I fix the leather helmet to my face, and motion to Aidan that it is okay to open the mine. As Aidan does so, thick, choking red dust swirls out, followed by flashes of red light at uneven intervals.
Taking out a regulation diamond pickaxe, I walk into the unstable Redstone Shaft. My brown jacket flaps around me in the underground winds. Through the visor on my helmet, I see the sparkling Redstone in the walls, set in like amazing electric diamonds, vital for society, yet still a sin to dig up.
There is already someone there, for the lights flash in a more uniform pattern up ahead. As an experienced Redstone miner, my eyes are trained to telltale signs of motion, as well as irregular disturbances in the air being shown through the dust clouds.
Aidan follows me into the Redstone Shaft.
"There's someone up ahead," I whisper. "Be very quiet. We're gonna find out who or what it is, and I don't want you screwin' it up, okay?" Aidan says yes. Stealthily, we inch towards the flashes and dust swirling. Our backs are to the wall, and we are crouched in the appropriate sneaking formation.
At the bottom of an incline, coming to the second layer of redstone blocks (a layer in Redstone mining is about three meters), I see two sillouettes outlines in light and in the thick scarlet air. They are talking amongst themselves.
"...how did we ever escape the bedrock room?" the one on the left says, taking a chunk out of his side of the wall. It has to be male, there is just no female who has a voice that deep. Mind you, his voice isn't all that deep. The guy who speaks beside him has a deeper voice.
"Well, AntVenom, someone tunneled us out, and disturbed us, and now here we are," he says.
"It's Captain Sparkelz and AntVenom," I whisper to Aidan. "Didn't we ban them from the mine? TNT offences?"
"I'm sure we did, sir," Aidan replies, "but there's just no stopping some people."
"Well, we'll have to ban him again," I whisper back. I step out from behind the wall and immediately come face to face with Captain Sparkelz. I don't hesitate but draw a sleek bronze-coated pistol and press it to his forehead.
"Ever step in this mine again, Sparkelz," I growl, "and you're going to have a hole right here. Understand?" Sparkelz brushes the gun away.
"I've got connections," he says. "We can tear your mine down."
"Sure, go ahead," I reply, and with a leap up into the air kick him in the jaw and knock him unconsious. I then point the gun at AntVenom, who is standing with his hands raised. "What are you waiting for?" I ask him. "Pick up your buddy and get out, now. You can tear my mine down after you've left, understand? Which means never. Do you understand that as well?"
AntVenom wastes no time in picking up the slightly heavier and bulkier body of Captain Sparkelz and running as fast as he can out of the shaft.
"Well, sir," Aidan says, "you handled that well."
"I hate tourists," I say, and walk off to begin a days work.