Sink: Old Man's Tale

by Perrin Briar

  “Fat lot of good it did him,” Graham said. “There’s no way out of here.”

  “Oh, but there is,” Digger 138 said. “We already found a tunnel to the surface. My great great great great great grandfather found it one day while digging. But we can’t use it for fear the guards will notice those missing and question where we went. We keep the tunnel open for when we do emerge onto the surface. After we overthrow Leader and take charge of our own destiny. We just want somewhere safe to live out our days like anyone else. Leader is the one who wants revenge. Not us.”

  “Where does the tunnel open onto?” Graham said.

  “We don’t know,” Digger 138 said. “We daren’t look. Any evidence that one of us has been to the surface could spell disaster.”

  “Why are you telling me this if I can’t use it?” Graham said.

  “Because maybe you can,” Digger 138 said. “A few years ago we came across a pair of Surfacer bodies, buried deep. If you make your escape, we can pretend these bodies are you and your friend. We’ll stay down here until we overthrow Leader and emerge as free men and no danger to the Surfacers.”

  “Can you give me a map or directions to this exit?” Graham said.

  “No,” Digger 138 said. “We did that before, and it was only the man’s sweat that saved us. His sweat smudged the map we drew on his palm. The guards thought it was just oil. We were lucky. We might not get so lucky next time. If they find the map and follow it to the exit…”

  He shook his head.

  “But you must leave,” he said. “Right now. Which of the two of you has the greatest knowledge of mechanics?”

  It took Graham just a moment to compose his response.

  “I do,” he said. “The old man is just dead weight. I’m the engineer. We should leave him here.”

  “Are you sure?” Digger 138 said. “He’ll be trapped down here until we can emerge up on the surface.”

  “He would want it this way,” Graham said.

  He was surprised he managed to keep his voice and gaze level. He would escape and tell someone about his adventure, for sure. Whether they decided to take action or not was entirely out of his control.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jeremiah’s knees were sore from bending down, and his back ached. The doors at the end of the hall opened and Leader came in. His cape flapped around him like a full set of billowing sails. He peered at the remaining pieces on the floor. If he was concerned he didn’t show it.

  “How’s it going?” Leader said.

  “It’s going fine,” Jeremiah said. “It shouldn’t take any more than a few hours now.”

  “Excellent,” Leader said. “Where’s your friend?”

  “He went to join in the festivities,” Jeremiah said.

  “You’re not interested?” Leader said.

  “I’d prefer to get the job done and go home,” Jeremiah said.

  “A man after my own heart,” Leader said. “It is better to have a goal and strive for it than to let yourself wallow in mediocrity, don’t you find?”

  “Sure…” Jeremiah said. “Or something like that.”

  “What’ll you do when you get home?” Leader said. “Do you have a family?”

  “I used to,” Jeremiah said. “Now it’s just me.”

  “The greatest men always do things themselves,” Leader said. “They might work with others, might listen to their counsel, but it is that one person’s vision that counts.”

  “You’ll be giving up a lot,” Jeremiah said. “In letting your people go up onto the surface. You’ll no longer be their leader.”

  “I will always be their leader,” Leader said. “But it is our destiny to rise. I must thank you for making all this possible. Without you, it would likely take us hundreds more years.”

  “I’m glad I could do my part,” Jeremiah said. “If you don’t mind, I should get back to work.”

  “Of course,” Leader said, floating back to the door.

  Jeremiah felt a shiver run through him. Why did he feel like he and Leader had been talking at cross purposes?

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The party was still in full swing when Graham and Digger 138 headed into a tunnel on the western side. Everyone was having too much fun to notice. They turned a corner in the tunnel and the music of the party faded. They made left and right turns, so many Graham couldn’t keep track. The little man knew the tunnels like the back of his hand which, coming to think of it, wasn’t so difficult considering how small they were.

  “Do you have a family on the surface?” Digger 138 said.

  “No,” Graham said. “I have parents and cousins, but I’m not married with kids.”

  “Still, it must be good to be heading back,” Digger 138 said.

  The initial excitement Graham felt had given way to a nagging pinching sensation in his stomach. He ignored it, but the farther into the tunnel he went, the sharper the sting in his belly.

  “I hope to live on the surface one day,” Digger 138 said. “But for all my dreams, I have little idea what the surface even looks like. Can you describe it to me?”

  “That’s a hard thing to do,” Graham said. “I’m not a poet, so words fail me.”

  “Is it like magic?” Digger 138 said. “I imagine it’s like magic. To see a big ball of light in the sky every day without having to turn it on.”

  “You mean the sun?” Graham said. “You never really think about it. It’s always there.”

  “What about the stars?” Digger 138 said. “My father used to say the sky at night is bright because of all the candles in the sky, like the town during a celebration.”

  “It’s not quite like that,” Graham said. “The stars are far away and the light they emit is tiny.”

  “Oh,” Digger 138 said, disappointed.

  “But the moon is bright,” Graham said.

