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248 explained to 317, "I spent my first days, after waking up as a miner, exploring the tunnels whenever I had opportunity, learning as much as I could about the mines. I hoped to find a way out of here which bypasses the guards and, most especially, the Eaters."

No. 248 struggled through the hole he had made into the debris pile and out the other side of the rubble. The hole took him to the mystery segment of the tunnel, where the lights now illumined the baffling passageway.

No. 317 followed. The two sat near the top of the pile, facing the closed off section, and stared down the tunnel that-away.

317 asked, "And then what did you find on your explorations? Is there another way out, besides the main entrance?"

"I don’t know. Let's go see."

317 and 248 dropped from the hill of debris onto the crunchy ground, landing between the sets of rails, which they could now see in the light. The tracks, despite being in a supposedly unused tunnel, were very, very clean for such a dusty environment, as though carts had gone through recently, and the cart wheels had removed the grime while polishing the rails with each trip they made. The tunnel started to descend, and the two continued trudging forward, toward whatever lay ahead. The curvature of the passage made it impossible to see the end of their journey. The turning of the tunnel blocked anything from view more than thirty yards ahead or behind.

No. 317 asked, "How many other miners are like us, 248?"

"Not as many as there used to be," he replied. "I like to welcome the new miners when they are taken to the training area, if I can talk my way into being allowed in there. I pretend I want to be there because I envy the waking miners for their newfound excitement of what awaits them, serving the Governor. In reality, it is to find like-minded miners, who cannot feel the love and devotion to Gov. Bright, like you and I do not. I can't figure out what makes some not so easily persuaded, while the rest eat it up with a spoon... I don't know the origin of us miners, where we come from, how we are made, but I know that, from time to time, I meet the occasional defect, the miner, who isn't enamored with Gov. Bright. These so-called ungrateful miners are marginalized, or given that pill to take, or assigned dangerous, suicidal tasks- The number of miners like us isn't very high, and those who are like us keep quiet, to avoid being punished, so... I can only estimate, but I believe our numbers are very low."

317 sighed. "Too bad."

They continued in silence for awhile, until they reached the end of the corridor. There, the rails stopped at a large elevator platform that could accommodate several carts at a time. The shaft for the elevator lift went downward only, and not upward.

"Now what?" asked No. 317.

248 stepped onto the lift and poised his finger over a button on a mounted control box. "You know what. Hop on."

"Hmm. Okay, but if we meet anybody down below, let's prepare a cover story about why we are there. Maybe we can tell them we got lost or something." He joined 248 on the lift.

248 cackled loudly. Too loudly, for 317's tastes- He might be heard by whoever was there beneath. And what was so funny, anyway?

248 told 317, "George, no one will believe a cover story like that. But, you know, since we were the ones who had to turn on the lights, and to dig through the fake debris pile- doesn't it stand to reason that, whatever goes on down there, isn't going on at the moment? We were the only ones in the tunnel. I bet the downstairs is unattended as well like up here, at least for the moment.”

“That makes sense. So, No. 248, what are you waiting for, let's see what's in the basement."

248 pressed the button marked "DOWN". The elevator lurched and began its slow descent. The lights of the tunnel they were leaving provided the only light for the trip. The elevator hummed softly. At last it stopped on the bottom floor, several levels below, in a poorly lit place.

A few dim bulbs burned here and there, showing a nearby electrical panel, mounted on a support post near where the elevator stopped. On the panel was the switch for the rest of the lights here on this level, to turn them on.

In the half-light, No. 317 made out a concrete wall maybe fifty yards from them, in front of the elevator. Rail tracks resumed, running from the elevator shaft to the wall, disappearing under a large closed pull-up cargo door. Besides the loading door, there were four other standard doors, two on either side of the cargo door. All doors looked like they were made of heavy-duty metal. Maybe locked, to hide whatever the secret was. And to the back of the elevator, behind George and No. 248, the cavern stretched into darkness, with some empty tables barely visible in the blackness beyond.

The pair of explorers stared at the concrete wall ahead of them.

248 asked, "What do you think is behind that wall? Do you think we can get through those doors, to search for an escape route to freedom?"

"I don't know if we can get through the doors, or if we can find an escape route, but I think I know what is behind the wall," 317 answered. "I am sure it is a very important thing for some reason. I don't know how I know, but I know. Maybe it was another strange dream I had, but cannot remember.”

248 watched his face, waiting for the punchline. None. "For real?"

