Core Beliefs - Chapter 12 - Going Under

Core Beliefs—Chapter 12      Going Under

Chris was busy. Matt, on the other hand, was hanging loose, visiting the various divisions and chatting with managers, people on the production lines, and the warehouses.

He needed the distraction. The radical changes that had invaded his life not only unsettled his routine but also left his gut unsettled. He kept questioning.

"What have I missed? Is this going to blow up in my face? Missile silos. Things vanishing in a poof?" Matt was constantly questioning how he’d gotten caught in all the crazy, and yet down deep, there was an assurance that he was where he belonged, doing what he was supposed to do.

When Matt took a moment and settled his mind, he realized he had not felt this relaxed in years. These moments out on the factory floors, with the men and women who had been there for him over the years. The people responsible for bringing his vision to life lifted his spirits. Matt relished the chance to reestablish many old, neglected connections.

Tuesday evening, he got a call from Chris. Most of the materials they needed to explore the silo had shipped and would arrive in Wichita by Thursday. Chris was going to fly down, rent a pickup truck, and take the materials out to the farm. Eldridge had said they could store anything they wanted in the barn, and he and Elvin would help get things set up. Their eagerness empowered Matt.

"You have things to do." Matt sighed after hanging up, promising he would do his part.

***

Matt flew down on Friday, hoping they would get a good look at the silo over the weekend. Eldridge was at the Wichita airport to pick him up.

Eldridge looked taller in Matt’s eyes and was definitely happier than when they first met.

Eldridge and Matt got into Eldridge’s old pickup truck and headed for the farm. Eldridge asked if his two oldest could help with the exploration of the silo.

Matt thought about it. “Eldridge, I would prefer that they stay above ground until we really know what’s down there. I know Chris has some two-way radios. Maybe we can give them a map of the silo and tell them where we are and what we’ve found? That way, they can follow along.”

“That’s a smart plan,” Eldridge smiled. “I like it. I want to know what’s down there before turning them loose.”

Matt cringed at the thought of young ones getting hurt as they explored an unknown, unfinished relic of the Cold War.

“Eldridge, I just want to make sure things are safe. We know nothing about what is under the scrub. The toxic fumes tell us it’s not safe. It may be caved in or beyond our ability to make it a place we could use.”

Eldridge nodded. “I’m hearin’ you. There be a reason you hook the mule to the front of a wagon, and it got nothin’ to do with wantin’ to see their rumps. It’s so you can spot cantankerous before they start rippin’ stuff up.”

Matt chuckled at Eldridge’s truism.

When they arrived at the farm, Chris was waiting on the porch, with the Coblentz kids with him.

Marcy came out of the house, down the steps, walked straight to Matt, shook his hand, and with a huge smile that seemed to go ear to ear, “It really is great to see you again.”

Everyone chatted for a few minutes, and finally, Chris said, “Hey! Are we going to do this?”

Chris drove the rental truck with Elvin and Ellie. Matt rode with Eldridge. As they approached the scrub, Matt noticed a sizable army camo tent pitched to one side of the silo’s entry portal, and a variety of materials scattered around the mound. Getting closer, he saw two sizable blowers and length after length of flexible air ducts like those used to ventilate sewers.

Additionally, there was a large portable generator and boxes of construction lights, each with safety cages around the bulbs.

“The hazmat suits and breathing gear are in the tent, Chris said.

Matt gathered everyone around and asked Chris to go over the plan.

“We know we have toxic air down there,” Chris said. “So, I want to get the ventilation hoses hooked to the blowers and strung to the bottom of the structure. One will blow fresh air in, and the other will suck the foul air out,” Chris said.

“The breeze is blowing south,” Ellie said. “Should we dump the dirty air downwind?”

“Yes, great observation,” Chris said.

Ellie straightened taller, a bright smile filling her face.

Eldridge and Elvin used the tractor and, in less than 30 minutes, switched the blower units, placing the extraction unit downwind.