  “The moon?” Digger 138 said.

  “It’s a big ball in the sky, a silver-white color,” Graham said. “Sometimes it’s red.”

  “Wow,” Digger 138 said. “I’d love to see that one day.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Graham said. “Can we take a break for a minute? I need a rest.”

  It was a lie, of course. He could have kept going for days if he knew he was going to be able to get out of there. But he needed to organize his thoughts. They were beginning to bother him. They took a seat on a pair of large rounded stones. Digger 138 took some food out of his bag and offered it to Graham, who waved it away.

  “I’ll miss here too, of course,” Digger 138 said. “The silence, mostly. The calm.”

  “Why does it have to be one or the other?” Graham said. “You could travel between the two. The surface and underground.”

  “I suppose,” Digger 138 said. “But that would mean living near an entrance to a tunnel. And what happens if I get trapped underground again? It’s not worth the risk.”

  “Why are you helping me?” Graham said. “You didn’t have to. You don’t know the people on the surface. You could just leave us all to it.”

  “Because we are all of us brothers and sisters,” Digger 138 said. “If we don’t look out for each other, who will?”

  Graham nodded. He leaned forward and let out a sigh. Now he knew what the twisting pain in his stomach was. It was guilt. The sense he was letting Jeremiah down. Why he should think like that, when the old fart didn’t have a kind bone in his body, he wasn’t sure.

  For all he’d done in the past he’d never really thrown someone under the bus before, not intentionally and with his own hand. It’d always been indirect, or in a way so he could lie to himself about his innocence, that the situation had been unavoidable, like missing a deadline or ‘forgetting’ to make the necessary phone call. But now he was intentionally leaving an old man to his doom. It was on another level, and it was one he wasn’t altogether comfortable with.

  “Right,” Graham said. “And I wish you weren’t.”

  He got up and began walking back down th
e tunnel.

  “Where are you going?” Digger 138 said. “The exit’s this way.”

  “Yes, but my friend is this way,” Graham said.

  The twisting sensation remained in his stomach all the way back to town, only now it was of concern. For himself and what he was letting himself in for.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  A pair of guards stood outside the bathroom.

  “Do you think he’s all right in there?” Guard 668 said. “He’s been in there an awfully long time.”

  “Maybe Surfacers do it differently to us,” Guard 896 said.

  “How differently could they do it?” Guard 668 said.

  “I don’t know, do I?” Guard 896 said. “I do it the regular way.”

  They were silent a moment.

  “I sometimes stand on one leg when I go,” Guard 668 said.

  “What for?” Guard 896 said.

  “I don’t know,” Guard 668 said. “It just seems to flow a lot easier.”

  “Huh,” Guard 896 said. “I’ll have to try that one of these days.”

  “Do you reckon that’s how he’s doing it in there?” Guard 668 said.

  “How long does it usually take you when you stand on one leg?” Guard 896 said.

  “Not long,” Guard 668 said. “About the same as usual.”

  “That can’t be it then, can it?” Guard 896 said.

  “All this talk has made me need to go now,” Guard 668 said, squirming.

  The door opened.

  “At ease, gentlemen,” Graham said, walking down the corridor.

  “Are you going to ask him, or shall I?” Guard 896 said.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Jeremiah put the final few pieces together and slid them into the back of the digger. It was finished. He smiled to himself and dusted off his hands. A job well done.

  The doors opened and Graham entered.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve finished it?” Graham said.

  “Incredible what you can do when you don’t let yourself get distracted,” Jeremiah said.

  “Believe me, now isn’t the time to be boasting about efficiency,” Graham said.

  “So, you finally decided to come back,” Jeremiah said. “Just in time to hog the glory.”

  Graham blinked.

  “Sorry?” he said.

  “You should be,” Jeremiah said. “Leaving an old man like that. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “How did you know…” Graham shook his head. “I came back, didn’t I?”

  “Not before you had your fun,” Jeremiah said. “Well, if you think I’m going to share the glory, you can think again.”

  “What are you talking about?” Graham said.

  “What are you talking about?” Jeremiah said.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Graham said. “Jeremiah, there’s something I need to tell you…”

  “Ah! I see you’re done!” Leader said, entering the room. “She looks marvelous.”

  “What, this?” Graham said. “She’s not done, not by a long shot.”

  “Actually, she’s just about-” Jeremiah said.

  Graham wrapped his arm around Jeremiah’s shoulders.

  “Listen to him, getting your hopes up,” Graham said. “He’s a cheeky sod. If you’ll excuse us, we need to get back to work.”

  “Graham,” Jeremiah said. “What are you-?”

  “Jeremiah, can I have a private word for a moment?” Graham said.

  Leader, curious, cocked his head to one side.

  “I think I just found a problem with the machine,” Graham said. “It would be very embarrassing if we were to turn it on and it doesn’t work.”

  Leader nodded.

  “Take all the time you need,” he said.

  Graham took Jeremiah aside.

  “What problem?” Jeremiah said. “You don’t know the difference between a screw and a bolt.”

