Chapter 9: Giant Diggers
As I venture deeper into the derelict mines, I am greeted with greater mysteries, threats, doubts running rampant in my overworked mind. There is no discussion about whether the chattering of a sanity-ridden man made me hysterical, or the horrifying events I bear witness to are far from the fiction of my mind. It was both, the latter entangling me in dread and the former as an amplifier, making my fur stand on its end.
On the upside, I found myself astounded by the rapidly reducing severity of my injuries. I am healing faster than I assumed I would, it seems almost as if it was scripted in my genes. In a way, my presence here appears more than a coincidence, as if the world molded me and my current whereabouts according to what I've would have found convenient. I navigate this place and its challenges as if they were a trial made just for me, the others being motivation for completion.
But I digress, and I should write about the next succession of events. I entered the Auxiliary Shaft after I wrote my last entry. I stumbled upon a dimly lit, spacious cave. The last of the metaphors my friend mentioned unveiled its true meaning. A giant, yellow digger occupied half of the room, lying dormant. On the front of the 'metal beat' were its 'jaws', horizontally placed cylinders with many spikes all over. The excavator was controlled by a console in the middle of the room, dust collecting on its inactive status lights.
Another artefact laid in corner of the room, on a shelf. Upon touching it, I had a blurry vision. I noticed several hunched figures writhing in pain, and my father's figure walking past them in the distance, unmoved, holding something of importance in his hand. I could distinguish anyone or anything, it was all white with the black figures. Soon enough, I found myself back in the real world. It feels as if I go somewhere else when I touch these artefacts, but I don't find myself taking a single step in any direction. Regardless, I began examining the machinery, trying to see how to make it run.
Compared to the ingenuity I had to exhibit in my earlier endeavors, this was a breeze. The console merely wasn't connected to the power outlet, and there was a power cord stretched out on the floor. Once I powered the console, the lights turned on, and I inserted the ignition key into the keyhole on the console. Despite the power, the machine wasn't keen on turning on, so I deduced that something was absent from the machine itself.
The gasoline can I brought with me seemed like an obvious answer, since it would only add insult to injury if it proved obsolete, especially after what transpired due to it being a detriment to my stealth capabilities. I had a bit of trouble filling the machine up with fuel, since the lid on the can rusted shut, but a little prying with my hammer did the trick. I poured down the fuel into the reservoir, careful not to miss a drop, regardless of how negligible the amount I actually needed.
The roaring of the machine echoing in the enclosed cave was surprisingly reassuring, most likely due to absence of other forms of encouragement. A simple tug of a lever and the machine obliterated the stone staying in its way, loud crashing sounds of the crumbling stone was music to my ears as I carved a new path. It came to a halt a few seconds later, and I approached to marvel at the newly paved way.
As if on cue, Silver sent me a transmission which slightly dwindled my good mood:
"I am aware that ulterior motives are present in your thinking mush. You wish to seek the truth of this atrium, the gist of your predicament, perhaps one that is best suited for you. Truth is relative, my friend, an acquaintance to everyone but it doesn't know you well, and acquaintances are unreliable with gifts. I know better to leave the metal doors closed. Poor Silver was once attacked by the carriers of the infection, the ill-fated, but they knew not of the sky, the crumbling ceiling above their heads. In the end, I knew the caves better than their own inhabitants. I was blind to the insanity of their unsuspecting rescuers, and now the release has come. These words will be explained, but not at the moment. It will have to be one for savoring, as their significance is far from vain"
His words are gradually becoming more perplexing, yet he alluded to possessing knowledge about the state of affairs that came upon this place. Then again, perhaps it's merely the illusion of a waning sanity, though I have my doubts.
When I dug up a tunnel, I apparently connected two different dead ends into one, connected hallway. I opened the newly revealed metal door and stepped into a corridor.
The corridor was moderately wide, but otherwise bland looking. Except, a chunk of its floor was completely gone, and it stretched into the abyss below, further than my eyes could see. I had to balance on long, narrow, wooden planks that traversed over the nothingness. I followed the corridor, making a right turn, and found myself facing a large metal door.
The weirdly organic sounds of quakes coming from behind the walls followed me through the corridor. They became louder, and started to resemble something of a groan. Not long after, the metal door became warped as a loud crash came from them. I jumped and backed away several meters. Another loud thud, and the door ceased to exist.
From the dust clouds came a horrible giant worm-like creature. It had dark, wet-looking skin and a repulsive circular jaw, revealing its fleshy insides and razor sharp teeth. I was frozen in bewilderment for a second, eyes wide open. I might have let out a "What the-" sound, but I can't recall. I was sort of entranced, and barely aware of how incredibly fast I was running away. I came to a sudden halt when I reached the hole, and just skimmed over to one of the planks.
