Tunnels 03, Freefall

the twin at his back cooed. "You always were a bit slow on the uptake."
    "But how?" He tried to get up but she dug the scythe sharply into his neck.
    "Stay put," she snapped. "You stupid old goat, we've played you right from the start, right from that day we sent Oscar Embers into the museum with the luminescent orb. We wanted to get you on the hook, knowing how it would play out. Knowing that sooner or later it would flush Sarah Jerome into the open."
    "Sarah Jerome?" he said, not knowing who the twin was talking about.
    "We didn't give a toss about the rest of you. You're all expendable," the twin said, then turned her attention to Will. "But isn't this nice?" she sneered, her voice dripping with insincerity. "The gang's all here. And Daddy's with his little boy -- all together again."
    The twins began to speak in the Styx tongue.
    "Shut up!" Will yelled, pressing the rifle muzzle hard into his twin's throat. "Or I'll shoot you."
    "What, are you going to put a bullet in my head? I don't think so, somehow," she said in a strangled voice. In complete defiance, she began to speak in Styx again.
    "I mean it," Wills said. "I'll do it!"
    "No, you won't," the other twin behind Dr. Burrows shouted. "You're a big wuss. You haven't got the guts."
    "Will, what are you doing?" Dr. Burrows exclaimed. "You can't--"
    "Stay out of it, Dad," Will cut him short. "You've got no idea what's going on." Will then addressed the twin behind his father. "What do I call you? You can't both be Rebecca ."
    "Whatever," she replied curtly
    "Okay, er... Rebecca Two , looks like we've got a standoff here. What do you want to do?"
    "For starters, you can give us those phials back. And we'll also take the old woman," Rebecca Two announced.
    "Why her?" Will said, asking himself how she could know that he had the Dominion phials.
    "Because she's the one with the knowledge of these parts."
    Will caught Martha's eye. She had one hand on a bundle of Aniseed Fire stuck in her belt. She looked at Will questioningly. Will gave a shake of his head and she took her hand away from the dried plants. Then she flicked her eyes upwards, indicating the area above them. Will nodded. He knew precisely what she was trying to tell him. All this noise was going to bring the Brights down on them. And right now, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing .
    "Come on, we'll do swapsies with you -- we'll trade your father for Martha and the phials," Rebecca Two continued. "The rest of you can go. She's the only one we want."
    "You're forgetting I've got your sister here, too," Will countered. "Doesn't sound like a fair deal to me."
    Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw Martha very slowly draw her knife out. She ran the blade along her forearm, cutting deep into it. Then she lowered her arm, dripping blood over the ground.
    "My sister's not a part of the equation. Do what you want with her," Rebecca Two continued, tossing her head impatiently. "Why don't you listen to what I'm saying? We'll swap your father for Martha and the phials. Then the rest of you can go free."
    "Hah! You must think I'm stupid," Will spat.
    "Not stupid -- just weak," the girl came back. She gave the Limiters a signal with her eyes and they immediately began to advance. "The cards are stacked against you, Will, so I suggest we agrees that we're going to agree on something." She laughed, but it was unpleasant and throaty.
    Rebecca One suddenly babbled again in Styx.
    "Don't do that! I warned you!" Will shouted, yanking her hair. He heard growling by his side. He gasped in surprise. Bartleby was several meters away from his and crouching low as if he was about to attack. "Bartleby!" he yelled. "What are you doing?"
    "What I told him," Rebecca One said.
    The cat's nostrils were flared and his claws drawn.
    "He's just trying to protect me," Will said, although he didn't sound too confident.
    "Want a bet on that?" Rebecca One cawed. "Remember I told you I looked after him back in the Colony? Well, I gave him some extra special training. And he's not the only one," she sniggered. Then she spoke in Styx again, and the cat edged even closer to Will.
    "You, you traitor!" Will yelled at the cat, almost lost for words. It was as if Bartleby didn't recognize him at all. Like a coiled spring about to snap open, the cat crouched even lower and hissed at him. Bartleby's eyes were crazed and wide, as if filled with blood lust.
    "Don't have many friends, do you?" Rebecca One said. "A single word from me and nice kitty will