And this brings Part Four to a close. I’m beginning on Five, which I think will be the last; it always depends on who wants me to say what. Five will NOT be a half-generational step like the others have been. It will open just a few days after Allie’s rescue and immediately go deep into politics. Further, I vaguely recalled people making future-referential statements, going all the way back to Part One, and I am skimming the MS and making notes for the loose ends I need to tie up.

Once I get a few thousand words in P5, I should have a much better idea as to how all of this wraps up. I certainly could see an Epilogue where, in a year, Allie walks out of a newly bored tunnel, looks around, and says, “I’m back.”

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Back faster than anticipated, Alicia was just about to drift off from hunger when Nichole pulled her up.

“We’ll get something for you to eat from my base camp, at the end of the tunnel.”

“But, to get there, I had to wade really deep into the water,” the younger objected.  “Maybe Squiddy was hibernating somewhere else, because nothing disturbed me.  I did hear some splashes later, oh!”

She stopped at seeing the tiny, black inflatable boat pulled out of the water and next to the building.

“From the first drone, I knew there was water to cross and that something hostile lives in it.” When Nichole smiled, it made her look a little frightening, with her face that way.  “I have both tubes of Greek fire as well as some grenades.  I only used one of those; probably concussed the beastie.”

“Do you think it’s safe to cross back?” Alicia asked, pausing her steps just a moment.

“Yes.  I will protect you.”

Perhaps not as confident as she was trying to appear, the demi was told to stand well away from the water while Nichole quietly eased the boat back in.  A pause.  Waved over in silence, Alicia knelt in the boat, Nichole behind her, raising a paddle with her left and bracing it with the stump on her right and making quick, sure strokes, getting them across in moments.  No attack.

“Out, quickly now,” the older ordered the younger.  Some meters away, she turned to see her rescuer pull the tiny raft out and just to her.  “I’ll leave it here.  Me, or whoever comes next might want it.”

“People…other people will be coming down here?” Alicia asked.

“Of course.  An alien civilization of some technical merit?  Your Squiddy?  Because of the rescue mission for you, it’s far too late to try to keep all of this a secret.  Let’s go on down the tunnel,” the broken machine pointed ahead with her stump.  “In my controlled descent, I now have a precise map of where these caverns are.  That single tunnel will be too unstable to use for an expedition, but we should be able to drill in both from above and mine in from the south.”

They paused at the original, smaller cave she’d first fallen into.

“You should take point in this operation, Princess,” Miss Clarke said rather formally.  “I’ve already recommended that to the Midwife and to Aqua.  And here.”

She watched Nichole reach behind her head with her working hand and come back with a thin, gold crystal.

“A copy of all of my memories from a week ago to just now,” she explained, handing it over.  Alicia carefully stowed it into one of her skinsuit pockets.

“But, why?”

“You shall be extracted first.  We do not know what sort of damage might be done to the original tunnel,” was her reply, leading her over to pile of dirt and the several scattered rucksacks there.  Two cables disappeared up into the hole above them.  “All that matters is getting you back, safe.  If I’m stuck down here, well…”

“Well, what?  I cannot lose you, Nichole!”

“I’ve been buried alive before, Princess.  If I must, I’ll do as then:  shut down and await my own turn at rescue.”

“That could be months, depending on the excavations.”

“True.  But I’ll be shut down and will not be aware of any passage of time.  Before that, perhaps I’ll try to see if Squiddy will talk.” She flexed her stump.  “We owe one another an apology.  And:  this is speculation.  If all goes well, I’ll be up some hours after you and you can make me older about being translucent.  Let’s get this harness…uff!”

Alicia had grabbed her tightly, holding on for her life and trying to not get ill from the melted plastic smell.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.  You are precious to our family.  I would destroy all of down here if it means I get you back!”

“Well,” Nichole touched the back of the girl’s head, “let’s hope it doesn’t go that far.  Now:  here’s a protein bar.  Eat that while I fasten this harness to you.”

She nodded and did as she was told, stuffing the bar into her mouth when, down one arm, Nichole could not secure the webbing properly. 

“Drink some water while I re-check everything,” was the next order.  “Looks good.”

“Midwife?” Nichole said to the air, her eyes aglow.  “Yes.  Ready here.  I’m attaching one of the comm leads to Alvarez’s suit.  Play her music or something on the way up so she’s not bored.”

“Can you hear me, Allie?” Kira asked from the tiny mike at her collar.  Boy, does she sound unhappy.

“Yes, Midwife.  And I apologize for my stupidity.  A man is dead, another missing, and Miss Clarke badly injured.  As,” her voice caught as the cables above her just grew taught, “as a scion of my family, I have failed.”

“Everyone is alive, well, they were, except poor Zhukov,” Kira said with the same tone.  “That was my rash behavior.  It will take three to four hours, barring mistakes, to get you up here.  And Princess?”

“Yes?”

“It’s a circus.  Get ready.”

“Understood.  Wait one as I say farewell to my rescuer.”

“Waiting.”

Toes on the pile of dirt, Alicia could just take Nichole’s remaining hand with hers.

“Thank you.  I love you.”

“See you soon, Allie,” the machine said with her half-melted smile.