"Beyond the wall, there is a secret fuel ore processor. That's one reason there's never enough supplies from Earth for this planet- The supplies sent from Earth often are diverted here to this place. Gov. Bright doesn't want to depend on Earth to process what fuel he needs on this world. If he can do it himself, our wonderful Governor can declare his independence from Earth. I expect only the most loyal and dependable miners are allowed to work in this area, those who can keep a secret, but they don't work here all the time, of course. I think a small amount of ore is skimmed off the quota of each day that we dig, and when enough is set aside to make it practical to fire up the processor, then it is brought down here and made into stable energy fuel. Then the select miners must spend the whole day down here, until it is done. That is why there are tables behind us, their cafeteria. They probably even pull a triple shift, and the miners of course think that's wonderful. For the Governor!”

No. 248 digested this information."Maybe. It certainly is an interesting theory. Or maybe it is all in your imagination.”

“I think I am right. But how could I know all that?"

248 scratched his head. "Perhaps this information is so important for you to know, that even the thing they do to give us amnesia could not erase it from the back of your mind, like my dreams of speaking to lots of people. Like how we remember Jesus.”

317 nodded. "That's the only thing that makes sense."

248 said, "I never got this far before. I didn't want to be late for sleeptime, or they would give me the third degree. But if we can bust down a door and find a way out, I don't think we need to worry about whether we get back late ever again. If your theory is correct, then, if there is some processing going on down here, that must mean a lot of heat and gases need to be expelled because of the ingredients being forced to merge with the ore while the fuel is extracted. Like the way ore processing was once explained to us miners by the Governor himself. The hot air and gases can't vent back into the mines, or that would become too hot for the human guards. I thought at the time he told us that to make himself look more friendly with us. But maybe he wanted to let some of us know what the process entails, so that, whoever would be selected to work behind that wall, they would have an idea of what their job would be.”

“ So, then, that means there must be a vent shaft going outside somewhere. We could use it to escape,” said George, getting a bit excited over the thought. “We don't know where the exhaust shaft would exit, but if we could use that as a way out from here, at least we don't need to leave by the guarded front door. Who knows, maybe the vent even comes out somewhere way past the pit of Eaters.”

However, before either one could step off the elevator platform, an energy blast sizzled in the air just above their heads. "Halt!" a tinny voice cried. "You are unauthorized!"

"Uh oh," murmured No. 248. "Here comes trouble!"

Two robot guards had been patrolling the table area behind them, and, having heard the elevator, had come over to find out why the elevator was in use at an unscheduled time. Determining these miners were here without permission, one of them had fired a warning shot, and now both robots dashed towards the lift, to apprehend the trespassers.

317 hastily pressed the UP button. As the elevator began its slow climb back up, the other robot fired his blaster at them, too, almost hitting the controls of the lift.

248 shouted at them, "Better not damage the lift, or Gov. Bright will be angry with you!" He told George, "Quick, cover your number on your uniform so they don't identify us."

The warning to not damage the lift made the robots stop firing their blasters. As the robots discussed 248's cautionary advice among themselves, whether to fire at the miners or not, the elevator climbed higher and higher. Finally, the robots decided they should yell some more for them to halt and to come back. "Wait for the proper authorities! Halt! We order you to stop and identify yourselves!"

248 laughed and called back, "We can't identify ourselves, because our identities have been erased from us!"

"Halt! Halt! Come back here!”

Certain they didn't have much time to get out of this forbidden tunnel, because the robots would soon find a way up the elevator shaft to chase them, or the mechanical guards might instead report this and summon other guards by radio or something, Nos. 317 and 248 leaped off the elevator as it reached the tunnel above. They did not even wait until the elevator platform came up level with the tunnel floor. Once off the lift, they dashed back up the curving tunnel.

248 advised, "We’d better get back to our recreational caves, before any guards catch us.”

“Too bad... Next time we can get together, we have to return here, and bring some rocks with us to take out the robots. Or something.”

"Agreed," 248 confirmed, "although next time it will be better guarded, for sure. But if we can get in there, past the wall, I think we can get free through the vent I mentioned! I only hope it comes out past the moat of the Eaters, like you suggested.”

"Let's hope we can indeed finally get free. I am tired of this mining business.”

The two of them ran as fast as they could, hoping to get back to where they were supposed to be, with the rest of their work groups of the day, before any guards who might be hunting for trespassers crossed paths with them.

(c) 2012 drk