Like Veins of Red Rubies (Most Precious Book 1) (2 page)

Emily laid Stanley’s clothes on
the bed. Stanley emerged from the shower, dry and in his undergarments.

"I don’t want you going
anywhere near those tunnels again," said Emily. "Your intentions were
kind, and I am satisfied with merely that."

Stanley smiled and said,
"Okay."

Emily held Stanley’s pants as he
put on his shirt.

"So what is this meeting
about?" she said.

"This meeting," Stanley
began. He took his pants and put them on before saying, "I’m actually not
too sure about it. I only know that Victor said he would call one."

Emily went behind Stanley and
helped him into his coat. She hugged him and rested her head on his back.
"Just get back safely," she said.

Someone knocked on the door.
Emily walked over and opened it and saw that Victor was there.

"Hello, Mrs. Barrett,"
Victor said. "I’m just here to steal your husband from you."

"Of course," said Emily.

Stanley kissed Emily on her
forehead. He said, "I’ll see you later," and walked out.

Stanley and Victor walked down
the street, past the domiciles.

"I briefly spoke to some of
the other council members about what you found," said Victor. "They
were certainly interested. They were mostly concerned that you went digging
around there."

"They shouldn’t worry too
much," said Stanley.

"I'll have to agree with
them. You were foolish to mess around in the cave. But if you hadn’t found that
weapon, we would have left that busted wall open."

"You’re thinking of patching
it up?"

"If the
rest of the council wants to.
I’ve wanted to patch that place ever since the water pipe had burst it open.
It’s a structural integrity hazard and a general safety issue. And you found a
weapon there, who knows what else there may be."

Stanley and Victor walked into
the town square where a crowd had gathered. They were all facing the towering
glass cylinder that was town hall. Inside, the council members were seated
around a table, examining the rod. The two rushed past the crowd and walked in.
They all turned to greet the both of them.

"I didn’t know everyone had
gathered already," said Victor.

"We were eager to talk about
Mr. Barrett’s findings," said Mr. Roberts. "And as head of the
council, I deemed this as important."

"Yes, it’s about time we
took action," said Victor. "That hole has been left broken for far
too long. Let us take advantage of this situation and close it."

"Hold on, Victor. Some of
our members haven’t heard the story," said Mr. Roberts. He turned to
Stanley and pointed to the rod. "Please explain to everybody how you
acquired this."

"Well," Stanley
started, "I would sometimes sneak through the broken wall and go across
the lake. I would pick my way up, using the old diggers."

"You’re not supposed to go
through that hole. And access to the diggers is prohibited," said one the
councilmen, Ailey. "What were your intentions?"

"I wanted to get rubies for
my wife."

The council members chuckled.

"One day," Stanley
said, "I went in there to dig for rubies – I had found a vein of them. I
got them and continued digging, and I thought that there was a rich vein right
before me. But I dropped my light. I managed to dig it out, but it happened to
be that rod."

"He injured himself
badly," said Victor. "That rod gave him a nasty gash. He was lucky to
have gotten his medicine in time. But if it were someone else, maybe a child,
it would not have developed in the same manner. We have to prevent this from
happening again by blocking that hole."

Mr. Roberts raised his hand.
"Take a step back and assess all possible situations, not just the
dangers. Some of the council members and I have been talking about perhaps
continuing with Stanley’s efforts – not to dig for gems, but to reach the
surface."

Some of the council members
turned to each other and mumbled.

"It is not certain,"
said Mr. Roberts. "It is only a thought."

"Why do you have such
thoughts?" said Ailey. "We’ve lived here long, and our resources are
plenty. The few needed repairs and maintenance is handled by our system; that
hole is an exception. But overall, we can all live without having to do a lick
of work. Why make some? Why waste our time and energy to dig up?" He
turned to the man beside him. "Isn’t that right Mr. Albertson? You’re the
oldest member here. You know best of our bunker’s integrity."

Everyone turned to Mr. Albertson.
He looked up at all of them and smacked his lips. "I remember the stories
my great--grandmother used to tell me," he said. "She told me stories
about the world above, a world with no roof, but with endless skies and fresh
air. I had always hoped that I would live long enough to see them."

The room silenced and many people
looked down or blankly stared.

