Hacking the Sun [Old Version]

Chapter 16 Everyone Agreed to be Cool

What might the tunnel hold? How far would the subterranean trail lead? Jessica considered these questions as they drove into the dark underground, where the headlights revealed nothing but rock and old mining equipment.

"Where exactly are we going?" said Shannon, glancing at the passenger seat. "Oh, c'mon!" 

Raptor was asleep. 

"That's just great timing," said Valerie.

"Unlike us, I don't think he got any sleep this morning," said Jessica. Nevertheless, she felt tempted to smack him awake. To their luck, Amon's vehicle served as the convoy's focal point. Shannon would simply play it by ear and follow.

Five minutes into the tunnel, they encountered a fork in the road. Three more dark tunnels spiraled before the Sub Terran convoy.

"Turn right, Shannon," Valerie told her.

Jessica eyed her friend. "Are you communicating with them somehow?"

"Yes, I am." She fingered a wireless earbud.

"You have another one of those?" Valerie retrieved an earpiece from her front pocket, which Jessica casually placed in her ear. The first voice belonged to Monarch.

"Eyes open out there. As far as you're all concerned, we're innocent civilians. Remember your aliases and avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Over."

"And if we see Asgard? Over," replied Beelz.

"Avoid at all costs and pray for the best. Out."

"Asgard..." Jessica scrunched in her seat cushion.

"Azarean Strategy, Gendarmerie, and Rapid Deployment," said Raptor. He lazily stirred in his seat. "They're the not-so-secret arm of Eden security. A privatized military of nothing but space elves who serve their own interests, which are corporate interests. They're highly specialized and ruthless when no one is looking."

Jessica sighed. "What a coincidence that Goliath, conspiracy extraordinaire, funds ruthless Azareans."

"The thing about the truth is that you never have to like it."

"Have Monarch promote you to Captain Obvious."

When their car reached and ascended a rocky slope, Raptor laid wary eyes on Shannon. According to him, they were due to reach the surface. Sure enough, a slit opened in the darkness above. Jessica peered beyond the dashboard, where a sliver of light beamed through the window, past two parting shadows. Past the oversized hatched, they were finally blessed with a view of the sky. The surface of the world lay dimly lit by a veil of dark blue on a horizon of violet. Dawn.

Within mere seconds of their exiting the subterranean trails, Sub Terra's drivers split into unique directions. Raptor guided Shannon to a blind spot in city surveillance. In a very roundabout way, she entered a street at the fringe of city sprawl, where no one would question the sight of an offroad vehicle. At any rate, twenty-foot neon holograms of digital girlfriends and boyfriends provided well-endowed distractions. From there, she promptly merged into the city's superhighway. They quickly hit an impasse, however.   

"Traffic," groaned Shannon.

"That's kinda weird," said Valerie. 

Raptor shut his eyes. "We're just going to have to stay calm and wait it out."

For every sigh, Jessica surveyed something outside. The sun was rising, for better or worse, and its rays sheened the paint of hundreds of vehicles.  Panning across the long stretch of traffic, she remembered why owning a car was overrated. In the centuries leading up to current society, it was a wonder everyone managed to share roads as they did. Contrarily, modern vehicles functioned through remote monitors and smart, automated navigation. No excitement.