De-Evolution by IngramSpark Book-Building Tool v1.0.0

Author:IngramSpark Book-Building Tool v1.0.0
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MoonPhaze LLC

24

Exploring Underwater

Rather than wearing their suits climbing down the chain ladder, they set up the crane lift over the pit and winched the suits down to the bottom. Clint, as the safety man, helped each of them in turn, checked over their equipment, and secured the rope connecting them to each other and finally to him at the entrance.

Inside their bubble helmets, they would be talking to each other by radio. It was agreed that there would be continuous radio chatter so Clint would know if he needed to haul them out. They had mounted the spare power winch just outside the stairway for that purpose.

“You guys go silent, I’m going to call out three times. On the third no answer, I’m pulling you out.”

“And three quick tugs, you do the same thing.” Jeff added.

“If I feel three tugs from you,” Logan confirmed. “Then we turn around and come back out.”

“We’ve got the plan,” Diane who would be taking the lead finished. “Can we get going?” She walked over to the top step and started down. Jeff followed, then Ahmed and finally Logan.

As they dropped below the water level, each of them turned on their lighting systems. They went down a total of twenty-five steps before reaching a level platform. The bottom of the stairs spread into a corridor about twenty feet wide and stretched out of their light's range.

Every step they took stirred up some of the debris they walked through, debris that had floated to the bottom over the course of who knew how many years. “Keep a slow, steady pace,” Diane said. “Shuffle your feet. It might keep this stuff down.” She slowly shuffled forward and the particles didn’t rise as far up.

“What do you think this thing is made of?” Their connecting rope was long enough for Ahmed to shuffle over to the wall and run his gloved hand along it.

“Watch what you’re doing,” Logan cautioned. “You spring a leak and we’re heading back.”

Ahmed jerked his hand away, then noticed the burrs protruding from the stone like material. “I see what you mean.”

“Clint, you hearing us okay?”

“Roger that, boss man. How’s things looking down there?”

“This thing looks like a long hallway. It’s completely filled with water. I don’t even see any air pockets.”

“The tunnel is opening up ahead,” Diane called back.

They shuffled a little faster, Logan slowing down when the floating debris in front of him reached his waist. Finally came to where Diane was standing.

Ten feet in front of her, just inside the reach of her light beams, the ground they were walking on dropped off. But the walls on either side widened outside the range of their lights.

“Keep a tight grip, I’m going to have a look over that edge.” Diane shuffled over to where the tunnel fell off and shined her light down. “I can see the bottom. Its round, circling away from this point. It looks like it gets five feet deep before starting up again, of course I have no idea how deep any debris filling might be.

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