Mr. Roberts stood up and said
with a low voice, "Many of us have been raised by these stories. These
stories of hope and freedom lie deep within our hearts. It has been many
centuries since our ancestors first settled down here and plenty of time has
passed since the Great Disaster. I believe it is time enough for the world to
have healed."

"But are we sure it
has?" said Victor.

Mumbles of agreement and
disagreement ran along the council.

"Let us have a vote,"
said Mr. Roberts. "All in favor of digging set your calls."

Ten people, including Mr. Roberts
and Mr. Albertson, raised their hands.

"All opposed."

Ten people, including Victor and
Ailey, raised their hands.

"Mr. Barrett, it seems you
haven’t voted," said Mr. Roberts.

Stanley’s gaze was lost in the
floor.

"Stanley," said Victor.
"What’s your choice?"

Stanley looked around at the
councilmembers. He grunted to clear his throat. With a sure voice he said,
"I choose to dig."

Most of the council members
clapped and cheered while Victor and Ailey shook their heads.

"Right," said Mr.
Roberts. "We will acquire our equipment and enact safety measures. We will
begin digging within a week. Mr. Barrett, since you have experience, you’ll be
taking the lead in this dig."

"Yes, of course" said
Stanley.

All the councilmembers filed out
of the town hall to the square. Some went over to their families who had been
watching and shared news of what had happened.

Victor followed Stanley and said,
"Well then, looks like we’ll all be risking our lives."

Stanley only said,
"Yes," but Victor had already walked away.

"I can still get some rubies
for her," Stanley said as he returned home. "She’ll love them."

Emily sat on her bed and watched
as Stanley put his apron on.

"Will that apron be
enough?" she said. "Do you need mine as well?"

"I'll be fine,
darling," said Stanley. "Mr. Roberts probably has some protective
gear ready."

"No, it just doesn't feel
right." Emily walked over to the kitchen and picked her apron from the
wooden peg. It had red floral patterns and bows. "Wear this under yours.
It'll be better than nothing."

Stanley smiled. "I'll wear
it over mine," he said. "The flowers will brighten the mood for
everyone in those cramped tunnels."

Emily returned a thin smile. She
went behind Stanley and fastened the apron.

"I'm not very keen on this
whole project," she said. "It's too dangerous for you in there."

"I've done it before and
there will be others," said Stanley. He walked over to the door and opened
it. "Do not worry."

"You know I will," she
said. "Just be careful."

Stanley nodded at her and walked
through the street. There was more of a bustle that day as many others walked
in the same direction. They all whispered and carried excited faces.

"Will you be participating
in the dig today, Mr. Barrett?" said a young woman.

Stanley turned to her. "Why
yes," he said. "I’ll actually be leading the dig."

He reached the town square where
a massive crowd had gathered. They were kept behind fences as the able bodied
council members stood around two large, metal containers. Stanley walked to
them.

"Mr. Barrett," said Mr.
Roberts. "It’s good to see you."

"Hello," Stanley said.
"Are these the supplies?" He pointed to the containers.

"Yes," Mr. Roberts
said. "We found them in the storage chamber. Apparently our ancestors had
planned for us to dig out. They kept a whole cache of drills in pristine
condition."

"Are they better than our
standard diggers?" said Stanley.

"These are much more
powerful," said Mr. Roberts. "We’d be able to drill out in no time.
But the amount of dirt that slides down may overwhelm us. So we’ve hired extra
personnel who will help us siphon the dirt to the side as they fall."

"How many people are needed
to dig?"

"The tunnels will be too
small, so only two per drill," said Mr. Roberts. "There will be a
total of eight separate tunnels in case some of them are unable to
continue."

Victor approached and said,
"They’ve paired me with you." He chuckled. "Nice apron."

"Thanks," said Stanley.

Victor said, "Come on. Let’s
unload the tools."

The crowd of people huddled and
watched as the council members opened the containers. Mr. Roberts stood over
one and Victor stood over the other.

"I’ll be handing out
protective gear," said Mr. Roberts. "Equip them as soon as you are
handed one."

"After you’re done, come and
take a drill from me," said Victor.

Stanley was given the first set
of gear and he stepped aside. He fitted his chest--guard over his aprons. Then
he secured the gauntlets, boots and helmet. He went over to the next container.

