2000 Hours

Inside the unexplored tunnel

                The sound of water dripping on stone echoed throughout the vast virtually untouched stone hallway, which was blanketed by an eerie darkness that seemed to do well to unnerve the group of seven. Lucas at the head of the group, his MK 18 held at the fire ready stance, a string tied around the muzzle of the assault rifle with a small metal piece to weigh it down; an old trick to find tripwires.

“So… want to tell me again why I’m the one on point?” Lucas whispered, his eyes remaining locked in front of himself.

Evan patted him on the shoulder, “You’re the Scout, so this stuff’s your speciality.” He whispered back.

Lucas grunted, “Heh, nice excuse…”

Andre, who was guarding the rear, turned his head around, “Hey! Shut up, up there!” He quietly barked, trying to remind the guys that there could be sound sensitive traps.

William looked at the three with a neutral expression, his blue eyes lit up by the dull green light of his NVG’s -which each of the five was wearing, including the two archeologists- before he rested his hand on Dylan’s shoulder.

“Surprised to see you so quiet Bull, usually you’re the one complaining.”

Dylan didn’t turn back, rather he, like Lucas, kept his eyes forward, his weapon at the ready. “Yeah… well… I just want to make sure I don’t get hit first should there actually be a sound sensitive trap.” He replied silently.

William shrugged, “I think it’s highly unlikely that such a trap was made, in truth I think the only traps we’d run into here, are trip wire based, or pressure plate based ones.”

It was then that Lucas paused, raising his left fist in the air, letting everyone know to stop. “Hold up, got a wire here…” Lucas whispered back to the others.

Doctor Linville, peered over towards the front, his aging eyes still trying to adjust to the NVG’s as he squinted over towards Lucas, who was now crouched down, wrapping reflective tape around the thick rope that served as a catalyst for whatever trap awaited them.

“Hmm… seems your precautions are paying off.” Linville noted to no one in particular.

Andre looked back, shaking his head, “Yeah… well… three combat tours tend to keep you on your toes… you’d be surprised with the type of shit the Taliban used to hide and detonate IED’s.”

“I believe it. My son was killed by an IED.” Linville replied with a pained tone.

Andre lowered his gaze as if to show his guilt for bringing up such a painful memory. “Sorry… you have my condolences.”

Linville put up a brave front trying to reassure the dark skinned soldier with a small smile. “Thanks, and it’s okay, you didn’t know. Not something I go about telling everyone.”

Andre still felt bad, he’d seen guys taken out by IED’s before, hell every one of the five had. Although it was one thing to lose a friend, but an entirely different one when it came to losing a loved one. He couldn’t really imagine what the old man was going through. But none the less, Andre just twisted his attention back to the front, as William patted his shoulder.

“We’re moving.” William said before looking over at the two researchers, acting as if he hadn’t heard the conversation exchanged between Andre and Linville. “Remember to watch for the trip wire. We have it marked so you should see it clearly with your NVG’s.”

Andre halted close to the wire, aiming his rifle back towards the entrance before lowering it once he began to think how pointless it was to actually keep it up given how the entrance was secure. But it was also more or less out of habit and preparedness. That and he was sure it was also good to reassure the researchers that they had 360 coverage. Which was more or less true as well as they both nodded in appreciation as William helped them over the wire, ensuring they wouldn’t trip on it or step on it due to how awkward it was for anyone to use Night Vision Goggles for the first time. And as formally unknown female researcher –whom they now knew was named Doctor Elizabeth Knight- climbed over the wire, William turned over towards Andre, patting him on the shoulder, letting him know they were good to move on.

Not wasting any time, both Lucas and Evan had gone up ahead, checking the vast hallway for any further traps, an idea that had bore fruit as well given how they managed to find that there were a number of trip wires and even some pressure plates spread all across the floor the further in they went. After marking each, they took a moment to rest in order to let the others catch up, which was fairly slow going given how awkwardly they moved throughout the tunnel. Eventually, though, they did regroup without the slightest bit of trouble.

