I've done a bit | An SVA stori

Chapter 21: Lights Out Fucker

"I'm The Man With The Skeleton Arms. I'm here on April twenty one with people who haven't picked a name yet, and we're going underground, beneath The Breakwater in Spring Valley- Holy Isle actually, sounds better."
Rowan spoke to the GoPro on Toms head as the four of them walked.
They covered themselves in big clothes and goggles. Tom finally got to wear her Taids camouflage jacket.

Inside the building was a locked hatch. Rowan burnt off the locks with his boots. Beneath was a ladder their phones lights couldn't find the bottom of.
"Oh wow." Wolf sighed.
"You didn't think it was real no?" Ire teased.
"I... shut up." She smiled.
"She didn't believe." Ire told the camera.
"I did." Wolf told it as well.
"You better, cuz that's where we're going." Rowan proclaimed.
He went first, followed by Wolf, then Tom, and Ire, closing the hatch behind her.

After a minute they found the wet metal floor. Their phone lit the gridded walls and a damp ceiling.
A heavy door led them to a hallway with a few more doors to the left and one at the end, so sharing grins they went one by one.

The first room was small with wires and chains hanging from the sockets. A large slot for suits stood at a wall. Rowan traced the layer of dust along the arm rests.
"What do you think it was?" Ire asked.
"Scuba suits." Rowan said softly, "Same as school had. We must be underwater now."
"You don't think it's school?" Wolf asked.
"They might just be hiding there." Ire though out loud.
Tom was sure to capture the scenes on camera.

The next room was larger. Soggy papers covered the desk. A lot were blank or blacked out, but a few had content so Ire photographed them. A large glove sat on a hanger, Rowan assumed it was important because it had wires and markings on it and a paper had it drawn.
"Anyone else get that feeling?" Ire said, despite it she couldn't wipe the grin off her face.
"We're just paranoid." Wolf whispered.
They studied the board above the desk. Pictures of places around town were stuck up. The town hall, The Breakwater and rows of houses from either end of the island and even some off it.
There was another hatch to the side. This one wasn't locked but they saved downstairs for later.

The tight rooms closed them in, it was hard to tell if the air was getting thin or not but one by one the kids noticed how short their breaths were. Wolf kept telling herself the tapping was in her head.

Rowan led to the last door. Shifting light shone from the slit, almost flickering.
Rowan got everyone quiet to turn the gear on the door. Carefully he poked his head through before pushing the it open.
"No one's there." He smiled.
The room was beautiful. The floor danced with light from the large window to the underwater and shadows of the fish. They didn't need their phones to see. A collection of monitors were displayed neatly and the ceiling curved into the middle with big beams dividing the room. A big door to the right was labelled 'Waterlock'. Mostly empty boxes lined the walls, only holding rubbish and food waste or old newspapers.
Wolf wasn't the only one to hear slow tapping now. Her and Ire shared a worried glance. It came from the corridor.

Rowan held a hand on an escape door. It led to a between room for the underwater and where they stood.
"Weird." Ire whispered.
"If the scuba suits out..." Rowan said.
"Yea?"
"How long do you think it stays out?" He finished.
"...we should be quick."

Tom noticed a monitor flicker. She hit it until it came on. It showed what she saw earlier, footage of the corridor, slowly approaching the last door.
"It's us." Tom said.
Everyone came to look at the screen.
"How've you done that?" Ire asked.
"It just picked it up." She told, taking off the camera and waving into it.
"Why's it delayed?" Rowan asked.
"It's way off." Said Wolf.
"It's not." Ire whispered.
It moved slow and steady. It was the corridor they'd just gone down but they weren't to be seen on the screen. It was the door they'd just cranked open, still open.
The second they heard an echo Rowan sprung to the door and bolted it shut.
"GO!" Ire yelled.
"Where!?" Wolf yelled back.
"Rowan! It's gonna open that side as well." Ire stressed.
"We have to swap side." He said through deep breaths.
He put his ear against the cold door and heard a footstep. Slow and heavy.

"Ok." Rowan thought out loud, "Ok. It's got a camera cover your faces again. It's walking, it sounded metal, it's probably a robot, like the mascots! So it'll fight. What?"
Ire shook her head.
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" She smirked.
"A little bit. Aren't you?"
"We took the Quest-i-Tech robot, we'll take this one." Wolf huffed.
"We're gonna fight it, keep away from it's feet it'll have jet boot, keep away from the... window-"
He stopped when he saw a fifth shadow cast on the floor, and when he turned he thought for a second a dog was looking back at him. The others turned to see the seal outside, not moving, just watching.
The gear began to turn.
Wolf took out her sword and Ire her shield.

The door opened, revealing a jagged robot. Standing five feet tall maybe. It looked nothing like the mascots, nor a scuba suit. It was thin, but Rowan couldn't think about that because it was also coming their way.
Rowan tackled it but it was too heavy so just plopped to the ground. It stood on him so Wolf swung for its neck. Whatever it was made out of was too strong, she didn't even dent it.
"Get to the ladder!" Rowan ordered the other two.
The robot grabbed Wolfs hand as she swung so Rowan boosted high and stomped down on its arm only to get it to let go.
"Rowan it's locked!" Tom told.
"Who's Rowan." Rowan sighed.
"HOW'S IT DONE THAT!?" Wolf yelled.
"We'll have to take that way down." He said.
"That ladder?" Ire asked.
It grabbed Rowans arm and he used one leg against its chest to pull away, it only served to strengthen the robots grip.
Wolf held the sword high ready to strike down.
"No!" The boy told.
But Wolf swung down to the robots arm and just missed Rowans. It let go and the robot and Rowan repelled like magnets through the air.
"It's doing nothing!" Said Wolf.
"We shouldn't go down more." Ire said.
"It's a tunnel! It's got to be." He got up, "Them building must be when you can get out!"
The robot grabbed Wolfs legs and dragged her down. It got up and over her so Rowan leapt in with another kick.
"We can't kill this guy so it's down or out!" He told.
Ire joined in, jumping at the robot so the shield would knock it to the floor.
"We don't know, but we can all swim!" She said getting up, "Do your boots work underwater?"
"I'd feel safer in the tunnel." Wolf told.
"You don't know it is a tunnel!"
"I never said I did!" He got up, "But if it is it's fuck of a lot better then drowning."
The robot got up and Wolf swung for the robot, sparks jumping from the metals hitting. It spun to her so Rowan yelled 'Duck!', kicked off with a boost and sent the robot over the girl.
"We can swim up fast, can't be deep enough for the pressure to change!" Ire kept on.
"Wanna take the chance?" Rowan asked.
"I- Do you wanna chance a tunnel!!"
"Jude." Tom pulled at Ires sleeve and got her to the second room.
"I'm just not sure." She said.
"Well I am!" Rowan yelled dodging robot arms, "And I say we go down!"
Wolf tripped the robot and the two took turns kicking and hitting it.
"We're pretty good at this." Rowan smiled.
"You think." Wolfs smile grew.

She joined the others in the second room and Rowan dashed to do the same.
Unlike the last door, this one only had a gear on the inside so the kids caught their breath until the robot began to bang at the door.
"You sure we can get out?" Ire asked.
"No." Rowan said, and led the way down.