Rival of Atlantis

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CHARLIE FELT DROWNING IN A sea of nothingness. Whenever his drowsy eyes flung open, nothing but darkness that is closing in welcomed him. The labored breathing that felt like some weight is on his chest made his head light, but at least it reminded him he is still alive. The unseen killer, which is in the form of smoke, is yet to crawl unto them.

Since the tunnel collapsed behind them, lots had already happened. At the command of Ron, the man in coveralls gathered the team that is composed of six other men and a woman. From being submerged in the water, they made their way back to where the tunnel caved in with the help of a single torchlight. They tried to remove the rocks out of the way, but after a tiring couple of hours of work, they concluded that at least a hundred meters of dirt and rocks separates them from the outside world.

The team then started to panic. There occurred shouting as blames were thrown to each other. After some time, when they all calmed down, they started to brainstorm. They concluded that the electric lines must have been cut when the tunnel collapsed and the water is mysteriously rising, endangering them of extermination either via drowning or hypothermia. The team then decided to go in this chamber with a sub-tunnel cut from the main where the backup water pumps are kept. Charlie was tugged all along wherever the team went and he found out that they entered a chamber above the water.

Inside the chamber, they found that there is an abundant stock of fuel that will keep the water pump engines run at least a couple of weeks nonstop. So engines were operated in hopes of emptying the tunnels with water. As the engine started operating, the team decided to rest in that chamber where the revs of two-stroke engines made nothing audible. Their hope is that rescuers will first go where they can hear noise. Despite of the noise, all of them fell asleep.

After some five hours, Ron roused all of them from asleep just as when the single torchlight is beginning to turn into a dim light. Charlie opened his eyes and the world before him was darker than before. The torchlight is finally getting exhausted and that worried him. The last thing he wanted is being trapped in some dark place. He can handle the water, the insects and even a number of snakes lost in the expanse of the tunnel, but never darkness.

Ron is pointing something at the entrance of the tunnel. At first, Charlie, still dizzy from sleep, was not able to discern what it. But then, he saw it and he understood the grave situation they are into.

In an effort to control the rising water, they switched on the backup pumps that expel the exhaust fumes via hoses which may have been damaged when the tunnel caved in. Instead of being blown out the tunnel, the smoke is gathering inside and is fast filling every tunnel ways and chambers.

Ron gave a command to go down the water in a chamber that he said is higher than the rest. Passing other tunnel entrances cut along the way, they made an ascent in a steep way from the water level. They continued their ascent until finally settling down on another chamber.

The plan is good as it is, Charlie knew. The water pumps will keep the water from rising while moving to a higher place means more time for the rescuers to move. They may find them before the water or the smoke gets them.

After some time, Charlie finally confronted his friend and asked the reason why he was brought down the tunnel. He remembered saying that if he is fated to die in the depths of a tunnel, at least knowing the reason why he was called here will give a little relief. Ron ordered the team to follow him.

Using the torchlight that is almost due for exhaustion, they came back down the water. After passing some other entrances to somewhere, Ron led the way to one of the entrances half-submerged in the water. There they made their way up a natural cave that has evidences on it that it was widened by explosives and jackhammers.

After some length of an ascent, they ended up in a vast dome-shaped chamber. Ron gestured an open palm to a grey thing sitting amid the chamber. What he saw made his eyes bulged out of their sockets and his jaw dropped wide open. The word "impossible" has been breached on what was shown to him.

After Charlie examined the object for some time, Ron ordered them to get back to the highest chamber. This time, when they plunged back in the water, a thin layer of white smoke is over its surface. They hurriedly went back to the chamber and all of them fell asleep one after the other.

Now, as Charlie opened his eyes, the world is a dimmer place. He watched the surrounding walls of the tunnel for some time until the torchlight was depleted of energy. Now, the world around is a dark place.

He felt lost in the sea of nothingness. There is really nothing but void pitch darkness that added weight to the desolation of the tunnel. He felt he have been staring into nothingness for a year as the darkness drained the little strength left in him. Something in the dark world is killing him slowly with cold stabs of nothing. The world is a lonely place and the only consolation is knowing that he was with nine other souls in the mercy of the tunnel.

He remained awake for too long, his eyes stabbing the darkness but unable to see nothing. Each passing moment, he felt like his heart is pounding out of his ribcage. For a moment, he felt like he was drifting in the dark sea but the scent of wet ground with a mix of little urine, perhaps from rats, is lingering in the air.

He was staring but unable to see nothing for too long when his nose traced a different scent lingering in the air. For a moment, he felt blood thundered in his head as alarms went wailing inside his skull. It is commonly cold being trapped inside some damp tunnel, but it felt some degree colder as he was so sure that the tentacles of death are slowly crawling up the chamber entrance.

"Smoke," he tried to croak but the voice came trapped in his tangled vocal chords. He never produced much of a croak. "The smoke," he tried again and this time, words flowed out of his mouth freely. "It is entering the chamber."

"What?" The only female spoke in a distance.

