112-The Demolition Mission by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-07T15:13:43+00:00

Chapter 8

Fire!

"Frank! Joe!" Chet cried as he looked down into the trapdoor set in the floor of the shed. "Are you down there?"

Joe heard Chet's voice dimly at first, then, as his head cleared, the voice seemed to grow louder.

"Are you all right?" he heard Chet call.

"Light," Joe said with a groan. "I need some light."

Joe sat up slowly, then climbed shakily to his feet. He tried to get his bearings and sort out what had happened while he waited for Chet to return.

"Frank!" he cried out suddenly, remembering why he had rushed into the shed in the first place. "Frank, are you down here?" Joe called, his voice echoing in the musty area.

"I'm letting down a flashlight on the end of this rope," Chet called from the shed above. "I've turned it on."

"Hurry," Joe said in a desperate tone. "I can't find Frank."

Moments later Joe saw the light dangling in the darkness. Joe untied the flashlight and aimed it at the area around him. He saw that he was in a narrow tunnel. Pipes wrapped in crumbling plaster insulation ran along the side walls. There were conduits and cables attached to the low ceiling.

Then he saw his brother. Frank was sprawled on the concrete floor behind him.

Joe knelt down next to Frank. With relief Joe found his brother's pulse and then slapped him on the face to rouse him. Frank moaned softly.

"I need a wet cloth down here!" Joe yelled up at Chet.

While Joe waited with his brother, Chet found an old stepladder and a rag. He soaked the cloth in water from a tap on the side of Building B, then hurried back to the shed. Nervously Chet lowered the ladder in the trapdoor opening. Then he climbed gingerly down into the darkness.

"I think he's going to be okay," Joe said. He applied the wet cloth to his brother's head. After a few moments Frank opened his eyes.

"The last thing I remember," Frank groaned, "is falling."

"You hit," Joe told him. "Hard."

"You're telling me," his brother said, rubbing the lump on his head. "But the good news is, I was right. Do you know where we are?"

"A hole in the ground?" Chet asked.

"We're in an extensive tunnel system," Frank said. "I knew there was some explanation for those patches of brown grass."

"I don't get it," Chet said.

"Cement is porous," Frank explained. "These tunnels absorb the groundwater that would keep the grass green, like it is on both sides of the tunnels."

"These tunnels are used for heating and electrical systems," Joe said.

"And you think the Saurion's down here in this tunnel," Chet concluded.

"While we search for the car," Frank said, turning to Chet, "we'd like you to find Callie in case we're not out of here in time to meet her. And while you're at it, maybe you could drive the van back over to that food truck and get us something to eat. I'm feeling a little wobbly."

"I can do that," Chet said as he began climbing up the ladder.

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