Sugar, We're Goin Down // Closed, Stalker Mode Enabled

A 5 billion pounds sterling challenge is offered by the Royal Geological Society for the first team to dig a tunnel from L.A. to China. A group of novice geologists and miners descends many miles and eventually reaches an unimaginably vast underground world.

It wasn’t as if the two of them and their team had high hopes of completing the challenge. Barely any of them were very experienced, after all. In this world, such knowledge and education was hard to come by, and they couldn't afford to hire anyone with more experience for the expedition. But the challenge was impossible to pass up. In a world with the majority of people dirt-poor and only a few corporations possessing any substantial amount of money, they couldn’t let this chance go.
The team of amateurs - especially the two leaders - were determined to do what had been deemed as impossible in so many past eras. They’d dig to China. Finally, there was a chance for them to make it somewhere.

With @Alexandria-don’t-touch-my-COOKIES!
Stalker mode enabled!

Name: Harper Kelly
Nickname: H, Kelly
Age: 20
Sexuality: Straight
Looks: Long, dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, fair complexion (Faceclaim: Sofia Black D’Elia) http://sofiablackdelia.sosugary.org/displayimage.php?album=62&pid=281#top_display_media
Personality: upbeat, cheerful, determined, always smiling, secretly doubtful, insecure about her abilities/contributions, intelligent, witty, the mom friend, gets anxious if she can’t keep up a conversation or if it seems like someone doesn’t like her
Likes: everything science, studying the earth, pastries, tea, books, movies, animals, plants, essentially everything natural
School/Work Experience: A bachelor’s degree in geology
Dislikes: how much artificial material there is, how literally everything is made in China, the unequal division of money, not being able to afford more schooling, her lack of hands-on experience (prior to the mission), too much silence
Backstory: As with most families nowadays, Harper’s family was never very well-off. She barely made it through high school, having to work odd-end jobs in order to be able to afford her education. Her dedication, passion, and smarts for earth science managed to get her a scholarship through pure luck. She was able to attend university for her dream job of geology long enough to get her bachelor’s degree before the rich individual helping her decided to withdraw their generosity. With the current economy and her amount of schooling (the Royal Geological Society is the main employer of geologists, and they require more schooling), Harper has struggled to find any sort of work for years, barely making do and almost never eating three meals a day. The new challenge from the Royal Geological Society saved her; she found a group of likeminded people and relished in the opportunity to do what she had always wanted to do at last. Harper isn’t too confident that - with an amateur such as her deemed a leader and with others of similar experience by her side - they’ll be able to make it, but she finally has a purpose again. Besides, how can she resist the chance, however small?
Role: Head Geologist
Other: Harper has a bad history with relationships, and she’s pretty over them at the moment. Maybe one day she’ll try again, but as it is, love does not really seem to be the path for her.

Name: Lovino Vargas
Nickname: Miner
Age: 20
Sexuality: Gay
Looks: https://pin.it/jisdts4herjk4v
(More of a feminine body shape the people down there think he is a girl at first…….)
Personality: Hard to people he does not know, soft to children, will rip you to shreds without a second thought
Likes: tomato’s, getting dirty, children, working with mechanical anything, building, Setting fire to things that aren’t meant to be flammable like pears…
School/Work Experience: worked in the mines most of his life went to school for chemistry (P.H.D. His family was rich) and has a masters in the health system.
Dislikes: most things other than
Backstory: doesn’t like to tell
Role: Head Miner
Other: has a silver mist fox (will be explained…)

(Stalker Mode: Inactive)
(*presses big red button)
(Stalker Mode: Activated)

(Would y'all mind if I occasionally did feedback or thoughts on the story?)

(I'm not entirely sure what all will happen, but sure, why not?)

Go a head!)

(Thanks!)

For such an intense, difficult challenge, there had not been much time to prepare. It was first come first served, after all, and there were a lot of teams after the exact same goal. As soon as the Royal Geographical Society had announced the challenge, practically everyone out there with the proper training (and plenty without it) had been eager to take on the challenge of digging from L.A. to China. It had been viewed as an impossible task for eras, but now, years later and with much better technology than that of the past, why the hell not? The reward was unimaginably large, and the allure of even a small amount of that sum was enough for Harper Kelly to jump at the chance. Having lived in poverty for most of her life, the tiniest bit of that money would change her life forever.
It had been easier than expected to find a team to do so. Even if most of them didn't have that much experience, they shared her views, and that was enough for her. She knew very well it would be the most difficult thing she would ever take on; in fact, she wondered if it was even possible for them to succeed, but this would not be something she showed externally. There was a chance, and one simply could not pass up a chance like this.
The time had finally come. Harper and the rest of the team stood, equipment readied, before the area that had been chosen as their beginning point. Almost as soon as Los Angeles was named the starting point, it had begun to spiral downhill, with entire sections of it being destroyed in order for there to be room to begin digging. It hadn't been easy to find a space for them, but Harper had managed to find a relatively unscathed one. This, of course, would not last long.
"Is everything in order?" Her eyes darted between each member of the fairly small group, at last landing on the man with the most expertise in mining. There were so many things that could go wrong, and at this point, all she could do was hope that none of them did.

