Tunnels 04, Closer

deader than a slug in a pint of New London -- where she is now, there's no coming back. So just take her out and throw her on your cart!"
    With a nod the man wrapped his arms around Mrs. Burrows' waist and hoisted her limp body from the chair.
    There was a threatening growl from the corner of the room and Colly reared up at the man, baring her sharp teeth.
    As the man swung Mrs. Burrows' body round to shield himself from the cat, the Second Officer's mother was flabbergasted. "Colly -- what's wrong with you?"
    "Is she on heat or something?" the man said, looking decidedly worried.
    "To your basket! Now!" the old lady scolded the cat.
    Under her loose skin, Colly's muscles were bunched like knotted ropes as she made ready to pounce at the man.
    "Colly!" Eliza shouted, raising her hand to cuff the animal. Still she showed no intention whatsoever of backing off, so Eliza seized hold of her by the scruff of the neck and began to drag her into the hall. The cat's extended claws snagged a threadbare Persian carpet on the floor so that it came out of the room with her. But Eliza eventually managed to get the hissing animal into the kitchen where she shut her in.
    "I don't know what came over that 'unter," the Second Officer's mother apologized. "She's normally good as gold, and never that way, not with no one."
    "No matter," the man said, hurriedly slinging Mrs. Burrows over his shoulder as if she was a sack of potatoes, and heading for the door. He stopped with a muttered curse. "Nearly forgot again -- pass me my papers, will you?"
    The old woman tucked the clipboard under his arm and he continued on his way.
    Eliza and her mother went to the door to watch as the man deposited Mrs. Burrows in the back of the cart. And, all the time, there was a frantic scratching, interspersed with low, baleful wails from the kitchen.
    "What 'as got into that animal?" the old lady said. "I don't understand it."
    "Maybe she feels the same way about the Topsoiler as my dear misguided brother?" Eliza replied maliciously. "He's going to be heartbroken that he didn't have a chance to say a final farewell to his darling basket case. And in no time at all the Scientists will be opening her head like a cess oyster."
    "Cess oyster?" the old lady repeated, not catching on.
    "Yes -- you know -- CRACK!" Eliza said, moving her hands as if she was using a hammer and chisel, which was the only way to prise one of those hardy crustaceans open.
    She and her mother could hardly stand as they descended into howls of hysterical laughter. The noise they were making prompted the neighbors across the street to come to their windows to see what all the merriment was about.
    "CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!" Eliza shrieked, tears in her eyes.

27

    As the clicks came fast and strong from the tracker, Will and Elliott stopped by the side passage. She looked at him questioningly, and in response he gave her a broad smile.
    "Through here -- somewhere -- is the submarine," he said. "I planted a beacon on the conning tower." His face lit up as something occurred to him. "Want to take a look at it? At the submarine? We could find out how the Rebecca twins managed to get into this pass--"
    "I absolutely DO NOT," she snapped, her voice rising into a shout.
    "Oh, all right," he said meekly.
    Elliott's eyes were hard and uncompromising as she stared at him. "Come on, Will -- what if one of us slips and we get stranded in the middle of nowhere again, floating around like last time?"
    Will was about to say that if this happened they could use his father's method of firing a weapon to propel them back to the side again, but thought better of it. "Let's just keep going, then," he murmured.
    As the gravity began to return, their jumps along the passage became shorter and shorter, until they were covering the distance far more slowly than before.
    Then they came to a place where the rock had fractured and shifted, and had no choice but to worm through a tiny crawlspace before they could continue on their way again. And shortly after this, they found a seam had opened up and split the rock all around the passage. There was nothing but a yawning, dark chasm. Although it was approximately thirty meters from side to side, they still managed to jump across the gap and resume their journey.
    "There are more signs of tectonic movement in this area," Will had said to Elliott. He didn't say any more, wondering if it had occurred to her that they might hit a dead end. If he was right and they'd