Day of Rebellion Read Online Free

the roof was supported by old and rusty steel struts. It was like a badly maintained mineshaft.
    “This tunnel has got to go right under the sea.”
    “It’s giving me the creeps… and it all looks pretty rickety.Are we just going to go on?” Angus said.
    “What the…?”
    Jack jumped as, suddenly, a small open car appeared out of the gloom and glided to a halt right in front of them.
    “It’s on rails…”
    “Nearly gave me a heart attack… it’s just like a ghost train.”
    “It must be automatic. Do you reckon we just get in?”
    Soon they were trundling through the claustrophobic tunnel and after a few minutes the mysterious rail car came to a halt next to a low concrete platform.
    “Guess this is it, then.”
    “I don’t get it, Jack. I mean, why isn’t your dad here to meet us? It’s almost like he’s set us a weird test or something.”
    Jack gave a shrug and looked around. “What now?”
    “Maybe we go down there – it looks like there’s some sort of lift?”
    At one end of the platform a mesh cage rose up from the ground and directly into the roof. They approached it and Jack craned his head upwards.
    “It’s just a big black hole – can’t see a thing, which is really weird, because I swear the tunnel was going in the direction of the sea. So I don’t get how we’re not underwater now – that hole just seems to go up.”
    “Maybe it’s the Bass Rock,” Angus said. “Maybe we’ve gone under the sea and now we’re under the rock itself. Look – there’s a button. Shall I give it a go?”
    Jack nodded. Angus pressed the button and there was a mechanical whirring from above.
    “Well, something’s working up there…”
    They waited with bated breath as they heard the lift cage rattling down the shaft from above. Suddenly, the bottom of the yellow-painted metal cage appeared and jolted to a halt in front of them. Jack’s heart missed a beat.
    Inside the lift cage was a man, with his back turned to them, leaning heavily against the latticed door. Without warning, the door slid open and the man tumbled out, slumping over the access gate. He didn’t move. Jack and Angus rushed forward. The man’s head fell back, his eyes stared unblinking at the tunnel roof.
    Jack’s heart was racing. He peered closer and then turned to Angus, his face etched with fear.
    “God Angus – he’s dead. Looks like he’s been shot.”
    They laid the man out onto the platform.
    “Who is he?”
    Jack shook his head. “No idea.”
    “What are we going to do?”
    Jack felt his chest thumping. “Dad. He must be up there. Maybe there’s been some sort of fight… maybe he’s in trouble. I think we need to go up.”
    “Hold on, Jack, is that clever? Maybe we should go back… get help… get VIGIL here.”
    “But what about Dad?”
    “Jack – we don’t even know if it was really your dad who sent the message… maybe it’s a trick…”
    “Well, I’m going up – you can go back if you want.”
    They climbed into the cage. There were three buttons, one above the other:
    Ground Exit
    Complex
    Top Exit – Rock
    “What do you reckon? I’m going to try Complex.” Jack pushed the button.
    There was a jolt and the cage started to ascend through the lift shaft hewn into the rock. Minutes later the cage came to a halt with a lurch. Jack pulled back the gate and they stepped into a narrow tunnel. After a few metres they arrived at another metal doorway.
    “Guess this must be it. Entrance to the ‘Complex’. Whatever that is.”
    “Try the access device on this door. But get ready – we don’t know what’s behind it.”
    The door opened and for a moment there was just pitch darkness. Then, one by one, lights started to flicker on.
    Jack and Angus stood dumbfounded at the scene before them.
    The room was similar to the underground library at Jack’s house in Cairnfield. It was oval shaped and there were books and papers on shelves and stacked up everywhere. There was all sorts of