exception. There were hundreds of doors on the outer walls of the square. So many that we didn't bother to do more than open the door, glance inside, and move on unless we saw something particularly interesting. Most of us went left, The Twin deciding to go right, just to scout the level and see if the layout was indeed the same and set off at a full run.
late afternoon
The Twin caught up to the rest of us before we had even finished the first hallway of four. She had reported that the layout was indeed exactly the same, another stairway down at the same place as the upper floor. It seemed to go down a lot further though, she told us. Even the double doors we had discovered earlier were replicated.
We kept on with our room to room glancing, discovering that the door opposite the double metal barrier was locked on this level also. This time Archer just simply raised a boot and kicked outwards, connecting with the door just above the handle. It flew inwards to reveal a room exactly like that directly above it in every way but one.
A desk sat upon the floor. Upon the desk, however, lay a briefcase which Apocalypse Girl promptly grabbed and began fiddling with. Though it was locked, she had it open in seconds. The contents were ancient, and putrid. What had once been an apple, and the remains of a sandwich wrapped in plastic. A smudge of black that might have once been a banana.
A shiny badge with a photo of a bespectacled flat-topped man with the name William Foster. Turning the badge over, Apocalypse Girl discovered a thin magnetic strip. Putting two and two together, she tried the card on the massive double doors lock.
It opened instantly revealing a small chamber with another set of doors on the other side. We entered and the first set closed tight. After a moment, the second set opened. Walking through, we stepped out onto a metal catwalk encircling an enormous square-edged pit. Looking up, we saw another catwalk, and above it what looked like a solid wall of water. Looking down, nothing but blackness descending deeper into still more blackness.
Directly before us, however, stretching down into infinity, a rocket of impressive proportions. The warhead itself was neatly placed at our level, showing the all-too-familiar symbol for radioactivity. Archer pulled out the page we had discovered earlier, and sure enough the words “Neutron warhead” were featured prominently.
“We should be pretty safe from radiation, but it's up to the rest of you. We continuing down?” Archer asked us. I agreed, as did the others, unable to tear my eyes from the missile until Apocalypse Girl pulled me into the airlock once again.
evening
We continued searching each room as we went along, stopping only when we reached the stairs down. There we camped, in a room next to the stairwell, planning our next move while eating. The Twin was right, these stairs seemed to go a lot further down than expected. Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled, signifying a message from one of The Smart Couple, but as she pulled it out of her pocket it died on her. Blaming me for it, as I had used up a significant portion of the phones battery life for light so I could write, she smacked me playfully across the back of the head as she plugged her charger into a wall socket overnight.
March 4Year 1 A.Z.
morning
Making our way down the stairs, we ate on our journey. Lighting was now sporadic, flickering occasionally, whereas above our current level it had been steady. In time, we descended to a corridor running directly away from the stairs, but by now we had become so turned back on ourselves that there was no way of determining which direction the hallway led. However, as it was our only option, we started to walk along it.
After a good several hundred metres I began to feel a chill. Apocalypse Girl asked if anyone felt a draft, and Archer stopped, cocking
late afternoon
The Twin caught up to the rest of us before we had even finished the first hallway of four. She had reported that the layout was indeed exactly the same, another stairway down at the same place as the upper floor. It seemed to go down a lot further though, she told us. Even the double doors we had discovered earlier were replicated.
We kept on with our room to room glancing, discovering that the door opposite the double metal barrier was locked on this level also. This time Archer just simply raised a boot and kicked outwards, connecting with the door just above the handle. It flew inwards to reveal a room exactly like that directly above it in every way but one.
A desk sat upon the floor. Upon the desk, however, lay a briefcase which Apocalypse Girl promptly grabbed and began fiddling with. Though it was locked, she had it open in seconds. The contents were ancient, and putrid. What had once been an apple, and the remains of a sandwich wrapped in plastic. A smudge of black that might have once been a banana.
A shiny badge with a photo of a bespectacled flat-topped man with the name William Foster. Turning the badge over, Apocalypse Girl discovered a thin magnetic strip. Putting two and two together, she tried the card on the massive double doors lock.
It opened instantly revealing a small chamber with another set of doors on the other side. We entered and the first set closed tight. After a moment, the second set opened. Walking through, we stepped out onto a metal catwalk encircling an enormous square-edged pit. Looking up, we saw another catwalk, and above it what looked like a solid wall of water. Looking down, nothing but blackness descending deeper into still more blackness.
Directly before us, however, stretching down into infinity, a rocket of impressive proportions. The warhead itself was neatly placed at our level, showing the all-too-familiar symbol for radioactivity. Archer pulled out the page we had discovered earlier, and sure enough the words “Neutron warhead” were featured prominently.
“We should be pretty safe from radiation, but it's up to the rest of you. We continuing down?” Archer asked us. I agreed, as did the others, unable to tear my eyes from the missile until Apocalypse Girl pulled me into the airlock once again.
evening
We continued searching each room as we went along, stopping only when we reached the stairs down. There we camped, in a room next to the stairwell, planning our next move while eating. The Twin was right, these stairs seemed to go a lot further down than expected. Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled, signifying a message from one of The Smart Couple, but as she pulled it out of her pocket it died on her. Blaming me for it, as I had used up a significant portion of the phones battery life for light so I could write, she smacked me playfully across the back of the head as she plugged her charger into a wall socket overnight.
March 4Year 1 A.Z.
morning
Making our way down the stairs, we ate on our journey. Lighting was now sporadic, flickering occasionally, whereas above our current level it had been steady. In time, we descended to a corridor running directly away from the stairs, but by now we had become so turned back on ourselves that there was no way of determining which direction the hallway led. However, as it was our only option, we started to walk along it.
After a good several hundred metres I began to feel a chill. Apocalypse Girl asked if anyone felt a draft, and Archer stopped, cocking
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