Meltdown Ophilion - Book One

37_UNDERGROUND

The team of four stood on the footpath watching the droids at work, appreciating their precision; the choreography of efficiency. It was a mesmerizing scene. They took in the sounds of the underworld; sounds combining to form a kind of music which, on the one hand, seemed satisfying, soothing, predictable: the clang of metal, whir of machines, call of mechanics, fizz of welding, stomp of crushers.

It was all taking place with a measured orderliness that impressed them. Ren-Celor was a healthy organ within the body of the com-zone. A stable part of a stable system that had functioned well for over three hundred years. There was no danger of failure here – not even the risk of a glitch.

Orion felt it again: a vague hopelessness dulling his senses. What are we doing? His eyes glazed over. This is fine – let it be, get back home in one piece, get back to work, stay out of trouble.

But, no. He was in the process of actively seeking trouble. The Antarion had told them that this mission, which they had chosen to accept, might just cost them their lives. It had seemed hyperbolic at the time, but not now.

And there was another complication: he had seen things - experienced things. Things that were so unusual that his brain was still trying to accommodate them. The mission, Orion thought, and sighed. He thought of his mother. What if something happens to me down here? Nobody will know.

"Any ideas?" Celli's voice brought the pilot back to the path they were standing on, but his brain was still lagging. "No going through that," she nodded at the sorting zone.

Fel nodded in response. "We wouldn't make it half way without getting shredded."

Orion offered a deep sigh and thought of his mother. He wished one of the Antarion was with them now; they would know what to do. But the Antarion had made it clear that they were not permitted to assist them at this stage – they considered it a violation of their Code – although Orion thought the aliens were interpreting the Code more strictly than necessary in this case.

The debris field in front of them was dimly lit with the reflected light from the zones that surrounded it on three sides: the dock, the mechanic field and the lamps overhanging the footpath the teenagers were standing on. The fourth side angled down into the gaping cavern where the barges met the dock. What's down there? Orion thought, not really wanting to know.

At this point Fel was the only one looking for a solution. The others were lost in a kind of numbing haze. Everything about this environment was unfamiliar to them. But not to Fel. He was a factory mechanic, he understood the nature of this place; he had heard things. He assessed their situation, looking back the way they had come – the vast mechanic field, then the dock, the debris field leading down under the dock. Then left, further up the footpath. He realized that there would be no way to actually see the edge of the dock: the footpath they were on had been built to allow mechanics to walk from the mechanic field to the recreation and living zone a hundred meters ahead. But it angled away from the dock before allowing a view of the loading side of it. There was no way to set eyes on their target, and no apparent way of getting there.

From where they stood Fel could see, in the personnel zone, cheap restaurants, food and junk shops, low-end spin houses and low-cost micro apartments. Is it possible, he surmised, that some of these people never come to the surface? Everything they need is here... everything except sunlight and fresh air... and trees and mountains, the free-zone. He shook his head. I'm not much different, he realized. I never even left the com-zone till our trip to Colang-Brez.

Then Fel noticed something that gave him an idea. He had heard about this from mechanics at Tur-Lam. He scanned the sides of the elevated pathway and saw what he was looking for and gave a satisfied smile. There, between an upturned transport and a dismembered droid, was part of a second pathway – directly below the first. He ribbed Orion and pointed excitedly. Orion knit his brow and Fel spelled it out. "There's another pathway down there," He said. The girls turned to him when they heard the tone of his voice.