Gravity was a bitch.

The metal snapped the moment Kanden had come into contact with it — and of course, it would be after he assured Ryker the bars were stable since Rhonin climbed them just fine — and he dropped the very short length of the pole. Then he lost his grip when his inertia propelled him downward but not before popping his shoulder.

Kanden released the bar with a yelp, and he reached out with his other arm on instinct. Catching the side of the ladder, his body swung once in an unsteady arc before slamming face-first into the hard structure.

"Ow..."

"Kanden!" Ryker and Rhonin both cried his name, shaking the ladder as they shifted their weight.

"Stop moving!" he called back, taking inventory of all the places he'd hurt this time. His nose throbbed, but nothing felt broken. His lip hadn't fared so well, as he'd bitten through the flesh hard enough to draw blood, and his shoulder throbbed, but otherwise, he was okay.

Finding his footing, Kanden gasped when he lifted his left arm to reach for the bar. He couldn't assess the severity of his injury when his shoulder popped, but he had enough mobility to grab the rungs at eye-level. His heart pounded and his limbs shook with adrenaline, impeding his progress upward.

The distance wasn't far, and Kanden took the structural stability more seriously this time, testing his weight before proceeding to the next step. When he approached the spot where the missing slat had snapped, Kanden held the right side of the ladder while using his leg muscles to slowly climb the thin rungs.

Once he reached Rhonin and Ryker, their bodies relaxed as they sighed in visible relief.

"How are you not pissing yourself?" Ryker squeaked. "You could have been killed."

True... four months ago, Kanden would have internally freaked out and cried. If he did that now, Rhonin, Olivine, and the other enforcers would grind him into the dust. And they had. Though, the longer his shoulder throbbed and ached, the more he winced with each prick into the socket.

He decided to shrug it off. If he expressed pain now, Rhonin would probably send him back, and Kanden might not receive another chance later. "I'm fine. That's all that matters."

Ryker raised an eyebrow and shot Kanden a meaningful look that said they'd talk later.

"You had me worried," Rhonin confessed, positioning himself in the back and extending his arm toward the open doors. To Ryker, he said, "Go ahead and get on that ledge. I'll keep you steady."

Ryker clung to the ladder like his life depended on it, though Kanden supposed it probably did. Every time he moved his foot, he curled into the frame again.

Climbing as close as he dared without aggravating his injury, Kanden touched Ryker's shoulder. "You can do this. Don't think about anything but the doors. It's not far."

Ryker nodded, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. "Okay."

With their help, Ryker made it to the ledge. Keeping low, he crawled away from the ledge and lay flat on his belly.

"You aren't going to magically drop over the edge," Kanden teased. "The ground is solid."

Ryker squeaked. "You really want to test your luck again? You said that about the ladder too."

Fair. But Kanden had also let go, so he attributed that to human error. "I was clumsy."

"Well, try not to fall again, and get to the ledge," Rhonin instructed, wasting no time.

Using the ladder for support, Kanden reached for Ryker, who caught him and dragged him onto the platform. "Sheesh, you're getting heavy. Are you gaining weight?"

"It's muscle," Rhonin grunted, landing gracefully beside them as he bent his knees, absorbing the impact of the jump from the ladder. He stood and wiped his palms on his trousers. "The training is intense, and Kanden will bulk up before any of you realize the difference. Let's go."

Ryker scooted away from the ledge and kept close to the wall, relaxing only when Kanden joined him in the dark, narrow passage. The only luminescence came from the glow sticks around their necks, casting the metal walls in sickly shades of green and yellow.

"What is this place?" Ryker whispered, skimming his fingers along the smooth surface.

Kanden surveyed their surroundings. This level was nothing like the lower floors; instead of rough stone, everything here consisted of artificial structures. He tried to recall the schematics but they never specified what alloys the levels were made from — only the functions had been labeled. "Uh, I think this is the floor where the original science and medical labs were located."

Ryker tilted his head and pursed his lips as something crunched under his foot. He looked down and squatted, shining light on broken bits of glass. "Huh. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but why would this floor have been sealed to begin with? Even a few outdated supplies would go a long way toward our quality of life."

