The dim light from the classroom spilled into the narrow opening as Pamela and Barbara pulled the utility door wide. Inside, they froze. A mound of dirt rose from the floor, scattered with broken tiles, the marks of deliberate digging. Pamela stepped forward cautiously, lifting her phone and switching on the flashlight. The beam cut through the darkness, revealing a wide hole in the floor.
"This is a man-made hole," Pamela said, her voice low. The light shifted, catching on the rungs of a ladder bolted into the side. "There's a ladder leading down into it."
Barbara let out a low whistle, her hands settling on her hips. "I've seen some strange stuff… but a secret tunnel inside a school building? That's actually not the weirdest thing I've seen. A few weeks ago I saw something similar."
Pamela glanced back at her, incredulous. "You actually saw something like this a few weeks ago?"
"Of course," Barbara answered matter-of-factly. "The Penguin—the gentleman villain I told you about—he loves underground stuff. Sewer tunnels, hidden basements, that kind of thing. He floats around Gotham's sewers on a giant bird boat."
Pamela blinked, her flashlight beam shaking slightly as she tried not to laugh. "He floats around… in the sewers… on a boat?"
Barbara rolled her eyes, lips tight. "Yup. A few weeks ago, he abducted a bunch of kids. Batman rescued them. Penguin got sent back to Arkham—until he escapes again."
Pamela stared at her, stunned. "Are you telling me these villains just keep going back to Arkham Asylum and escaping?"
Barbara's mouth tightened, her tone dry. "Gotham's criminal justice system is… severely inefficient."
Pamela lowered her phone for a moment, shaking her head. "I need to sit with that for a moment before I can respond."
Barbara gave her a sideways look. "Take your time."
Pamela exhaled slowly and lifted her phone again. "In the meantime, let's explore what's inside this hole."
They moved closer, the cold air rising from below carrying the damp scent of earth. Barbara went first, gripping the ladder and stepping down carefully. Pamela followed, one hand wrapped tight around the cold rungs while her flashlight beam bounced across the walls. Their footsteps echoed faintly in the confined shaft until at last their shoes met concrete.
Pamela swung the light slowly across the basement, and words stenciled in faded paint came into view on the wall: "Subterranean Basement – Section C."
Barbara swept her light over the space, her eyes sharp. "This is probably how he got you down here. He's got another way in besides the classroom."
Pamela turned in a slow circle, the beam of her phone catching on the edges of machinery and unfinished walls. Her chest tightened. "This is some crazy shit. I can't believe I was being abducted into this place."
Barbara's light stopped on one wall where a sleek metal elevator sat against the concrete, its surface polished and its control panel clearly new. "This looks like an old basement the school abandoned… and he turned it into a lab."
Pamela stared, her throat dry as she whispered, "I can't believe this exists under our feet."
Barbara's voice lowered, grim. "I think we're in for a lot of surprises down here. Who knows what he's working on…"
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