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Posts: 434
Join Date: Oct 2008
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BIG BLUE Awakenings Part 4 by Wayne Clayton
Sam had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the car headed down the slip road into the winding twists and turns which lead to the sub station at the base of the dam. Before him towered the shear concrete bowl of the Hoover Dam. The scale of it made his mind reel. This man made cliff face built to control nature. Looking up from where he was it looked so strong and unmoveable, but at the same time Sam knew how fragile it all was. How one small weakness could in the end make this mighty edifice crack like an eggshell. And the illusion that man could contain the raw power of a thousand gallons of cold Black Lake water would crash down upon their heads like a judgement from God on the foolishness of mankind.
“ Doctor, I didn’t bring you here for the sightseeing tour.” The tone of the Generals voice made the water look positively balmy.
“ Move it Soldier”
Sam grabbed the bag contain the few possessions he had left and fell in behind the General and his men.
As the party made it’s way into the Turbine Building Sam began to feel more and more like a condemned man, as steel door after door was opened and locked behind them. Each time like a Russian doll the rooms they lead into grew smaller and smaller. And above it all Sam was sure he could feel the weight of the dam bearing down on his shoulder. Sam’s mood was not helped by the drone of the Turbines which hissed and hummed .Their vibrations setting his teeth on edge nearly as much as the General.
Suddenly as the next steel door closed and the key turned the humming stopped. Sam’s ears still rang but now all was quiet .And before him lay a long, long narrow corridor. Lit from above by cage covered lamps straight from the pages of ‘Bomb Shelter Weekly’ and at the end of the corridor in the far distance was another one of those doors Sam dreaded so much. This one complete with not only one lock but two keyholes placed on either side of a wheel at it the heart.
The further they walked down its length the more Sam noticed the walls growing damper. Until he swore they had almost turned to liquid under his touch. Now the pressure on his shoulders had shifted to his head. This was real pressure. The pressure of an ocean above, squeezing the air out of his frame. Sam looked to the General and his men for signs they felt it too. The soldiers he could see had a grim look about them. They were feeling it alright. As for the General well Sam was sure a piano falling on his head from a great height wouldn’t of changed the expression on that stony face.
And now they stopped in front of the last door. The soldiers dug into their lapel pockets and fished out two identical keys. Each in perfect timing followed the drill which Sam guessed all soldiers learned in basic training.
‘One, Two lift key, Three, Four insert Key, Five, Six turn Key.’
Job done it was left to the General to grip the wheel and wrench it to the left. Releasing the pressure lock and letting the musky damp air escape into the tunnel. With a final heave the door lay open.
“Doctor, after you”
Sam could see that the General almost looking pleased to see his discomfort as he was forced to enter the void in front of him. Sam wiped his feet in the pooling water on the floor, glanced at the General’s smug face and stepped into the darkness.
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Dang it!