"I don't know," Kanden confessed while scratching his head. "When I was in the vents above the Council Chamber, they said something about the maintenance access being cut off."

Standing again, Ryker looked around the abandoned hall, where Rhonin had pushed forward a few meters without them, but stopped long enough to wait in silence.

Indiscernible debris littered the floor, covered by years of dust and inactivity. The windows on both walls had been shattered at one point, but in the poor lighting, the corridor appeared haunted. "Hm. That doesn't explain why the access tubes were sealed and hidden. Zephyr said you'd found plans for us to reach the surface."

"Well, yeah, but that binder was created over two hundred years ago," Kanden said, moving away from the platform where he'd almost gone kersplat. "It detailed plans for saving humanity when we ran out of options. Climate change limited global resources while the world governments abandoned everyone and sought refuge in space. The Founders designed this bunker in natural caverns and sealed it until we could safely ascend to the surface."

Project Soteria had also given a brief explanation of the wars, famine, and natural disasters after the world economy collapsed and the disturbing statistics of all the dead. The plans detailed a manifesto while outlining procedures and laws to ensure maximum sustainability, but that had gone out the window sometime long before Kanden's generation.

Ryker released a soft whistle. "I can barely imagine the Overland, let alone space. Do you think there are more bunkers elsewhere?"

Kanden shrugged. Focusing on anything but the present was overwhelming enough without him expanding his thoughts to encompass everything beyond his current bubble of existence. "I guess; the binder designated this as Bunker 004, so who knows? We won't learn anything though unless we find a way out."

If other people did exist in Overland, they certainly weren't lending a hand to assist. As far as anyone was concerned, the Undergrounders were alone.

Kanden walked with Ryker and peered into the nearest room where several pieces of equipment sat unused on counters. Machines lay broken and scattered on the floor, as if they'd taken a tumble and no one had bothered to retrieve it.

He tried the door handle, and it swung open with a groan. As he entered, Ryker followed him, and Rhonin came in last, taking the rear. Glow sticks reflected against the cold metal gadgets and ancient tools. A screen dangled from a cable, refusing to fall from where it had been mounted. A white, discarded jacket lay in a heap beneath an overturned chair, and a cabinet gaped from where the door had fallen from its hinges and broken on its impact with the ground.

"Woah." Ryker explored the space first, examining everything he encountered. He opened and closed the cabinets, rifling through different clinking objects and sifting papers until he stopped at a row of thick books. The wide smile stretching from ear to ear when he turned, hugging a text to his chest said it all: he'd found the ultimate treasure: a trove of scientific knowledge waiting to be rediscovered and read.

Kanden chuckled and left the room, ready to explore the next. Together, the trio entered one chamber after the next, all abandoned in various states of disarray. Broken technology, now relics of an ancient past, maintained their eternal vigil in the musty spaces. Cracks lined a few walls and crept into the ceiling tiles, telling the story of degrading infrastructure that once would have been state-of-the-art.

Kanden stopped at the end of the corridor, where another sealed door waited, similar to the one Rhonin had pried open earlier in the access tube. Also like the other entry point, attached to the wall, was a black square panel protruding outward.

Inspecting it and touching the smooth screen, Kanden glanced around as he sought a power source. "Why do you think the electricity is off here and not downstairs? I thought everything was connected to the solar panels."

Crowbar in hand, Rhonin approached the door and wedged the flat tip in the tight space, bending his knees as he worked the tool from side to side. Pausing for breath, he explained, "It is, but not all the solar panels work. According to Zephyr and Arlo, the only way to access them now is to go up. Some minor quake several years back collapsed the tunnels, and until recently, no one in the Council was aware the access tubes existed."

"But why?" Ryker questioned, shouldering a backpack he hadn't brought with him. By the way it sank and sharp edges bulged from the lower half, Kanden guessed Ryker had shoved every book he could find in there. Tightening the straps, he continued. "What made the Council before us completely seal off the top levels of the Caverns? Why is everything primitive on the bottom floors when everything here looks like something from another world? And most importantly, why would anyone forget? Everyone knows about the maintenance tunnels, but not one person has ever mentioned this."

