Retake Our Home

Chapter 10

Adrien screamed as he turned to another dead end. This labyrinth was endless and he had no idea where he was going. So many dark tunnels and burial sites doted the area. Most were big enough for a group to pass threw, or barely big enough for one fully grown man. Occasionally Adrien would find a collapsed tunnel and have to turn around. 

It had been like this for about a hour now. No matter where he went he couldn't find an exit. Plus, he was lost as well. Maybe coming down here was a bad idea. Unable to remember how to get back from the way he came Adrien pushed forward. There had to be an exit somewhere.

As more time passed Adrien felt like he was being watched. Every time he passed a tomb with human remains looking back at him Adrien could feel his hair stand up. Usually he didn't believe in the super-natural, but here away from the sun's light he couldn't help but see thins. What if he never got out? Would anyone know his body was stuck down here with his Parisian ancestors?

Ignoring such thoughts Adrien kept moving forward. Thinking like that wont get him out any faster. He needed to focus and try to map the city above. If he could, then he might be able to at least start heading in the right direction towards Marinette's house. Let's see, he remembered heading left, then right, going strait for a bit until a dead end, and then...left? Yeah, he was lost for sure.

Maybe with some luck  an exit would just appear. All he had to do was walk. So Adrien did just that. He made a new turn in hopes to see some sign of escape. Instead, once again, he found another dead end. If this was some sick joke Adrien didn't think it was funny.

Turning around Adrien marched towards the direction he had come from. As he walked his eyes caught movement to his right. Adrien stopped and slowly shifted his his light in the direction he had seen something move. It revealed a small black animal on all fours staring back at him. It's bright green eyes seemed to glow from the flashlight. A low purr escaped from it and she then moved towards the teen.

Adrien gave a sigh of relief as he realized it was just a cat. The small creature rubbed up against the boy's leg giving off a sound of enjoyment. Happy to not be alone anymore Adrien knelt down to pet his new friend. The animal gratefully accepted and purred louder then before at Adrien's touch. When satisfied the cat moved away.

It made Adrien a little sad to see the animal leave. He wouldn't have mind the company all that much. A 'meow' drew on Adrien's attention, coming from the end of the tunnel. His new furry friend was waiting there for the teen to follow. Was she going to show him the way out?

The way Adrien saw it he was already lost, so what did he have to lose? Praying he was doing the right thing Adrien followed the black cat. She would go a certain distance before stopping and making sure her human friend was still following. Once Adrien caught up she would then continue forward. After a series of turns, twists, and long tunnels the cat stopped in front of a broken road.

The wall was just broken enough for him to squeeze into it. He followed the cat once again into the dark, cramped space until his light found a metal door came into view. It had been sealed behind that wall for who knows how long. Adrien examined the door and found the door had been left ajar. With great effort Adrien force the door's old hinges to give and reveal it's ancient insides.

It was a dark and dust covered every inch of where Adrien's light landed. Furniture and other objects were tossed about, laying in unnatural positions. The cat rush past Adrien's feet which motioned for the boy to follow again. His light tracked the cat until she darted up a set of metal stairs. Carefully as he could the young model followed, not really trusting the old stairs.

Once at the top Adrien's flashlight revealed a room that was elevated above the larger room, like an office for someone important. He made his way inside only to find his feline friend standing on some old machine. The cat pawed at a switch on the machine and Adrien understood. Without hesitation he pulled the switch causing life to return to the strange place.

Adrien looked out of the office window to see the space below revealed from the darkness. It was even larger then Adrien had previously judged, and made of complete concrete. The room Adrien was in was all metal and appeared to be like a command center. An old decaying wooden desk stood opposite of the generator with a map on the wall behind it. Looking closer Adrien saw it was a map of the city above, but it was out dated. The year had been put on the bottom right of the map, and it read 1918.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Adrien asked the cat. "This map of the city?"

The cat purred and curled up on the desk. Her job done, she decided to take a nap. Adrien laughed at the care free animal and then looked back to the map. Though old and out dated Adrien could still understand it. He first looked it over and saw a red pin, which was the only one on the map, and Adrien guessed that was his position. A number of other pins doted the map, but he had no idea what any of the other ones could mean. Maybe there was some Legend for the map that Adrien could use to understand more.

Since the only thing that could hold such information from the past would be the desk Adrien moved to investigate it. He began petting the cat that laid on the desk as he tried to open it's top drawer. It's rotting handle snapped of and Adrien held it up to the light. Looking back to the black cat she simple remained asleep unbothered by anything going on around her. Getting back to work Adrien force the drawer open just to have it fall apart in his hands and come smashing to the ground. A growl escaped Adrien's furry friend, but eventually returned to calm silence.

Among the ruble and debris was a black leather book. It had no words on the cover to indicate what was on it's pages, so Adrien opened it. It's dry yellow pages were filled with dates and words from 1914 to 1918. 'Great,' Adrien thought to himself. 'Another Journal.' At the back of the book was a list of colors and what they meant to the map's pins. Yellow meant other bunkers other then this one, red meant the bunker's position, orange meant dangerous areas, and green meant exits. This was it, Adrien's way out. But before he he got going he wanted to know more about this place. Maybe the Journal could tell him, so Adrien flipped to the first page.

'November 11th, 1918

                                    I've placed my last entry here for any who wishes to use this bunker to aid France once more. My name is Louis Berger, and I was a Major in the French army during the Great War. Today I have been permitted to go home as the war had ended. However I can't help but feel I must leave some record behind for when future generations uncover this time capsule. I fought in the trenches before being relocated to Paris so I know just how horrifying war can be. I'm not so foolish to believe this would be the war to end all wars like some might. For war will never end. This place was a secret Information hub used to transport classified Intel and spy on suspected German agents. There are a few more of these secret facilities  under Paris and none are known to the public. They are to be sealed away and all records burned, so they can join our ancestral tombs and become relics of time. Still I have this nagging feeling this bunker's service is not yet done, so I leave this Journal in hopes it aids the future, and the people of Paris.

Louis Breger' 

Adrien looked at the bunker with aw as he finished reading. An old Great War Intel hub right under the city with the only remaining records of it in his hands. Louis had no idea how right he had been about the war, and he maybe right about this bunker. No records of it remained so it was the perfect place for a Resistance hideout. It was made of complete concrete allowing a good defense, well hidden, and it had a working generator. As if some cosmic power had been waiting for him to say that the old generator gave it's final breathe.

"Well," Adrien sighed turning on his flashlight. "Had a working generator."

He looked back to the map and Adrien studied it once more. Once he was sure he had it memorized where the bunker was and where the nearest exit is Adrien made his way to leave. His guide heard him start down the metal stairs and followed him from the spot she had been sleeping. If he followed the map right Marinette's Bakery wouldn't be to far way from the exit. More confident now on escape Adrien and his nine life having friend reentered Paris's dark underground.