Everyone was in the same room now. Somehow, more tense than yesterday. They'd all experienced something unearthly and, in one way or another, came out changed.
No one seemed to want to break the silence once it was established, but finally, Jax began with, "I think you're right Max. After thinking it over, it's probably best if I don't go down to the tunnel, corrupted as I am."
"O-oh, I see," Wade noted, like he hadn't already known Jax has decided this. Like a liar.
It was starting to dawn on Wade that he had woven a tapestry of lies between the back and forth phone calls. Suddenly, he felt very transparent.
Hold on... Was he even supposed to know anything about today's plans yet?
"Uh, were you guys were, uh," Wade scratched the back of his head, blinking at the genuinely confusing turn of actions. "Were you guys talking about going back to the tunnel...?"
“Something like that.” Max muttered to the phone in his hands, and very particularly not to Wade and Jax, whose presences he’d yet to acknowledge despite their intrusion. He held its light toward one of the holes lining the furniture, paused, and snapped a picture, then did the same to another hole, and another, just as he had done when Wade and Jax had entered, such that he seemed locked to a cycle of cataloguing.
He repeated this pattern for some time before stopping suddenly, his face to the wall opposite them. A minute passed. His phone slid into his pocket.
“I don’t remember telling you not to go.” He said finally.
"You didn't. You're just not exactly quiet," he shrugged, looking away, dejected. "I... caught enough to get the idea."
Max casted a glare over his shoulder, turning such that his face was visible only by a crescent. The corners of his mouth twitched into a bitter grimace; parts of him shook as though unable to contain his rage.
He twisted to meet Jax, teeth-gritted, and, on the verge of outburst... ‘tched’ and shrugged, gathered his things, pushed past Jax and Wade and hurried out into the foyer.
“Well,” he sneered, his voice rising as he disappeared down the hallway, “Guess I don’t have to repeat myself. We’ll catch you after your meeting, then...!”
A minute past in uncertain silence. Finally, Max popped his head around the corner, the duffel on his back swinging wildly as he did.
“So, uh...” he glanced toward Wade, “You coming or what, kid?”
"...Hah?" Wade blinked, gripping his goggles.
He'd almost been sure Max would see through that ruse or at least semi-explode from what Jax had said. True, most things had already been decided from the phone calls so...
"...I guess?" he asked, rather than stated.
Wade took a confused, cursory glance over the room again. Not that he hadn't been staring at it the whole conversation. 'Cause most of the sofa was gone and there were actual holes in the floorboards.
Yeah, this room was swiss cheese. Just another fact he had to suddenly accept, just like Max leaving right now.
It took Wade a moment to formulate a coherent sentence.
"Like... like right now?" Wade asked, starting to sound a little distressed. " Weren't we at least going to come up with a game plan? ...Can I at least grab the bamboozler?"
“The Bamboozler?” Max snapped, “What, did you lose the weapons I-“
"I'll go get that," Jax interjected, leaving the two to their devices.
"Thaaanks," Wade called back to Jax.
Max stopped himself with a sigh and leaned against the wall.
“...Yeah, sure.” He muttered. “You can get the Bamboozler. We can talk about the plan. I mean, shell, I thought we had a plan,” and he drew it out in the air, “‘Go through the tunnels, find the ruins, fry the corruption.’ But sure, let’s talk.”
He crossed his arms with an impatient huff. “So, what’s your plan?”
"Jeez, I didn't lose your charms by the way," Wade said. "They're in my bag outside."
Wade peered at Max oddly for a second. Not that he lost them in the first place, but didn't Max say he was going bash his head in for losing those weapon charms? That was weirdly patient, but he wasn't going to question it.
"Also, I don't know exactly what we're 'frying'," Wade airquoted, "but the best thing we can do is figure out why those tunnels even exist."
"Because they shouldn't be there, and they were recently drilled," he point out, "and finding out the reason might do more good then going in and breaking a bunch of stuff we don't know about. ...Y'know?"
Max’s gaze narrowed into a perplexed squint that suggested he did not.
“...We know why the tunnels are there.” He said, dead-faced, “The Octolings drilled them. Same as all the others.”
"N-no?" Wade responded. "Okay yes, probably."
"But the key here is why," he clarified. "It doesn't make sense why there are tunnels here when it's so far from Octo Valley. There must be a specific use for these tunnels because no ones running costly, large machinery for 'funsies'."
