Tunnels 04, Closer

difficult to come to terms with the immense scale of the cavern. For Drake, it was similar to looking across London from one of its tallest buildings at dusk or down on a hazy summer's day. As he leant out a little more, he could see the unimaginably large and twisted buttresses of rock that speared up from the ground and extended to the canopy above, like drunken pillars.
    The vegetation, which he had to keep pushing aside as it settled back and blocked his view, was everywhere. Not only did it cover the cavern walls, but it was also encroaching on the mud flats surrounding the city. Everywhere too it was emitting its soft luminous glow, the overall intensity such that he realized he'd have no real need for the torches he'd brought with him.
    And in the middle of the colossal halo of light, the dark mass of the EternalCity itself rose up. Drake used other routes to get in and out of the Colony, and had never needed to investigate any new ones that would have taken him through this deserted city. So, until this moment, he'd never seen it for himself. And although Will had told him about it in great detail, from what he was glimpsing even at this distance, it almost defied description.
    Eager to see more, he took up his rifle and used the scope to pan around the city, spotting fantastically imposing buildings wherever he looked. "Mind-blowing," he whispered. Everywhere he turned he saw gargantuan temples with colonnades, and buildings with towers like something out of a fairy tale -- but one that would scare the living daylights out of any child. He saw ranks of statues, and also rivers that wound their way through the city like lazy black serpents. And between the buildings were broad avenues, which was precisely where Eddie was focusing his attention as he too used his rifle.
    "I can't see any Division foot patrols, but it doesn't mean they aren't there," he said. "They're mostly routine, to check for breaches in the border, but every so often they--"
    "They escort parties of Scientists on their specimen-gathering outings," Drake finished for him, recalling what Eddie had said before. "There was a rumor flying round the Colony that your lot were planning to relocate everybody here," he added. "It seemed to have some credence, but was there any truth to it?"
    "The Panoply has never completely dismissed the idea -- it's one option if the Discovery were to happen."
    "You mean the fateful day when the Colony gets rumbled by Topsoilers?" Drake asked.
    Eddie nodded. 'It's bound to happen sooner or later. But the reality is that the Colony doesn't have the manpower to make this cavern habitable," He lowered his rifle and peered at the roof, several thousand meters above them. "The canopy up there is formed from a plug of exceptionally dense granite, which is why your Topsoil geologists have never detected this cavity. It also means that a major seismic movement might one day cause the plug to fracture and collapse, which would be disastrous for both the EternalCity... and for Topsoil London above."
    "Doesn't bear thinking about," Drake agreed, as he glanced down and noticed a thick hoop of rust-scarred metal set into the stone by his foot. Although it was almost completely covering in the glowing foliage, he could see that there was a heavy chain attached to the hoop, which extended over the lip of the opening and down the cavern wall below them. He knelt to tug on the chain, but wasn't able to move it the slightest degree, his gloved hand slipping from the substantial links.
    "The chain isn't serviceable, which is why we brought this," Eddie said. He took the coiled rope from his shoulder and then tied one end to the iron hoop. He threw the rest out of the opening. "I'll go first," he said, as he prepared to abseil down.
    Drake waited until he couldn't feel any tension on the rope and then followed after Eddie. As soon as he touched the bottom, Drake became aware of the drizzle falling from above. It was by no means constant, occasional gusts of wind sweeping the light showers this way and that. As he took a moment to get his bearings, he made out rectangular structures on the ground all around him, swathed in the glowing vegetation and another darker, non-luminous weed. He went over to one of the structures that wasn't completely engulfed by the foliage. It was raised from the ground by four stone legs, and the object itself was approximately the size of a phone box, but one that had been tipped over. As he ran a hand