When this sewage worker was tasked with solving a sewer clog, he expected a simple, routine job. Sewage clogs happened constantly, and he got rid of them often. But when he drained the water and saw this blockage, he turned pale instantly.
Durer worked for one of the largest sewer draining companies in town. His employer sent Steuart down into the sewers by himself to see what caused this situation. They went down into the city’s underground pipe system about once every month. When Steuart ventured deeper, the blockage’s source became clearer. Water and other fluids were piled up higher than he had ever seen before.
“What the hell?” he muttered. He ran back to his truck and used the extraction hose he brought to drain all this excess water away, not knowing that this would reveal a shocking hidden secret. As the water level slowly dropped, the source of the blockage quickly showed its ugly head: a sizable greenish obstacle was clogging up one of the main tubes.
Steuart looked at the object with utter confusion as he tried to get the water level down as quickly as possible. But somehow, the enormous object seemed familiar to him. It was an inflatable expansion device used for repairing broken parts of sewage pipes. The pressure against the tunnel walls would prevent collapses during essential repairs. But there was one big problem with this discovery: not a single inflation device was in use in the entire town, and according to their database, no planned repair was ordered anywhere.
Things were not adding up, and the more Steuart thought about it, the more suspicious he got. What if this particular expansion unit wasn’t used to support broken pipes? What if it was used to keep water and perhaps even unwanted people out? With this thought in mind, Steuart’s nerves started growing even more.
The phone operator was intrigued and surprised by Steuart’s call for help and immediately agreed this situation needed to be investigated. He would send the three nearest officers to Steuart’s location. Officers Stevens, Waddle, and Santiago were already waiting for him when Steuart arrived at his truck. The sewage worker didn’t hesitate and told the officers to follow him.
As Steuart guided them down, he explained the situation. But the officers were still surprised to see the cause of the blockage and immediately started their investigation. It didn’t take long for the officers to agree: this situation was weird. This was clearly placed here by someone for some reason.
“We should try to remove it,” Officer Stevens, whose name was Trisha, said. “I can only think of one reason someone would put up multiple blockades. We need to find out what is going on and who is behind this,” Trisha said determinedly, and the other officers nodded.
The group removed the inflatable blockade as fast as possible and ventured into the sewer system. And as they expected, they were soon met by another blockade. Steuart measured the water pressure behind the obstacle, and it was very low. They kept hitting blockades, but they were set up at junctions. The group agreed it was the best choice to follow the open pipes and see where they led.
The officers tried to pinpoint where the noise was coming from, but it was reflected by the pipes, which made it impossible. But as they turned the corner, the group suddenly halted and stared at the incredible sight before them. The sewer pipe suddenly widened into a vast and spacious chamber. But that wasn’t the surprising part. Steuart knew about the room as they had to cross it to get to the manhole. The surprising part was that he and the officers were staring at a chamber filled with high-end technology.
“This wasn’t here before,” Steuart whispered, stating the obvious. Hesitant and carefully, the group entered the chamber. Whoever did this was deriving power from the buildings above ground.
“This is where the sounds are coming from,” Steuart gestured as he stood before a tower of monitors. “Who would do this and why?”
The officers immediately started looking for answers.
“Look at this,” Officer Waddle suddenly exclaimed after a few minutes. Within no time, the entire group surrounded the desk Waddle was standing at. A small monitor displayed city footage, but everyone ignored it as they looked at the documents and files lying out in the open.
“This is an incredible discovery. It’s vital we call for backup right away,” she said. She grabbed her portable phone and was glad she had a signal, probably due to all the wiring gathered in this area. But before she could send a message, the group suddenly heard footsteps approaching quickly.
A group of seven people entered the chamber, and Steuart prayed they had not heard or noticed them. The sewage worker was startled when one of the people suddenly spoke.
“Is the path ready?” the person asked.
“Yes, it should be, but I will do one final check,” another person responded.
Steuart could feel Trisha tense up after that comment, and the worker realized why. They had removed two blockades, and the group was about to discover that, which would be disastrous. There was no saying that the group was complete or that others had yet to arrive. They had to at least wait for the one that just left to return. Still, there was no way for the officers to communicate with each other without the people hearing it. Steuart’s mind raced as he tried to think of a way out, but then the group’s conversation caught his attention.
They discussed their plan and talked about which jewelry stores and banks were their best options. Clearly, these people were planning some criminal activities as they continued their conversation about jewelry stores and banks. But then, suddenly, one of them exclaimed that they had to be complete before going over the final plan. “Just wait a moment for Roger to return,” and that was everything Trisha needed to hear.
When the group of criminals gathered at the same spot, Steuart was startled by Trisha’s voice.
“Now!” she yelled as she suddenly came out of her hiding place and gestured for her other officers to follow. They appeared beside her, and together they approached the criminals, demanding them to remain calm and surrender.
Steuart stared at the scene with wide eyes. He was very nervous, as the criminals outnumbered the officers, but the officers were well-equipped and had the element of surprise on their side. The criminals quickly realized the best thing to do was surrender. Every criminal was arrested and soon sentenced to prison, but the story would be nationwide news. After the arrests were made, the police finished the investigation and figured out exactly what the criminals were planning, and the media closely followed the trial.
The group was planning to rob multiple jewelry stores and banks across the city at the same time by using the sewer system. They could use that path to move quickly and unseen through the city. Luckily, the criminals’ plans were thwarted by Steuart and the police officers who were first responders to the call. Through their teamwork and instinct that something huge was at play, they managed to ensure the city’s safety. For that achievement, the mayor’s office awarded them a medal of honor.
