Tunnels 03, Freefall

another hour's kip -- I'm wrecked."
    "Stir yourself, lazy bones. Let's get this journey whipped," Dr. Burrows said, sitting back on his haunches.
    Despite Will's protests, he got up and they set off in the launch again, coming upon several more refueling stations, before, finally, a day and a half later, they pulled into a place that was far more substantial.
    "I think we might be there," Dr. Burrows yelled from the helm.

23

    On the outskirts of Cardiff, a man unlocked his front door to let himself in. The house was completely in darkness but he left the lights off as he put his umbrella on the hall table and made his way into the kitchen. Still without any illumination, he went over to the kettle and, checking it was full, flicked the switch on. He seemed to stare at the red light at the base of the kettle as the water heated up and made bumping sounds, until he reached over to a kitchen cabinet to get a mug.
    "Sam," Drake said from the darkness.
    The man gasped in surprise, dropping the mug, which fell to the floor and shattered.
    "Jesus... Drake! Is that you, Drake?"
    "Hi, Sam," Drake said. "Sorry to give you a fright like that, but if you will leave the lights off..."
    "I thought you were dead," the man said, barely taking a breath before his voice turned to anger. "What are you doing here? You shouldn't come anywhere near me. They might be watching."
    "No, I made sure it was safe."
    "It's never safe," Sam snapped.
    "You always were a little jittery," Drake said, shaking his head. "How's the family, by the way?"
    "I don't know -- you tell me. I can't see them anymore -- I had to walk out on them, so they weren't at risk." Sam moved towards the sink, his feet crunching on the broken mug. "I just hope you weren't spotted coming here," he said, still clearly very nervous. You know they took the network apart, don't you? And that most of the old teams are dead, or buried so deep they might as well be dead?"
    "Yep," Drake answered casually, which seemed to infuriate the man even more.
    "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize this was a social call. I'd offer you some coffee, but I just broke my only mug."
    "I need some help," Drake said.
    "How do I know they haven't got to you?" Sam demanded. "You've been gone... what is it?... four years. They might have sent you here. How do I know I can trust you?"
    "I could ask you the same thing. How do I know if I can trust you? " Drake shot back.
    "You don't need to -- my days of skulking around are over. I'm not that person any more, and you're on your own, pal," Sam said, then sighed deeply. "I don't know how we ever thought we could win. They're just too bloody clever and too well established. It's an impossible contest."
    "For God's sake, man, can't you call them by their name? You're talking about the Styx ," Drake growled.
    The man didn't speak as he shuffled another step towards the window and leant against the sink. The light from outside was bright enough that Drake could see his profile, and that he was wearing dark glasses.
    "Is something wrong with you?" Drake asked.
    "They blinded me, Drake. I can't see a thing."
    "How? What the hell happened?"
    "I think they're using subsonics -- similar to the Dark Light technology, but on a much larger scale," Sam replied. "I was driving to a rendezvous point north of Highfield when I stopped at a crossing. I heard a low, deep sound, as if I was underwater -- it felt as though there was a vibration right inside my head. I couldn't move, not a muscle. I've no idea what happened next, but I came to a couple of days later in a hospital, with a bandage round my eyes. The Styx took my sight," he said, using their name for the first time, spitting it out as if it was poison in his mouth. "I'm still astounded they didn't just kill me."
    "Maybe they were sending a signal to the rest of us," Drake said softly. "A warning."
    "Maybe," Sam repeated. "But I can't go back to active duty, not the way I am now, Drake, even if I wanted to."
    "I only just surfaced from the Deeps. I'm sorry I didn't know about any of this."
    "No, how could you have?" Sam said emptily.
    "I wonder who they grabbed Topsoil to help them develop the subsonic technology," Drake pondered.
    "Perhaps it's home-grown -- perhaps the scientists in the Colony did it off their own backs."
    Drake cleared his throat. "I should go," he said.
    "One thing before you do -- I assume you remember the facility I set up on a remote server at the university when we first came together as a