The Underdwelling

19

It took them a week to open the spider hole back up and three more days to clear out the stope leading to the cavern that Jurgens had told them about over the radio. It was hard going every step of the way, but as the nation held its breath and CNN and NBC camped out at the Hobart Mine and the families waited patiently, they made it to the cavern.

The only thing separating it from them was a wall of rock.

Sonar readings told them it was some five feet deep. They could go through it in a matter of hours.

“Get that drill down here,” Russo told them, looking about ten years older than he had when this whole business began. “I want a bore hole into that cavern.”

It took about an hour to punch a hole through the rock.

A dry, sucking blast of air blew out at them.

They tried calling out to the men through the pilot hole but got nothing. Thermal imaging cameras were brought in and everyone cheered when they picked up living signatures on the other side.

“Bring in that reamer,” Russo said. “Let’s open this mother up.”

As the crew got to work, Corey aimed a lightweight parabolic microphone into the pilot hole. He handed the headphones to Russo.

“Do you hear it?” Corey said.

“Yes,” Russo said. “Yes…”

Somebody was trying to communicate with them.

There was no mistaking the sound from inside the cavern: Click, click, click…