Three-sixteen’s POV

Three-sixteen found pit four in complete disarray. The heart retrieval mission had already begun, but he had not seen a sifter so he was certain they had not disturbed the crystal heart yet.

He didn’t know where Five-ninety-one was, and he couldn't waste time searching for her. He needed to find the miners who were placing the explosives and stop them. He needed to find a magistrate and warn them. He had to stop the dig before it was too late.

Three-sixteen raced down the ramp, crowded with miners from every pit. The extra labor would be necessary to quickly retrieve and process the heart, but the workers were in his way.

Three-sixteen pushed through the crowd, trying to get to the bottom and scanning constantly for a magistrate. He didn’t get half way before he decided the pace was too slow and started shouting, “Move, there’s an emergency, get out of the way!”

At first no one budged, but when three-sixteen used his hands to shove aside a couple of small female miners the others finally made way.

Three-sixteen ran through the empty space, hurting to the bottom of the pit. He found a familiar face there, Three-fourth-five one of his newest charges. He approached the boy who was probably in his first year of service and asked, “Where is magistrate Luck?”

The boy seemed stunned and didn’t answer. He simply stared at three-sixteen like he wasn't quite sure who he was.

Three-sixteen grabbed the boy by the shoulders and shook him.

Three-fourth-five's head bobbed like a puppet with cut strings and he mumbled,

“I don’t—”

“Then Vianni, or Arukmu any of them? Where are the fucking magistrates!”

Three-fourth-five didn’t look like he knew, so Three-sixteen pushed him away and continued towards the tunnel he’d see. Them enter earlier.

He heard the boy say something, but he didn't catch the words.

Three-sixteen pushed a man over a minecart then ducked under a beam carried by two miners. A woman nearly crossed in front of him, but stepped back with a gasp when Three-sixteen brushed past.

He ran as fast as he could. He saw the entrance to the tunnel, and he saw miners loading up a cart with gear beside it. That was a good sign he thought. The magistrates must still be in the tunnel.

As Three-sixteen entered the tunnel he was thrown off his feet by strong tremors. Dust and rocks rained down from the ceiling and the walls.

Three-sixteen worried what might’ve caused the quaking. It wasn’t any drilling machine he was familiar with, but he didn’t think it was the bombs either.

He rushed down the tunnel, jumping more than running down the sloped shaft. He should’ve hopped in a minecart, it would’ve been faster.

The tunnel leveled off beside a crystal vein. The air felt heavier here. It was difficult to breath and the smell of mineralsfilled his nose. His clothes became wet as the humidity increased sharply.

Three-sixteen hadn’t been this deep in a long time.

The crystal vein was beautiful, running the length of the tunnel until it opened ahead into a wider chamber. A group of miners were hard at work breaking chunks from the vein. Three-sixteen noticed they all looked tired, like they hadn’t slept in cycles. He wondered why, but he didn’t stop to ask.

The chamber was wider, and deeper than Three-sixteen expected. It was basically another pit. A single vein ran down the center, branching out into smaller veins at the bottom.

Miners scurried around, like ants around a hive. They carried tools and carts of crystal to an elevator that must’ve gone all the way to the surface, or at least somewhere Three-sixteen had never been. Vianni was standing guard beside the elevator shaft, her long blonde hair was impossible to mistake. Even among the magistrates, Vianni was exceptionally well groomed.

Three-sixteen looked for a way down, but found only a set of rails with not path beneath them. Seeing how smooth and seamless the rails were, Three-sixteen concluded that a magistrate built them.

He didn’t have a minecart, a fact he regretted more now, but he found a fastening cable with a hook on one end and used it to ride one of the rail lines down.

The ride down was faster than he expected and he was pretty sure he lost his stomach on the way. Fortunately, he was able to keep his footing as he reached the bottom.

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Three-sixteen stepped away from the rail and took a moment to reorient himself and to verify he was in-fact in one piece.

The mine was a lot bigger than it first appeared, and there were a lot more people. There was one tunnel where the majority gathered, some going in and others coming out. The tunnel was completely covered in yellow crystal, but Three-sixteen didn’t notice anyone harvesting it.

Another tremor shook the mine, but this time Three-sixteen managed to stay standing. He also managed to identify the source of the rumbling as a large machine on the far side of the chamber. He could see a plume of dust and a few miners climbing onto the top of it. It looked like a larger version of a pulse hammer.

Magistrate Vianni shouted, “Get that thing stabilized already! We’re going to need it as soon as they bring out the heart.”

The words reminded Three-sixteen of his urgent task. He needed to stop them before—

A wall burst apart as a sifter broke through it. The beast charged on, mostly ignoring everyone as it made for the crystal tunnel.

Magistrate Vianni moved to intercept, a long spear formed in her hand and plunging through the creatures face effortlessly. She wasn’t playing around this time.

When she saw that the miners had stopped working, she shouted, “Get back to work! I don’t care if a sifter is gnawing off your leg, you don’t stop work unless you’re dead. I’ll worry about those beasts, and you just keep the rocks moving, got it?”