"Here, take this one,"
said Victor. He withdrew a large drill with two handles and a long metal tip.
"Keep it turned off and don’t touch the tip. It’s pretty sharp."

Stanley set the drill on the
floor and went over to Mr. Albertson, who was struggling to fasten his gear.

"Let me help you with
that," said Stanley. He grabbed the gauntlet and secured it on Mr.
Albertson’s arms. "You should stand back and manage the workflow."

"Don’t play soft with
me," said Mr. Albertson. "I’m not going to stand around, pretending I
have an important task, no. I’m going to get my hands dirty today."

Stanley returned to his drill and
held it. He observed the buttons and figured out the functions which were
simple: hold it by the handles and press the button to start. He ran his finger
along the tip of the drill and recoiled when it pricked him.

"It’s dangerous, I told
you," said Victor. He handed the last drill to Ailey. "I would use
it, but I know you have more experience. Let’s go."

Stanley and Victor walked through
the broken wall. The others trailed behind. When they reached the lake, Victor
said, "Is there a way around?"

"No," said Stanley.
"You walk through it. Don’t worry, it’s not too deep. It only goes up to
your knees."

Stanley knelt down, removed his
boots and folded his pants. "I suggest you all do the same," he said.

Victor placed the drill down and
removed his boots. He folded his pants up to his knees. "I don’t suppose
you could carry my boots for me," he said, "since I’ll be carrying
the drill."

Stanley grabbed both his own and
Victor’s boots.

Victor started forward into the
water. Stanley followed him in. The others were reluctant to do so, first
dipping only their toes in, but when Mr. Albertson walked straight in, they
followed.

Stanley reached the other end of
the lake and wiped his legs dry. The others did the same.

"Our teams need to prepare
their digging routes," said Mr. Roberts. "Set eight corridors along
the wall and have teams at the base, ready to start pushing the dirt
away." He looked at slab of dirt at the base of Stanley’s tunnel. "I
see that you’ve accumulated some dirt from your previous endeavor, Mr.
Barrett."

"Yes, and if it’s all right,
I’d like to continue digging through the tunnel I started on," Stanley
said.

Mr. Roberts turned on the light
on his helmet and looked up the tunnel. "Yours is far too steep," he
said. "It may just collapse."

Victor looked inside the tunnel
and said, "If it doesn’t collapse, we’re going to slide right out."

"We can make ledges to
secure our feet on," said Stanley. "And I suppose we can slide out if
needed. Heck, I used to do that sometimes on by sliding on my bag. I'm sure our
gear would lessen the friction. We’ll just need a few men to create a ramp of
dirt so we don’t stop too suddenly."

"It's a grand risk that it
will only get more troublesome as you climb up," said Mr. Roberts.

"Why risk the trouble later
on when we could just start a new one and go easily?" said Victor.

"We’ll be able to reach the
surface much faster if we dig at a steeper slope," said Stanley. "And
if that is a possibility, I am willing to take the chance."

"It seems you really want to
break out of here," said Mr. Roberts. He turned to Victor. "Are you
willing to dig in there?"

Victor stared at the tunnel and
took a deep breath. "I guess it’s the logical thing," he said. He
picked up his drill and walked over to the tunnel.

"Very
good.
But
know that you can always stop," said Mr. Roberts. "The other men will
be digging tunnels of their own."

"Of course," said
Stanley. "I’ll begin right away." He walked over to Victor and said,
"Hand me the drill. I have experience, I’ll climb first. I suggest that
you climb at your own pace, and take time to adjust. Don’t risk yourself
getting an injury."

"Yeah," Victor mumbled.
He turned on his helmet light.

Stanley took the drill and went
in first. He stepped on ledges to step upward. "Keep your feet wedged in
something," he said. "If you take a flat step, you’ll slip."

Victor placed his foot on the
ledge and grasped on a rock and climbed.

Stanley progressed quickly, his
steps moving well to each ledge. When he bumped his head, he patted the end of
the tunnel and looked down. He said, "Take your time. I’ll begin by
myself."

Stanley stuck the handle of his
drill into a ledge and placed a large rock on top of it. He reached into his
apron pocket and withdrew his chisel and mallet. He turned his light on and
shone it upon a vein of rubies. "There you are," he said. "I
knew you were there." He took his chisel and picked around the edges of
the vein. With care, he picked a small one out. Another vein seemed to stem
deeper in. He took his chisel and picked at it.