Matt had briefed Chris on his discussion with Eldridge about the kids, and Chris knew just how to make them useful. He started Ellie and Elvin putting sections of the flex duct together while the three men went into the tent and started putting on the hazmat suits.

None of them had ever done this before, and being typical men, they tried a dozen different ways to get the gear on, at times arguing with each other, before Ellie stuck her head in the tent and asked, “You guys bother reading the instructions?”

Everybody calmed as Ellie read the steps, and Elvin helped double-check. They were finally suited.

Each suit had a headlamp on the headgear and a two-way radio. There were also handheld two-way radios for Ellie and Elvin. Eldridge had already pulled the boards off the stairwell earlier.

With the lights on and air tanks operational, the three men lumbered down to the door, pushed it open, and stepped into the Access Portal.

We’re really doing this. Matt felt a shudder through his bones as he stepped through the door into the darkened space.

Chris carried an air-monitoring meter that detected a wide range of gases. It registered low on oxygen, low on CO2, below normal on nitrogen, and high on ammonia and methane.

Chris keyed his two-way radio. “These levels are toxic. You kids need to move away from the entrance.”

Ellie responded on her radio that they were moving back. The men approached the steel steps that turned and descended to another landing.

“Hey!” Eldridge’s voice caused the men to halt. “Them steps look mighty rusty. Best I go first to make sure they ain’t gonna break.”

“I should go first,” Chris said.

“Naw,” Eldridge chuckled. “We got rope. I’ve done my share of spelunking. I promise nobody is going to get hurt."  

Chris went topside and gathered up coils of heavy rope, which they attached to the safety belt on Eldridge’s suit and looped around a sturdy beam in a way that let them give Eldridge slack.

“You know it would be easier letting Chris do this,” Matt said. “Holding you up will be like trying to hoist one of your tractors.”

“Naw,” Eldridge grinned. “My weight is spread over them loops.” Eldridge pointed at the three securing points, and Matt could see how each carried a portion of the load. His estimation of Eldridge jumped several notches.

With Matt and Chris holding the rope and feeding line, Eldridge started down the steps, listening for any sounds indicating the staircase might be unsafe. The steps held, and Eldridge reached the next landing.

Chris knew there were three more landings before they reached the bottom. It all seemed anticlimactic when they hit to bottom, their feet firmly on concrete.

Matt realized he was sweating profusely, and his knees were shaky.

At the bottom, Matt noticed an elevator adjacent to the stairs. Making another turn to the right, he saw a large, over a foot thick, massive square steel door standing slightly ajar.

Chris took another air sample.

“It’s worse here. We need to get the ventilation going.”

The three men made their way up the stairs and emerged, greeted by Ellie and Elvin. Eldridge told the kids what they had seen and sent them to pull the vent duct over to the stairwell. Eldridge and Chris started hauling sections of the duct down the stairs. Matt had to sit, his body shaking from the adrenaline and the exhaustion.

Don’t have a heart attack, you idiot. Matt often scolded himself. Ellie handed him a thermos of water, which hit the spot.

Chris wanted the exhaust duct to run all the way to the big blast door, and the fresh air duct dropped about halfway down. He had Eldridge try to close the blast door, but it was frozen on its hinges.

It took more trips topside and a bit of maneuvering, but they finally had the ducts in place and connected to the blowers.

Chris went topside, started the generator, and then powered the blowers, starting with the exhaust blower. He warned the kids that the fumes were toxic, and they needed to stay upwind, as Ellie had suggested. Elvin asked if it would poison anything downwind.

Chris said no; it would quickly defuse to safe levels. Eldridge noticed almost immediately that the air in the room was moving and that some of the fine dust they had stirred up started to disappear.

Chris fired up the other blower and warned everyone to stay away from the entrance.

About ten minutes later, Chris measured the air again and found it closer to normal. He went to the blast door, and the readings were higher, not in a safe range.

