Sorry about the overly long time it took to updates this, all I can say is some B.S. happened along with a boatload of schoolwork that kept me from even being inspired to write anything, also summer was very busy as well. I can say that I refuse to let this story go uncompleted, so bear with me as I try my best to stay focused on it. Lastly, this would've been out sooner, but the person I asked to beta hasn't replied for a while, so I figure I'll post this now, and if they ever reply, I'll repost the beta'd version.

Last bit, thank you to Margaret, and no, he probably shouldn't have touched that XD

Before his eyes stopped burning and adjusted, Kaito noticed two things. One, there was a screeching coming from the far side of the cave that sounded like something moving on very, very rusty rails, and two, an unknown music had played from who knows where before cutting off, leaving faint echoes in the cavern.

"Cave Johnson here, now I know what you're thinking, how in the world was this place never found? Simple, it's all thanks to the use of this device tha-*muffled voice*that apparently I'm not supposed to talk about; lab boys say its top secret. Apparently we haven't found all the spies from Black Mesa yet. *mumbles*good for nothing sc- *cough**normal voice* Anyways, welcome to railway station Delta, Aperture's first Underground Railroad that will take you straight to Aperture Laboratories in America. That's right, America, boats are expensive, as well as providing passports for some people, so I decided on a much more efficient way. They said we couldn't build this, built it anyway.

Now can I get all of you, scientists, volunteers and- *slightly muffled*Alright who's the wise guy who put that there? Get it out of here, now, or you. Are. Fired. You hear me? *speaking back into the mike* Anyways, all of you down there, head on over to the station town that's right in front of you, find the person in charge of the train, and I hope to God at least some of you know English. Otherwise this is going to be a long stay for you at Aperture, no seriously, it is."

Kaito rubbed his eyes and looked around, going to the train station seemed like a nice idea, maybe, but if it did work, it looked like he was headed straight to wherever this Aperture was in America.

….

Maybe he should check for another way out, that earthquake must have opened up a few passages that might lead to the surface.

Then again, if he got stuck in one of them, he wouldn't have any food or water.

The station town place would be better; maybe there was a radio or something he could use, or a hopefully useable first aid kit. The wound was starting to hurt more as his adrenaline wore off, and there was a small growing bloodstain around it now.

With those thoughts in mind, Kaito walked towards the distant buildings, following the old decrepit road that would occasionally crumble under his feet. At one point a section of it had even caved in, leaving a massive hole that he had to scramble backwards in order to stay out of it. It was wide enough that he had to go around it and to either navigate his way through a large group of stalagmites that were near the road, or over a long flat area with a cracked surface that looked like it might break at any moment.

The decision was easy.

As hard as it was to navigate through the throngs of stalagmites, it still seemed like a better idea instead of risking another freefall. The thief didn't think he'd be lucky enough to use his hang glider to stop his fall again.

It was slow going though. Every single stalagmite seemed to catch his cape, and he'd nearly lost his hat a few times when the larger ones had decided leave only small gaps between them. At one point Kaito had almost lost his shoe as well. Halfway through, he was able to hear a small rustling and squeaking up ahead where the ceiling had dipped and stalactites had merged with the stalagmites.

Bats? What could they be doing here?

Hardly had he thought that before he accidentally pointed the flashlight at said bats and disturbed the whole lot of them.

The Thief let out a squawk and dived down to avoid the incoming wave of bats and watched as they flew around, imagining their bloodthirstiness as they searched for the one who had disturbed their rest. One found him and decided to happily roost on the tip of his hat.

Kaito tried his best to stay still and not panic as the bat seemed to call more of its friends over. The other bats, unfortunately for kaito, had also decided to hang off the top hat's brim and right in the magician's face. He groaned inwardly at the sight of the bats in front of his face, just my luck, I bet my hat looks like a sombrero now. The thought helped a bit, and, sniggering inwardly, he gently took his hat off. He winced a little as the action set off a pain in his shoulder but still continued on to shoo the bats off the hat before putting it on again.

"Alright, where was I?" Looking around he noticed he was at the end of the stalagmites, and most of the bats had finally settled down. Speaking of bats, maybe there was an exit somewhere that they use to get topside. He thought about looking for that bat entrance for a moment before deciding that it was better not to risk upsetting the bats again, not to mention it might not be big enough for him anyways.

Now that he was closer, the buildings looked rather sturdy anyways. Maybe there was a bit of food in them as well. After all, he hadn't eaten since before the heist, his disguise requiring him to patrol the building in order to escape suspicion while collecting information about the guards.

The buildings were a short walk away, but Kaito wanted to try something first. He quickly found a small stone and tossed it onto a part of the cracked area.

The effect was almost instant. With a loud crash the whole of the cracked cave floor gave way. Kaito was too shocked to move and stood gaping, staring into the abyss that had appeared.

When he finally gained control over himself again he had hightailed it towards the solid looking ground where the buildings were and walked into what could be described as a small town. The thief slowed down to a walk as he entered the area while following the only road there. Small shops advertising materials for science, potato batteries, souvenirs, and snacks lined the road. A bit further down there was a small hotel, a few different styled restaurants a few warehouses and finally the aforementioned train docked at a once used train station.

Everything was coated in layers of dust and looked like it hadn't been used for ages. The possibility of finding anything edible to eat looked bleak and Kaito's stomach protested with an angry grumble. "calm down already. Hey, maybe there's still some food in one of the shops or warehouses. Something had to be stored to last if anyone was staying down here for a while and the cave was supposed to be a secret one. My luck may not have left me yet!" With that conclusion and a happy grin, he bounded off to the nearest store that advertised food and started the search.