Project SALLI

Chapter Nine - Discovery

As soon as T'kyra's feet touch the ground, she crouches down and looks around for danger. It probably would have been the smart thing to bring Oso along as well, but that would have spoiled all the fun. The Major waits a minute to make sure there are no hidden threats before loosing the rope from around her waist. She looks up to see light coming through the manhole, now 15 foot overhead. The occasional shadow passes by, but she can't hear anything of the world outside. The tunnel seems to absorb all sound, leaving behind an eerily empty shell of silence.

As T'kyra looks around once more, her eyes start to adjust to the darkness. She has landed in the middle of a tunnel, with no indication on what lies on either side. One way seems to lead in the direction of the building where the scientists are working, and the other in the opposite direction. Never to be outdone, the inquisitive teenager heads away from everyone else, hoping to be the first to make a discovery.

The brickwork feels cold to the touch. Moss grows in the mortar, making the walls feel like they are about to open up and swallow you whole. Water splashes up from the floor with every step, TK's boots pounding through the miniature stream over the flat gravel floor. The tunnel itself stretches out into nothingness, with no sight of what could be at the end of the long corridor. T'kyra moves slowly and stealthily, ever cautious and on the look out for hidden traps of ancient times. With no end in sight the young explorer presses ever forward into the darkness, and soon enough the hole in the ceiling is lost to the black murky air surrounding her.

All light fades from in front of her, and TK suddenly realises how alone she is. There would be no one to help her if something went wrong. No Oso protecting her from an ancient mech or whatever else this tunnel is leading her to. No one would ever know if she was left lying in a puddle, bleeding out or worse. 

T'kyra has spent just over 2 years in the military, and now she is realising it is not enough. Training helps block the mind from random thoughts, focousing all your intelligence into the mission. This means that when something goes wrong, your body reacts before your brain does. This is helpful in two ways: Firstly, it means you move out of the way of danger, or at least do something about it. Second, it means that you do not psych yourself out. Even bad action is better than inaction. This training is even more important for officers, as they not only have to look after themselves but others too. Officers of Major rank usually already have at least 5 years of service under her belt, so the title gifted to her because of her status is now more of a hindrance than a help.

Panic starts to set in. What if I die down here? What would people think of me? How will I be remembered?

Reacting to the world outside her mind, adrenaline injects into her bloodstream, her young heart forcing the chemical through her system. Her mind is in a state of ultra-alertness, somewhere between panic and focous. Her mind races, every sense electronically reporting in to her nervous system.

T'kyra shakes her red hair about, forcefully removing the despairing thoughts from her consciousness. If she turned back now, all she would accomplish is getting told off by Grant for disappearing, and laughed at for wimping out by Oso. THAT is not about to happen! With only one option remaining, T'kyra refocouses herself and silently starts moving forward again. Her hands reach out to the sides of the tunnel, letting the cold slimy bricks guide her ever onwards through the murky atmosphere. Even so she walks slowly, checking with her toes for hidden traps like clamps or mines, or other dangers like pits and sink holes. Water runs down her arms from the moss that her finger tips brush past, chilling her pale skin. The Major's heart is pounding from the stress, her senses almost completely useless, her mind alone with rampant thoughts caused by sensory deprivation.

With there being so little to see, T'kyra has no idea whether the tunnel is of human origin or mechanical, or even if it was taken by mechs. The major knows her history (or at least what little there is left of it). The mechs sought out technology, much as she is doing now. If it was useful to them then they would absorb it, learn from it, and even improve it. If not, then they would destroy it. Of course any humans in the way were also destroyed, whether they be unarmed, male or female, or even children. So when a facility was attacked by mechs, it was often obvious by the amount of destruction left behind. It was not unknown even today to find walls with huge gouge marks in them, as if made by some colossal metal cat. But there was no evidence of that here, and the youngster had never heard of an ancient fortification being successfully held in the city.