Story #132 - Tunnel Bound

Tunnel Bound

Franz Gruder's scream cut off abruptly as he hit smooth, polished ground. It had been quite the scream – one coming from the very depths of his lungs and that went on and on as inches, feet and then what seemed like miles had passed him by as he fell deeper and deeper down the hole.

All had appeared innocent enough, topside, but under a rusty iron plate was a gaping pit that quickly spread when the plate bracing it had been removed, catching Franz and sending him tumbling into the darkness. The trip down had been long enough that he had been able to wonder not only where he was going, but who had dug the hole, how they had managed it and what kind tools they had used. The lack of any pit or chip marks on the side of the walls as he tumbled down had told him the creators of the pit had been technologically advanced, and obviously impolite.

Of course, such analyzation hadn't come until the breath had run out of his first two screams, and he realized he was still falling. Though he knew there was little chance that he would live when he hit the bottom, he had decided that cataloging at least some information was a worthwhile cause as he plummeted. Once he became aware of a faint glow beneath him and saw the end of his journey coming up to meet him, he had drawn the breath for one more, no-holds-barred scream.

He touched down softly, scream trailing off into confused bemusement as he looked around the chamber he had landed in. Entirely coated in a silvery metal, the chamber was in fact a hallway with a single circular opening in the ceiling. Turning a quick circle, he saw that one tunnel snaked to his left while the other bent more gently to his right. No signs or writing of any kind could be seen on the polished surface of the walls, but he assumed he would have little chance of reading it should it exist. Whoever had built this facility was far more advanced than he was.

A sound tugged at his ears, one he was dimly aware had been going on since he arrived in the hall. Other concerns had been more pressing, and he had not given the sound the consideration it was due until now. Though he couldn't make out the words, the voice was most certainly human-ish, and more interestingly, it was singing.

Franz took a moment to let the singer's voice wash over him and then picked a random direction. The metal hall seemed to amplify and scatter the sound, so he had no idea which way down the tunnel led to the singer and which way would lead him away.

He considered the voice as he moved forward; from the timbre of it, the vocalist was a male, but a tenor rather than a bass. A few falsetto notes spoke to a significant range, and the words were being sung loudly and clearly enough that whoever was belting them out was giving them their all.

Ten minutes into his walk and he found the source; a small man in a loose gray uniform laying on the ground next to panel that had been removed from the wall. Inside, a mass of pulsing wires and shining objects hummed, and Franz could see a satchel of tools next to the man on the ground.

A repairman.

Few options were open to him, but he decided on the most direct course.

“Hello!” He called, louder than was strictly necessary, but he wasn't sure how well the wires held the other man's attention.

There was a startled exclamation and what Franz assumed was a curse, and then a head poked out from the wall. Human in shape, it would have gone well on the body of a twenty year old male, save for the pure white hair on the skull and the too-large eyes.

“Skrrrril!” The man yelled, and reached for one of his tools. Franz jumped back; this was exactly what he'd been hoping to avoid.

“Wait!” He cried, throwing his hands up, but the other man hadn't come any closer, and was instead standing still, holding a device to his ear.

“You!” The voice was thin and warbling, but he could understand it. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“Hole,” was all he could manage. All told, the creature in front of him was at least seven feet tall, and with arms at least double the diameter of his own.

“The hole?” Incredulity marked the tone. “Braster! He was told to seal it, and seal it well. How is it that he failed? Have you been searching, human? Snipping at our heels?”

“What? What are you talking about? I was just investigating the village above, and the iron plate your 'Braster' used was rusted almost clean through. Your hole sucked me in – I didn't come looking.”

“You should not be here,” the tone was irritated, “none of your kind should be. You will leave. Now.”

Franz felt anger bubble to the surface; he had nearly died because one of this thing's brethren hadn't done its job properly, and now he was being told it was his own fault?

“How, exactly? Your little hole doesn't afford me a way to climb back to the surface, and I don't see an 'exit' sign around here anywhere. If you want me gone, you're going to have to show me the door.”

The larger being sighed, and then shot a glance at his toolkit. “I have much to do, fleshwad, but the Ring would be furious to know that one of your kind made it down the emergency hatch and into the safe gravity field.” He paused, then closed the kit and slung it over his shoulder. “You will come with me. You will touch nothing, and ask no questions. If you attempt to return after you are led out, I will ensure you die. Now, do not stray.”

The creature motioned for Franz to follow, and he did so quickly, keeping his head down. Ring? Gravity field? He might not be able to touch or speak, but that didn't mean he couldn't use his eyes.

He was just getting started.

- D