Tunnels 03, Freefall

rumbling sound. He realized then just how tumultuous it was.
    Still a little dazed, Will allowed Dr. Burrows to lead him to the conning tower which, because of the way the vessel had come to rest on its side, was sticking out into the void. Then his father was pointing at something far below them. Will leant over. In the distance, glimmers of light came and went, like lightning on the far horizon during a thunder storm.
    Dr. Burrows was attempting to tell him something, speaking directly into his ear.
    Will shrugged -- the noise was far too great for him to hear.
    Dr. Burrows produced a scrap of paper and wrote on it. He showed the paper to Will. It was a single word.
    "Triboluminescence?" will mouthed back at Dr. Burrows, who nodded excitedly. Will know what that was -- his father had demonstrated it to him once using two pieces of rock quartz which he'd rubbed hard together. In the darkened cellar of their home back in Highfield, Will had marveled at the eerie flashes of light suffusing through the milky crystals. Although at the time it had seemed like magic, it had something to do with energy being released when the bonds are broken in a crystal. So below him, unbelievably large pieces of some type of crystal must be grinding against each other. That would explain the sound.
    Will wondered if this was it -- was this really the center of the Earth?
    The spectacle of the lights as they rippled in all directions -- something like electrified cotton wool -- was hypnotic, and father and son simply stared at it, filled with wonder. But there were other matters on Will's mind, and he eventually pulled his eyes away from the lights and looked down at the thick metal shell beneath his feet. As he contemplated the runnels of water running over its dull gunmetal surface, he was alert to the fact that the three Styx could be inside at that very moment. Inside with the Dominion virus. Perhaps it didn't matter now -- perhaps there was absolutely no way for him, Dr. Burrows or any of the Styx to get back up the void again, so the threat had effectively been neutralized. But he was here now, and he had to make sure.
    He took out the climbing rope from his Bergen, and knotted one end to a metal cleat he found on the side of the conning tower. Better safe than sorry -- even a small slip on the wet hull might send him careering off towards the huge crystals below. Keeping a tight grip on the rope, he stepped very carefully to what would have been the right way up.
    As Dr. Burrows watched him, Will began to lower himself over and into the conning tower. It only required the most minimal effort to make any sort of movement -- the pull of gravity was almost non-existent.
    But as soon as he reached the observation platform, he froze.
    Not a meter away from him, there was something indescribable stuck to the duckboard flooring, which of course was now vertical rather than horizontal given the orientation of the submarine. Two crumpled white wings waved slowly in the air currents.
    "A Bright!" Will said through his clenched teeth. But as he looked further, he saw that its head and most of its abdomen were missing. The barbs at the end of its articulated legs were gripping onto the duckboard, which was the reason it hadn't drifted away.
    Will didn't have a can of repellent with him as it was in his Bergen, which he'd left with Dr. Burrows back on the hull. So instead he extended his Sten and prodded the Bright with the tip of its barrel. Nothing. He was pretty sure that it was dead -- from the Bright's appearance he guessed that the Limiter had made short work of it, hacking the creature apart. Will jabbed it even harder, but there was still no sign that it was alive, so he moved across to the main hatch and tried it. It was firmly shut.
    Still giving the dead Bright wary glances, he began to rotate the wheel in the center of the hatch. As the wheel reached the open position, he checked his Sten to make sure the safety was off. This time he was ready for the twins. This time there would be no hesitation -- he was going to open fire the moment either of them, or their pet Limiter, popped their heads up. He closed his eyes for an instant, steeling himself.
    Then, just as he was about to yank the hatch open, a small had seized his wrist, stopping him.
    He jerked his head up.
    It was Elliott.
    He couldn't believe it. Had she followed him down because of Drake's orders? He couldn't imagine any other reason she would have jumped into the void