OLYMPIA

What Lurks In The Tunnels

The door slammed with ease allowing the sound to echo through the desolate tunnels that now surrounded us. Ares quickly clicked the button to turn his light lines on, they quickly started releasing a powerful light that joined mine in lighting up the room. I took the opportunity to look around us but only saw the walls that encased us either side which eventually tapered off  to darkness when our lights couldn't reach any further.

"Ares, which way do you think we should go?" I questioned whilst simultaneously turning my head from left to right showing me the only options we had. 

" I'm checking the GPS in my contacts now, give me a second." He replied in his monotone voice. 

" DETECTION OF LIFE FOUND WITHIN 500 METRES, SAY YES FOR MORE INFORMATION..." A loud robotic voice came from inside my helmet surprising both me and Ares who had whipped his head round momentarily to try and detect where the voice had come from. 

Ares carried on staring at me his facial expressions mirroring mine. Staring at each other in confusion I shakily said "Yes" whilst giving an unsure expression to Ares. 

"THREE PREDATORS ARE IN YOUR IMMEDIATE VICINITY, MY RECOMMENDED STRATEGY WOULD BE TOO RUN, DO NOT TRY AND FIGHT" The voice replied to me in the same monotone robotic voice as before.

"Ares, It would be real good if you could figure out where we're going right about now" I said with a worried tone and expression evident in my voice. We had trained to hard to be killed on the first hurdle, we're better than this. 

"Okay okay! We need to go that way" He yelled at me whilst running straight past me. 

I sprinted after him trying not to lose him down the dark tunnel that was only illuminated with our lights. We heard a loud shriek and the sound of footsteps thudding on the ground only a couple hundred metres behind us. 

"Ath, we need to take a sharp left my contacts are telling me theres a cutoff that can lead us out of here, it's a tight squeeze though and we have to be quick...This is the only one for the next two miles we can't miss it" Ares yelled at me in between gasps for air. 

"Just run and I'll follow you" I shouted back whilst maintaining my pace. 

Ares started to slow a bit and ran towards a small hole in the wall that was quickly approaching us on the right. I reciprocated his actions and followed him down the new narrow passage that had saved us from an untimely death. 

"Stay completely still and don't make a sound, turn your lights off" Ares whispered just loud enough for me to hear him. I did as he instructed and once I had turned my lights off we were swallowed up by the darkness. The only thing that we could focus on was the deep breathing and growls that were echoing down the tunnels which were radiating from the unbeknownst creatures. My breathing hitched in my throat as the noises came closer and I was almost sure we would be caught and killed, the noises were so loud I covered my ears with my hands and waited patiently for the uncertain destiny that was coming nearer every second. 

Either I'd live or I'd die. That was all there was. 

 After what felt like a lifetime, Ares nudged me with his elbow and motioned that I could take my hands away from my ears "Its okay Ath, they're gone. Let's carry on down this way. There should only be a short walk and then we can get out of here.". I nodded at him and took a second to let out a breath I didn't know that I was holding before walking to catch up with him.  

"Ath, what do you think they were?"

"I don't know Ares, I didn't get a good look to be honest" I said slightly brushing him off, I felt bad for my obvious attitude but I was in no mood to talk after what had just happened. Unfortunately Ares didn't get the hint. 

"Do you think I have that weird voice in my suit as well?" Ares turned and asked me. I gave him a stern look that he was used to by now. I had shot him this look many times whilst we were growing up in the compound the general meaning was 'stop talking to me'. 

 I sighed when he still didn't get the message. "I don't know, Muse didn't mention anything about the voice in my suit... let me ask" As I said this, I realised how stupid it sounded. 

"Erm, hello... suit?" I said whilst looking at Ares with a befuddled look and a shrug. After a few seconds I still hadn't received a reply. 

"I don't know Ares maybe it only responds when we're in dang-" I began to say before I was cut off by the familiar robotic voice.

"Hello Miss Athena. How may I help?"  

Ares turned to me and stared at me whilst waiting for me to say something "Hello Suit, first of all, is there something I can call you?" 

After a few seconds my suit replied back "My name is Personal Observation Device. You can call me POD"  

"Okay cool, does Ares have a POD as well?" I asked back with a shimmer of hopefulness trailing in my voice, if he did then he wouldn't have to rely on me to be the communication messenger.

"Yes, Mr Ares does have a POD. He will need to activate his suit. Mr Ares can do this by saying 'Hello POD' . Your PODs only react to your voice." 

"Mr Ares? Haha I like the sound of that, I think everyone should call me that from now on." Ares said cockily. 

"Nah, I'm good. Now activate your POD so we can get going. If your head gets much bigger we wont be able to fit down this tunnel" I replied back to him a smirk on my face whilst Ares just shook his head 

"Hello POD" 

"Hello Mr Ares, how can I help you?"  The suit replied to him, a huge grin appeared on his face and he lit up like a Christmas tree "This is so cool" he laughed as he looked up to me. 

I cleared my throat interrupting his gleeful freak out session, he looked up at me with an annoyed look on his face. "Fine let's go then" Ares said with a huff .

"POD get us out of here" he then said. 

"Yes Mr Ares" His POD replied back to him. 

"This will be the quickest way to leave the tunnels, I have uploaded this into your intelligence contacts you should be able to see the map through your eyes"  POD said whilst  A holographic map appeared on the wall in front of us showing our location and the route we would need to go to get out of these tunnels.

"Lets get out of here Ath" Ares said whilst following the route and walking ahead of me.

"Gladly" I whispered underneath my breath and stalked off after him.