Victor approached with cautious
steps. "I don’t hear that drill going," he said.

"Yeah, I’m clearing some of
this before we begin," said Stanley. He chiseled faster.

"Clearing what?"

"Some harder rocks."

Victor squeezed a glance in
between Stanley.

"Those are rubies,
right?" said Victor.

Stanley didn’t respond, he
continued chiseling.

"You mean to tell me that
you came up this way to get rubies for your wife?" said Victor.

Stanley remained silent.

"Damn the rubies!"
Victor said. "We’re digging in this little hole because of you. You need
to act right."

Victor yanked the drill from the
ledge. "I’m going to be drilling," he said. "You stay behind and
push the dirt down."

"No wait," began
Stanley. "Let me just get these out." But Stanley was interrupted by
the sound of the drill whizzing and whirring. Stanley swerved away as Victor
aimed and pushed the drill upward. The metal tip tore at the rubies, dirt, and
rocks, flinging them all over and quickly amassing mounds of them around
Victor’s legs.

"Do your job and push them
down," said Victor. The pile of dirt had climbed to his ankles.

"Fine, damn you,"
Stanley said. He pushed the dirt through Victor’s legs and they tumbled down.
The falling dirt was relentless and pushed Stanley’s arm against Victor’s left
leg, causing him to jerk and disrupt his aim. With both hands, Stanley held
Victor’s foot up.

"You fool!" cried
Victor.

"Act quickly, find a
ledge," said Stanley. "I cannot hold you up for long, my own feet are
slipping."

Victor’s arms dirtied as he held
his violently spinning drill in place. He wriggled his left index finger free,
and reached for the button, but his shaking leg made his arm tremble and the
drill veered slowly to the left and he quickly repositioned his grip.

"Turn that stupid thing
off," Stanley said.

"I can't hold it
straight," Victor said.

Stanley pulled Victor’s foot to
the wall and forced it into a ledge.

"You’re good now,"
Stanley said.

Victor deactivated the drill and
looked down.

Stanley sat down and covered his
face with his palm. His heavy breaths escaped through his fingers.

"That was close,"
Victor said.

Palm still over his face, Stanley
said, "You think if you had waited to start drilling, that wouldn’t have
happened?"

"I think you just had to
push the dirt away in time."

"You know what, you're
right. Arguing will get us nowhere," said Stanley. He lowered his palm and
pointed to the drill. "Let’s prevent a clash and just work."

"Are you willing to do your
job right this time?"

"Just start drilling."

Victor set his drill in place and
proceeded to drill up. Endless amounts of dirt and rocks broke and fell.
Stanley carefully pushed the dirt down the tunnel and he could not find a
second to even stretch his arms. Only when Mr. Roberts called up the tunnel did
they stop. His voice was faint, but incessant as he said, "Come down
now."

Victor stopped and lowered his
drill.

Stanley pushed the last mound of
dirt down and called, "We will. Stay clear of the ramp." He turned to
Victor. "Hand me the drill. I’ll take it down."  Victor handed
the drill over.

Stanley turned to lie on his
back. He hugged the drill and pointed the tip of it down, away from his body.

Victor furrowed his eyebrows and
said, "Are you going to slide down like that?"

"I’m experienced."

"You’re crazy, do you know
that?"

Stanley chuckled and slid his
foot out of the ledges and slid downward. His tough armor rubbed against the
rocks, preventing him from sliding too quickly, and produced a coarse, grating
noise. He kept his legs far apart as the drill worryingly shook and edged
toward them. He slid out of the tunnel and down the ramp of dirt and continued
until he stopped at the foot of the lake.

Mr. Roberts ran over. "That
was quite the sight," he said as he helped Stanley up.

"I’m used to it now,"
Stanley said. "I’m glad you made that ramp. Otherwise, I would have had a
deadly impact."

"I’m glad I did too,"
said Mr. Roberts. "Many of the others have already left. Leave your gear
near your tunnel. Will Victor be coming down?"

"Yes. He's still getting
accustomed to the slide. I'm sure he'll get down soon," said Stanley. He
walked over to the tunnel and flashed his light inside. "Victor!" he
called.

"What?" Victor said.

"Leave your gear down
here."