Rhonin stopped what he was doing and exchanged a troubled glance with Kanden before standing and arching his back while placing his hands on his hips. The bar hung horizontally, wedged tight between the doors. "Those are all very good questions, none of which I have an answer for. I can't imagine any scenario that would force us further underground and literally in the dark."

The whole situation reeked of suspicious activity, but without definitive evidence, they could only speculate. "Do you think other Founding Families would have information hidden in their quarters?"

Rhonin's shoulders dropped as he puckered his mouth and scrunched his nose like someone defecated in front of him. "I didn't think of that."

Kanden didn't dare elaborate about the safe rooms in case Father didn't want anyone finding out. There had been a reason for the secrecy, and he didn't know how either of these men would react to more news of the corruption behind the elite families. Would they be angry with him too? He didn't want the responsibility of keeping such a dangerous secret.

His hope was short-lived; Ryker watched him intently,  with his tongue between his lips. That was his tell when he was thinking hard and preparing to ask a loaded question. "Kanden, how did you find those schematics?"

Rhonin's attention turned to him as well, but his stoic face was impossible to read. Voice even, he said, "Every Founding Family has access to a safe room. Bastion might know more, but they've always been adamant about continuing their genetic line. My guess is it's related specifically to the technology that went into this place."

Reproduce for the sake of science? No thanks. The idea seemed so sterile, and if Kanden wanted to be honest with himself, a little creepy.

"And it wasn't brought on by elitism?" Ryker asked skeptically, interrupting Kanden's thoughts.

Rhonin sighed as he brushed a coiled lock of hair from his forehead. "Hell if I know. I know you hate Bastion, but I'm not sure he knew about the schematics before the riots. He's always been honest, if not taciturn in his delivery. Anyone who pays attention longer than five minutes could tell you he wants out of here as much as the rest of us."

His meaningful gaze wasn't lost on Kanden as he turned back to the door and tried to work it open again. Why he wanted Kanden to patch things up with Father was beyond him — they were worlds apart who just happened to intersect to achieve a common goal. But after the training and this mission, Rhonin would go back to whatever his duties were while Kanden tried to find his purpose.

"Fuck!" The crowbar snapped, sending Rhonin off-balance. He slammed the broken metal against the door, making both Ryker and Kanden jump at his uncharacteristic outburst. Then he threw the useless tool to the ground before giving the door a hard kick. "We aren't going any further tonight."

"What about the top floor?" Kanden asked, noticing Ryker turn pale in the faint glow stick light, which had gradually dimmed during their reconnaissance.

Rhonin shook his head. "I'd like to clear one passage at a time. It won't do us any good to reach the top just to find out anything we might need is here. That, and we could use the supplies. I think I saw some odds and ends in some of the rooms Marina can use for the medical and science workers."

"There are some first-aid boxes in some of the cabinets," Ryker said brightly, as if relieved he wouldn't be climbing any more heights. "I also found some bags to carry it all."

"Perfect, let's gather what we can and go back. For now, let's keep everything confidential. I need to investigate a few things, and I'd rather not have the population up my ass before I have a solution to our overall problem."

To Kanden's surprise, Ryker didn't argue. Ryker, who had considered at one point to overthrow the Council and had lied to Kanden about his intentions. But a genuine spark of understanding flashed behind his eyes, and he led the way back into the desolate rooms.

Disappointment weighed Kanden down though; he didn't know why he'd expected to find everything in one trip, but he had hoped for something far more exciting nonetheless. Finding himself at a dead-end meant spending more time trapped Underground and fighting the relentless temptation to accept defeat.

With a resigned sigh, Kanden followed the men and helped gather whatever they could carry. After all, something useful was always better than nothing.

~*~

No long Author Notes. Just wanted to post my midnight drawings as I tried to figure out the physics of falling from a ladder. Try not to laugh too much. 😆

Also, OwlieCat came up with a truly wonderful AI concept for Kanden, and he's effing adorbs!!! I don't usually do cast lists because I like readers to visualize characters in their own way, but this is almost exactly how I imagine Kanden. 🥰🥰🥰

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked this chapter, you know where that little star is!