby came up to Catherine and looked up to her.
"Amazing!" said Catherine.
"What's amazing?"
"Every bruise spot and cut you used to have has gone."
"Wow!" put in Sean. "Now that's what I call decontamination! And I'm next!" Sean raced to the huge blue brick and sat on it with great anticipation. Within seconds, he was blue-cylindered, red-pulsed and decontaminated.
He jumped up, grinning and said, "How do I look?"
No one answered him because they didn't want to encourage him any further.
Kevin and Catherine took the decontamination process.
"Well," said Catherine, "we've got rid of our badges of honour, now let's see if we can find our way out of this tunnel."
The tunnel was longer than they could ever have expected. There seemed to be no end to it. After an hour, they stopped for a rest.
Just then, Libby started to practise her Irish dancing.
"What's this?" said Sean, looking curiously at Libby. "Don't you want a rest?"
"I've got to practice my Irish dancing. I've got a competition at the end of the month." Libby said all this while gleefully Irish dancing. Her legs pumping up and down, her arms as rigid as a statue's held down straight by her sides.
"But this is no time to be practising your dancing, surely?" questioned Kevin. "We're stuck down this tunnel, and if we don't find a way out...!"
"But I've gotta practise, see," started to explain Libby. "I get angry if I lose at competitions. So the only way to not get angry is to win. And I'll never win if I don't practise." Libby then executed a perfect scissors movement while briefly placing her hands on her hips before returning them, straightened, back down to her sides. Still she kept dancing, like a human jackhammer. "I only won 3rd reel, 4th hop jig and 3rd light jig then 4th premier last week. I've gotta do way better than that."
"I used to get angry when I lost, too," said Catherine. "But I found another way to beat my anger. A more sensible way."
"What way?" said a heavily breathing Libby between smiles as she continued her dancing.
"I learned how to lose!"
"She's right, Libby," said Sean. "You can't always win, so you better learn how to lose,"
Libby's eyebrows started to curl in a peculiar way as if she was considering Sean's words. Moments later her dancing came to an abrupt stop and she took some deep breaths. She sat herself on the tunnel floor with her back against the wall. "Whatever," she murmured.
"Make sure no one scoffs their food and drink," warned Catherine. "We don't know how long it will be before we can find anymore food and drink."
Libby didn't seem to be taking any notice and was about to start on a packet of crisps.
"I'm serious!" cried Catherine, making Libby put her crisps away.
After a few minutes rest, the children set off along the gently descending tunnel, and it wasn't long before Sean saw something surprising further down the tunnel...!
"Look!" he cried, pointing down the descending tunnel.
"What is it?" asked Catherine.
"There's an old man down the tunnel!"
"Where?" said Libby.
"There!" cried Sean, pointing determinedly.
The old man was difficult to see because he was a long way down the tunnel and he had fair hair and wore pale yellow robes the colour of the tunnel floor and walls. But when he lifted his hand and waved at them, all the children could clearly make him out.
"Oh my god!" cried Catherine. "What's an old dosser like that doing down here?"
"He must have tried to cross through the tunnel earlier this morning and found the fissure just like we did," suggested Kevin.
"Well, we'll soon find out," said Catherine. "I can't see him being able to harm the four of us. But just the same, we better be on our guard. He could be anybody!"
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I hope you enjoyed this Chapter. I welcome any votes, comments or constructive criticisms (style, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors).
T. J. P. CAMPBELL.