“Take as many of these as you can carry.” Scraggle ignores her as he rushes to stock up on other supplies. “The Steps await.”
“I always thought the Ladder was the way to the Surface.” Dina speaks with her mouth full.
“What is this place? When do we get to the Surface?” Katya opens another nutrition bar.
“There isn’t time to explain,” Scraggle says as he stuffs a pack with Remedy, antiseptic and more nutrition bars.
“We’re not leaving till Joe’s awake so you might as well tell us,” Lauren says matter-of-factly.
“Yes, Marion.” The image of the same well dressed man from before appears on the black wall. Dorian sneers. “Tell them everything.”
“Dorian. I’ll be seeing you face to face very soon,” Scraggle says.
“I do hope that all of your new friends make the trip with you. Climbing so high can have so many unfortunate consequences.”
Chris, Lauren, Katya, Dina and Lance all stand alongside Scraggle to get a better view of Dorian. Marvin and Gary stay seated on the floor.
“What does that mean?” Lance asks.
Chris looks at Lauren. “Who is this guy?”
“I’m a little envious actually,” Dorian continues. “So many new wonders to behold. Even for you, Marion. The Column holds such secrets and new additions.”
“What have you done with my design?” Scraggle demands.
“You remember the Overseer.” Dorian smiles.
“That simpleton is the reason I am down here.”
“I seem to recall your situation being far more complicated than that. He took your fine design and made it flawless. You children are in for such treats.”
“What have you done, Dorian?”
“I demand perfection, you know this. And really, Marion? Algorithm Modifiers? Such basic technology. And speaking of…Good morning, Dreamer.” Dorian mocks Joe who slowly joins the group. Dorian looks down and activates a panel on the wall. A large cabinet door opens. Inside are flat, clear pouches full of a clear liquid.
The kids walk to the cabinet. They can feel cold air inside it.
“What is this?” Lance asks.
“Do take as many as you can. Remember, children. On the surface it’s important that you stay hydrated.” Dorian disappears as the image returns to the black wall.
“Take as much as you can carry.” Scraggle tells the kids as he puts pouches in the pack. “I do not know what awaits us.”
The kids follow his lead and pocket what they can.
Dina opens one of the pouches and takes a sip. “It’s just water.”
“It has special minerals that will help replenish you when you need it,” Scraggle explains. “And knowing Dorian, you will most likely need it.”
“Any more of those packs?” Lauren asks Scraggle.
“These will work.” Katya pulls a cushion out from its cover.
Lance walks to the couch and follows her lead. They grab more water pouches and drop them into the makeshift bags.
Dina stares at Scraggle then looks at the others. “Where do we get clothes like that?” Everyone notices Scraggle’s clothes for the first time.
“That’s not what you wore in the Mines,” Joe says.
Scraggle takes a moment before relenting with an exhausted sigh. He walks to the other side of the sofa and opens a panel on the wall. Another door opens, revealing a closet with uniforms of different sizes hanging on a rod.
“I’m afraid there will be nothing in there for the little ones.” Scraggle points to Marvin and Gary.
Lauren walks to the closet and finds the two smallest uniforms.
“Got any cutters?” she asks Scraggle while the others change out of their old clothes and into the new ones.
Scraggle pulls open a drawer inside the closet and hands Lauren a pair of cloth shears. She takes the shears and the uniforms to Gary and Marvin and begins to make rudimentary measurements before cutting the pant legs and sleeves to make them a better fit for the boys. The clothes are a gray color with black lines traveling down the waist and the sleeves. On their front is a symbol. A small [ I ] with a black triangle above it.
“What is that for?” Katya points to the symbol on Lance’ uniform.
Lance looks down then sees the same symbol on Katya’s uniform. He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.
Joe grabs a uniform and brings it to Lauren who is just finishing up cutting the clothes for Marvin and Gary.
“Put these on, you two,” she tells the youngsters.
“Here, this one will probably fit you.” Joe hands her another uniform.
“Why, however did you guess my size?” She jabs him in the shoulder. “That’s for sticking a needle in my arm.”
Joe rubs his shoulder but he grins.
“What’s so special about these?” Chris looks over to Scraggle.
“They’re waterproof,” Scraggle answers.
“That’s it?” Lance replies.
“They’re also insulated from low levels of electricity,” Scraggle continues.
“We could have used that earlier,” Joe tells Scraggle.
“What do you mean?”
“We found the missing Warden. It’s The Guard.”
The old man laughs at the realization. “Of course. It never occurred to me. Not once. But that makes perfect sense. It didn’t go missing. It was directed to stay down there to continue watching over the prison—pardon me. Watching over the kids.” Scraggle shakes his head. “I should have deduced such a thing.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re done with the Guard and we’re done with the Mines. What’s next?” Katya asks.
“We get out of here,” Joe says.
Lauren finishes putting on her uniform. “Which way?”
Scraggle points to a door on the wall. Joe approaches it and puts his hand on the black surface beside it. It looks exactly like the cell locks in the Ban. A white light blinks then changes to a steady red. He tries again only to achieve the same result.