Lovino looked at her his eyes smiling at her but his mouth in a scowl “were ready and if I know the mines down under ground we will have to be carful because if we hit Oil were down for the count.” He said sharply “you better be a dam good geologist or….” his voice trails off “just be good ok.” His voice never wavering.

Of course oil would take them out entirely; Harper knew this. She didn't say so, though, only nodding in acknowledgement. "There hasn't been oil underneath the western United States for years." Humanity had long since used up that particular resource, at least in this part of the world. Most of the U.S, apart from a few states up north, was barren of oil by now. Harper had always had a talent for earth science, and as things were, she was the best geologist she was able to be. "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't, yeah?" The smile was kept firmly on her face, however plastered on it needed to be to stay there, and she refused to let her voice waver. "Are we ready, then, everyone?"

Lovino looks at her and nods “we’re ready miss,” He says leaning against his shovel his hair tied back with a red ribbon.

Harper looked to the drivers of the few digging machines they had managed to pick up. These would break ground and get them started, but it was unlikely that the machines would get too far into the ground, especially once they began to hit rock. Then, the real work would begin.
The woman nodded once. The first machine rumbled forward and, with one of the loudest noises Harper had ever heard, broke ground, digging swiftly into the earth. Their mission had officially begun.

Lovino set to work yelling orders like he would his brothers and let me tell you that was loud and unforgiving. “GET TO WORK!” He shouts at the small group of men and few women started to hurry about.

Lovino Vargas had, surprisingly enough, brought a decent amount of money to this endeavor, and even though they couldn't afford that much equipment, what they did have worked well. The group moved quickly, the machines and miners moving a few miles down at a time before the geologists stopped briefly to examine the earth around them and make sure they weren't on the track for running into any trouble. Harper had been underground before, but never like this, and she worked eagerly, taking notes and samples if the need arose.

Lovino walked over to her and taped her shoulder “how are we doing miss?” He asks

"Decently," she muttered absentmindedly, carefully examining a handful of earth. "Seems like there'll be more of the same material for a while. I think we're still going the right direction navigationally - wait, we are, right?"

Lovino looked at her “ya Miss why you ask?”

"Just making sure." She nodded, more for her own benefit than his. "We're good to keep moving, then!" I think.
A good while of digging passed. It was hard to tell how long they had been underground; it was completely different under here than on the surface, and it felt as if it could have been one hour or five. However long it had been did not really matter, and that was almost freeing.
The team stopped for a break, but Harper was too filled with energy (both nervous and excited) to sit for long. The earth around them was beginning to shift into a different makeup, and she studied it curiously.

Lovino walked around in a square “so miss when are we good to go.” Lovino has asked that and the whole team jumped a little it was bad to be on his bad side let alone work with him so they were kinda scared.

"Well, we were under Mexico not long ago, but this…" Her voice trailed off. From the education she had gotten, this was not exactly what she had predicted it would look like at this depth underneath the continent of North America. Quickly setting up some equipment, she took a closer look at the makeup of the material, her eyebrows rising - the components of this weren't like anything she'd ever read about, but was it just because this was one of her first hand-on experiences?

(I know next to nothing about geology and mining, so call this taking some creative license lol)

Lovino looked at her and sighed “not under the USA then we don’t got to pay.” He says getting up and yelling at the people to get ready.

You alive?” He questions Haley taping her head “hello~,” he calls out “anyone in there~ you hoo~.”

(whoops I thought I posted, her name is Harper btw)

"What? Oh, yes!" Harper nodded, distractedly peering at the makeup of the world around them. Paying no attention to the rest of the team, she moved forwards into the tunnel that had already been dug, marveling as the earth surrounding the group grew darker and darker.

My bad!)
Lovino walked be hind her calling orders “get to work,” and “I don’t want to see any slackers!” Than to her “the earth is getting darker that’s a bad sign….” he trails off

"Given where we are, it should not look like this," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else, though Lovino would be able to hear. One other geologist had taken notice of their odd surroundings, but none were so fascinated and concerned by it as Harper. Her continued movement was almost automatic.

Lovino walks to grab his shovel and walks back “i know if it looks like this than most of the time that means oil,” he says taking some of the dirt “and it’s sticky….” his voice trails off pinching his fingers and moving the stick dirt around “maby it is?” He questions.