Tunnels 04, Closer

Chester said licking the ice cream Drake had bought him from a vendor near the Royal Festival Hall. He and Drake were walking at a leisurely pace beside the Thames, in the midst of the crowds out that day. "Feels so normal, as if I never left," Chester added, as he looked out over the water, the odd ripple glittering as it reflected the brightness of the midday sun.
    As they followed the walkway further along, they moved into the shade provided by WaterlooBridge, where the second-hand booksellers had set up their stalls.
    "All these people, from so many different places..." Chester commented, as he caught smatterings of conversation from passers-by. "And not one of them has the slightest idea what's below them," he continued, glancing down at the pavement.
    "Maybe it's better this way," Drake replied. "Most people find this world complicated enough as it is."
    A group of kids on skateboards hurtled past, weaving their way between the somnambulant tourists as if they were a mobile slalom. Chester gazed after them, watching as a tall youth in a baseball cap with a large "D" on it came to an abrupt halt. He skillfully kicked down the tail of his board, so it flipped into the air and did several revolutions before he caught it.
    "That was cool. You know, I asked Father Christmas for a skateboard just before Will and I discovered the Colony," Chester said pensively. "I've never learnt how to use one."
    "Can't say I have, either," Drake admitted. He went across to the raised wall by the water's edge and leant against it, taking off his dark glasses to enjoy the warmth of the sun on his face. "But just think what else you've learnt instead."
    Chester joined him by the wall. "So are my mum and dad really all right?" he asked, changing the subject.
    "In the lap of luxury. I put them up in a hotel with room service. As long as they stay put, you've got nothing to worry about -- they're safe," Drake assured him. "I know you want to see them again, but you have to be patient. We need to get a couple of things done, then I'll move them to a new location where you can be with them."
    "With Eddie too?" Chester said. "After you've finished the operation with him in the EternalCity, is he still going to be part of the team?"
    "That's rather up to him," Drake replied, angling his head so the other side of his face caught the rays.
    Chester frowned as he had a thought.
    "I take it your silence means you want to ask something else?" Drake divined.
    "Er... yes," Chester answered. He realized some ice cream had dripped down his chin and wiped it off with his hand before he spoke. "I've never understood why you stayed underground for so long -- you could have gone Topsoil any time you wanted, couldn't you?"
    "The original plan was that I infiltrate the Colony and collect as much intelligence as I could on our dear friends," Drake explained.
    "Yes, I know that," Chester said.
    "I found out that the network up here had gone south when one of the Scientists told me the Styx had caught and killed a member of my cell. That meant the whole thing had unraveled, and there was really no reason for me to return Topsoil again. As the Styx had got just about all they wanted out of me anyway for the development of their rifle scopes, my usefulness to them had come to an end, and I knew that my days were numbered. It was too dangerous for me to stick around in the Colony any longer." Drake cleaned the lenses of his sunglasses and put them on again. "So, after a weapons trial in the Deeps, I made my move and ran for it. I decided to stay there for a while and continue to gather as much intel as I could. And, to be honest, when Elliott came along, it gave me a real reason to remain there. I couldn't leave her by herself."
    A tall thin man with a scrawny beard suddenly stopped on the walkway several meters away, eyeing Drake, then Chester.
    Chester was immediately suspicious. "I don't like the look of him," he whispered. "Styx?"
    Drake laughed. "No, he's not Styx -- he's being too obvious. Besides, can't you see the copies of Big Issue under his arm -- he's trying to work out whether we're potential customers."
    Nevertheless Chester continued to watch the bearded man until he'd moved on. Now down to the cone of his ice cream, he crunched loudly. "And there is something else I can't figure out."
    "What's that?" Drake asked.
    "You can get your hands on explosives when you need them," Chester said.
    Drake nodded.
    "So I was thinking... with Eddie's maps of