With a great deal of effort, he squeezed through the narrow opening into another room. Directly to his left was another blast door, partially opened. He looked around it, saw a long passageway, and knew that it led to the control center. On his right were several small rooms with doorways but no doors. He knew those led to the silo.

Eldridge keyed his two-way radio and asked if Chris was all right. Chris confirmed he was and intended to get more air quality readings. Chris stuck the meter into the passageway that led to the control room and looked at the chemical concentrations. He then walked through the doorless rooms that led to the silo and took another set of readings. They were significantly higher. The source of the bad stuff was in the silo.

Matt radioed and told both men it was time to come topside.

Chris and Eldridge made their way up. Matt met them at the entrance, still in his hazmat suit, less the helmet.

“Gentlemen, let’s take a break,” Matt said.

Everyone got out of their suits, and Chris described what he had discovered.

Matt asked how long the generator would run. Eldridge said it should go about 12 hours. Matt suggested they let it run and vent as much of the air as possible.

Eldridge said he had a drum of gas in the barn with a pump and could easily refill the generator without turning it off.

Chris put the air tanks on the compressor to refill them automatically, shutting off when the task was complete.

They loaded into the pickups and headed for the farmhouse.

Taking his cell phone out, Matt placed a call to Joe and told him they had reached the tunnels that led to the control room and the silo, and that everything appeared to be intact. Joe said he would like to drive down on Saturday if they didn’t think he would be in the way. Matt told him to come on down.

Matt and Chris drove into Wichita for the night and stayed up late in Chris’s room, discussing the likely causes of the gas. Once again, Matt came back to his long-standing practice of getting the facts right and then deciding. They needed to take things a step at a time.

“Chris,” Matt said, “maybe we should get some plywood and try to block off the silo side of the facility and explore the control room side?”

***

In the morning, Chris and Matt picked up plywood in the rented pickup truck. They called Eldridge and told him what they were doing. He said he would get his skillsaw and a drill ready. He asked the men to get some concrete screws and tubes of caulk so they could seal the panels.

It took Matt and Chris about an hour to gather things, and in another 45 minutes, they were at the farm.

Joe was waiting. It didn’t take long for the group to head for the scrub.

Eldridge had filled the generator the previous night, and it was ready for more gas, which only took a few minutes.

Matt and Chris plotted how to block off the silo area. Chris pointed out that it was the decontamination area that led into the tunnel to the silo. They had their choice of three doors they could choose to seal. Matt suggested the passage closest to the silo. Chris agreed, and the men started gearing up.

Eldridge led the way as they descended. Chris took air readings and noted that the levels of the noxious chemicals were lower. They headed for the blast door.

Eldridge had brought a ten-foot length of 2-inch steel pipe and some penetrating oil. He oiled the hinges liberally, then took a small sledgehammer from his tool belt and began tapping, vibrating the oil into the hinge pins. A second time, the hinges were oiled, and after some taping, Eldridge wedged the pipe so he could use it as a pry bar. Eldridge leaned about half his weight against the pipe. Nothing happened. He tried again with all his weight; despite that, nothing happened. Matt and Chris joined and added their weight and strength. The pipe bowed but didn’t fold, and after several hard pushes, the door emitted a loud creak and shifted almost half an inch.

Eldridge put more oil on the hinges, tapped again with the hammer, and, to Matt’s surprise, pushed the door the other way. It closed almost an inch.

Setting the pipe in position, he motioned for them to join him, and they applied pressure. The door squeaked, squealed, and swung almost six inches.

It took about five more efforts, swinging the door back and forth, before it swung perpendicular to the opening. Matt was once more sweating like a pig and huffing hard, trying to catch his breath.

The three stepped through to the decontamination rooms. As Chris had noted, the doors for the space had never been installed. Eldridge measured the chosen opening and told them it would take two sheets of plywood to cover it.

They cut the pieces to size topside, and it took Eldridge and Chris almost an hour to get the plywood down the stairs and screwed it in place. Matt helped maneuver the power cords and lights. They had to refill their air tanks.