No one answered, but work resumed so she returned to her post by the elevator.

Three-sixteen tried to look for Five-ninety-one as he made his way over. He didn’t see her, but he knew she had to be down here somewhere.

He approached Magistrate Vianni and waited for her to acknowledge him.

She ignored him at first. Three-sixteen waited patiently. He knew better than to interrupt a magistrate.

When her patience wore thin Vianni asked, “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

He nodded.

“Then why the fuck are you standing here staring at me?”

Three-sixteen swallowed his fear, but he couldn't stop his body from shaking.

He said, “I wanted to warn you. Pit one is rigged with explosives, someone is trying to destroy the mine.”

Vianni scoffed. “Seems more likely that you’re a lazy piece of shit hoping I’ll believe your dumb story so you won’t have to work. That, or you’re the one who did it and you’re telling me as a distraction or because you think I’ll go run right over into the trap you’ve set.”

Three-sixteen didn’t know how to convince her, but he didn’t have time to beat around the bush or consider his answers.

“Magistrate Luck told me you were smart, evidently he was wrong given your foolish conclusions. I know how you enjoy crushing numbers and I’d never dream of giving you a reason to kill me, but that doesn't change the fact that if you magistrates keep dismissing me outright, pit one is going to explode and everyone one in this mine will die.”

Three-sixteen half expected her to shoot him. Instead, she glared at him for a moment then shook her head.

Vianni sighed as she pulled a device from her pocket. Three-sixteen wasn’t sure what it was called or how it worked, but he knew every magistrate had one. She pressed a few buttons then Three-sixteen heard magistrate Luck’s voice come from the device.

“This better be important, Vi. We’re getting hammered over here.”

Vianni looked at Three-sixteen, studying his eyes for a moment before she said, “Your favorite little pet is here, he has something he says you need to hear right away.”

A short pause and then, Luck shouted, “Well put him the fuck on then!”

Vianni held out her hand, raising her eyebrows as if asking him to speak.

It was up to Luck to believe him. Three-sixteen only hoped it wasn’t too late.

“Someone is trying to destroy the mine with explosives in pit one—“

A blast rang through the tunnels followed by tremors that threw Three-sixteen several feet in the air. A miner in a nearby cart was thrown from it as the vehicle and slammed into the wall of the mine.

Three-sixteen saw Vianni as he was falling back toward the ground, only she was upside down and he wasn’t sure if she was moving or if the room was. He landed hard, his back striking the ground and the impact knocked the wind from his lungs. He struggled to breath and he couldn't get his bearings.

Vianni was shouting, but Three-sixteen couldn’t make out the words. He only heard a faint ringing that seemed to grow louder with time until it hurt so bad that he wanted to rip off his ears.

Three-sixteen rolled over, pushing himself up to his knees and then his feet.

He staggered, dizzy and nauseated. The room was spinning and Three-sixteen knew he couldn’t stay upright for long.

Another great tremor sent him tumbling over sooner than he’d expected. His face struck the ground and he felt a warm fluid flowing over his mouth and chin. He tasted copper, and his head pounded like a dozen miners were using it for a hammer.

Three-sixteen was afraid to open his eyes, but he had to. He had to know what was happening. He needed to find Five-ninety-one. He had to know if she was alright.

The chamber was filled with dust. It made the air feel heavy, and it was difficult to breathe or see much of anything. there were miners lying all around the chamber, most still alive, but many in rough shape. At least a dozen miners, Three-sixteen was sure would not survive.

He saw miners helping each other up, and pulling others away from falling rocks. The crystal branch was now severed and lying in huge chunks that further obstructed his view. Three-sixteen hoped it wasn’t the explosives, but he wasn’t sure what else it could have been.

A sifter burst through a wall, its teeth gnashing wildly as it roared.

The beast was almost close enough for Three-sixteen to touch, but it paid him no mind and just raced across the chamber.

He knew he should move, but his head still hurt and his legs didn't feel strong enough to support him.

Magistrate Vianni threw a bolt of lightning at the beast. It pierced through the creatures thick hide then arched over its body. The sifter collapsed, but Three-sixteen couldn’t say for sure if it was dead.

Another, then another and another sifter tore in through the wall or from some tunnel. Vianni wasted no time in dispatching them as they arrived, but Three-sixteen couldn’t help but feel like it was a waste of time. She should be focused on getting people to safety. The longer they stayed down here, the more likely they were to be trapped. As powerful as a magistrate was, he didn’t think even a group of them could dig out of a collapsed mine before oxygen ran out.

Vianni’s gaze landed on Three-sixteen. She approached him, her eyes burning yellow. Her rage was clear.

She held up her hand, electricity arcing between her fingers as she asked, “Who set those fucking charges? Tell me you know because if you don’t…” she roared in frustration, letting her lightning blast into the stone floor.

Three-sixteen didn’t know. He also didn’t care. “Please, help them escape.”

Vianni seemed to consider this for a moment. Then she nodded.