Chapter 10 - Part 2

The walkway was unnervingly straight. Ebbe expected there to be at least a gentle curve, where the mystery creators of this tunnel hit some form of igneous rock that could not be excavated. It did not strike her as a recent creation, quite the opposite, the metal floor seemed positively ancient. Even in the dull light that emanated mysteriously from the rock walls it was clear the metal was severely rusted, to the degree that in many places it had been eaten away completely. These patches were mercifully small and sporadic, though Ebbe thought it wise to keep her eyes down in case there happened to be a bigger gap. She could ill afford to twist an ankle or worse. Such an old tunnel would not have been made with aid of modern technology that could carve through pretty much anything. Had this been the case the walls would be smooth, not rough and angular.

At first the group had remained tight knit and cautious. But as the walk dragged on interminably they began to separate. Now Krank was so far ahead of Ebbe, still bringing up the rear, that she could not see him. Only the clanging of his steel toed boots upon the decaying walkway gave away his presence. Jake and James were carrying poor Art, still out cold, with silent determination in the middle of the group. No one spoke a word. Ebbe wasn't sure if this was because no one could think of anything to say, or because any sounds reverberated around the corridor until they became distorted and tortuously inhuman, before at last fading out mercifully.

Ebbe's mind strayed to Anthony. Was he alive? There was no way he could be, surely? And even if her were, he'd be mortally wounded, or slowly suffocating to death, buried alive under countless tons of rock and rubble. The thought of his pale face gasping for air pathetically made her stomach turn and she forced herself to think more constructively. But everything she had in her mind were unanswerable questions. Callisto vanishing, the supposed V6, the sun 'switching off', the assault on this remote outpost, all planned and calculated to get into this echoing catacomb. And, Ebbe supposed, that was the ultimate question at this very moment; what the hell had Krank been protecting, and from whom?

"We're here," boomed the very man himself, as if on cue, his voice swiftly coagulating in the tunnel and becoming a ghostly reflection of the original words, slowly fading into the dark oblivion. 

Ebbe suddenly found her chest tingling with nervous excitement. The walk had become so timeless and monotonous that she had all but lost track of time. There was nothing in the way of unique landmarks to assess progress. Behind them lay the unswerving walkway, vanishing into a pit of black, and in front, the same. Now, at last, they had arrived at what she hoped was their intended destination. Ebbe wasn't sure if she was scared or thrilled to finally be seeing whatever had been so fiercely fought over. Nevertheless she didn't break her stride, soon catching up and passing the stretcher bearers, who had already stopped and laid down Art, a few feet from the towering Krank. 

At first Ebbe saw nothing new. Ahead lay what could have been another hundred miles of walkway, as far as she knew, and Krank appeared to just be standing in the middle of a nondescript part of the walkway. But as she approached him she realised that the metal path to his left split off into a new tunnel. Her initial excitement fizzed away in a instant. Not just more endless dingy tunnel heading off in another direction, she signed. East instead of North. 

She was about to speak and voice her distress at the thought of wandering ceaselessly without food or water down this never ending corridor when she saw that this junction led, not to more corridor, but to a hatch. Whilst still not the glowing salvation she could have hoped for, it was certainly a new development and offered the potential of a change in scenery.

Krank gestured at the hatch with his head, clearly reluctant to hear his voice morphed into the ghastly echoes again. Ebbe nodded back to him and he took that as approval for the next step. Ebbe presumed this hatch also had the biometric system that had allowed them to gain entry to the corridor. This presumption was immediately proved as Krank again placed his hand upon something to the right of the hatch. The light from the scanner temporarily blinded Ebbe, her eyes suitably adjusted for the ghostly dark glow of the rock. As the patches of white faded from her bleary eyes, Ebbe saw Krank, seemingly unfazed by the light, turning a wheel atop the hatch. With a light tug the hatch was opened and suddenly more blinding white light spilled outward. For the first time since they entered, Ebbe could see the rock corridor. It become immediately apparent that the walls, that had appeared random and coarse in the dark, were actually perfectly carved in the same pattern throughout. This entire tunnel had been excavated by some sort of machine that had left this rough, jagged, repeating pattern on the walls. 

But more revelatory than this was the concept of the brilliant white light fleeing the small open hatchway. What was down that hatchway? Ebbe couldn't bear the suspense, but for a moment found herself rooted to the spot. Something deep inside told her that if she entered that hatch everything she thought she knew would be destroyed. A lifetime of knowledge would count for nothing. That scared her more than anything. Moons don't just disappear, suns don't go out like a lightbulb, and, there should not be brightly lit hatchways buried in the English countryside. 

At last her muscles relaxed, as Ebbe told them she needed to get into the hatchway; she convinced her body that nothing was more important. With leaden feet she started to step forward. Krank nodded to the men behind her and she turned and added a waving gesture to Jake and James. Silently they picked the stretcher back up and made their way to the light.

Ebbe watched Krank step up and into the hatchway and disappear from sight. For a second she froze again, unable to understand the fear that was seizing her. It was only James jostling into her unexpectedly that jolted her back into action. 

With slow purposeful steps she approached the hatchway, the light spilling out so bright it seemed almost luminous. With the caution of someone peering over the edge of a sheer cliff she peeked into the hole. She could see nothing but a ladder that descended into whiteness. Again she paused, feeling a little uncertain. 

"Well?" Krank's voice drifted up, sounding small and hollow, lacking the disturbing echo of the corridor. Ebbe nodded in response, as if he could see.

She turned to James and Jake and gestured they ought to go first. With military efficiency James unquestioningly clambered into the hatch, before gesturing to Jake that he could lower Art down. Ebbe watched the men swiftly carry the dead weight into the mysterious white hole and vanish, all the while trying to ignore all the questions racing through her mind. How curious, she thought, that from a lifetime of looking to the skies, she was now seeking answers from deep below the surface.

Holding the thought that she may at last start getting some answers by entering the hatchway, she took and deep breath and made her way to the ladder. She gingerly clambered onto the ladder, looked down and found it disconcerting that she could see no floor. With one last glance up at the mystery tunnel, she began to slowly step downwards into the glaring white light below.