Sci-fi Novel - Underground City - Part 9

Part 1 - 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

Part 9

The next day, while preparations for the operation on Earth were continuing, the names of the diplomatic expedition to the neighboring countries were announced. The giant rock at the head of the tunnel connecting Yerşehir to its western neighbors and were pulled by side with three mini diggers. A four-wheeled carriage and a convoy of six people entered the tunnel with prayers and anthems. Commander Tamra, two soldiers, Akman, Sitta and Doma was present in convoy. To be included in the kafilah, Sitta, the boyfriend of Derma asked President Omay to be involved in the expedition. He told her that he couldn't sleep at night because of his responsibility for the conflict with robots and he wanted to do something to make up for his mistake. He said that his condition was sufficient for a long walk, that he could carry out pioneering missions with his single-wheel bike, and that he would never get rid of his conscience if he could not take part in the battle or the reconnaissance mission. Although President Omay initially rejected the offer, Omay finally allowed Sitta to join the group upon the request of Sitta's mother.

Doma, who was a scholar that could speak four languages, was expected to conduct talks with the officials of other countries in the range of reach with philosopher Akman. The soldiers of the Union of Engineers were to undertake the tasks of opening the blocked parts of the tunnel and protecting the convoy from thieves who might be encountered on the road. The team was as narrow as possible because it was a problem to move large groups of people to areas where there were no water and food.

They just walked five minutes, and there was a huge dent. Sitta returned on his bike and informed the city administration of the situation. With a rotary bucket excavator connected to the cable that was extended throughout the canal, they opened the place where the dent occurred and carried the soil back to the city.

They haven't had any problems for a long time advancing in the tunnel. They could walk in the tube without having to bend down. The electric motor carrier was tracking them through sensors on it. They found it convenient to drive this way until the battery and the spare batteries were exhausted. Because the road was straight, then pushing the car would not require much effort. Maps showed that they were within 15 days' walking distance to Istanbul, the largest underground city in Anatolia.

Doma had an unusual appearance with his massive head on his tiny body and his separate eyes looking in different directions. His thin neck, his narrow chin, and his broad forehead made him look like a pear upside down. On his head, steep and sparse hair sprayed from the broad flat top. His body seemed to be designed to carry his brain and serve it. Akman was pleased to have a friend who was close to his intellectual capacity, but he was not much of a social type. For Doma, the words were the things that lost their meaning when used so much, and they should always be used in proper place and time. Akman was not a chatter type, but he wanted his companion to be a little more pleasant. It was assumed that people who spoke were cold and sincere, but this was mostly due to low volunteerism and rarely to nobility. Akman was determined to figure out which one was valid for Doma. “Do you think this is gonna work, master?” he asked.

“I don't know,” said Doma.

” I don't know either," said Akman.

Sitta approached two old men on his unicycle and said, “tunnel looks fine.”

“It may not be what it looks like,” said Doma.

“Commander Tamra says we can meet dwarves in a few days unless we have a new dent that cuts our way,” Sitta said.

“Unless they're extinct because of the plague,” Akman said.

“Dwarves are tough,” said Doma.

A few minutes after this conversation, they met a bent. The soldiers of Commander Tamra and Sitta began digging and shoveling the ground that blocked their way into the back of the tunnel. The air of the tube was relatively fresh and moist in this area. There was a chimney nearby. Rainwater entering the chimney probably caused soil erosion.

At the end of a two-hour study, they began to worry because it seemed that the dent was quite deep. As the hours went on, the faces of the soldiers and Sitta were darkened like miners, and the colors were yellow due to fatigue. Commander Tamra and the philosopher Akman who had strong arms took over the job to get the soldiers to rest. They were both working with perseverance and skill. In the meantime, academician Doma was examining the maps, and he was making measurements with the compass.

After hours of effort, they stopped because they could not reach the point where the drain ended. They thought they would rest for half an hour and continue their excavation, but first the soldiers fell asleep on the mats they laid on the soil. On top of that, Akman took two boards from the car and fell asleep in a corner. In his dream, the catfish were reporting complaints to Akman in the underground lake. They would miss Akman, who had been in the lake every morning for years and meeting them, for the time he would be away. As long as they were deprived of his energy, they were concerned that they would become more vulnerable to disease. This was not the case only for catfish; Akman who met the catfish every morning was renewed, he was raising the power to live and resist. In time Akman's soul and body would lose power and become vulnerable to all kinds of threats. We're so sorry to have to remind such simple truths to a wise man like you, said the spokesperson for the catfish. Akman, assuming that they read his thoughts, said it was impossible to avoid the duties. Yerşehir was everything to him, and he was going to do everything he could to protect his homeland.

After seven hours, commander Tamra instructed her soldiers to wake up and get back to work. Tamra was a short woman with the large butt. Her face lines were smooth and proportionate; lashes were long. In spite of her short cut hair and a military outfit with metal braids, it was evident at first glance that she was a woman. Her feminine elegance has never prevented her from being recognized as a tough and disciplined soldier. As soon as the soldiers heard Tamra's instructions, they got up and went to work.

Doma was sitting by the wall of the tunnel. Akman, who got up and put his boards in the car's luggage said, “Master, did you not sleep?”

“I haven't slept for years,” he replied.

“Is there no fatigue?”

” I sometimes sleep on my feet during the day," said Doma.