Wade put his fist down in his palm. "So what we try to do is figure out what the overall plan for the tunnels are," he said.
“...Okay.” Max muttered, folding his arms again. “Then what’s the plan?”
"Uhh," Wade stammered.
He actually didn't have a plan. Like an real one, as opposed to 'lets not die right away.' Wade just didn't want to head down there, guns blazing like an idiot.
"Uuh we should try... to not break... all the things," Wade said hestitantly. "In fact, just not do anything noticeable... at least until we plan to leave."
Like... quieting large drills," Wade muttered guiltily, before clearing his throat.
"There were a few paths we didn't take earlier. As long as we stay unnoticed, we can keep investigating. Maybe... eavesdrop or figure out where the tunnels lead," he suggested.
“‘Keep investigating the old tunnels...’” Max repeated, a contemplative gleam shining behind his mask. He fell into a thoughtful pause marked by the occasional cowlick-flick.
In his head, he traced their route through the tunnels. There were... two routes, perhaps, that they hadn’t examined. The first led opposite from their path by the broken drill — the one at the beginning of their journey — while the second followed the path of the Greek letters and—
...Wait. That was right. There were more of those strange symbols leading into the light down the other path. Clean cut, too, from what Wade had said. And that part of the tunnel... it wasn’t too far from where they’d been trapped.
A shadow fell over Max’s face. If those symbols were the same as the ones that had corrupted Jax, then that meant the culprit was nearby, didn’t it...?
“Yeah...” Max said, an ominous smile curling up his face. “Yeah, I can get by that. We’ve got some unfinished business with that trail of symbols, after all.”
He hucked his Dynamo over his shoulder, beaming. “Heh, I’m game for it. You’ve got the rest of your stuff prepared, right? ‘Cause I’m ready when you are.”
Wade immediately gave a quick nod, accompanied by a slightly alarmed smile.
What was that sinister grin that just flashed over Max's face? H-he... was agreeing with the 'don't break everything' idea, so this was a success, right? They were agreeing to investigate instead of causing random property damage so...
Wade gave a small inhale. He had totally forgotten that there was a whole other line of symbols going in the other direction.
He really really didn't want a repeat of last night, having to dive into someones headspace to save them. Especially whatever hellscapes Max's was. But... he also wanted to explain the incident from last night even less. Wade didn't want to discuss the occult and suddenly press his luck when he had achieved this weird moment of harmony so...
Wade exhaled. "I think I just need the bamboozler, and maybe a flashlight," he said, "and we're good... to go!"
“Alright.” Max nodded, “Grab what you need and catch me outside when you’re done.”
Once again he disappeared down the hallway with the sound of the door...
...and moments later popped back into foyer.
“Jax’s journal.” He said, with no explanation but a point to where Jax had last stood. “We need a copy of what he wrote down.”
Jax, standing behind Max, said "so long as it's only a copy."
Walking up to Wade he handed him the Bamboozler, then reached into his vest. Pulling out his journal, he flipped to the pages he recorded the symbols. Holding it up, he said, "take a picture. But be careful. It's possible these symbols have power. We're dealing with the unknown here, after all."
Wade took the bamboozler, then glanced at the notebook held in front of him.
"Ah. Gotcha," he said, momentarily holding the bamboozler under his arm. Wade quickly pulled out his phone, focused the image, then snapped a picture.
With the photo taken, Wade stashed his phone and... got a better look at the notes Jax had taken.
Jax's notes, as usual, were a clean font denoting simple sketches of the symbols they had seen yesterday. They invoked a feeling of unease through the disturbing memories of yesterday.
They now had the notes from yesterday, weapons, all that good stuff... So they were ready, right? He was ready, right?
Wade took one last moment to steel himself. "Okay, if that's everything then... let's get this over with," he said.
The two said their goodbyes to Jax and made their way to the closest entrance that they knew of to the tunnels… back to the train station.
The dodging under the police caution tape was a constant reminder to Wade what they were doing was illegal… they were trespassing on a potentially dangerous site. If people had begun to inspect the tunnels’ damage or were beginning to rebuild the train, the two of them would be sitting ducks.
What would they say? What would they do? What were they even trying to find? Why were they here? Why was he, specifically him, even here?
These anxious thoughts filled each tentative step forward through the dark, musty air until they were finally there. The steep drop into the truer darkness below.
What now?
