Three buzzers went off as they were each paged. There was only one phone in the trailer so James used it to get more information. Someone had discovered a problem down in one of the shafts.

Ms Gao went to suit up and head down. James decided to go down with her. He loved the feel of the mine. It was an alien landscape yet in it there were constant human reminders. He found the confusion enjoyable. Plus, it was always cool down there and today was kind of a scorcher up top.

They donned some protective clothes. These were basically heavy overalls with gloves and hard hats. This would keep them warm and protect them from chance falling rock. Plus, they could get these nice and messy and not worry about it.

It took a few minutes to get ready and then another few for the elevator to arrive. James always got a kick out of the old thing. He planned to keep it in place somehow. At the very least he’d have it taken out and restored. It would be a shame to lose the old girl.

It was basically a cage and a cable. They had put a light in the top just to make it easier on the people being lowered. They signaled the operator that they were ready with a simple thumbs up. Down they went.

After a short but noisy ride, they were ready to go and look at the problem. Ms Gao had gotten the directions. She took a quick look at the map to be certain of her bearings and started off. James followed after her.

The spot was a couple hundred yards from the elevator shaft. They started by walking down a long alley. They bypassed a couple of dark holes in the wall. Finally, they reached the right one and turned down it. It would have been hard to make a wrong turn. This one had lights and voices coming out of it.

Soon they arrived at the spot. It was a survey team of three, all men. They looked surprised that the big boss was visiting but they took it in stride. Quick introductions were made and then they got down to business.

Their leader took over, “The problem is right here”. He shone his flashlight on the wall and they could see a big jagged crack.

“How serious is it?”, James asked.

“Well, it’s hard to tell. We’re mostly surprised to have found it here at all. If it was just on the surface, it should be patched. It’s a problem if it goes back in too far.”

“Is it dangerous?” James immediately felt a little panicky.

“Probably not. Nine times out of ten these things are nothing. We just try to be cautious is all.”

“Ok, that’s good news. Now what?”

Ms Gao spoke up, “We have to inspect it and see how bad the damage is.”

“Worst case scenario?”

“If it’s dangerously unstable than we’d have to cordon off this part of the shaft and work around it. Not a real problem. Certainly nothing long term.”

“No, I guess not. Especially since we’ll be removing all of the rock anyway.”

This surprised the survey crew. “You’re going to…remove it all?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, it’s a secret but the word will get out sooner or later.” He looked from person to person making certain that he had the attention of the three men. “Gentlemen, we’re going to create the largest pit in the known world.”

“A pit?”

“Yes, we’re going to dig down and scoop at all of the earth here. Make a gigantic hole in the ground.”

They didn’t know quite what to make of that. Finally one of them said, “Do you really need that much earth?”

That got a chuckle. “No, it’s not the dirt that we’re after. Once we remove it all, we’ll be filling it with something else entirely.” He paused and no one spoke. “Something that the great state of Georgia has never seen before.”

They started to ask what that might be but there was an interruption. One of the metal supports let out a squeak. That got everyone’s attention.

James spoke first. “Did everyone hear that?”

They were still for a moment waiting for another sound. When you’re deep underground you develop a very healthy fear of strange sounds. The body is constantly aware that you’re cut off from the rest of the world. It has a way of focusing your attention. It was very quiet.

James again, “Must not have been anything.”

Then the ceiling responded. There was a rumble and a few small rocks fell. Dust seemed to appear all around them. They moved fast and instinctually back towards the elevator. After a few steps the falling rocks became too thick. The rumble became a roar. The light went out.

The roof had caved in.