Rival of Atlantis

VI

CHARLIE FELT THAT IT IS as if something unseen is choking the breath out of him as the soles of their shoes made crunching sounds in every step on the gravel that was spread along the way. Ron is giving him a tour in the labyrinth of tunnels and each step he makes, he is getting more puzzled on why his friend would need the expertise of an aviation engineer in a mining labyrinth. If he had not known him, he might have suspected that Ron is leading him to his grave.

Caving, entering tunnels and going into tight spaces is never for Charlie. That is why he will never be a mineralogical engineer like his friend Ron. He fears darkness, poorly lit places and tight spaces. There is something in those places that takes the man, if there is any, out of him. Plus, tunnels and caves have tendencies to collapse and barely imagining being trapped inside some dark place is enough to kill him.

The tunnel is never as scary as the imagination of Charlie. Ore cars and rails have been removed by the previous owner when the government has ordered its closure, making it bare aside from the wall and ceiling supports that are made of lumber at least a foot thick and are strategically placed in the tunnel system. The walls look as intact as concrete. Bright white LED bulbs were installed at some of the supporters to defeat the darkness. There is not an inch in the tunnel were the tentacles of light cannot reach even though it is not as bright as a daylight should be. But still, Charlie fears something unknown is lingering in the depths of the tunnel. He still cannot believe his feet were taking their steps inside a mining tunnel.

After being ushered in a room which he found as accommodating as any five-star rated hotel suite, he was invited by Ron to a dinner. The accommodations really surprised him. He was ferried towards the middle of nowhere using a pickup that was long overdue for the junkyard. He climbed a flight of stairs of welded metals and crossed gangways of bridges. In all of those, he never thought he will be ushered in a room so regal he thought he was back in the urban. The white mattress seems to glow in neatness and the white blanket is soft as the two pillows at the head of the queen size bed. The walls were paneled with wood that he guessed to be timber. The coffee table in the room is made out of rosewood and there are two stools beside it that is made of the same wood. The sky blue curtains and indoor plants gave relaxation to his eyes. Later he learned by a little chat at the occupants of the next room that his suite was reserved for some top brasses in the company that his friend is working for. Being confined in that room made him thought he was not amid some Costa Rican mountain ranges.

The dining area made his jaw drop too. It was arranged like every famed restaurants along with the curtains and tablecloths. The dishes that were served made him forget about being brought into some mining facility.

The facility's chef, who he was surprised that they have one, served them callaloo soup with crab meat. Island baby green salad was served next before the grilled mahi mahi, curried mutton and marinated chicken breast. Roasted suckling pig was served too and they skipped the dessert while they opted for a local Mexican tequila.

Over the dinner and drinks, Ron never said anything on how he may be of service but he kept on filling him that they hired a chef for top executives and a skeletal crew which does a little digging to survey potential mines. There were also engineers that were on the payroll that will help lay out conveyor machines, carts with rails and reinforcement of the tunnel system. He also filled him up that the skeletal crew has done minor diggings to collect sample ores. All of the information has been deemed useless with regards to Ron’s invitation and here he is, wandering in the tunnel system in the late of the night, clueless on how he may serve his friend. Unless Ron wanted to build an aircraft or a rocket for mining, he does not have a single clue on how mining and aviation are related.

"There are only two entrances," Ron said as he led him in the tunnel while he eyed the bulbs as if getting some strength from them to go on. "The other one has this chambers that gets filled with water. Its entrance is lower than the way we came in and is located three kilometers to the north. Water pumps are being put to use to suck the water out. But since we are not yet operational, I ordered the water pumps at the other entrance be put off two days ago."

Charlie recalled on how he came to be here, wandering at some mining tunnel. Earlier, they climbed flight of stairs made of basalt rocks. He remembered the steps of the stairway counting over a hundred. That would put the entrance some fifty or so meters higher than the flat ground of the mining compound. As Ron said something about north, that he half-guessed that is due his left, he laid his eyes on the tunnel walls which was supported by lumbers and it is as if his eyes can penetrate the ground and see the other entrance in a distance.

"The other entrance gets water and this does not?" Charlie asked acting as if he is interested in mining tunnels.

"This gets flooded too, but slower rate. There are water pumps in service here also." Ron pointed down a side of the tunnel at some white hoses as huge as a can of regular sardines. Chralie’s eyes crawled on them and followed them up ahead until he cannot see them in darkness anymore even with the help of the light bulbs. Charlie counted eight of them. "See those? They suck water out. During rainy days, the water pumps work nonstop."

Charlie wanted to ask about the water pumps if they are inside the tunnel or out and how do they deal about the exhaust fumes when Ron spoke. "The main water pumps are located outside, just near the building where we are all housed. Backup pumps are inside the tunnel and are switched on when there are needs to suck greater volume of water out. The exhaust fumes are blown outside by those tubes," Ron pointed to a cluster of tubes bolted at the ceiling. "As I said, this is not yet a fully operational mine. We are just sampling the ores, planning which tunnel goes to where and how deep. We may come up of plans on how to deal with the water when the facility fully operates. As of now, this is all we do."

