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PART ONE(1)
[:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:] THE NIGHTMARNES JOB [:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:]
*\"OLie Three, are things moving along down there?"/*
The voice came in sounding more metallic than usual, because the volume
on the scram/comm. unit was set on low, for caution's sake.
'Still,' the man known within the organization as OLie Three
reflected, as he reached for the unit, which was hooked to his bandoleer-style equipment
belt, 'the sound waves bounce with annoying effectiveness off of the hewn
stone walls and ceiling.'
Of course, it only helped that there was three-and-a-half feet of water,
submerging the carved stone floor of the chamber ~ And that level was rising
steadily.
Raising the unit to his mouth, he thumbed the 'send' bar, and responded
smartly. "Progress as expected, Sir. We'll be ready to drill in a few
minutes." Thanks to the battery-powered dive-lights two of his team was
using in their assigned task, he could critically eye the three men hanging
from the ceiling, as he said this.
Sounding satisfied ~ even over the comm. unit ~ the voice belonging to
OCley Two could be heard again. *\"Good, good; Proceed with the drilling
as soon as you are ready."/*
There was a pause, and then the authoritative voice queried,*\"Have
you found very much?"/*
OLie Three had to bite his tongue to keep from reminding his superior
that unnecessary chatter over the comm. units while a 'black' operation was in
progress, was frowned upon ~ even if the source was the O.C., whose unit was
often broadcasting from a 'safe' zone, or - at the very least - was equip with
an earpiece or a 'muffler'.
He cast a glance over at the teleport container which was securely
nestled in the floater buoy he had thought to bring along: the O.C. had not
really expected water down here.
The buoy was sailing serenely behind one of the search-sweeping divers,
towed by a trailing-line clipped to the bottom of his single, high-compression,
oxygen tank ~ OLie Three hadn't seen much go into it, up to this point.
Keying in to send again, he reported unhappily, "Right off,
The button on his unit still depressed, OLie frowned, as his eyes noted
something that was not kosher about Rig-Team Three's procedure. 'Too late
now,' he thought, and continued his report to OCley Two.
"Neither of the Ds have waved anything around triumphantly, since
the metal-scan ten minutes ago, so they haven't found anything of obvious
importance." He dropped his next statement carefully. "Who knows what
we're supposed to find down here, but it doesn't look very promising at
all." He released the transmit bar.
OCley's response came immediately. *\"Even the customer wasn't too
sure, from what I heard,"/* the disembodied voice allowed. OLie Three
heard the OC grunt, probably a sign he wasn't happy.
Most missions ~ even 'Outside Jobs'(OJs) ~ had a clearer MOD(Mission
Objective Description). This one, however, was simple; 'Retrieve any
man-made objects or naturally occurring elemental formations, up to three
hundred pounds in weight.' The rigging they were leaving behind them was a
usual bonus for this kind of OJ.
*\"
"Better than half-way," OLie Three informed the Operations
Chief dutifully, though he had things to do that required a full set of hands ~
one of them not holding a comm. unit. He made a mental note to himself to put
in for one of the hands-free comm. set-ups.
"This chamber is considerably bigger than we had been lead to
believe," he continued sourly. "And there are more stones fallen from
the ceiling then I care to mention." He looked to where two forgeers and a
detennon were clearing the route up to the surface ~ a thoroughly stopped up
passage and possibly several runs of stairs.
"And of course, the water level is rising by centimeters every five
minutes," he added carelessly. "Not that it affects anything."
*\"Well, hustle things along if at all possible, but I say that just
in the spirit of this type of operation. Take the time you need to make sure we
don't have to come back here, in case it should seem to the customer that we
didn't take enough time to be thorough."/*
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The OC loosed the transmit button on his comm. unit, and muttered under
his breath, "If they bloody want to, they can go down and pick through the
depths of the ruins themselves: we're clearing the tunnels for them!" Of
course he knew there was every possibility that was just the idea. Perhaps the
value of things in this deepest chamber was just a ruse?
'Nah!' the man thought to himself enviously. 'The big boss must
have already thought of that, if he's having me leave two watchers behind, here.'
The after-watch was just for one night; the expeditionists in the nearby camp
would discover his team's night's work in the early morning, and would be left
with little to do but comb the dungeon and any uninspected side tunnels there
might be. Between both operations, there would not be so much as an oddly
shaped pebble for the customer to retrieve himself, the OC was sure.
