Tunnels 03, Freefall

Igneous class?" Will whipped his head round to his father. " Stupidite? There's no such thing."
    "Ha!" his father burst out. He had been profoundly disappointed that his son wasn't taking the Hollow Earth theory more seriously, and had decided to exact his revenge.
    "Stupidite," Will repeated, shaking his head.
    "Look, Will, I've trogged down more miles of tunnel than I care to remember, and they all look the bloody same. Do you really expect me to recognize that particular one from all the thousands of others?"
    But Will had cut off from what his father was saying. Turning back to the tunnel, he was sniffing the air. "Spiders. I smell spiders." Sliding one of the Bergens off his shoulder, he put it down, untied the top and then took out a radio beacon. He switched this on and carefully positioned it on a ledge.
    Is that so your chum can find his way?" Dr. Burrows asked snidely.
    "Drake?"
    "Why else do you think he gave you those beacons?" It's so he can follow us down when the mood takes him." Dr. Burrows suddenly leant over Will's Bergen and snatched out another of the beacons, secreting it in his coat pocket.
    "What do you want that for?" Will asked, closing the top of the Bergen and then hoisting it over his shoulder.
    "Just want one," Dr. Burrows answered childishly.
    "Why?"
    "In case we get separated. Then you can find me ."
    Frowning, Will raised his Sten gun and edged slowly forward into the passage.
    "Spiders, you say? Can't smell anything," Dr. Burrows said as he reluctantly followed his son in, making a show of sniffing loudly.
    They had gone a few hundred meters when something scuttled away into the darkness.
    "Yes, spiders," Will whispered. "I was right. And keep that luminescent orb shielded or you'll knacker my headset."
    "Let's just go back to the main stem and try the next offshoot," Dr. Burrows carped. Ignoring what Will had said about shielding his light, he was holding it high above him as he scanned the openings in the roof of the passage, all of which looked ominously spider-sized. "We don't want to get cut off in here."
    At that point something loomed out of the darkness and towards Will. The first thing he saw was the glowing lure at the tip of the stalk on the spider's head. In the blink of an eye, it had sprung at him, landing within the limits of the light cast by Dr. Burrows' orb.
    "God in heaven!" Dr. Burrows exclaimed as Will opened up with the Sten. The spider was shredded by the rapid fire. The only problem was that bullets were ricocheting alarmingly off the side walls of the tunnel.
    "Will! Enough!" Dr. Burrows yelled, and his son released the trigger.
    As they stepped over to inspect what was left of the creature, Will was chuckling. "Take that spidey!" he said as he rammed a fresh magazine into the Sten.
    "It was a big brute," Dr. Burrows commented, as he nudged part of its hairy body with his toecap. "Took quite a bit to kill it. At this rate, you'll have used up all the ammo before we've got anywhere," he reflected.
    Will nodded. "Yes, that was nearly a whole magazine -- thirty-two rounds. Better find out if we can use the repellent on them instead."
    "And just how are we going to do that?" Dr. Burrows posed.
    "Because if I know my spiders," Will said, "the blood from this one will bring a swarm of the things on us."
    "Um... is that such a good--?" Dr. Burrows began nervously, but didn't finish the sentence as Will drew out his Browning Hi-Power and pulled the slide back to cock it.
    "Safety's off," he said to his father as he thrust it into his hands, sounding remarkably like Drake.
    "These aren't pussy cats we're dealing with here," Dr. Burrows muttered under his breath.
    Will pulled the aerosol from under his arm, where it had been secured with tape, and held it beside his Sten gun. Then they waited, searching the darkness before them.
    Dr. Burrows was distinctly uneasy. "This is a terrible idea," he complained.
    "Shhh!" Will said as they heard stones being dislodged, then he yelled "LOOK OUT!" as several glowing lures accelerated at the from the gloom. Will had been right -- the scent of the blood from the dead spider had been irresistible to them.
    "Shouting "EAT THIS!," Will pointed the can directly at the spiders and sprayed frantically. As the spiders hit the cloud of vapor, the effect was instant. They couldn't get away quickly enough, their legs tangling with each other as they went into reverse.
    When all sign of them had gone, Will shook the can and looked at it, a