Charlie felt he has companions for the first time since the light went out. He almost forgot he was trapped in here along with the others. "The smoke is entering the chamber."

"What do we do?" A male's voice with traces of panic.

In a matter of seconds, the chamber was thrown into panic. There were sobs, rising voices and shouts. If ever there was an abundant source of light, all of them may have been in frenzied attempts to preserve their dear life. But in a dark tunnel with death in the form of smoke is enclosing them, there is nothing left to do but wait out the inevitable.

"No need to worry," Ron's voice came with all the assurance of a trained leader. His voice made all the commotion die out. "Rescuers are sure to get in here."

But how? Charlie was weighing the chances of the declaration. Whoever intends to rescue them must at least clear the debris where the tunnel caved in and he thought that it is only possible with the use of a tactical missile. Ron also explained earlier that the other entrance of the tunnel was flooded. Divers may be employed for rescue attempts but if there are some, they are already failing to reach them in time.

His mind is running wild as the trace of smoke intensified each passing moment. There are wild thoughts running in his mind now like clawing in the dark and make a way through the mountain. He is also beginning to imagine some fighter plane locking homing missiles at the mountain in an attempt to bore a hole through it. At this point, his mind is starting to veer away from sanity and is drifting to the fringe lunatic.

Moments went by that his mind wandered from fighter planes boring through the mountains with an arsenal of missiles to giant drilling machines the size of the moon. He was on a different world that he did not notice that every breath is fast becoming a labor. He then realized that he is breathing air that is now packed with poisonous air particles. A little over an hour and he might hear gasping and labored breaths around him, a sign that his companions are already in torment. Their breathing will eventually come slower each passing moment until such time he can hear nothing no more. He can only imagine his companions falling one after the other.

The threatening odor of the smoke played things in his mind from seeing the Grim Reaper himself to some bright white light. He knew he is imagining things with the all the sounds of it that felt surreal but he chose to be carried in the world of imaginations rather than die in a torturous way. There is this white light shining brightly before his eyes and there is something about it that makes his soul light. He saw dark figures, that he is sure that is some angels of death, taking his companions away. Any moment, he is expecting an angel or whatever afterlife creature extends a hand towards him and carry him in some paradise for an eternal life.

He focused his sight to the outlines of figures in black behind the light and that was the last thing he remembered before he felt he was lifted from the ground by a pair of hands. Before he passed away, he was thinking that perhaps angels wear something black.

                                                                                               -ROA-  

THE RESCUE ATTEMPT WAS NEVER easy. It involved half a kilometer of swim in frigid murky waters with nothing around but walls and floors of the tunnel system. The rescue attempt was dubbed by the mining facility staff as nothing more but just a mere attempt. They never believed that the two rescuers will save the would-be victims in time. The rescuers being females also brought down their hopes that it would be successful.

Even in doubt, what they call attempt still means the word itself. Better to hold on attempt than nothing at all. They also cooperated as Summer asked the staff to carry a tubular thing to the other entrance.

The thing, that must have weighed over 300 kilograms, is elongated and looks like a torpedo or an oxygen tank. It also has fins at the back end while the nose is shaped like the forward tip of rifle ammunition. It also got something that looks like a motorcycle handlebar, complete with throttle and the break levers, at the forward end and can be maneuvered in arcs to left or right wherein a pair of small rudders at the back end took the direction where the handlebar is steered unto. The forward tip has circular lights encased in airtight glasses that look more like a pair of eyes than lights.

As Summer directed them to settle it down near the tunnel entrance, she enjoyed the look of puzzlement in their eyes. She needed no further signs that one of them is too tempted to ask what it was. The tubular thing looks like a water vehicle of some kind, perhaps a long distant relative of jet skis, but they are in the dark on how it is going to be used. Most of all, the biggest question perhaps is how can it be used to rescue the trapped miners.

Eyes followed Summer as she counted what seem to be welded handles around its tubular body; there were twenty arranged in no definite pattern. Then all eyes were turned in further puzzlement as Gil came along with other men who are carrying pieces of an assembly boom. With Gillian's supervision, the boom was assembled together with two welded A-frames. Chain block was wrapped and locked in the boom and was used to hoist the butt end of the mysterious alien vehicle that was later lowered to the water with is forward tip dipped in the water like a torpedo poised for a dive.

Gillian and Summer then threw their garments on the ground with the exception of two-piece bathing suit both the color of black. All eyes were on the contour curves of their body that was later wrapped in propane dry suit and they put on twin dive tanks joined by a coupling that runs towards a T-connector where two hoses, ending in a full face masks, is connected. Each face mask has its own valve at the T-connector which turns the air on or off. What is noticeable is that one of the hoses of the full face masks is longer than the other. The extra face mask was then clipped on an extra strap on their waist.

They were also watched as they added other diving accessories like buoyancy compensators, diving torch lights and water-proof radio transceivers with handsfree mouthpiece and earplugs. They also strapped a waterproof GPS device on their arms wherein the computerized blueprint of the labyrinth of the tunnel system was programmed. And for the final touches are the sheathed diving knives that were fastened unto the lower limb of their choice and some airtight leg bag that looks like bulging with contents.