Another watchful sweep with his binoculars, and then he left his perch
upon an elevated pile of the castle's rubble, to check on the progress of his
topside contingent of the team.
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He was standing beside his tocus, whose yellow glowing eyes were raised
to his face, when he was contacted by OLie Three once more. He held up his
finger in a 'wait one moment' fashion, so that the poke`mon wouldn't speak.
A few moments later and he was smiling crookedly at the tocus.
"OLie's got a question for ya, Rendal," he informed the poke`mon with
a straight face. " 'How far down have you cleared the passage, from this
end of things?' " He winked at his psychic poke`mon and added, "Get this
direct quote from him, his very words; '...not that I'm claustrophobic, but
it's hard to be mentally comfortable, under these conditions.' "
The OC hooted with laughter and his poke`mon chuckled politely, not quite
certain in what way his trainer found the OL's current position ~ and indeed,
his literal surroundings and submersion ~ funny.
Thumbing to transmit, he asked OLie in a sarcastic, wheedling tone of
voice, " Awe, what's the matter OLie? Don't tell me you're suffering from
jittery nerves, down there."
He winked again at his tocus, and went on mildly. "After all, there
are worse places to be than seventy or eighty feet underground, with like a
hundred tons of cut stones, loose rubble and fine silt filling the original
route to the surface, with the water table rising steadily due to heavy rains
in the north and the shifting of debris on your end of this piece-of-cake
operation. Not to mention that you have an independent air supply good for only
ten minutes per man ~ at a generous estimate ~ and a CarDiox filter rig rated
for only ten hours for four men in an enclosed space a third or less, than the
chamber you're working in. And shall I add, that it's not even designed to
function for any useful amount of time in such a damp atmosphere as you are
working in?"
He could just imagine OLie's face getting longer and longer ~ maybe the
kid was even grinding his teeth!
He went on with relish. "Much worse places. I can't really think of
any just now, but I'm sure there are ~ somewhere in the universe."
He gave OLie a few seconds to make a snappy comeback, and himself that
long to think, then added, "I dunno: a black hole maybe? They're not too
hospitable to life either, from all I've read about them." Transmit bar
off again.
The link was quiet for a full ten seconds, and then OLie's voice came
finally, in measured tones. *\"Are you quite finished, Sir?"/*
"Sure kid: just pointing out how calm and collected you should be
feeling down there," the OC answered congenially.
*\"Thank you very much, Sir,"/* came the dry response from the
younger man. *\"You have certainly put things in their proper prospective:
for myself and my crew."/*
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OLie Three looked at each of his crew members with their various
expressions, ranging from disgust and anger, to tight lipped solemnity and
obvious nervousness. He was himself feeling annoyed; the CarDiox was out of the
equation already, straight facts be told.
"Don't worry; he's just joking around with us," he assured his
subordinate teamers. "I've worked with this guy before, and he just enjoys
being a general all-around world-class, grade A jerkazoid!"
It was Team Three's number one ~ who was supposed to be on-line rather
than on-belay ~ who noticed that her superior had kept the transmit button
depressed while he made the comment. She turned pale ~ he could tell, even in
the eerie lighting effect of the dive lights ~ and made a dispairing
throat-slit gesture with her momentarily free hand.
OLie smiled calmly and nodded his understanding of her fears. It wasn't
normally good to insult the mission OC to his face ~ or ears ~ but he knew that
OCley Two considered trading mild insults to be wholesome banter.
*\"Got spunk kid?"/* the OC asked jokingly.
OLie Three grinned widely. "You know I got spunk!" he rejoined,
letting his grin come through in his voice.
His crew broke out in chuckles and grins of their own; except for Three
Dash One, who sagged visibly ~ assume ably with relief.
*\"Now, about the excavation's progression,"/* OCley reminded
his Operations Leader, sounding suddenly serious.
OLie Three's grin became fixed, as he was afraid one of his crew might be
watching him. A quick check of the six riggers, and he was contented that they
were at their business. Nonetheless, he was discreet in his actions of turning
down the volume on the comm. unit and pressing it closely to his ear; he did
not like the OC's tone of voice, one little bit.
Ten or fifteen seconds passed, with no word from above, so OLie decided
to prod his superior. "Yes? About...?" he pressed significantly.
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