Looking up at the Ms. Knight, Evan could see she was practically gleaming with excitement. Raising a brow in surprise he watched how she more or less skipped up to them. He could only hazard a guess, but he was sure she was excited at having the opportunity to actually explore and examine whatever awaited them… all while doing something that, in the words of Dylan, seemed straight out of an adventure novel. Though as he looked over at her, he was suddenly shaken back to reality by Lucas who motioned for him to keep up.

“Come on bro, no time to get lost in thought.” Lucas said, reminding Evan of their current location.

Evan nodded, “Right…” He mumbled in reply before pushing himself back up to his feet, quickly following behind Lucas.

Lucas, on the other hand, didn’t really care much for how the researchers seemed to act, rather he didn’t even register them at all, just keeping his mind on the current task of guiding them all through the tunnel unharmed. William noted this as well, frowning slightly at how overly serious everyone was at the moment.

“Hey, Bull, there’s a spider on your back.” William lied, knowing full well there wasn’t, as the only thing able to really get into this damp hallway was water apparently.

Though Dylan didn’t know that, “What, fuck you, man… you better not be lying to me…” Dylan quickly began to look up his eyes trying to spot any spiders. “Fucking spiders… hate spiders… big… fucking spiders! Get it off, get it off!” As he began to look around patting his back and backpack trying to get off the non-existent spider, he looked back at William who had a shit eating grin on his face again.

“Heh.” Will grinned

“Ooohhh… you cheeky mother fucker you…” Dylan said tilting his head to the side. “You know how much I hate bugs, more so spiders!”

“Yeah, I know, why I said it.” He replied calmly, a smile replacing the grin.

Dylan gave a bewildered look for a moment, though it looked a bit odd given the NVG’s. “What? So being a dick was part of your plan?”

“Yup, pretty much. Brought you back, didn’t it?” William smiled.

Dylan paused a moment before shaking his head, “haaa~” sighing he looked back over at Andre, who was snickering away.

“He got you, man.”

“What, is it piss Bull off day today?” Dylan questioned, mock annoyance clear as day in his tone of voice.

Lucas grinned, “It’s always bug the shit out of Bull day.”

Dylan merely flipped the others off, shaking it all off with a smile. And as Lucas walked up, he suddenly spotted a bright light that almost blinded him. Quickly pulling off his night vision goggles, Lucas waved to the others.

“Got a light up ahead… oddly enough.” Lucas reported quickly, his tone returning to normal.

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The others all began to remove their own NVG’s the closer they got to the light until finally, they all walked through the open doorway that seemed to emanate light that lit up the edge of the tunnel. As they all stepped in, they all quickly brought their hands and arms up to block the powerfully bright light.

“What the hell? Why’s it so bright?” Lucas complained as he tried his best to shield his eyes.

Doctor Knight was the first to quickly adjust to the light as she looked up, “Crystals Mr. Boerhave… crystals.”

Lucas looked over with a confused look before he noticed the others looking up at the ceiling along with Ms. Knight. The moment his eyes came to rest on the bright luminous crystals, his jaw dropped in utter shock and surprise.

“W-wha… What is that?” William asked, his mind racing for answers.

None of the other experts could answer either, no one could. It was the first time they’d ever seen such a sight, although as Dylan looked down to examine the rest of the room, he wished his jaw could drop further after what he saw. The room in question wasn’t a room, but rather a massive underground city, that looked as though it had only just yesterday been abandoned.

“B-b-bro’s… I… I don’t know… what?” Dylan shuddered, losing the ability to put two words together as he looked at the small ancient city lit by crystals.

 William was the first to shake himself out of the daze, his blue eyes quickly spotting the city as well, though he retained his calm by instead walking up towards what looked like a massive stone staircase that leads down towards the empty city itself. Turning back, he quickly pulled one of his gloves off and snapped his fingers, and almost immediately the group awoke from their momentary shock in time to see the large city.

“I found a staircase, Lucas, I believe you were still on point. Andre, you’re at the rear.” He said in a calm voice; or at least as calm as he could make it, in an attempt to hide his excitement to see the city below.

