Chapter 43
Atom was looking at the map of the Metro system and thought that the tunnels ran through the bunker or at least beside it. He couldn't see any other way it could be. The depth of the bunker complex went down at least 100 feet, the Metro wasn't that deep, so it had to be near the bunker. Problem was finding the level it was accessed from. The scout teams had gone down five levels and hadn't found any doorways leading into the walls - so to speak, so he went down to the next level to start his search. He told his team that they were looking for a way out of the bunker complex, not looking at the rooms.
They searched levels six and seven but found no exit. Roma was looking at the far corridor where the stairs went back up to the next level. There was nothing there. She flashed her light around and something caught her eye.
"Harper, over here," she called to her search partner. Harper hurried over.
"What you got?" she asked.
"Look at this," Roma said, pointing to a cut in the wall. "It goes all the way to the ground and goes up past our heads. It's the right size for a door." Harper looked closer. The cut was only visible at a certain angle and was well disguised. She looked around for a handle or any way that the door would open. She couldn't see anything so she pressed on the door sized part of the wall. She pressed several places until finally, the door swung inwards.
"Bingo!" said Harper, awed by the passageway lit up by her light. "Go get the others," Harper said to Roma. Roma nodded and left. Harper didn't go past the door frame, but she did poke her head in. The passageway went straight for about twenty five meters and then it seemed to disappear into the floor. Probably a stairway or ramp to a lower level, Harper surmised. There were bare lightbulbs overhead but they hadn't come on yet. These automatic lights helped enormously when getting around, but when you were searching and one suddenly came on, it could scare the crap out of you. Harper had experienced it first-hand, but quickly got used to it, after all it was the same on the Ark. She just wasn't expecting it down here.
Roma returned with the others. Atom walked over to Harper and looked in the tunnel and smiled.
"Finally," he said. "Okay, we go in pairs. Keep your eyes open and your mouths shut. We don't know how far sound will travel through these tunnels nor do we know how close to the surface they go. We need to move silently. Let's go."
He moved into the tunnel with Bruno at his side, Roma and Harper came next and the other four were behind them in pairs. They moved quietly through the tunnel, going down and up as the tunnel dictated. They had only gone about 700 feet when they were confronted with a door - a door that was hanging off its hinges. Atom stopped and held up his hand. In the distance he would hear dripping water. He listened carefully for any other noises… Nothing. He moved to the door and put his hand on it to move it and it just crumbled into dust. He wiped his hand on his pants and walked through.
When they were all in the room, they looked around, their hand lights throwing crazy shadows about as they looked everywhere. This was a seating area of some sort. There were upholstered chairs and side tables, there was a trolley on wheels that looked like it held the remains of food long spoiled. On the walls were paintings and posters. One was for a film Atom had watched long ago on the Ark. King Kong. Though this poster didn't look like the giant gorilla in the film he watched, he knew there were several films with the gorilla in them.
Bruno hissed at them that he'd found a door. They went over and once again, Atom put his hand on the door and it crumbled.
"How are the doors so dry and crumbly when we can hear dripping water?" asked Roma.
"Dunno," replied Atom. "Science isn't my strong point." Roma and Harper looked at each other and smirked. No kidding!
They moved through the doorway and the sound of dripping water got louder. Again they stopped to listen. Still no sounds other than the water. They moved on, this time the tunnel was short and the door this time didn't crumble. This time it was rotted away by the constant dampness of the leaking water. They cautiously moved on. The floor was damp and squidgy under their feet and the cold of the dampness was making them shiver. They pressed on past the dripping water and onto a platform. Across the rails, on the wall was a sign that said Whitehouse Station.
Atom estimated that they had gone up maybe thirty foot or so. This was what he had been looking for - a way into the Metro transit lines. If they could use these lines to get about, they need not fear the mountain men so much. It was time to return to inform Adara. Atom was hoping to lead the team exploring the way through these lines. Turns out he liked this exploring stuff. He knew he was supposed to be Octavia's second and would take over when she went to the Trikru to live, but right now, he enjoyed exploring.
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With the discovery of the tunnel leading to the Metro, Atom asked if he could lead the team exploring them. Adara thought about it and asked him if he still wanted to be Octavia's twic. He said that he would, but that he found that he preferred exploring. Adara nodded and called in Octavia. They talked it through and between them they decided to make Atom Head of exploration instead. Octavia was asked who should be her new twic and Octavia replied that Robert Stanhope was shaping up to be a very good hunter. He was also getting used to telling people what to do. Octavia was teaching him everything she knew about hunting and he was soaking it up like a sponge. Robert became Octavia's twic and would take over when she left.
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Atom's first task was to get a team of nine others. They would be assigned one of the ten bunk dorms so that they could sleep whenever they returned from their exploring forays. Not all of Atom's team would go on this first trip, four would be left behind. They would clean the dormitory and find sheets and blankets if they could for them. If not, then they would use their sleeping bags. They were to assign each member to a bunk with the lower one nearest the door assigned to Atom as team leader. Anything that was assigned to them would be either placed in the dorm for their use or in one of the unused rooms they could use as storage.
As an exploration team, Adara had sorted out whatever she could from the inventory they had already discovered. Things like binoculars, pads and pencils for map making or drawing, clothing like warm weather coats and pants, bigger backpacks that had a camouflage pattern on them. Boots, pickaxes, axes, machetes, firestarter kits, tents and other such stuff. They would need them if they were exploring different environments.
Atom set off the next day, Harper and Roma had agreed to be part of the exploration team and Atom couldn't be happier. Those two had proven themselves to him as had Bruno who also joined the team. The other members were new and Atom knew he had to basically tell them how to move and what not to touch and when to be silent. Roma and Harper helped him with that and soon enough, the newbies learned enough to start on their first exploration.
