As I arrived at the border, I noticed a larger gathering of people than usual. About twenty Narval Officers had been summoned to scour the area for intruders or anything out of place. The stairs leading down to the tunnels were unusually crowded, with several people rushing in and out.
"Hey, we need more help here!" one of them shouted, poking her head out from the tunnel entrance. I hurried there, almost colliding with Lea and Kate, both carrying Laura, who appeared to be unconscious.
"What happened?" I asked, concerned. Laura bore a visible mark on her head with tiny blood points, as if she had been struck by a heavy object.
"We don't know yet. Someone hit her," Kate explained as they moved Laura out from the tunnel.
"Is she okay?" I inquired.
"She's just unconscious. Now, please, we need help down here," Lea said. I descended the stairs and suddenly felt my feet getting wet. Glancing at the tunnel, I realized the floor was flooded. What had happened here?
"Hey you, take this," a Narval colleague instructed, tossing a bucket at me, which I caught mid-air.
"We need to get the water out," he said.
"Sure. Have you seen the border lead?" I asked, my concern for Heather growing as I assessed the situation.
"She is in the control room," he replied. The control room housed all the tunnel machines. Since these tunnels were the only direct connection with the other side, they were under intense surveillance and for this reason, it was shocking to see that something had occurred down there. I waded through the water until I reached the control room and pushed the already open door. Heather and Edgar, the tunnel lead, were examining a broken water pipe that caused the flood.
"Hey, everything alright here?" I said.
Edgar turned to me, but Heather didn't.
"Hey Grace, well... this is a complete mess. But it could be helpful if you start removing water from here. We need a clear view to repair it," Edgar said, while Heather just kept ignoring me, not even bothering to turn around despite clearly hearing what I said.
"Okay, not a problem," I replied as I started to fill my bucket with water.
"I think this could be an easy fix if we change the whole piece," Heather said to Edgar.
"Yeah, but we have to do it once we have the piece here, otherwise, this could be a mess again. Is the rest of the equipment okay?" Edgar asked.
"So far so good. I've checked almost all of them; the water didn't reach any crucial parts," Heather said, scanning the room's large machines.
As she explained, I stole a glance at her, noticing a palpable tension in the air that was difficult to ignore.
"Although it seems that this one has also taken a hit," Heather said as she approached one of the machines beside me. As she moved closer, I froze, observing her.
"Excuse me, can I?" She asked, indicating me to move so she could access the other side of the machine. Her eyes were clear and shiny like silver again, but this time, they also betrayed anger. And I knew precisely why.
I awkwardly shuffled to let Heather pass.
"See Edgar? This part of the machine has a strong impact; apparently, the same person who hit Laura and the pipe also wanted to damage this machine," Heather said.
"I can see why," Edgar replied.
"Why?" I asked, curious.
"Well, this machine controls the entrance to the tunnel on the other side. Maybe the person wanted to damage it to open the entrance more easily," Edgar explained.
YOU ARE READING
SILVER EYES (GXG)
Romance[2024 WATTYS WINNER] Grace had no idea what she would find on the other side of the wall when the gates opened. Even less so that they wouldn't let her brother cross. Why? A blue-eyed and fierce commander, named Heather, holds the answer. She closed...
