Free Tunnels 04, Closer by Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams Page A

the Second World War," Will said, a little dazed as he attempted to deal with what he was hearing. "From the German army."
    "Yes, the Luftwaffe used them as short-range bombers, and..." Dr. Burrows said, but didn't finish the sentence. His face was suddenly clouded as different explanations began to occur to him.
    "Doesn't sound too good," Will said, shivering despite the tropical warmth of their surroundings.
    "No, it doesn't," Dr. Burrows mumbled.
    "So what do we do?" Will asked. "Do we move on somewhere else? Get away from here?"
    Elliott cleared her throat and both Will and Dr. Burrows looked at her. "Why would we do that?" she said. "I'm familiar with this part of the jungle now, and besides, our shelter is here." She glanced over her shoulder at the structure she'd built in the lower branches of one of the giant trees.
    Will opened his mouth to disagree, but she continued. "We already know we might not be the only people here. What about the three skulls we found on stakes near the pyramid? They were old, but not that old. And how about that shed we blew up, Will, when we dealt with the Rebecca twins and the Limiter? Somebody made that."
    Will nodded slowly, recalling the shed fabricated from corrugated metal, nothing of which remained after Elliott's explosions and the ensuing fire devastated the area.
    Elliott gave Will and then Dr. Burrows measured looks. "If there are other people down here, chances are it's only a matter of time before we bump into them."
    "Yes," Dr. Burrows conceded.
    "And what's the alternative?" Elliott posed. "Bury ourselves deeper in the jungle?"
    "No, there's too much left to do here," Dr. Burrows said firmly, turning toward the pyramid. "I've barely even scratched the surface."
    Elliott wasn't finished. "Or do we travel back through the crystal belt again, then try to climb up Smoking Jean to the Deeps so we can get to your outer world? What are the chances of us making it all the way Topsoil? And what would be waiting for us there even if we managed it?"
    "Styx," Will whispered.
    Dr. Burrows folded his arms and raised his chin aggressively. Nobody needed to ask him what he thought -- he wasn't about to leave.
    "So we stay put," Elliott resolved, lifting her eyebrows in a what's-all-the-fuss-then gesture. "But we have to take precautions: we don't go crashing into any unexplored jungle, and we have to keep our guard up. We might even have to start taking turns to do sentry duty if we pick up signs that someone else is close, and we should also be careful about lighting any fires." She frowned as if something had occurred to her. "In case the worst comes to the worst and we're forced to hide ourselves away, maybe I could find us a safe place somewhere else, and stockpile some food th--"
    "That's an excellent idea," Dr. Burrows broke in. Will knew from the tone of his voice that his father was all too ready to let Elliott do whatever she wanted, as long as it left him free to carry on with his work.
    Bartleby appeared, walking stiffly as if he'd just woken up. Will noticed one of his ears was turned inside out and he had leaves stuck to his bald skin -- he'd clearly found himself a comfortable spot to nap on the jungle floor and their raised voices must have roused him. He came to a stop next to Elliott, shook his head to straighten his ear, then sniffed the air twice, as if trying to divine why the humans were sounding so serious. Because of the huge size of the cat, Elliott didn't need to bend to reach his hairless pate, which she began to rub absently. "And I'll keep patrolling the surrounding areas with Bartleby. That way, if any hostiles come near we'll have advance warning."
    "Hostiles," Will repeated quietly. "I suppose that's right. I mean, if we're really careful, how can they possibly find us?"

    * * * * *

    As Eddie closed the door behind them, Drake had gone on ahead. At the bottom of the steps was a large basement, which appeared to run the full length and width of the factory