Tunneler 13 got off the elevator. Frightened by the directors’ long silence, she rumbled into the familiar shelter of Service Bay 3. Here she realized why they had gone silent. Motionless human bodies were scattered about. She called out to them, audibly and by radio; none responded. Gently she touched one with her starboard front manipulator; the body didn’t move.

“Directorate, has there been a life support system failure?” she signaled. There was no response.

She considered the building’s exit. It was much too small for her; but that was no obstacle. Armored to withstand rock falls and accidents with explosives, she drove through the wall.

Now she was in a street under a long skylight. Beyond the skylight was inky darkness, scantly populated by a few devices and a distant blue sphere. In the street, more bodies lay. Some had fallen in the act of fleeing. These lay in pools of body fluid, mostly red.

“Hello, anybody. I want information.”

“I can give you information,” came a prompt reply.