Thick smoke crowded the bunker like a carcinogenic fog. Men and women milled about, checking pressure tanks, oxygen, and the control stations of the bunker. The Caliph allowed smoking today anywhere today. In the future, smoking has to be done in dedicated rooms designed to quickly filter the air to something less....
"Cancerous," Jack Nickle growled. "The air is absolutely cancerous, Robby."
The Caliph smiled, teeth white and unstained by nicotine, "I told you, if you can't pronounce my name, call me Robert. Not Robby." Robert winked and the two stepped over a thick black cord in the hallway. The maintenance teams were still laying down the equipment. A repair young repair woman looked up from her work, probably to scold the two. When she saw it was the Caliph, she bowed deeply and sung him praises that left Jack uncomfortable, but the Caliph nodded, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. She blessed him and the two continued their tour of the bunker.
"Until we get the cables lay down, I don't know what is going on up north," Robert mused. "So what is the recent news?"
Jack grinned, "Everything is up north."
"Exactly. You didn't answer my question."
Jack waved the question away, "West Africa seems to be experiencing a sudden case of Nazi sewer rats."
"You joke."
"I wish. I have a few PDFs on my phone to transfer to your computer if you don't believe me."
The Caliph agreed. The two entered an elevator. "Is this your first time in the elevator, Jack?"
"Of course not. How do you thin-"
"I meant in an elevator with me. I can't remember." The Caliph laughed and pressed a series of buttons on a keypad. The elevator stopped, and moved backwards, sideways, up, down, and a series of other moves made possible by magnetism. "I want to show you something, my Catholic brother-in-arms. Something my wife is quite proud of."
The elevator, thankfully thought Jack, stopped. The doors opened. Jack's mouth dropped, "How long?"
"I left once we neared completion. I was a rich man with a rich country, Jack. Now? Now I'm just an extremely rich man."
The two stepped onto the platform. Jack leaned over, careful to not fall onto the track, and whistled. "How long?"
"Long enough. The preparations are nearly finished."
But for what purpose?