Tunnels 03, Freefall

pictured Martha digging new graves behind the shack and rolling the bodies into them. He tired to dismiss the image. His faith in Martha had been largely restored after she'd helped them to find the submarine, but now that was being undermined.
    Rebecca was right -- Will had gone up against the woman when he'd caught her out. Would she eventually dump him, keeping Chester as her surrogate son? Will could easily see that happening. And Martha had nursed Elliott, but he was sure that this was only because the girl was important to Chester -- he didn't get the feeling Martha really gave two hoots about her. Would she somehow engineer Elliott's disappearance, or death, too? And as for Rebecca, she was a foregone conclusion -- Martha wouldn't think twice about using her for crossbow practice.
    If Martha was really that ruthless, then Will had to be prepared for the eventuality that she might make a move on him, or any of the others. He had to try to second-guess her, and his mind churned with all the outcomes.
    Will tossed and turned on the narrow mattress in the lower rankings' quarters, where the bunks were three high against the wall. He was in the top bunk, while Bartleby had curled up in the bottom one, and was snoring like an angry warthog and his limbs were twitching as he had one of his feline dreams. Yet again, Will wished he could trade places with the animal, and have a simple, uncomplicated life.

18

    As they all clung to the ladder in the conning tower, Martha lit a large bundle of Aniseed Fire. She lifted up the outer hatch, lobbed the smoldering plants outside and then slammed the hatch shut again. "We should give it a couple of minutes," she said.
    As they waited for the go ahead from Martha, it seemed to Will that Chester was studying her, as if he was weighing up what he thought of her. Perhaps this was all in Will's mind, because he'd told him what Rebecca had said about the woman. Will had expected Chester to dismiss it out of hand -- not least because he didn't trust Rebecca as far as he could throw her -- but the instant rebuttal from his friend never came. Instead, Chester just looked confused, and murmured, "I don't know," several times.
    As the seconds ticked by in the conning tower, Chester broke the silence with a cough and shifted on the ladder. It was obvious that he was itching to get going but, equally, was extremely nervous about what was waiting for them on the outside. "These Bright things -- are they really that dangerous?" he asked Martha.
    "Yes," Martha confirmed. "That dangerous."
    "You didn't see it, Chester," Will put in. "It was really nasty-looking."
    "But the Aniseed Fire will protect us, won't it?" Chester asked.
    "It's better than nothing," Martha replied.
    "It works with the spider-monkeys, though," Will said.
    "The Brights are a different story. Once they've picked up your scent, they're like stalkers -- they don't give up." Her eyes became unfocused, as if she was remembering something. "Every so often a Bright would pop up in the Deeps, but they're heavier there, so they're slower. One had been shadowing us for mile after mile as we moved about the Great Plain, and we knew we had to get it before it got us. I eventually brought it down with a lucky shot. I tell you, even when it was grounded, its body all broken up, it refused to die. It was crawling towards us and snapping at us until the last drop of blood had pumped out of it." She shook her head. "I don't know any other animal that can match its hunger."
    "Horrible," Chester said, shivering.
    Martha touched the point of the bolt slotted in her crossbow. "Some say they're as old as the hills... that they ruled the skies long before there were any Topsoilers.
    Elliott moaned, tossing her head, the only part of her body she could move now she was trussed up again in a blanket and bound to the stretcher.
    "That should be long enough," Martha decided, placing her hand on the underside of the hatch. "Everyone ready?"
    The boys answered, although Rebecca remained silent.
    "Once we're away from the ship, we move as a group. And remember -- keep the noise down."
    She pushed the hatch open and they climbed out onto the observation platform, then abseiled down the side of the conning tower using the chain.
    "Easy, boy," Will whispered as he released Bartleby. Rather than scampering off as he usually did, Will noticed the cat didn't seem to want to move. His large ears were twitching like animated satellite dishes as if they were