Exhausted, the three climbed out of the silo, and the posse headed back to the house for lunch.

After an hour and a half’s rest, they headed back. Chris went into the structure alone and announced the readings were just beyond safe levels and should be acceptable by morning.

Matt suggested that since they had the hazmat suits on, they should try to reach the control room. The three men made their way to the blast door that led to the control room. Although it was only partially open, all three men could get around it; Eldridge had to wiggle a bit before squeezing through.

The lights from their suits illuminated the tunnel, which appeared to be dust-covered but clear of larger debris, and ran level toward the control room. At the far end, the three came to a doorway. The room was circular with a flat ceiling. Chris said they were on the second level, and there was a floor above and one below.

They strolled around.

“Chris, is this going to meet your needs?” Matt asked

“It’s better than anything I could have drawn up,” Chris said.

They explored up and down, finding everything intact.

Matt saw that they had left footprints everywhere they had walked.

The low air alarm beeped on Eldridge’s tank, so everyone headed topside. Once out, Chris relayed everything they had found and seen to Joe and the kids.

Matt noticed they still had a lot of the flexible duct and asked if it would be good to extend the exhaust duct to the control room to get the air cleaned out. They refilled the tanks and once more went into the facility, stringing the duct all the way to the control room door. Chris took another reading and said that it was barely out of the safe range. He was confident the control room end of the facility would be safe by the morning.

Chris, Matt, and Joe headed to town for the night. Matt knew they had been unbelievably lucky in finding things in such good condition. He was exhausted and slept hard.

***

On Sunday morning, Chris made the initial trek into the underground facility all the way to the control room. He radioed it was safe to enter without the breathing apparatus.

Almost on cue, everybody started down the steps until Matt halted them with a strong “Hold it, folks.”

He pointed out that there were no lights down there, and it would be very helpful if they each grabbed a string of construction lights and carried them into the silo. Matt plugged a hundred-foot heavy-duty extension cord into the generator.

As they went down, they plugged one string in, stretched it out, and added a string just as if they were oversized Christmas lights.

The illumination of the walls and the tunnel happened progressively, including all three floors of the control room. Everyone in the group, including Elvin and Ellie, walked around, fascinated by this relic of the Cold War. Matt caught himself gazing in stunned wonder. His heart and mind both racing.

They soon realized their steps stirred the dust. Several times, one or another of the party would go into a coughing fit from the fine sediment floating in the air.

“We need to head topside,” Matt said.

“Might be good to get some N95 masks until you can get all the dust cleaned up,” Joe said.

They all noticed how dirty their hands and clothes had become during the time underground.

As they approached the stairs, Matt again noticed the elevator and motioned for Eldridge. Chris followed.

“Does this go all the way to the top?” Matt asked.

“Yes,” Chris said, “it actually has a trap door on the top that should pop up and let the elevator go to surface level.”

Matt looked at Eldridge. “Would you like to take a shot at fixing it?”

“Me and machinery get along just fine,” a big smile filled Eldridge’s face.

When they got to the surface, they looked at the top of the entry portal. Chris noted it looked like someone had poured an extra two or three inches of concrete over the spot where the elevator would come up.

Eldridge was sure he could bust it off with little trouble.

“Gather round,” Matt called. He could sense the excitement building deep within each of the team members. “Listen up.” Matt used the voice he called on when needing total focus in his corporate meetings. “I’m like you, very excited about what we’ve found, but I need you each and all to promise,” he paused, “to keep this as a secret. You cannot tell anybody what we’ve found and seen.”

Matt told Eldridge that, once again, Eldridge and his family had been a huge help and wished the Coblentz family a Happy Thanksgiving.

“It’s gonna be a really good one this year,” Eldridge said.

***

Chris called the airport, getting tickets for himself and Matt to fly to St Louis on a late flight. Joe hopped in his car and left for home.

Matt realized he was coming down from an adrenaline high, barely stayed awake while driving home, and hit the bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep. Once more, amazing dreams of a bright future filled his mind.