1:3:7 Inspection (Part 3)

“I’m not liking this one bit.” Magpie couldn’t stop looking over his shoulders. “They’re all staring at us.”
“They’re probably getting used to the gold.” Ace shrugged. “Just ignore them.”
They had not long left Destiny and Curve but they were making good progress toward Lore. They were beginning to suspect that there were more soldiers than technicians. The dirt pile loomed ahead; it was nearly as tall as some of the neighbouring buildings and at its peak, an integrated tower that linked to the similar devices that studded the fences. There was something ominous about it, holding the smog only just over its head and ensuring the local wildlife couldn’t enter either. The ground began to dip as they started their descent into the mine properly; its entrance was marked by the beginning of a gargantuan set of rails and a gaping maw nearly fifty metres wide and twenty tall.
Ace halted their group. “Ok. I’m going to take Magpie to get Lore, Mid, I need you to sound the evacuation siren and get people out.”
“Why are you taking Magpie? Surely we need more people on evacuation?” Midpoint looked at Magpie. “Actually, I don’t want to have to babysit him.”
Ace nodded. “That’s what I thought. Plus I don’t want to risk him getting a microphone.”
“Bog off, I’d be great at getting people out of a mine… or anywhere for that matter.”
“That’s what we’re worried about.” Ace and Midpoint chuckled. “Keep the usual channel open.”
Midpoint nodded and began his mission.
“Suppose we best get going too.” Magpie virtually bounced to the mine’s entrance. “Come on!”
Ace was already regretting their decision but realised that it was likely for the best. They braced themselves and followed.

Midpoint didn’t have nearly as far to go, entering the signalling station almost as soon as he had entered the mineshaft. With absolutely no challenge or resistance, he walked in and pressed the biggest red button he could find. The whole mine came to an abrupt halt as the excavator was completely disconnected from its generators and it’s breaks were applied. Flashing red lights filled the shaft and just before the sirens began, Midpoint was given the opportunity to make an announcement. He awkwardly lowered his head to the microphone. “Do not panic. Please proceed to your designated evacuation station and follow all procedures necessary. Thank you.”
He clapped his hand to his head. “Why did I say thank you?” He muttered under his breath. He soon realised that the microphone was still active.

Ace and Magpie cringed as Midpoint’s announcement ended and winced as the sirens began. Technicians scurried around them, some borderline fleeing at just the sight of their golden armour as they followed the behemoth’s steel trails to the mine’s terminus. The crowds only got thicker as they descended deeper into the dark.
“Why didn’t we wait?” Magpie shouted over the siren’s wail.
“What?” Ace shouted back.
“WHY DIDN’T WE WAIT?” Magpie screamed directly into Ace’s ear.
A few drops of blood trailed from Ace’s perforated eardrum. “Ah… Because it was a priority to keep people safe. We don’t know what’s going to happen when Lore comes through.” They massaged their ear.
“Sorry.” Magpie backed away. “Forgot.”
“It’s fine. Already healed.” They wiped away the blood. No new stream formed.
It took nearly ten minutes but they were finally at the bottom of the shaft. A huge wall of rock and ore stood before them.
“Bloody hel! That thing’s nearly the size of The Destiny. Look at those bits.” Magpie turned Ace around to face the drill down. It’s fourteen bits had once been tipped with diamond but now their surfaces were gnarled and pitted revealing the tungsten carbide below. Magpie walked towards it and, with the butt of his rifle, chipped off a loose section of the nearest bit.
“Really? We’re supposed to be using this thing as payment.” Ace shook their head.
“Look!” Magpie pointed to a nearby forklift. On the pallet, shrink wrapped in plastic, three new bits balanced precariously. “It’s alright.”
“Come on!” Ace shouted. Magpie stashed his rifle on his belt and the chunk of industrial diamond into his satchel before jogging over to Ace. “Have you got a depth sensor on any of your equipment?”
“Should do on my rifle. Just a warning, it’s only good for a couple of metres. No point trying to shoot through a wall if the shot’s only going to get through half.” He shrugged.
“I’m only going to need a couple of metres.” Ace held out their hand. Magpie slid the scope off and handed it over.
Ace scanned the rockface. Magpie was right, for the most part, all it did was confirm that they couldn’t shoot through the wall but it also provided them with some additional information. Ace could see three outlines approaching them from beyond the wall and while they couldn’t shoot them, they could certainly see them; between them and the figures, a wall of stone with a thin vein of ore. Ace pulled out their pistol and began drilling a channel the width of a pin head, checking every so often to see if they were getting any closer. It didn’t take long for the micro tunnel to intercept Lore’s.
“What’ve you done that for?” Magpie gave Ace a funny look as he checked over the scope and returned it to his rifle.
“Come in Lore.” Ace shouted down their comm unit, as they did, the sirens stopped. “Lore, are you there?” They repeated in a more moderate tone.
There was a crackle before the response started. “Ace?” Their voice sounded hoarse. “Where are you? How are you calling me?”
“We’re on the other side of your tunnel.” Ace started. “You’re about five metres short, is there a problem?”
“We can’t blast through, our explosives are too powerful. They’ll chain and destroy the whole vein.”
Ace looked around the wall. There was a whisp of Hydroxine ahead of them but then a sizable gap between that and the main vein. They looked at the holographic rendering of the mine. It confirmed exactly what Ace wanted to see.
“Have you been reinforcing your tunnel?”
“Obviously. We’ve been using explosives.” Lore scoffed.
“Get out of your tunnel and wait for us to meet you.” Ace stood back from the wall and scored the wall. They shook their arm revealing a riot shield; they removed it and wedged it into the crack. “Stand back.” Ace pushed Magpie back up the hill. “Lore, are you clear?”
“Clear.” Lore shouted back.
Ace crouched, aiming a narrow beam at the vein. There was a deafening pop as if a bubble containing a sonic boom popped in their ears; there was a moment of silence before the true explosion began. The initial blast was merely the layer of oxidised material reacting but in doing so, the lower layers gained the activation energy to begin reacting. Magpie and Ace were about five metres away but the shockwave still knocked them nearly a further ten metres up the hill. There was nothing left of the rock that surrounded the vein. The whole mine shook as the shock travelled higher and higher. Lore, Mauve and Sky stormed through the new opening.
“Bloody hel! You could have warned us about the noise!” Lore’s ears, despite wearing two layers of protection, still fell victim to the explosion, their glasses caked in soot and dust.
“We got you out didn’t we.” The blast didn’t seem to have had any effect on Ace’s ears; they got up and walked back over to the wall, their shield had also been dislodged and sent across the mine. It had embedded itself in one of the opposite walls. They collapsed it and returned it to their arm.
“Subtle.” Midpoint joined them. He looked down at them. “You’re bloody filthy.”
The explosion had coated them all in a near centimetre thick layer of rock, ash and partially reacted Hydroxine.
“You ready to go then?” They all looked at Midpoint.
“Give us a moment.” Lore spluttered. “We’ll be up in a moment.” They had spotted a chemical shower out of the corner of their eye.
After an extremely brief hose off, they began the climb up to the mine’s entrance. Retrieval.