Sink: Old Man's Tale by Perrin Briar Page A

they realize what he was giving them? A chance to make amends for all the wrongs that were done to their ancestors? That was the reason he was in control. He alone saw what they needed to do, and it was his will they were carrying out, for all their benefit.
    “Take your place on your power generator,” Leader said. “We begin now.”
    But they did not move. Were they so stupid not to realize what they were about to do? To shake the very foundations beneath the Surfacers’ feet and send them running in fear. Leader glowed at the thought of it.
    Leader turned and nodded to the guards. They stepped forward, swords raised. With their boots and pointy helmets they were a fearsome sight. The town folk’s resolve broke and they headed toward the power generators. They each climbed on, even the kids, on specially-made smaller versions.
    “Begin,” Leader said.
    At first it was difficult to get the pedals moving, but once they did, they got into a rhythm. The pedals turned and the power flowed through the cables to the diggers, currently sat perched at the tunnel entrances. The guards hit the power buttons and the machines began to chug, the engines turning over. First one, and then two, and then a dozen, and soon the whole town was alive with the rattle of engines. They moved forward, their drill bits spinning in place. They entered the tunnels, rising up the inclines.
    They met the earth walls. Dirt and stone billowed up out of the tunnels, rising as a dirty curtain that descended over the town and peddlers. The giant drill bits carved their way into the soil with ease. A day’s worth of digging completed within a couple of minutes.
    Leader raised his arms and let the dirt spray over him. It was a sign of impending victory.
    Their revenge had begun.

Chapter Thirty
     
     
    “ Twenty years ,” Carlos said. “You couldn’t come any sooner than now?”
    “We would’ve been caught,” Chief Digger 138 said. “Now, the guards are all busy.”
    Carlos folded his arms, grumbling.
    Graham, Jeremiah, and Chief Digger 138 and his family peered over a mound of dirt at the edge of town, at the locals on their power generators, at the loud rumbling from the tunnels, at Leader, standing on a balcony of the castle taking in the majesty of his, and his ancestors’, plans finally coming to fruition.
    “You can still get out of here,” Chief Digger 138 said. “They’re not using the exit tunnel yet.”
    Graham and Jeremiah exchanged a look.
    “No, we’ll help you,” Jeremiah said. “It’s our fault the machines are here. We have to shut them down.”
    “Carlos?” Graham said.
    “Yes,” Carlos said, though he sounded hesitant. “I will stay too. Though I will not throw what remains of my wasted life away on some foolish plan.”
    “How do you want to handle this?” Graham said.
    “Why are you asking me?” Jeremiah said. “What do I know about putting a stop to plans for global domination?”
    “You’re the engineer,” Graham said.
    “So is he,” Jeremiah said.
    “I don’t know,” Carlos said. “But we have to stop those diggers otherwise they’re going to get to the surface and wreak havoc.”
    “We need to cut the power,” Jeremiah said.
    “How do we do that?” Graham said. “Chop off their legs?”
    “We cut the cables,” Jeremiah said. “No cables, no power.”
    “We’ll need sharp tools to cut through those things,” Graham said.
    “How about the guards’ swords?” Chief Digger 138 said. “The guards all carry them.”
    “Where do they keep them?” Jeremiah said.
    “In the guards’ camp,” Chief Digger 138 said. “With them all guarding the tunnels like this, there can’t be many inside.”
    “Then how are we going to get close to the cables without them stabbing us in the process?” Jeremiah said.
    “Maybe we should leave them to it,” Graham said. “This isn’t our problem.”
    “And what about all the people up on the surface?” Jeremiah said. “The ones who will lose