Mission Orion: The Travel through Time

Chapter 50

"Alright, the tunnel which leads directly to a spot just right outside the inner boundary wall, is this way." A tall, well built man, with a streak of silver hair said. pointing towards a door on the other end of the hallway we presently were in. He motioned us to follow him, which we did, and he led us to that door, whose hinges were quite rusted and mad as many dents on it as the number of craters on our moon. He turned the lock-wheels, the old fashioned ones, and opened the door. A gust of air blew over me, and it reeked of metal, for some reason I could not figure out. "In you go." Said the man, jabbing his thumb towards the tunnel. "Stay safe and all the best." He continued.

***

We had been walking since half an hour approximately. We got handed out new sets of watches just before we entered the tunnel. which were set according to the time schedule of the photrox. They were really simple, it just had a single strip of display, which displayed the time. NOthing more, nothing less. Holder had informed us that the journey would take us approximately two hours. The tunnel, in most places, wide enough and high enough to walk upright, but in some places we had to bend down to fit into it. Holder told me that the tunnel were usually low and narrow in places were there were Kenjah's remote bases. The tunnels went deep down below these bases so as to make sure that nobody even finds them by accident. The tunnels sloped downwards, upwards, made sudden turns and in some places even needed a ladder to climb. My legs were hurting. It had been long since I had undergone the military training and the long number of days I had spent in space had taken a toll on my stamina and my physical fitness. Reneesh was right behind me at all times, but he seemed to be in a better shape than I was. Within an hour, I was panting and luckily for me, we had reached a check point, which was smack in the middle of the resistance base and the exit of the tunnel. This one too, like the other resistance base we had been to, was similar in it's design and structure, but was being maintained by a skeletal number of people. The people here, unlike the ones on the other base were not heavily armed and were quite talkative and friendly once we were properly introduced. We were in this base for approximately twenty minutes during which we were served with refreshments. Let me tell you, if there is one thing these people are good at, it is food. Of course, if you do not take into account their various almost impossible level scientific advancements. 

Soon we were back in the tunnel and were heading towards the Kenjah's palace. I gave up trying to start a conversation with Reneesh. Everything I said was echoed a million times across the tunnel and it was plain irritating. Everyone eventually felt the fatigue kicking in, but in defensem try carrying the load of your body armour along with the ammunition the head gear. A few people, who specialized in certain battle techniques had to carry some extra baggage as well. The walk to the end of the tunnel was least to say, tiring. 

***

It had been an hour and fifteen minutes since we had exited the second base and Holder informed us that we would be reaching the exit of the tunnel anytime soon. The tunnel was dimly lit with the help of the almost ancient bulbs. Yes, you heard that right. Bulbs. There were rusted metal rings all over the tunnel to keep it from collapsing, which explained the metallic smell of the tunnels. Suddenly, I bumped into the person who was walking right in front of me and realised that everybody had stopped and were waiting for something to happen. "Alright guys!" Holder's voice rose, echoing down the tunnel. "We have reached the end of the tunnel. I suggest everyone to wear their headgear right now. I am going to open the door and check if there is anybody around. Once the coast is clear, I will give you the go ahead. The cameras which are mounted on the walls have a buffer time of every five minutes. There is a blindspot right under the wall. Once I give the order, everyone must make a run for it, following me. The last person in exiting the tunnel, as already discussed, has to shut the door properly according to the procedure and rush to the spot without being spotted by the cameras. Mess up one, and it is game over." he said. I could see his hand move as he grabbed something from the roof and twisted it with his hand. I heard metal grinding over another as sunlight slowly started creeping into the tunnel. I took my helmet off, despite Holder telling me it was a very bad idea. I wanted to breath in fresh air again. Not just from a machine, I wanted natural fresh air. Reneesh followed suit and we felt the fresh air wash over us, soothing us, unlike anything we have ever felt before. We were not lucky enough to experience Earth as it was before the pollution and wars ravaged the planet. Technically, this was the first time we were breathing in natural fresh air. I felt giddy for a few moments until my body adapted to the new surroundings. By this time, red sunlight was seeping in through the hole in the roof of the tunnel, covering everyone in red light. Following Holder's orders, I put on my headgear again, just as Holder climbed the ladder to check for any hostilities around us. The soldiers around me were rustling around, both restless and anxious about what was about to happen next. "MOVE MOVE MOVE!" Holder's voice came from above, and at that command all the soldiers, including us, rushed forward and climbed the old rusted metal ladder which led us to the surface above.

I was, for a moment, blinded by the fierce sunlight which scorched the surface. The land all around us had nothing but a few patches of grass, and in front of us towered a huge wall. We followed Holder as he made his way to a spot just between two gigantic pillars which were a part of the wall.  The wall was constructed with some sort of material which was like a hybrid of both stone and metal. We soon reached the bottom of the two pillars which gave us some respite from the ferocity of the sun. I felt took my gloves off and felt the surface of the wall, which was cool and smooth in nature. "Alright crew, we have to walk for about five hundred metres very cautiously and after that we would find another underground tunnel which would lead us directly to the dungeons of the Kenjah's palace on Level 21 minus. Must be a cakewalk from there. These tunnels were built by the resistance in the early days of our formation. And this tunnel ends near the outer corridors of the palace. So, for some part of our route we would need to take the normal corridors, which need to be guarded. The sniper will not be needed as of now." Holder said, looking at us through his headgear. "Let's move." He ordered moving towards his right. We followed our way to the entrance of another tunnel, which was hidden under a bush, which we then realised was a hologram which looked and felt like the real thing. 

"Alright, boys. Get in now. The patrol guards will be here anytime now." Holder warned as he turned open the entrance to the tunnel. All of us, descended into the damp and dark tunnel which looked a lot older than the one we had come in a few minutes ago and reeked of wet weed. Holder closed the entrance to the tunnel immediately after everyone had come in and turned on the lights on his headgear. Everyone followed suit and soon the whole place was illuminated with white light. I switched on the oxygen system, just like everyone else sensing the low oxygen content in the tunnel which had only one entry and one exit, both which were closed at any given point of time. Soon, everyone of us were ready and we waited for Holder to complete his conversation with Beta One. "Beta One has given us the final go-ahead for the rescue mission. Let's get it done with. 

Reneesh, Profus and Emanta were right behind me, and together we made our way to the Kenjah's Palace. 

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Thanks for reading the book this far! I HAVE SOME NEWS FOR YOU!

Mission Orion: The Travel Through Time is now in the voting stages for The Crystal Awards 2016-17. Please vote for it! P.S. You can vote for it by commenting (inline) for my story under the Science Fiction Category. Although, one person is eligible to vote UNLIMITED times, I would recommend you to limit yourselves just to make it fair for everyone :) The to the voting page is

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