They Are Trapped Together, Alone in the Dark

Past

There was a whole world, beneath the subway. A natural series of small caverns. Sue Storm had to duck, while the shorter Dr. Elder could walk easily. There was airflow, and a trickle of water here and there, though Sue had no way to know if they were from broken pipes or natural streams. Dr. Elder showed her strange blue moss, and small delicate fungal mats that covered walls and floor, or dripped viscuous liquid from the ceiling. There were small pools where blind fish swam.

Yet the world below was fragile. Sue held her breath every time a train passed overhead, as the whole fragile world shook. Dust fell down from the ceiling, and in the light of her flashlight she saw cracks in some of the walls or ceilings. Dr. Elder pointed out other signs of places where the stone was weak.

"We must be very careful here," he said. "Once we go deep enough, the rock structure changes, and the vibrations from the subway are less likely to cause collapse. This route should be safe, but..."

But Dr. Elder did not know that directly above, the City of New York was demolishing a building.

The shock wave ripped through the stone. Sue felt the rush of air, and then Dr. Elder grabbing her and pulling her down, until an arch of stone as a shower of rocks fell into the confined space. They huddled there, small stones bouncing off their helmets. Dr. Elder's sample bag was crushed, as was Sue's flashlight. She clung to his small, hard body, frozen with fear, wondering if this space would be her tomb.

Until, after a few minutes, the movement of rocks ceased. Leaving them alone in the dark.

Carefully, Harvey Elder disengaged. He kept one hand on Sue as he explored the space blindly.

"The way we've come is blocked. Lots of debris. I don't fancy our chances of digging our way out. However..."

Sue heard him snuffle.

"...I smell fresh air up ahead. We should be able to go forward and take another branch back to the surface."

The blonde tried to master her momentary terror. Her body shook with excitement. Adrenaline had poured into her body, but she had nothing to do, and now as it left she quivered with unspent energy.

"Alright. What do we do?" she said, her voice loud in her ears.

There was a little tug. Dr. Elder was making sure they were still tethered together.

"There isn't room for me to lead," he said. "You'll have to crawl forward. I'll be right behind you. If you come to a turn, I can guide you. Can you do that, Susan?"

"Yes, Dr. Elder," she said, and turned around onto her knees.

"Under the circumstances, my dear," he said. "Call me Harvey."

"Right...Harvey," she said, still uncomfortable with that level of familiarity.

Present

Sue Storm sighed, remembering what had happened next. It wasn't anyone's fault, really. The excitement, the close quarters. At the time, Sue had been embarrassed. Now, looking back at it, she recognized it for what it was: the moment that changed her relationship with Harvey forever.