And we draw to a conclusion of the second interlude. As they learned a lot, losing the drone is not particularly a failure. There is another on the way. And, I suspect, that if Nichole thought Allie was in mortal danger, she’d be head-first down the tunnel, orders or not.

Speaking of, we’ll be back underground. Allie accepted she was alone, found something extraordinary, met a distant relative, then was alone again. Even for a demi, that gain-loss dynamic must hurt. And I bet it hurts more to a fifteen-year-old girl. Underground. In the dark. I hope Nichole was able to reach her, give her a mental life-line. We’ll see. Things might get even darker.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Closer to the structure, she moved the drone to the door openings and several of the higher windows, turning on the light to look in.  When Sundström ask her to enter one, she shook her head.

“And a portcullis or rock wall drops?  Nope.  We’ve no idea what this is, so I’m staying out.”

She did pause at one window, increasing the light and magnification.

“This is interesting.  I’m sending these images directly to your mind, Midwife,” she announced.

“Those are images,” Kira whispered at the crab-like things behind her eyes, “of a life form we’ve never seen.  They could be native, from their biological design, but there’s no way to tell.  What is that on the metallic strip?”

“Looks like writing to me,” Nichole said with a curl of her lip.  “Besides you, I am sending this to the Mendros.  Tay is best of any of us with languages; but if she knows, her mother will, so I’m being politic and telling Reina up front.”

“Understood.  Proceed.” Kira was, technically, in command.  “How long before a reply?”

“Earth is thirteen light-minutes away right now, so about twice that to get acknowledgement from Tay.  How long for her to translate?  Weeks?  Years?” She gave a tiny shake of her head.  “This is alien.  Whups; what was that?”

The light was off but there was enough of a glow from the lake that Kira could see Nichole had moved the drone away from the building’s face a few meters.  She noticed something on the screen.

“There’s some kind of flattened path in front of this building, going north,” she said.

“Hush,” the machine ordered.  “I am trying to parse what I just heard.”

Kira looked to see Nichole’s green eyes get a little brighter but was taken aback at the small snarl.

From the speaker next to the screen there was a splashing sound.  The image suddenly jerked.  Kira felt…

“There is something behind and below the drone, in the water,” she called.  “Get out.”

“Wait.  Turning wifi signal to maximum,” Nichole disobeyed.  “Urp.  Yes, something is pulling on the cable and I’m fighting to maintain altitude.  I swear I heard human footsteps; I want Alicia to know we’re here.”

The screen image was the building quickly receding then another jerk, as if the drone hit and bounced off the ground.

“Got her!” Nichole shouted, startling them.  “Sending burst transmission…!  Now, let me get out of here.”

The image lifted slightly but abruptly turned about.  Sundström gasped at the welter of pale tentacles, clearer once Nichole turned the light back on.  The image was now underwater.

“Still trying to work loose,” Nichole said, her shoulders twitching a little.  “How long can your drone be immersed?”

“Three to five minutes,” Kira replied.

“Then I think I can…”

The image was gone.

“It tore the signal cable out,” Nichole announced.

“Chief Engineer?  Reverse the winches and see if we can drag the drone out; hopefully all the way. 

He made a quick call through his radio, passing the order on.  Behind them, the cables which had been slowly and carefully fed into the hole were now coming back.  Kira took a few step closer to watch their regress.  Within just a few minutes, they slowed, then stopped.

“Go to full power, Sundström,” she ordered.  “I don’t care if it breaks.”

With the whine from the spool’s motors at the base of the hill, the cables moved just slightly; stopped.  The whine increased and Kira wondered about burning out the motors.  How dare that thing interfere with my family, she seethed.

The noise from outside was suddenly less and the cables were flying back out of the hole.  She turned.

“Right.  Whatever was holding on let go or they broke off completely.  Reduce the withdrawal speed to five meters per second.  When a half kilometer from the surface, drop that to a half per second.  I don’t want anyone here hurt.” A deep pull from her noseline.  “Captain Clarke?  You and I have a lot to talk about.  Follow me, please.”

“Yes, Midwife.”