Summer rode unto the hanging torpedo-shaped vehicle as she took a firm gripped on the handles as if riding a motorbike. She produced a key that looks like a grooved grenade pin and pulled open a concealed compartment before the handle. She plugged it in the circular keyhole and turned it and then the mysterious vehicle shuddered as the unseen engine in its body came to life. The screws at the butt end were put in motion but bit unto nothing but the damp forest air.

By Giliian's order, the vehicle was lowered unto the water as Summer donned one of the full face masks before her face. Gillian then dove into the water after putting on her face mask, the one with shorter air hose. A little of hand gestures and the mysterious vehicle was lowered in the water and Gillian set it free from the chain block's grasp.

The US Navy troopers set up a tent near the tunnel entrance. In the tent, they have included a folding table with a radio base connected to a coaxial cable and an antenna that was later dipped in the waters. The purpose of the tent is to monitor Gillian and Summer via open communication.

Ensign Thomas pressed on the hand-press of the radio and tested it against the radio of the two girls. After testing all the radio equipments, Gillian gave the hull of the vehicle three loud pounds with her gloved hands and held on one of the handles. Summer pressed on a button from the right grips and the long tubular thing lowered in the water until they lost sight of them under the murky waters.

Beneath the water, Summer flicked the headlights on and was shooting ahead a white light that did nothing to brightent up their way, unable to penetrate the murky water. Using the GPS on their wrist, they navigated the flooded part of the mining tunnel in silence, Summer adjusting the handle bar on the curves and slowing down the vehicle before the pointed nose scrapes the walls. The whole ride was like really done using a motorcycle. After about 15 minutes, they surfaced on the other end of the flood.

They turned the vehicle around so that it is pointed towards the entrance. Then the diving fins were dumped and flashlights were flicked on then they navigated in silence. They heard and felt the water pumps' engines reverberating on the walls and a without a word, Gillian took the lead as they went to check if the trapped victims are in there. They strode to a curtain of toxic white smoke, went above the water line and reached their first destination just not to find any of the trapped victims.

From there, Gillian consulted the GPS device and led the way back in the waters and up the highest chamber where she bet the survivors will go to escape the smoke and rising water. There they found the trapped victims just in time a small stream of smoke is entering their location.

"Tangos located," Gillian cheerfully announced on the radio.

"Good to hear," Ensign Thomas gladly said. "People out here are turning purple holding their breaths when you played radio silence."

"We like to keep our heads clear by talking rarely. Sorry."

"Count of tangos and status, Miss Brown?"

"10 tangos; 1 woman and 9 men. All conscious," Gillian said as Summer removed the other  face mask from her waist. She was gesturing for her first chosen rescue victim to wear the face mask the way she does.

Gillian walked hurriedly towards Summer and turned the valve on the T-elbow tube that made oxygen flow towards the extra hose. She then tapped Summer by her shoulder and turned her back on her. Summer also turned the valve on and Gillian's extra face mask is now releasing oxygen.

Summer was guiding the victim, a male, to a standing position with the use of hand gestures when Gillian removed her extra full face mask from her waist and donned it on the woman victim who happened to be closest to her. She helped the woman in a standing position. Later, they guided the first two victims out of the tunnel as if two girl scouts assisting an elderly cross the road.

The whole evacuation of the first pair towards the submersible vehicle took 5 minutes. Upon reaching the vehicle, they opened their leg bags and brought out two breathing regulators connected on a hose. Summer opened a compartment with protruding tubular terminals below small valves.  She connected the regulators at the protruding tubes and later twisted two valves and motioned for the victims to bite and breathe through it in exchange for the full face mask. The victims willingly cooperated even they are almost saddened in parting with the full face mask.

"First pair," Summer announced through the radio waves. "Safe and secured."

The two rescuers then went back to the chamber and the entire procedure was repeated three more times. Ron was among the rescued victims that were fetched on the second attempt. On their return for the last pair, the smoke has completely invaded the chamber and they just arrived in time before Charlie blacked out. Luckily, the other victim seemed to have stronger vitality than Charlie and he stayed awake amid the stream of toxic smoke.

With hand gestures, the two agreed that Gillian will take care of Charlie. She put on the face mask on him and hoisted his body on a fireman's carry. 

The two carried and led their victims out to the main tunnel which was invaded by the thick white smoke. This part is the only time-consuming part of their rescue. With Gillian burdened by a body, the exit took agonizing slowness.

It took them 15 minutes to secure their last pair of victims. The conscious victim was given a regulator attached to the vehicle. Charlie was tied by straps to one of the handles built along the hull of the vehicle. There were wide straps of high-tension belts on both of his shoulders and another one on his waist, all connected to one of the handles.

With hand gestures, they assigned each of the conscious ones a handle to hold unto. Gillian moved in a position to support Charlie's head and body from being injured. Summer switched on the vehicle and it carried them down and in the water, the vehicle tugging all twelve lives clinging on and around it.

"All tangos safe and secured," Gillian reported. "Heading back."