Tunnels 04, Closer

a clear conscience... look at him, sleeping like a baby," Rebecca One whispered, as she peered down at the Chancellor.
    "A very spoilt baby," her sister said, surveying the extravagantly furnished room. "It's like something in a palace."
    Rebecca One felt the silk sheets where they lay over the Chancellor's portly body. "Certainly is. But what's that on his face? Some kind of eye mask?" She sniffed at it. "Smells of fruit... mango."
    "No! Not a mango eye mask! The fat Chancellor is preserving his youthful good looks!" Rebecca Two said, trying unsuccessfully to stop herself from sniggering.
    "Time for a rude awakening," Rebecca One decided. She took hold of the mask and pulled it away from his head as far as the elastic would permit, then released it. It slapped back against his eyes with a small splat.
    He let out a cry and sat bolt upright. " Gott im Himmel! " He shouted, tearing the mask off and squinting because of the bright light directed at him.
    Then he made out the Styx girls by the side of his bed, both of whom were looking with some amusement at his lemon-colored satin pajamas and the embroidered K on the breast pocket.
    " Was machen ... What are you doing here?" He jerked his head around to his wife, who was still being restrained by the Limiter. He whipped his head back to the Rebecca twins, breathing heavily, both from anger and fear. "Have you taken leave of your senses? What are you doing in my house?" he demanded. "How dare you!"
    Rebecca One perched on the bed beside him. "We've decided that we want to help you, and that you and your lost nation are going to help us. Cooperation is the name of the game."
    The Chancellor wiped some mango juice from his eye, and snorted. "Get out of my bedroom! And tell your soldier to take his Hande -- hands -- from my wife! I'm not going to help you! Never!"
    "Oh, but you are," Rebecca Two said calmly, beckoning with her hand.
    A Limiter advanced from the corner of the room and placed a large case on the foot of the bed. He undid the catches and lifted off the top of the case.
    "What is that?" the Chancellor asked, eyeing the gunmetal-colored box with dials on it. "What are you doing?" he said, panic creeping into his voice, and still watching as the Limiter straightened out the flexible stem, which was attached to the rear of the box. At the end of the stem was a shade that housed a dark purple bulb.
    "This is called a Dark Light. It's our latest model, portable and much more powerful than its predecessor," Rebecca One replied in an upbeat manner, as if she was advertising a new product on a shopping channel. Then her tone changed, becoming frosty. "If you relax, it'll go easier for you... and it'll also do wonders for your baby-face complexion."
    "But if you try to resist it, you're history," Rebecca Two chimed in. "We don't really need you. We're only keeping you around because you're funny."
    "Whatever it is, you are not going to use it on me!" the Chancellor shouted, sliding back over the shiny sheets so he was up against his button-upholstered behead of purple satin. "And how did you get into my house anyway? How did you know where to find--?"
    "Ah, that would be because of our bestest friends, Captain Franz and his men," Rebecca Two said. She clicked her fingers and he and three other New Germanian soldiers entered the room. "In fact, we've already got one of your regiments with us, and it won't be long until all the rest of your army is brought into line."
    " Was machen Sie da ?" the Chancellor bellowed at Captain Franz.
    The young soldier remained silent, deferring to Rebecca Two.
    "He's not answerable to you any longer," Rebecca Two said. "He's already seen the light."

    * * * * *

    In no time at all, Drake and Chester had the Laboratories in sight. Drake made them stop across the road from the two buildings while he investigated the area. Chester still didn't know what they were doing there -- Drake had refused to tell him in case they were captured by the Styx -- but the Bergen full of explosives was a pretty big clue.
    "The night guard's still on," Drake whispered, pointing at the Colonist hovering outside his cabin. The nerve gas had begun to take effect and the man was coughing and spluttering, but he was nevertheless puffing determinedly on a cheroot, as if the smoke was somehow going to allay the symptoms.
    "That's irregular -- although he's on duty, he's got a Hunter with him," Drake said, observing the guard as he went over to Colly and patted her