Refugee Prison Break

Chapter 24

Even though everything was going surprisingly smoothly, I worried we were behind schedule. Maybe there simply wasn't enough time to accomplish my scheme within the constraints! I tried to set that thought aside and concentrate on driving.

Heading east out of Las Vegas, we were passing through some of America's most iconic landscapes—canyons, mesas, mountains, buttes. It had long been a dream of mine to visit this part of the world and do all the things carefree tourists do, like taking selfies or browsing gift shops. I never expected to be racing through it nervous of patrol cars and distracted by logistics concerns. Where could we get a theodolite that would ensure the tunnel was being dug in the right direction? What if the sewer had a grill on it and we didn't have the equipment to cut through? Was there anything missing from my shopping list?

Swapping with Erny, I sat at the small table and went through details and calculations.

"What you up to?" Aunt V. asked.

"Cement. I'm looking into the cement. The tunnel boring machine," I said, half concentrating on a chart I was struggling to make sense of, "sprays quick-dry cement into the tunnel it's just excavated. If you want your tunnel to last forever, you do what the technical guides tell you and use super strong stuff. If, like us, you want it to collapse in on itself after we're done, we need a different mix."

"Collapse in on itself?"

"By designing the tunnel to self destruct reduces our chances of getting caught," I said.

"I see," said Aunt V. "But isn't that a little..."

"A little dangerous?" I looked up from my worksheet. For the first time that day, Aunt V. seemed apprehensive. "Yes. The tricky bit is getting it just right. If it's too weak, the tunnel will cave in while we're in it and crush us all to death."