09-04-2016, 10:53 PM
The cool, musty hall beneath the city streets eventually led to a deeper tunnel that had once been blocked by a pile of rock and dirt.
Many of the tunnels were built by Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who ruled Moscow for thirty years in the 1300's. The prince built the underground pathways beneath the Kremlin fortress as a secret link to the outside. They were to be used by government spies, as an escape route if the Kremlin were besieged and to bring water from the Moscow River during times of war.
As time passed, Russian Orthodox patriarchs also dug tunnels and connected them with the Donskoy tunnels so that, in case of invasion, the patriarchs could flee to the walled fortress of the Kremlin.
Ivan the Terrible, who ruled in the 1500's hid an arsenal of weapons in the tunnels. Some of the guns were discovered by Soviet workers expanding a subway station. His legendary collection of gold-covered books had yet to be found, but it was thought to lay in an underground library somewhere beneath Moscow.
Remnants of a hole burst through the chalk-white stone greeted the Atharim invaders. Beyond the hole was an old steel door, rusted and heavy, left half open on its hinges. They would need to proceed in single file to pass the narrow passage behind.
Cold air wafted ahead, followed by steep stone steps leading downward into darkness. The catacombs continued in such fashion, ancient and piecemeal, until the Atharim were many levels below ground, enough to eliminate any exposure to radiation should a nuclear blast occur at the surface above.
Their ancient tunnel ended in a sleek, modern door. It opened into the bottom of a stairwell, one navigated by Kremlin security on patrol and served as a fire escape for those inhabiting this underground world.
A fire door across the stairwell led into the hallway that joined the primary elevator connecting Nikolai's home to the Kremlin complex above. At the end of the hall was a dark door, a wood-grain that was warm against the sterile walls and halogen lighting leading up to it.
On the other side of that door, Nikolai shared a holoscreen with Marcus. The military that secured the Kremlin had long ago mapped as many of the ancient tunnels as could be found. But every inch could not be scoured by human eyes. Entrances and exits were monitored. Sensors installed to detect fluctuations in temperature or sound. Any alarms that might be triggered would be investigated immediately.
Tonight, the alarms were muted, but eyes watched.
Nikolai sat on the sofa, watching a holoscreen and the real-time security update on their visitors. Every few moments, he glanced at Marcus, calm and collected, but not quite relaxed.
Ready.
Many of the tunnels were built by Prince Dmitry Donskoy, who ruled Moscow for thirty years in the 1300's. The prince built the underground pathways beneath the Kremlin fortress as a secret link to the outside. They were to be used by government spies, as an escape route if the Kremlin were besieged and to bring water from the Moscow River during times of war.
As time passed, Russian Orthodox patriarchs also dug tunnels and connected them with the Donskoy tunnels so that, in case of invasion, the patriarchs could flee to the walled fortress of the Kremlin.
Ivan the Terrible, who ruled in the 1500's hid an arsenal of weapons in the tunnels. Some of the guns were discovered by Soviet workers expanding a subway station. His legendary collection of gold-covered books had yet to be found, but it was thought to lay in an underground library somewhere beneath Moscow.
Remnants of a hole burst through the chalk-white stone greeted the Atharim invaders. Beyond the hole was an old steel door, rusted and heavy, left half open on its hinges. They would need to proceed in single file to pass the narrow passage behind.
Cold air wafted ahead, followed by steep stone steps leading downward into darkness. The catacombs continued in such fashion, ancient and piecemeal, until the Atharim were many levels below ground, enough to eliminate any exposure to radiation should a nuclear blast occur at the surface above.
Their ancient tunnel ended in a sleek, modern door. It opened into the bottom of a stairwell, one navigated by Kremlin security on patrol and served as a fire escape for those inhabiting this underground world.
A fire door across the stairwell led into the hallway that joined the primary elevator connecting Nikolai's home to the Kremlin complex above. At the end of the hall was a dark door, a wood-grain that was warm against the sterile walls and halogen lighting leading up to it.
On the other side of that door, Nikolai shared a holoscreen with Marcus. The military that secured the Kremlin had long ago mapped as many of the ancient tunnels as could be found. But every inch could not be scoured by human eyes. Entrances and exits were monitored. Sensors installed to detect fluctuations in temperature or sound. Any alarms that might be triggered would be investigated immediately.
Tonight, the alarms were muted, but eyes watched.
Nikolai sat on the sofa, watching a holoscreen and the real-time security update on their visitors. Every few moments, he glanced at Marcus, calm and collected, but not quite relaxed.
Ready.