"Forgive me, Ron," Charlie cannot contain his disappointment anymore. "You said over the phone that you needed my expertise on something and you made me travel all the way here, well all expenses paid of course. But what was it really you want with me in a mining facility?"

"I want to build rockets that transport cars in and out of the tunnel," Ron said flatly as he stopped walking and faced him. There was a dead seriousness mood printed over his face. "A train of carts powered by rockets to haul the ores out."

Charlie stopped walking and he momentarily froze. The last company wanted a light-speed rocket using barely a drop of fuel and that was almost an unreasonable demand. Now here he is, with a friend who wanted to build an impossible feat. His mind was instantly sent back to his notes stored photographically in his mind. He was looking for the possibility before giving his friend a flat no, pack his things and leave the facility.

"But I am kidding," Ron said with a jolly smile over his face then burst into a laughter that echoed in the tunnel. "You must have seen your face!" He wrapped a muscular arm around his neck and half-dragged him in the tunnel.

Charlie cannot help but burst into laughter himself. "For a second there, I was considering the possibility."

"You are here for something that might improve your aviation design," Ron said. "My bosses told me we can be a mining company that provides the metals and the finances while also venturing in the production of aviation equipment. He already got major project financiers and potential market. All which I will explain after giving you a tour in the greatest archaeological find that is only meant for the eyes of the few."

What is it?" Charlie cannot contain the excitement. There is really a catch on why would Ron want him to travel all the way down to Costa Rica.

"Eight months ago," Charlie said with excitement lingering around the corner of his voice. "I ordered the survey team to cut at least ten meters sideways of the original tunnel system. Their task is to find sample ores. After digging for ten meters, they hit a solid wall of granite. Intending to measure how thick it is and find if we can make money out of the rock deposit, they run tests on the wall. They found that it is so thick and in fact hallow. A dome-shaped space was behind the wall of granite about thirty meters thick. More sophisticated instruments were put to use, which we doubt the previous company can avail by the way. The readings revealed that it has its own tight caves and something metal, combinations of metal, is inside the chamber. I ordered diggings to find these caves, have them detonated with explosives until it is wide enough for a man to pass."

"So you made it inside?" Charlie felt excited on what they found. That something is connected to aviation in any way, he can fathom it. Ron never gave the answer too quickly and he felt that the tunnel is descending. He looked back and found that the tunnel have been on depression since at least two hundred feet away. The soil is becoming wet, a sign that they are approaching a wet section of the tunnel.

"We did," Ron said ready for another explanation when a man in blue coveralls approached them from the other direction of the tunnel.

"Good evening, sir," the man greeted Ron in English with a faint trace of Texan accent.

"The team up there?" Ron asked.

"Yep. I have been waiting for you. I thought our visitor would need some assistance going up."

"Up?" Charlie asked Ron confused.

"Down the cool waters," Ron said with a smile. "Then up the chamber."

As if on cue, the lights flickered before going out. In an instant, the tunnel was thrown into total darkness. It is so dark that Charlie cannot see the faint outlines of the two men before him.

"Give it time," Ron said with pride. "My boys will see that the electricity has gone out and the generator will be switched on anytime."

Ten minutes had passed since the light went out and it felt ten years for Charlie. The lights were still unlit. It seems the generators that Ron is boasting about have hard time starting. Ron may have believed he instantly went blind and might have convinced himself he will spend the rest of his life without the sense of vision when a light from a torchlight came from the lower part of the tunnel.

The white light is painful to the eyes of Charlie but is a welcome sight. The light is coming up from the lower part of the tunnel. It is then that he realized that the man in blue coveralls was gone. He must have left to retrieve the torchlight somewhere down the tunnel.

"It seems your generator are having  hard times starting." Charlie said teasingly to Ron.

"That never happens," Ron said while looking at the way they had come in as if he can see the generator through the thickness of earth. "Unless..."

The word unless seem to have lit a fire inside Charlie's heart and is incinerating him inside out. He saw worry painted over his friend's face when he remembered Ron's earlier joke about the rocketed train. He was hoping this is another joke. "Unless what?"

"I left my bag hanging down the entrance," the man in blue coveralls said. He reached them before Ron begun his answer. “I retrieved it together with this flashlight." He showed them a cylinder made of metal long enough to be a baton. Charlie took note of the straps that are sure hanging on his shoulders.

Ron acknowledged the man in blue coveralls with a nod then looked at Charlie straight at his eyes. "Unless-"

A tremor shook their world and a rumble followed that sounded like thousands of rocks are piling over each other. The thunderous sound came from some distance but echoed and reverberated on the walls of the tunnel. Charlie almost jerked as all of them looked at the way they came in. As fast as the rumble materialized, it was instantly gone.

"What was that?" Charlie asked with tense in his voice.

"Get the team!" Ron barked at the man in coveralls.

"What was that, Ron?" Charlie asked with anger at the corner of his voice.

"Everything is alright," Ron half-whispered. "It's alright." The way he told it to himself, it seems that he himself does not believe the words.

As the man in coveralls left with the torchlight, the world was thrown into darkness for the second time in the night. This time, there is a feeling like Charlie is drowning in a sea of darkness.