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Jack was out of breath but he knew he had to keep going even as the fire in his lungs seemed to burn through his chest cavity. He had to catch the bastard, the faint splashing the only indicator that he was still ahead of him. The prick's light had long since faded and Jack's torch was flickering, the warning that not only had he gone past the point of no return but soon he would also be in the black. Yelling 'Stop Police' didn't help. Shit. Listen, take a breath and … hold.
Then silence.
Jack stopped, bent double as he tried to listen above his own laboured breathing for distant plashing to see which direction the perp went but all he heard was a faint flow of water, the constant relentless fucking water of this place.
He had lost him.
Fuck.
Too deep underground to know where he was, coms not working own here and now as he stood berating himself for losing the bastard his torch flickered one last time then plunged him into darkness.
Perfect.
Jack tried to get his bearings and felt in his pocket for his phone, the faint light of the screen all he had now to help with his footfalls as he tried to retrace his steps but he knew full well that after an hour or more down here chasing the perp he had no idea where he was or how to find Topside again.
Jack started to think he took a wrong turn... or six.. he had no idea where he was and did not recognize anything, hi phone pinging low battery so he found a ledge that was dry above the waterline and settled on it, turning off his phone to sit and try to calm himself. The Doc said meditation helped, tried several times to teach Jack this technique to calm himself but Jack was so impatient, so bloody minded that it always ended up with him storming from the office no better off.
After a while he gave up, a soft chuff of laughter at himself for even trying as he leaned his head back to stare out at nothing.
Rule number one… do not go past the point of no return.
Underworld is a strange labyrinth of tunnels and waterways built long before this planet was populated by mankind and by the time they realised they had built on the roof of another civilization the insult was made. The Dwellers of Underworld are humanoid, secretive and stealthy. They do not like the light, only come up now and then reminding him of that ancient tome about the time machine… what was it called…. Morlocks … and something? The pretty people up top and the trolls down below that come up now and then to snatch away a pretty one to drag back underground to eat or whatever. This was the lie told to people but Jack knew as well as many others now that the Dwellers in Underworld were actually mostly peaceful and scared. Who can blame them?
You had a set amount of time down here with a torch, dependent on the torch of course… you NEVER go past the half way point of the juice for that torch, the first pings telling you such and that is when you turn and head back towards the light.
Jack never could do as he was told. No torch even… no sense.
Time has no meaning in the dark, life seems so far away and jack sat pondering the whole life and death thing… is purgatory like this? Nothing? Black? Maybe he died and is already there? His mind wandered as he relaxed and knew he had plenty of time to find one of the hundreds of exits. After a while he opened his eyes and froe.
In front of him, in the darkness…. something stood.
He could feel it, watching him.
He fumbled out his phone and turned on the screen turning it to see but there was nothing there. He scolded himself internally for freaking out and as he lowered the phone he heard a soft musical voice say softy "You are a long way from home Crusty."
Crusty. Their nickname for those living topside, on the crust. Jack was in the presence of a Dweller. Eloi to the Morlocks as it were… that ancient H. G. Wells novel sooooo true these days.
"Too stubborn for my own good" Jack replied softly "I was chasing a man who killed a child, left her bleeding to death in the street like a cur, he ran down here and I wanted him so badly."
"And had you caught him?"
Jack strained his eyes and could see two little orbs of black different to the other black. Two discs… like coins. As they moved in unison he finally saw a glint of something. Eyes. Eyes shining with a soft light to them in the darkness. He said stupidly "I see your eyes. Some trick."
"We adapted"
"Adapt or die." Jack sighed, his head falling back again "I have not been this tired in a long time. Not since the academy. You know… sometimes my very soul is tired I think… of the fucking water."
"Well… this planet has been waterlogged a long time Crusty, the weather patterns catching our ancestors off guard too. We once lived up top on the crust too … happy, profitable, productive... then came the rain. These old tunnels were originally mining tunnels you know… seeking the minerals and pretty gems of this planet, they became out home. Some say our tomb."
"I am Jack."
Finally the being stepped into the edge of the phone's faint light and Jack saw a man no taller than him dressed all in black, his face soft and his little button nose endearing, even as his smile was so delicate, he looked like a porcelain doll, so pale and fragile.
"Hello Jack. They call me Ianto"