Andre and Lucas both quickly shook themselves from their daze as they began to walk towards their friend, Lucas being the first to look down the stairwell. Tilting his head to the side he began to ponder just how long it would take for them to get down to the bottom given the overall. The stone stairs themselves being wide enough to fit well over six people side by side, so they’d have no issue in terms of spacing, it was just the length of the stairs. But with a heavy sigh, he dismissed the thought, before looking over at Andre, who shot him a shit eating grin.

“Come on bro! Aren’t you pumped? You get to be the first one to step foot in the city.” Andre grinned.

Lucas looked over at him, a small frown spreading across his face as he turned back to the stairs, “Yeah, yeah, you’re only saying that because you know I’ll get hit first by whatever sort of trap is down there.”

Andre brought his hand up to his chest as if to act offended, “I’d never!”

“Uh huh… sure.” Lucas replied, his frown soon becoming a smile as he shook his head.

Despite the jokes though they knew the seriousness of the situation and would take all precautions on their approach to enter the near virtually untouched city below. Summoning his courage, Lucas was adjusted his weapon as he began to slowly make his way down the stairway. With every step he took he made should to keep his eyes open for any and all possible traps that may very well lay before them. Dylan and William both walked over next, letting the distance between them and their scout grow until they were at least five meters apart from one another. Soon, they followed side by side, Dylan keeping his eyes on the left while William kept his locked on the right. Next were the researchers –Dr. Linville, and Dr. Knight- who were trying their best to hold back the excitement that was clear as day on their faces. Evan followed closely behind them, his eyes on the crystals; in case anything was to fall on them. And finally, Andre.

Given their speed, it took a little over thirty minutes for them to reach the end of the stairs, with Lucas’ boots touching the stone floor. With a sigh of relief, as there appeared to be no traps waiting for them; which bode well for him.

“Alright… seems clear.” Lucas waved the group down as he scanned the surroundings for any signs of life or activity.

As the rest of the group came down, the five former rangers quickly took their places, two to each wall, with the last man sticking with the researchers. Slowly, they moved together, making sure to watch all angles and sectors as they moved, their weapons trained on anything that looked like movement… only… there wasn’t any. Rather, as they came up to the end of the large stone structure, they noticed a vast empty town square. Lowering their weapons as they concluded the area to be secure, the group began to walk into the empty space.

“So… we’re sure this place has been abandoned for the past couple of centuries, right?” Andre asked, still looking around in amazement.

William nodded, “Pretty sure.” Looking around he began to go through what looked like a market of sorts, “Seems like whoever used to live here left in a hurry.”

“Yeah…” Dylan chimed in as he pointed towards a near pristine wooden cart.

Doctor Linville walked up to the cart, quickly examining its every piece and part. “Hmm… odd.”

“What’s up Doc?” William asked as he walked up behind the old man.

Eyes still examining the wooden cart, he began to run his wrinkled hand through his hair. “Well… it’s just… this is of European design.”

“So?” Dylan said.

“So, Mr. Smith, it means, this shouldn’t be here,” Linville replied as he pushed himself to back up. “Given the records we’ve read, this area shouldn’t have had any European contact… at all. No one would’ve known to even look here given its terrain and location.”

William, curious began to look inside the cart to see if he could spot what was being traded before the place was abandoned. As he began to move the rags and dirt away, his eyes were drawn to a sparkle. Quickly digging deeper, he looked in utter shock.

“Well… I think they were hiding something doctor...”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Instead of saying anything, William merely handed Jourdain a golden statue from the cart.

His eyes went wide as he grabbed the gold piece, “By… god… is there more?!”

William flinched a bit in surprise, “Yeah, a fair bit… no need to yell though, I’m standing right beside you…”

Jourdain nearly dived right into the cart –or would’ve if Dylan hadn’t stopped him- looking for any more of the gold.

“Acting almost like the Spanish there Doc.” Dylan grinned.

