“All two hundred members of the primary team are awake, and work has begun on dismantling the two chambers on this floor. We'll have those rooms refurbished as personal quarters as soon as possible,” Amy explained.

“All personnel are checking out their specific areas of responsibility and making sure everything's in order. There are teams in the pit, prepping for us to re-join the world,” Brad added.

“Good, let's get this going then.” RJ reached out and depressed the intercom button. “All personnel, this is Anderson. Prepare to open outer doors.” RJ got up from her seat. “Let's go watch,” she suggested, and the others followed her out to the central tunnel.

Upon reaching the central tunnel, crews were already sitting in the two loaders, waiting for the orders to start up the engines. Eight Humvees were being removed from the pit on the elevator, four facing one end of the tunnel, the other four facing the other. Half a dozen heavily armed soldiers in full combat gear sat in each vehicle.

Once everyone was in position, RJ contacted the command center and gave the order for the large west doors to be opened. In moments, a grinding sound erupted in the tunnel as the massive doors started to part. Once the doors were moving, the engines of the two front-end loaders facing west roared to life.

As the door moved, the wooden wall became visible a few inches beyond. It was bulging inwards, and many of the support beams appeared to have partially rotted through. The wall had been intended to last twenty years less than it had, and its condition confirmed this. The two loaders approached the wall, lifting their buckets high in the air. Once the buckets rested on the upper supports, the operators slowly increased pressure as they lowered them. The weakened supports quickly gave way, and the old wall caved inwards under a heavy load of dirt. Both machines swiftly went to work, removing the dirt, stone, and broken wood.

The same effort was underway at the smaller east tunnel entrance, but when the doors opened the loaders had a much easier time, as the wall, and much of the dirt was already gone.

When the loaders had cleared a large enough opening, they moved out of the way and the Humvees raced past them, exiting the tunnel. Once the vehicles had cleared the tunnel entrance, the loaders returned to their task, pushing all the debris out of the tunnel entrance, and into a large, neat pile.