Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday

Chapter 9: Desecration's Scars

Once I'd closed the hatch behind us, I rolled over onto my back and took a moment to get some oxygen properly into my lungs. A glance around me showed that the rest of my team was equally shaken up. Turning my eyes upward, I watched the clouds shake in rhythm with my heaving breaths. We all stayed like that for a moment, before Megan rose to her feet. Her eyes sweep the group with an strange expression.

"Warren, what's the backup plan if we can't get back through the tunnels?" She asks, her own breath still raspy. I sit up before responding, swinging my rifle into its more secure position on my back.

"Well, we don't know for sure that all the ways to base collapsed. Until we go back down there, we have no way of knowing how bad the damage was." By now I'm standing up. "And second, there is the main topside entrance, it's just not as convenient."

"I hate to say this..." Justin interjects, still sitting on the ground. "But those tunnels shouldn't have collapsed like that."

"Justin, some of the halls were already collapsed, what made these any different?" Katrina replies, leaning backwards onto her elbows. To her right, Xavier is busy trying to calm down an incredibly spooked Felma.

"Nothing, and that's the point. Those passageways were collapsed on purpose, and that means these were too."

"How could we know that for sure?" Megan snaps. "And why would tunnels have been purposely collapsed before we even got here?"

"Shh!" X and I exclaim at the same time.

"So help me Megan, if you scare Felma anymore than she already is..."

"Ok everyone, let's all take a breath." I say quickly before X can finish his threat. Megan opens her mouth to reply, but I hold out a hand to silence her. "Megan, let Justin finish."

"Thanks Warren." Justin starts, nodding to me. "Guys, my point is that we're not as invisible as we'd like to think. I dug around a bit and found that although there's no information on the base anywhere, there is some stuff about the tunnels if you know what you're looking for. I found some stuff basically implying that the majority of the entrances and exits were sealed off, and that a lot of the place was wired to be sealed remotely if needed."

"Define remotely." I've stepped closer to Justin, and I've given up trying to keep the concern off my face.

"I would assume there's a control switch in the base that could've activated it, but there would've had to have been a way to do it from outside the base. And that could be anything from a button to a computer or who knows what... or where." We all digest this for a moment, sharing separate but unified looks of worry and determined curiosity. Shaking my head slightly, I slam my fist into the open palm of my other hand.

"For now, all we can do is continue with the mission. If someone wants to stop us, they're gonna have to try a lot harder."

"I agree Warren, we have to be strong." Katrina says, finally standing up and holding her bag close around her. She reaches out a hand to help her brother up, and he smiles.

"I hate to break up the team-building moment, but let's get out of here before someone hears us." I half heartily glare at Megan, silently admonishing her tone. But despite that, she's right.

"Everyone know their routes?" I ask, even though we went over this a hundred times this morning.

"Like the back of our hands Warren." Justin laughs. I respond with a chuckle of my own, and a nod. Kat, X and Felma head off towards the street and Megan expertly jumps the fence and takes off through the forest. Originally, she was going to stay with Justin and I, but she and I both agreed we should split up more. If there's anyone I trust to manage on their own, its Megan. I wave for Justin to follow me and we duck through the bushes into the next yard.