Story part 14

As promised. Back Boxing Day I hope.

14
Petar was pleasantly surprised when the replicator produced several perfect metal digging shovels at his first request. This itself told him he was expected to take others to join the dig.
They left as soon as the nightly force field came down at the barest ray from the rising globe of fire. There were four shovels, so Petar anticipated some hard digging at least at the beginning. A guard of another six accompanied the diggers, leaving twenty in the camp.
The way into the maze like building was easy enough, doors either fell at one touch or disintegrated into clouds of musty dust. Petar had only his vague memories of where the building had been in relation to the camp and now drew a hasty line map that the others agreed with on checking the outside angles and turns. Light filtered into the mainly unroofed building on this level. They followed signs to basement storage areas. At the furthest part of the storage area were signs for parking. Even flying vehicles had needed storage and parking places. The parking place however had clearly suffered, and was half filled with debris from above.
Petar took a headlight (that the replicator had produced again much to the amusement of the others) and headed off into the dark distance. He soon returned. The far place was in front of a small elevator, which had a level below this - labelled MUSEUM. A small stairwell was to the side, filled with rubble. This was the digging needed. Four shovels? This would take a good week if not a month to dig out.
Danny thought of the logistics. If they could break a hole big enough in the wall of the elevator shaft, they could just pitch the debris straight down instead of having to bring it back up the stairwell as they dug. The four struck at the wall together with the handles used as staves, plaster crumbled, brick moved. They hand dug the brick to the level of the rubble. And proceeded …..
How long later they did not know, but they dug until a door was shattered at the end of the stairwell. Realising they were thirsty, hungry and covered with plaster and brick dust, they climbed back the several levels. Day light filtered through the missing roof. Several others had come from the camp looking for them, they could hear the shouts in the distance.
Moving tiredly out, they waved. Whoops went up as they were spotted. The guard party looked sheepish. They had run to the camp in a hurry as a second field had formed within the ruin, between them and the diggers, only just arriving at the camp in time as the field formed behind them. The diggers had worked all day and night. It had not taken the foreseen days.
The worried camp members had brought both food and drink with them, which the diggers ate with relish and appreciation. Petar felt refreshed as if he had just taken a full eight hours sleep instead of digging. He immediately returned to the dark space below, all else but the find of the stone was blotted from his eager mind.
Head lights and torches lit the high vaulted ceilings. Picture signs were nearly unseen as they had faded to shadows. But he knew this place and swiftly led them to the exhibition room. Exhibitions had come and gone, but this one had been missed so much that it had become a permanent fixture. The carved stone lay at the far end beyond the miniature Bear Camp. There was the rock in its place on its pedestal.
The others crowded together as Petar approached alone. Laying his hand on the familiar object, it felt warm to his touch. The room lit suddenly as if the sun had entered the vault.
The others noted he had gone as the light faded.