Jourdain ignored his quip, and instead began to shove out the dirt and rags from the cart, before pulling out two more gold statues. “Anderson, I need you and your men to look for more of these carts, or European armor, anything that seems out of place in a pre-Colombian site!”

Turning back to the others who were wandering around as though tourists, William let out a loud whistle. “Alright guys, Doctor Linville wants us to start looking for anything that seems out of place in a pre-Spanish city.” William ordered calmly.

Dylan looked down at the large pile of gold in the cart, “Do we get to keep any gold we find?”

William turned to him and grinned before suddenly it vanished, “No…” Though as he said that, he gave him a thumbs up, letting him know he could.

Dylan smiled and nodded. He knew why his friend said no, to ensure that Doctor Linville wouldn’t know and or see.

“Well shit… Fine, I won’t take anything then.” Dylan replied sourly; although it was an act.

Patting his friend on the shoulder, he motioned for him to join him. “I’ll leave you and Doctor Knight to that then. We’ll begin looking for anything European.”

“Hmm? Ah, yeah… sounds good Anderson.” Jourdain replied, his mind too focused on the new discovery to pay much attention to anything else.

Knight just sighed, shaking her head, before smiling as she began to do the same. Within moments the group quickly spread out and began to check their designated areas, each one looking for something that looked out of place. And before long, they all began to find just that. Each of the five misfits began to return, carrying with them either a trinket or news of some odd objects.

“So… seems as though the Spanish did know about this place.” Lucas started as he gently laid down a Spanish rapier.

Evan did the same, although instead of a blade, he put down what looked like some sort of compass. Andre, however, shook his head, “What I found was too heavy to move. Basically, Spanish chest of, what I guess to be filled with gold.”

William and Dylan, however, had rather grim expressions on their faces. “Well, our luck sucks then.” Dylan started before he threw down into the pile a human skull.

“Found that in the building to the south… whole piles of ‘em… Spanish too, each and every one of them wearing something that looked like it came from Spain.” William added.

The five stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say, before Jourdain broke the silence with a clap of his hands. “Well, seems like you’ve managed to gather evidence that the Spanish did, in fact, find the White City.” He started calmly before pausing a moment to look at the skull. “And, judging by the skull, we also found out what happened to them, or at least why there are no stories or written records about this city, other than the few pieces Doctor Knight had found.”

Knight walked up to join the group, her arms folded against her chest, “Well… this is a rather grim discovery, but a crucial one none the less.”

Dylan turned to Knight, staring at her for a moment before opening his mouth to speak, “So… what’s the plan now?”

William rested his hands in his tactical vest, as he looked down at the artifacts gathered before them. “Say question, just phrased in my voice.”

Andre grinned, “You mean, broken and gay?”

William chuckled, before looking over at Andre, “Only for you guys.” He joked back.

Both men laughed, before Knighted coughed, reminding them of the matter at hand, “Anyways, as to what we’ll do next, I’ll have to get you and some of your friends here to report back to Erynn and the others to let them know of the situation. I believe we should get everyone down here to begin investigating and looking for further clues as to the whereabouts of the fabled city of gold…” Pausing a moment she turned over to the cart filled with gold. “Given how much there is, it might be possible the city exists. Hell, this might be El Dorado for all we know.”

William nodded, “Right… well, I’ll go up with Dylan and Andre. Evan and Lucas will stay with you guys to help you look for whatever it is you’re hoping to find.”

“Thank you Anderson.” Jourdain said as he returned to his straight-backed self.

“You’re welcome, though I wouldn’t say thanks all too much, we’re still not sure what could be waiting for us here. Anyways, we’ll head back now.” William replied, before looking over at Lucas and his brother.

“Don’t worry, we’ll handle things here until you get back, they have a real man to watch there back here.” Lucas reassured the others.

“Yeah, with Evan here, we shouldn’t need to worry.” Dylan said a shit eating grin on his face.

Evan just nodded with a smile.

Lucas flipped Dylan off before the group turned about and returned to the tunnel entrance. Though as William, Dylan, and Andre made their way up the stairs they couldn’t help but feel something was off…