After They Died (on hiatus)

The Tunnel

"I can't believe it took them this long to discover a hidden base underneath a pile of rock." Saxon muttered, Kirt looked up at Saxon and laughed,

"Who would expect it underneath Stonehenge? I mean even the humans had no idea... I think." Saxon increased his stride down the tunnel.

"And they sent me down with you and Henry, two rookies and I mean who would bloody trust Henry after what he did?" Henry didn't notice, he just kept staring down at his beloved monitor. But Kirt heard Saxon's muttered complaint.

"Don't be mean to Henry, it was just a mistake."

"I wouldn't call blowing up a whole base just another bloody mistake, mate. I would call it treason."

"Well the Owners pardoned him so you can stop talking about it." Saxon muttered something rude under his breath and increased his stride by tenfold. He wanted to get away from the pair of inexperienced rookies. Kirt tried to keep up with Saxon's giant stride but soon found himself being left behind and knew he was going to have to choose between leaving Henry or leaving his superior. He chose his friend.

Saxon's back disappeared into the darkness and soon the light from his personal torch faded. Kirt hung back until Henry caught up to him, at the appearance of a shadow across his monitor Henry looked up and glanced around.

"Where's Saxon?" Kirt rolled his eyes,

"He went ahead."

"Oh" Henry looked back down at his hand-held monitor and continued to type away.

"What are you doing on that thing anyway?" Kirt tried to look at the screen but Henri's hands clasped quickly around it and hid it from his view.

"It's nothing"

"No it must be something, show me." Kirt tried to drag Henri's hands away from the screen but Henry swiftly switched off the monitor and clipped it to his belt. Henry didn't say anything he just kept walking down the tunnel and completely ignored Kirt's strange stares.

Condensation dripped down the carved stone walls, every now and then the stone was interrupted by wooden supports. The tunnel was just wide for two people to walk comfortably and not brush shoulders. The floor was again stone but smooth and well worn, they didn't yet know what the tunnel lead to or what it might have been used for but they suspected it was something military. They had been sent down to investigate it since it had been discovered, Henry was the technology expert on the mission, Saxon was the leader and Kirt was the secondary guard, as Saxon was the first.

Kirt distracted himself by getting out his laser, he activated it and let it scan at the walls. The laser was used to detect hidden features anywhere that had a wall. The blue laser scanned the tunnel about a meter ahead of the boys, it left a light blue trail of light that faded slowly in its wake.

There was a beep, the boys stopped walking. A second passed and another beep. Kirt looked down at the laser in his hands and then at Henry, "what does the beeping mean?" Henry rolled his eyes and held out his hand, Kirt handed him the beeping laser.

"Basic laser work was part of the last exam you know." Henry looked down at all the little lights that had switched on when the laser started beeping, "It means there's something hidden in about ten meters to our left with an opening." Kirt raised his eyebrows,

"You got all that from some lights?"

"No I got all that by paying attention during lessons." Kirt shrugged and took a big step forwards then turned to Henry

"That's about a meter right?" Henry nodded and followed Kirt as he took exaggerated steps and counted under his breath. When he got to ten he turned sharply to his left and was faced by a stone wall. He looked at Henry accusingly, "You said in about ten meters to my left."

"The laser, Kirt. Is used to find hidden features. Not obvious doors." Kirt reached out to the door, "Wait! We should call Saxon."

"Nah, he went ahead, if we find anything interesting then we'll call him." before Henry could say otherwise he reached out and gave the wall a solid push. He hadn't expected anything to happen but the wall swung open to reveal a stone room. In the middle of the room was a steel human bed, along the walls hung thousands of plastic bags that were filled with a cloudy liquid but only about half the bags were full and the rest but been sucked dry. Each bag had a tube that fell from its bottom and snaked along the floor to the bed where it connected to a thick central tube. The large tube ran up the bed and disappeared under a lumpy white blanket.

Henry grabbed onto Kirt's arm and tugged at it, "we need to get Saxon. Now." Kirt shook his head,

"No, I just want to see and then we'll get Saxon. Come on it won't hurt." Kirt dragged Henry forwards who cowered behind him and whispered doubts into Kirt's ear. Kirt ignored the doubts and empty threats and reached out to the blanket and held a corner of its coarse fabric. Slowly, gently Kirt lifted the blanket back, when he saw what was beneath he didn't flinch but Henry did, "What is it?" Kirt asked Henry, he was facinated and couldn't stop staring. Henry swallowed and grasped his courage,

"I can't be sure - but I think it's human."

Hi! So I recently put Veronica (one of my stories ) on hold and I'm deciding which story I would like to keep going on with. I have posted two first chapter of two stories and the one that gets the most reads/likes/comments I will be continuing with! Please contribute! Thanks!