Joe turns to Scraggle. “Why isn’t this working?”
“What do you mean?” Scraggle asks. “The nano machines will allow you to override locks. That is their entire purpose.”
Joe tries again and still the door does not open. “Well, they’re not overriding anything.”
“Are we trapped?” Marvin asks.
Lauren looks back at Scraggle. “I’m not going back in the Mines.”
Chapter Eighteen
Joe puts his hand on the black panel. He tries pushing into it but still nothing happens. “No one’s going back in the Mines. And we’re not trapped. What’s going on?” Joe looks at Scraggle.
“What did the Warden…the Guard do?” Scraggle asks though he already knows the answer.
“He electrocuted Joe,” Lauren tells Scraggle.
Scraggle places a hand over his eyes. “Not good. This is not good.” He walks to the black wall and motions for Joe to join him. “I need to see your vascular system.”
Joe places three fingers on the wall and the image of his red veins appears.
“So few still active,” Scraggle mutters. The green lights are far fewer than they were. Scraggle reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black box. “Try not to move. This might hurt a little.” He places the box on Joe’s neck and sends a shock into him.
Joe jumps back and the image on the screen disappears. “What is that?”
“I told you not to move.” Scraggle grabs Joe’s hand and places it back on the wall. “Three fingers, please.”
Joe reluctantly does as asked and the image reappears this time with no green lights. “Where did they go?”
Scraggle grabs Joe’s wrist, preventing him from moving. He shocks him again. Joe side steps. It’s as far as he can go while Scraggle has a hold of him. They both look back at the image and the green lights are back. Still there are far fewer than before.
“Once more, I think.” Scraggle shocks Joe one more time and more green lights ap
pear. “Still not enough.” Scraggle tries to shock Joe again but nothing happens. “I told them to put more power into these devices. We must hope that will be enough.” He motions for the door again.
Joe walks to it, rubbing his neck and not taking his eyes off the sneaky old timer. He places his hand back on the flat, black lock. The white light blinks before turning to a solid green. A thud sound is heard and the door stirs. Joe takes his hand off and another thud sounds off. Joe looks at everyone, confused.
“Leave your hand on the lock,” Scraggle tells him.
Joe touches the lock again and the same thud goes off, followed by the door slowly rising. It stops suddenly. The stop is accompanied by a loud clicking sound. The opening is barely enough for anyone to squeeze under.
Scraggle rushes to the door. “It will be tight but it will do.” He lays on the ground.
“Wait,“ Lauren says, stopping Scraggle. “You two go first.” She points to Marvin and Gary. “We’ll be right behind you.”
The young boys run to the door.
“You’re coming too, right, Joe?” Marvin looks up at Joe.
The Dreamer smiles and nods. Marvin and Gary pass easily under the door. Dina and Katya slide under next. Lance shoves the makeshift packs behind them before dropping down and squeezing through the opening followed by Chris. Scraggle shoves his own pack to the other side. He lays down and tries to get through. It’s a very tight fit for him.
Lauren tries to push the old man while Lance pulls him from the other side. They finally manage to get him through the small opening.
“See you on the other side,” Lauren tells Joe before she drops down to slide under the door to join the others.
“Come on, Joe!” Marvin yells.
Joe releases his hand and lays down but the door immediately starts to close. He tries to squeeze under but it’s already too late. He moves back as quick as he can to avoid being crushed. Confused, he rests his eyes on the door lock before placing his hand back on the black surface. The door rises again. It stops in the same place as before. The same loud clicking noise emanates from it. Lauren lays on the ground and reaches under the door.
“Try again. We’ll pull you through.” She waves her hand.
“The door will not stay open without someone to hold it open.” Scraggle calls out from the other side.
“We’re not leaving him!” Lauren barks.
“Of course not. I still need him,” Scraggle says. “We will find another way. I promise.”
“Joe, come on.” Lauren tries to convince him. He quickly drops to the floor and tries again but it’s no use.
“Joe!” Marvin’s yell is cut off by the door sealing.
Joe steps back and looks around the room. “Now I want a shovel,” he says to himself.
A hissing sound grabs his attention. He spins around to see an odd human image on the wall. The image is warped and wavy. Random colored squares pop up all over it. It’s clear that someone is there but it’s impossible to see what the person looks like.
“I can give you something so much more than a shovel, Dreamer.” The voice from the image is also distorted, but the words are just understandable.
“Who are you?” Joe asks.
“We’ve all been watching you. Those of us above. I didn’t think Marion could succeed in the DREAM machines. But here you are. Though you remain incomplete.”
“What does that mean?”
“You are of great interest and so it will be a fantastic experiment to see how you develop.”
“Develop?”
“You should know that you have a few fans up here. However there are those that are afraid of you. Afraid of what you can do.”
“I just open doors. Why would anyone be afraid of that?”
Laughter comes from the image. “You will learn. You must rejoin your friends.”
“I can’t get the door to open all the way.”
“Remove your uniform jacket and place a full hand anywhere on the black wall.”
Joe looks suspiciously at the image.
“You can trust me,” the distorted voice tells him.
