Beth looked about her. "This is incredible. How did you manage to build all this without anyone noticing?"
"The building already had a cellar." Tyr gestured at the expertly finished walls. "The construction crew just dug deeper, using the old Prohibition tunnels to remove the dirt and rock."
"Prohibition tunnels?" Beth's curiosity peaked. "Like bootlegger smuggling routes?"
Tobi nodded enthusiastically. "Those same tunnels now connect to our network. The woods provide perfect cover for the original exit points." His eyes sparkled with amusement. "After more than a hundred years, those exits are completely hidden by natural overgrowth. You'd never find them unless you knew exactly where to look."
Beth pictured the dense forest surrounding the property, understanding how effectively time and nature had concealed the old smuggling routes. "That's brilliant - using existing tunnels instead of having to create everything from scratch."
Beth followed the twins through one of the metal doors, which opened into a long corridor. The industrial-style lighting cast a warm glow over polished concrete floors and expertly finished walls.
"This is our main living area," Tyr said, gesturing to a series of rooms. "In case we have to be down here for any extended period."
The first room contained neat rows of bunk beds, reminding Beth of military barracks she'd seen in movies. "How many people can you house down here?"
"About fifty," Tobi said, leading them past modern bathrooms and a fully equipped professional-grade kitchen.
"Fifty people?"
“The Residence houses about fifteen vampires," Tyr explained with a grin at her stunned expression, "plus roughly twice that many Companions. We needed emergency capacity for everyone." He gestured around the space. “This isn't just a hideout - it's a serious military-grade compound, capable of sustaining an entire community indefinitely."
They entered a massive walk-in refrigerator, and Beth's nose twitched at the unmistakable scent of blood. One entire wall was lined with neatly organized medical coolers.
"Emergency supplies," Tyr indicated the coolers. "The Pledged rotate the stock regularly, replacing older donations with fresh ones. Nothing goes to waste - the older blood gets donated to local hospitals."
"The generator keeps everything running," Tobi added as they exited the refrigerator. "Completely silent and undetectable from above ground."
Beth's amazement grew as they showed her several communal spaces, furnished with plush sofas and chairs. Flat-screen TVs hung on the walls, and she spotted high-end sound systems tucked discreetly into custom cabinets.
Beth ran her hand along the butter-soft leather armchair, then sank into it with a sigh. "It's like an underground luxury hotel bunker."
"We try to make it comfortable," Tyr said, his fingers brushing her shoulder. "Being trapped underground during an emergency is stressful enough without having to deal with uncomfortable surroundings."
Beth settled deeper into the soft leather, still gazing around in awe, processing the scale and sophistication of the facility. The thought and planning that had gone into creating this safe haven staggered her.
Beth leaned forward in the comfortable armchair, fascinated by the layers of security surrounding them. "So no one can detect this place at all?"
"Not a chance." Tyr's voice held quiet pride. "The entire facility is soundproofed and built to withstand practically anything - even nuclear blasts, theoretically. Though I'd rather not test that particular feature."
"The thermal shielding is perfect too," Tobi added, sprawling across a nearby sofa. "You could have fifty vampires down here doing the Macarena, and infrared sensors wouldn't pick up a thing."
Beth snorted at the mental image. "The Macarena? Really?"
"Hey, some of us appreciate the classics." Tobi's grinned. "But seriously, this place is basically a natural Faraday cage. All the steel reinforcement means even ground-penetrating radar can't see us, especially with all the old tunnel networks creating interference."
"What about staying connected to the outside world?" Beth asked, glancing at her phone which showed no signal.
"Hardwired internet through the tunnels." Tyr gestured toward a sleek monitor mounted on one wall. "We can access all our security cameras, keep tabs on what's happening above ground. Complete surveillance coverage without anyone knowing we're watching."
The screen flickered to life, showing multiple camera views of the property - the warehouse exterior, parking areas, and surrounding woods. Beth saw a deer wander past one of the cameras, completely unaware it was being observed.
"So you can see everything happening up there while staying safely hidden down here," Beth said, recognizing the magnitude of their surveillance network. "This is cutting-edge stuff."
Beth followed Tyr's gesture to another doorway. "That's just a quick-look station. Antonio has a full command center set up through there."
Her curiosity piqued, Beth peered through the doorway, her gaze sweeping the impressive space beyond, catching every detail. Floor-to-ceiling monitors covered three walls, displaying everything from thermal imaging to satellite views. Several workstations held sophisticated computer equipment, their sleek modern designs contrasting with the industrial aesthetic of the bunker.
"Wow," Beth breathed, taking in the scale of the operation. "This is like something out of a spy movie."