Luckily, the worm just slid down into the abyss as I watched in disbelief. It took me quite a while to notice my audible, exasperated breathing and my loud, throbbing heart. It took me even more time to continue on to the previously sealed off area.
Behind the now demolished door was a simple room surrounded with craggy rocks. In the back of the room was some industrial machinery, all defunct and rusted now. There was a single, narrow passage on the left housing another gate that had to be lifted. There was another opening on the right, and since I couldn't find a switch anywhere in this room, I went into the opening.
It lead to a cave system, similarly lit like the excavation area I was in. I prayed to a greater force to leave the similarities between the two areas just at that, since the next part of the excavation is something that I would rather leave as a bad memory.
Suffice to say, my wish didn't come through, the glorious let-down being the giant leathery eggs I came upon. I heard a crunching sound, as if they were about to hatch, and I could have sworn there was motion coming from one of them. I began aimlessly running through the cave system, occasionally running into more of these eggs.
To my relief, I stumbled upon a doorway leading into a storage compartment. I quickly entered the room, looking around for something to block the entrance. My eyes darted back and forth until I noticed a wooden pallet on my left. I barricaded the entrance just in time, seeing as a spider was about to jump at me.
I took some time scrutinizing the whole room. A lot of the accessories present were on the shelves behind barbed wires, however I deemed almost all of them irrelevant to my survival or progression. I did pick up some batteries for my flashlight, way more than enough to keep the spiders off my back.
Among the walls was a small lever. I figured it must be the lever for the door, seeing as the cables coming out from the lever's base lead away from the room, approximately in the direction of the gate. It looked like the gate was hydraulic, which meant that it was likely for it to close after a period of time. Once I pulled the lever, I had to rush back from where I came from.
With the aid of my flashlight as a deterrent for the spiders, I sprinted back to the main room. As I predicted, the door was open. It was also starting its descent, so I ran through the opened doorway, bending down so I wouldn't hit my head on the descending door.
I was secluded from the spider threat in a rather small room. I'm planning on going through the door on the other side. But before that, I received a transmission on a radio. However, the voice that came out was different, overly modulated:
"Hey, is there someone in the mines. I saw a dot on the screen move, so I know that whoever you are, you took one of the radios. Don't bother answering, my radio's speaker is broken so I can't hear you" he exclaimed.
It definitely wasn't Silver, since his mannerisms were far different from his, and the vocabulary he used was basic, unlike Silver and possibly, mine.
"I don't think there is anybody in that part of the mines I know of, so you must be new. If you're here to rescue us, there is no need. I am Sonic The Hedgehog, the world's most famous hedgehog, here to save the day. Pleased to meet you" he introduced himself.
I was thrilled to hear a voice of another person, especially that of the person who I was curious about the most besides my father. I confirmed my suspicions about his disappearance being connected to this place. The most important thing, however, was that I would finally be able to get some straight answers, not tampered in any way.
"Listen, buddy, it's always good to see a friendly face around here. If you wanna help, I'm totally ok with that. But first, listen to what I have to say, because I'm not gonna be in range later." He said.
"I don't think we're gonna meet soon. The pathway is blocked, like really. If it came crashing down on you, you wouldn't be able to run away fast enough. I did, because, well, you know, I'm fast. I'm currently on the surface, in one of the sheds that has a computer. Now that you're here, I'm going to find a way to the station, so we can meet in person. I gotta go save my friends now. See ya, buddy." He explained, and ended the transmission.
It was comforting knowing I wasn't alone in my endeavor, that there was someone else who I could trust. His gait was soothing, though it sound clichéd, like something a typical hero character would say.
My thoughts were interrupted by another transmission, this time from the person I expected:
"I know the triangles on your head perceived the same thing mine have. It was a message to you, friend, after all. And who better to be the sender than the tsar of adventures, the proclaimed and, dare I say, acclaimed, legend, the blue blur. Perhaps his hubris strikes deep into your heart, his words are the prophets of benevolence and reassurance you crave most in the dark blemishes of the land. You label me as insane, a preacher of madness, and him as a prophet, a preacher of a more appealing madness. But consider this, friend, is he not as perturbing as me, when he utters without fear. Is it not madness to smile at the shattered glass like it is to gouge your eyes out at the sight of it. I have embraced the shadows of my being, and the blue coward blinds himself with light, the light coming from the furthest of stars. Even if the speed of light is unmatched, it takes decades for it to travel from the stars to our soils. That is the truth behind his façade, the deceit he built for himself as to escape his mortality. Don't put your trust in the man who covers himself in blinding reflector lights to pull you out from the shadows."
I felt frustrated at Silver's response. He seemed to believe my judgement to be misplaced, and went so far to talk bad about his friend. I shouldn't let him get to my head, so as to not let his state become my end result.
Despite that, I can't help but think that he's right, that I just spoke to someone living as a shell of his past, absent from the horrors of the present.