Atom knew that getting in touch with Tondc was a priority, so he decided to head west through the tunnel system. Once they were at another station, they could figure out where they were and how to get to the station near Tondc - Foggy Bottom. They moved quietly through the tunnel, lights moving constantly as they went, searching for any hidden danger ahead. The air quality wasn't the best, but every now and then, they hit a pocket of cleaner air. Roma surmised that air must be getting in somewhere.
It took three hours of slow going to reach the next station - Foggy Bottom. They'd made it! They looked around and saw a small opening on one end of the platform where the walls were smooth. Probably a doorway. They went towards it and saw that it was partially blocked by falling masonry, but they could squeeze through. They carefully made their way to the other side of the blockage and were in another tunnel. This one had another opening a little further on as well as going straight ahead. They went to the first opening and went in. They were on another platform, but this one was in use as a room of some kind. There were tables set out in a long line with chairs on either side. At one side of the platform were stairs going up. This was the station at Tondc - it wasn't NEAR Tondc, it was INSIDE Tondc!
They carefully made their way to the staircase and went up. At the top was a door that was closed. Atom held up his and for silence. He listened to the sounds outside. He could hear the usual noises of people moving about and people talking, but they were talking in Trigedasleng and Atom couldn't understand it. He didn't want to be run through before he could make himself understood. He was debating what to do when he heard English being spoken. He listened in on the conversation.
"...don't know where they've vanished to. Tomac is one of our best trackers and even he can't find those children. How can a hundred children just vanish?" said Anya.
"I think you underestimate those children. I've seen the resourcefulness they've shown. They are also resilient. Don't tell them this, but I actually admire them for what they have accomplished since they found out about the betrayal of their leader." said Indra.
"We still need to find them, Indra," said the Commander. "The maunon won't stop until they've got them. I want them found. We need to keep them safe." Atom had heard enough to know he was among friends - well not enemies at least. He knocked on the door and stood back. The door swung open quickly and a sword was thrust into the space that Atom had stood. Indra was shocked to see some of the children - Skaikru - that they'd been looking for.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed.
"Looking for you," Atom said. The Commander pushed Anya and Indra into the building and closed the door. She looked around at the six people there.
"Where are the others?" she asked harshly.
"Safe," said Atom. "We've found an underground bunker complex and are using it as a base. We think it's the bunker for the old whitehouse."
"What's a whitehouse?"
"It was the headquarters and home of the President of the United States before the bombs fell." he stated.
"Where is it?" the Commander asked. Atom took out his map of the Metro system and showed it to them.
"This is Foggy Bottom, your station down there," he said, pointing downwards. He traced the line back to the whitehouse. "This is where we entered the Metro system," he said, pointing to a hand drawn spot on the map. This is a stop only for the President, not for ordinary people. This whole map is an underground railway system. As you can see, it spans a great distance."
The commander, Anya and Indra looked at each other before the Commander made a confession.
"We don't know how to read Gonasleng - English. Our ancestors were too busy trying to survive to worry about it. They taught their children the language but not the reading of it."
"Do you write?" Atom asked.
"Of course we can write," said Indra, incensed. "We read and write in Trigedasleng. We are not savages!"
"Indra, shof op," said the Commander.
"Sounded like shut up to me," said one of the newbies.
"Then you shof op," Atom reprimanded him. Anya smirked at that. These skaikru were learning Trigedasleng words each time they had an encounter with them.
"Can you take me to your people?" asked the Commander.
"I could," Atom prevaricated, "but it would take about three hours just to get there." The Commander thought about it.
"Fine, I will go with you. Anya, keep up the patrols and keep a watch for the maunon."
"You're going through the tunnels? Why don't you go above ground?" asked Indra.
"I don't know where they are above ground. This way they can take me right to their bunker."
"Actually," said Atom. "This map may not give much detail, but it does give the approximate location for the whitehouse. If you go east southeast, you'll come to it," Atom said showing the Commander the route. I've seen a map of the streets and here," he said pointing to a place just north east of Tondc (Foggy Bottom), "is a large roundabout for vehicles, from there move south east and you should be in the vicinity of the whitehouse. We keep a sentry watch at all times. They will be keeping an eye out for you. Adara has told them that any Trikru are to be shown into the bunker for talks."
The Commander nodded, as did Anya and Indra.
"Take several people with you and go hunting in that area, Commander. If any maunon are in the area, they think you go for food."
"The maunon have to get past us first," said Indra ominously.
"They already have," said Harper. The three Trikru looked at Harper sharply. "We only just avoided being captured by them. The first people - Adara included - were looking for a place to hide from the approaching mountain men. Jill found the hatch and they went into it and hid there. They could hear the mountain men talking to Mount Weather. They said that they knew the kids were in the area, but they had vanished. They went back for more air tanks. We haven't seen them since."
"How did they not see this... hatch?" asked Indra.
"Adara made sure that they cut the vegetation carefully about three inches larger than the hatch opening and only cut a small hole in the plants covering the turn handle. Enough for them to open the hatch and get in, but left enough so that when the hatch is closed, it looks like the vegetation hasn't been disturbed. Doubt they even knew what to look for." said Harper.
All three were stunned that these children from the sky even had the intelligence to cover their tracks. Anya then smirked. Between the Trikru and the Skaikru, she was sure that the mountain would fall soon.
The Commander decided to go overland. The Skaikru team would go back the way they came for their own safety. The maunon would not be allowed to know where they were. It was much safer that way.