Joe removes the jacket and drops it to the floor. He puts his hand on the wall and two silver spheres appear at the top and bottom of the wall to his left. A blue electrical bolt arcs from the top sphere to the bottom one. The two spheres roll towards Joe.
“Do not move,” the mystery person on the wall tells him.
The spheres get closer to Joe. He can feel the static in the air. “What are you doing?”
“Call it a jump start,” the voice says.
Joe is hit with the electrical arc. The bolt causes him to stiffen and shake before the spheres disappear back into the wall. Once they vanish, his body stops shaking.
“There. Now let’s take another look at your vascular system.”
Joe moves slowly to the other side of the black wall. “I’m tired of getting electrocuted.” He puts three fingers on the wall and his vascular image appears, showing more green lights traveling throughout his veins.
“Now you are ready to learn the rest,” are the last words spoken as Joe watches the distorted image disappear, returning the wall to black.
Joe moves back to the door and puts his hand on the lock. It blinks white then changes to the steady green. The thud sounds off as the door opens. It makes its way up halfway before stopping, bringing about the loud clicking sound.
Joe looks back at the black wall where the image just was before releasing his hand and letting the door slowly close. He ducks down as he walks under the door and into a hallway. The door falls to the floor behind him with a thud.
Chapter Nineteen
Hanging on the walls of the hallway are images and documents of various kinds. Two separate rows of three light tracks are affixed to either side of the ceiling. They are aimed at the walls to shine on the various images and pages hanging on display.
Joe slowly walks through the hallway, taking notice of the displays. One particular image stands out. It is a framed photo of two men in hard hats standing in the empty space of a field of grass. They each have one hand on the wood handle of a shovel and one foot on the spade. They are smiling. Except for the dark hair, one of the men looks like Scraggle. Under the photo are the words, [Breaking Ground].
Joe continues in the hallway. There are small gold statues with plaques on them. Some read [Most Decorated], others have the words [Most Honored] etched onto them.
He looks on the other side of the hallway and two large images grab his attention. On one of them, it reads [The Column].
Scraggle mentioned this.
Looking closer at it, Joe recognizes the Mines. The image of the Ladder could not be more clear. Moving his eyes upward along the Ladder reveals the next level.
“We must be here now…’R and D’”
The illustration shows two levels to the R&D section with a staircase leading from one to the other. And a second stair case goes up to the third area called [Executive Level].
“Ex…ecu…tyve? Tiv? Executive? The Column has four levels?”
Stepping back, Joe takes a look at the second image. It’s far more detailed and very confusing. It looks like it is an in-depth illustration of the Column. Joe instantly recognizes the Junction and the tunnels that branch off through the Mines. The rest of the illustration is confusing and the words and numbers don’t make any sense to him.
As he moves farther into the hallway, a particular image catches his eye. A man stands with his arms behind his back. He wears a uniform similar to the ones they all changed into. Behind him stands a row of Wardens.
Joe looks at the photo a little closer. “Boss—x”
“Joe!” Lauren runs around the corner. “You made it.”
“Yeah. We have a long way to go. There’s one more level above us and—”
“I know. Scraggle told us. You have to see this.” Lauren rushes back out of Joe’s sight.
Joe takes one more look at the photo before runn
ing after her.
Rounding the corner, Joe stops when he sees the rest of the group standing in the opening to a large room. In the middle of the room is a round, metal enclosure and above it, large metal gears move an arm up and down. The same sound from the vertical tunnel ruminates through the room.
“What is that?” Joe walks up behind the group.
“Joe!” Marvin calls out gleefully. He puts his arms around him.
“That, my boy, is the heart of the Mines. It does everything from defense to extraction,” Scraggle explains.
“What is extraction?” Dina asks.
“That’s what takes away the stones and minerals, isn’t it?” Lauren stares at the moving arm.
“Very intuitive,” Scraggle tells her.
“What is that?” Lance walks to a steel table and picks up a copper colored rod. At the top of it is a silver sphere identical to the ones that shocked Joe.
“Everything in here is a danger of some sort. We mustn’t play in here. We must keep moving,” Scraggle tries to tell them but his words fall on deaf ears.
The kids run into the room, each stopping at various tables to inspect the items lying on them. Katya and Dina find a steel bowl with a silver liquid inside it.
“Touch it,” Dina tells Katya.
“I’ve never seen silver water before. I’m not touching it.”
“A smart decision.” Scraggle walks to the table. “That is mercury. Highly poisonous. But very fascinating.“ HE picks up a glove from the table and puts it on. “It is actually a type of metal.” He dips his gloved hand in the bowl and brings it out with a small bit of the liquid in his palm. “Unlike water and other liquids, it does not separate as easily.”
The girls look at it, fascinated.
“What’s this?” Lauren picks up a rifle.
“Put that down!” Straggle yells at her.
The outburst startles her and she pulls the trigger. A loud bang echoes through the room as the rifle fires off a bullet. The bullet flies through the hallway, narrowly missing Joe.
“Sorry,” Lauren says as she quickly lays the rifle back down.
Ascent: (Book 1) The Ladder Page 10