  “How close are you to finishing?” Graham said.

  “I’m done,” Jeremiah said. “I just need to press the power button and it’s a go.”

  “I wish you hadn’t said that,” Graham said.

  “What?” Jeremiah said. “Why?”

  “I don’t have time to explain now, but I need you to pretend like you need more time to finish it. Can you do that?”

  Jeremiah looked askance at Graham.

  “Please,” Graham said. “This is really important. I swear I’ll explain as soon as Leader’s gone.”

  “All right,” Jeremiah said.

  They turned and approached Leader, who was pressing and probing the machine.

  “You’ve done a wonderful job,” Leader said as Jeremiah approached.

  “Alas, not as wonderful as I’d hoped,” Jeremiah said.

  “What do you mean?” Leader said. “You’re finished.”

  “I thought I was,” Jeremiah said. “But young Graham here has pointed out something that I hadn’t noticed. I need a little more time to work on it.”

  “What’s the problem?” Leader said. “Is it anything my engineers can help you with?”

  “No,” Jeremiah said. “I just need a little more time, that’s all. Engineering isn’t just about nuts and bolts, it’s about gut feeling, and my gut isn’t feeling one hundred percent on this machine yet. A little more tinkering and it’ll be done.”

  “What do you need to tinker with?” Leader said.

  “Just, uh, a few bits and pieces,” Jeremiah said.

  Leader placed his hand on the machine, his thumb resting on the big red power button.

  “You know, we had another engineer down here once, working on this machine,” he said. “He told us what materials he needed, when he needed help. He was close to finishing and going home for good. But then he turned out to be a… disappointment. It turned out he’d been taking late night walks through town. He met some… unfavorable types, and they told him things that made him stop working on the digger.

  “The engineer tried to run, escape, and when we caught him he refused to build the last part of the machine. Despite not being able to go home, he refused. And no matter how hard we tried, we just couldn’t get the machine to work. We never did find out who told him these things, but we maintained a tighter grip on the townsfolk after that. Should the need to know where one of our star engineers was, we could follow them with ease.”

  “I wouldn’t turn it on,” Jeremiah said. “You risk breaking the whole machine and it’ll never get working again.”

  Leader pursed his lips.

  “I’ll take the risk,” he said.

  He pressed the power button. The engine chugged. The huge drill bits spun in circles.

  “You were saying?” Leader said.

  “Yes,” Graham said. “We were saying. We were saying that the digger might work fine right now but there’s no way of telling if it will work for very long. Isn’t that right, Jeremiah?”

  “Yes,” Jeremiah said. “That’s right.”

  “And how long would this digger last, do you think?” Leader said with a flat expression.

  “Anywhere from ten minutes to… one hour,” Jeremiah said.

  “We’d best test it out and see how it does, hadn’t we?” Leader said.

  Leader clapped his hands and the doors opened. A flood of guards and other little men in purple uniforms surrounded the digger. The guards seized Graham and Jeremiah.

  “What are you doing?” Jeremiah said. “I built this so we can all go home.”

  “You will go home the moment we return to the surface,” Leader said. “But we won’t be returning in quite the manner you expected.”

  The little men in purple uniforms began taking the machine apart.

  “What are you doing?” Graham said. “That’s our way back home! Stop!”

  “They are backward engineering it,” Leader said.

  “Backward engineering?” Jeremiah said. “What for?”

  “They’re not going to be able to build their own if they don’t know
how this one was put together now, can they?” Leader said.

  “Have I skipped a couple of chapters or something?” Jeremiah said. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  “My men will backward engineer your power converter and add it to our other diggers,” Leader said.

  Jeremiah turned pale.

  “What other diggers?” he said.

  “You didn’t think there was just one digger, did you?” Leader said, a grin spreading across his features.

  “You have more?” Graham said. “How many more?”

  “Oh, quite enough to do what we need,” Leader said.

  “What are you going to do?” Graham said.

  “Sometimes in order for some to rise, others must fall,” Leader said.

  “You’re insane,” Graham said. “The world won’t sit back and let you do this. They will attack you.”

  “They won’t be so quick to attack when they learn we have drills beneath their cities, ready to sink them all unless they meet our demands,” Leader said.

  “The world has moved on,” Jeremiah said. “It’s no longer the world you remember. You and your people will die.”

  “Perhaps,” Leader said. “But we will die fighting.”

  He turned to the guards.

  “Take them away,” he said.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The ground rushed up and high-fived Graham on the cheek with a meaty slap. He got to his feet with a spryness capable only from a man powered by adrenaline. Graham threw himself at the cell door. He waved his arms through the bars and grasped for the guards but they had already moved away.

  Jeremiah sat on the bottom bunk of one of two sets of bunkbeds. A pile of torn rags lay on the other. Dark shrouds were cast over the room by a single light in a sconce on the wall.

  “This is great,” Graham said. “This is just perfect. Now we’re in a prison in a hole in the ground!”