Visisonor's blog
Chapter 2
— Oh, marvelous, some lights still work, — mused Constantin, stepping down the dusty stairs.
They descended from the hall onto a platform of a long abandoned subway station, looking around cautiously.
— And here we need to turn left, — said Linda, checking the map.
According to that map, this subway line led to positions currently held by syncons. In theory, it could be used by either side for a surprise attack, provided it was passable. And so Constantin volunteered to verify this assumption, and make sure it remained impassable. Which is why he and Linda now jumped off the platform and entered the tunnel.
— Now let’s hope we won’t be hit by an oncoming train, — chuckled Constantin.
— The tunnel being passable is something I can possibly consider, — commented Linda, — But the train would be too much.
— See, now you’re starting to agree it may be passable.
— All right, all right, you got me.
They didn’t talk much on the way, mostly exchanging gestures and short commands. But after an hour of such walk the flashlights of their rifles picked out something that should not have been there: an elaborate wall with an octagonal blast door.
— That doesn’t look like something we’ve built, — Constantin stopped in his tracks, scratching his head.
— Okay, now the train does not seem ridiculous at all, — whispered Linda beside him.
— Well, we know what to do.
They studied tunnel wall, tracing back their steps until Constantin could see signs of load-bearing structure. Then he took out a pack of explosives from his backpack.
— How far can we get from it to detonate it? — asked Linda nervously as they headed further away from the blast door and the bomb.
— These walls block radio communications, — he pointed out. — There has to be a direct line of sight.
The tunnel was mostly straight but then there was a slight curve to it. Just as this curve was about to block their view of the planted explosive, they concluded it was far enough to not be affected by the blast, and Constantin pressed the button on the detonator.
There was a blinding flash of light followed by a deafening roar and a rush of wind. It wasn’t strong enough to knock them off though, and everything in their immediate vicinity seemed to be intact. After a few uneasy seconds Constantin and Linda resumed their breathing, almost simultaneously.
But then they’ve heard a rumble from the other end of the tunnel.
— I don’t like the sound of that, — muttered Linda through the ringing in her ears.
They ran back to the station, suspecting beyond doubt what they would find. And sure enough, the way was blocked: the explosion caused another part of the tunnel to collapse, trapping them inside.
They went back and forth several times, desperately trying to find a way out or at least a place where radio could function. They found neither.
The implications were starting to sink in, even though it was obvious from the moment they found the second cave-in. With usual secrecy surrounding field agent missions, nobody else knew exactly where they could be. They were going to die here from hunger and thirst, unless they chose a more decisive conclusion.
— Sorry I’ve dragged you into this, — said Constantin, leaning against tunnel wall.
Linda slid down on the floor, cradling her rifle on her lap.
— It’s not your fault, — she replied absently.
She stared into the darkness surrounding a spot of light cast by her flashlight attachment. Its batteries would run out soon. This would herald the end: neither of them wanted to bring it up, but dying of the light would be a sort of cue. Even now the light circle seemed to shrink ever so slowly — which, Linda knew, was just a trick of her imagination. And so must have been the subtle change of color in the illuminated part of the wall. Or was it?
— Costa, did you see this?! — Linda sprang on her feet.
— I’ve seen something, — he confirmed. — A syncon?
The wall was blank again: whatever they’ve seen has now disappeared behind the bend of the tunnel. They followed it, rifles at the ready. And stopped again, stunned by the view in front of them — a beam of light shining from the ceiling and a cable hanging in the middle of it.
— So, ere you find where light in darkness lies, — murmured Linda in disbelief.
— That’s… certainly symbolic, — nodded Constantin. — Haven’t we passed here before?
— Ten times at least. I think I would have noticed a hole in the ceiling.
— That syncon must have opened it just now, — reasoned he.
— And is probably waiting for us up there.
He grabbed the cable, as if afraid it would retract.
— Even if it is a trap, — Linda was first to voice what they both thought. — I’d rather try my luck than stay here and do nothing.
— Agreed. But I’ll go first. Wait here and cover me.
Constantin dropped his backpack, slung the rifle over his shoulder and proceeded to climb the cable, eventually disappearing in the brightly lit circle on the ceiling. After a few seconds, which to Linda seemed like hours, she heard his voice:
— All clear. No hostiles in sight.
She let out a sigh of relief, and shouted back:
— Got it! Coming after you.
He helped her out of the hatch of what looked like a ventilation shaft. They were in the middle of nowhere — luckily it wasn’t in the middle of syncon positions, so they could easily reach human positions from here.
— Well, what’s just happened down there? — asked Linda as they walked away from the hatch.
— I don’t know, — Constantin shook his head. — But let’s not mention the syncon in our reports.