Tunnels 04, Closer

wind and whisked off down the street. Seizing hold of the boys' hands, she almost yanked them off their feet as she fled. She was still screaming in alarm, but the boys were trying to look back, their eyes wide with wonder.
    "I don't think we're dressed appropriately," Rebecca Two said, noting that she and her sister must look quite disconcerting. Their faces were filthy and their clothes burnt, torn, and plastered with mud and blood.
    "What's going on? Are you getting me some help?" Rebecca One asked weakly, as her sister sat down on the bottom step in front of the building that the woman had just left.
    "Be patient," Rebecca Two replied. She made sure her sister was propped securely against the railings at the side of the steps, then moved to the curbside. She glanced down at the gutter, where the rainwater was collecting and coursing into the drains. "We won't have to wait long for some attention," she added, pushing her sodden hair from her face.
    And sure enough it was less than thirty seconds before sirens began to sound in the metropolis, a low howling that resonated between the buildings. A small crowd of people had collected on a far corner to watch the Rebeccas, but they were making sure they kept their distance.
    A vehicle swished down the wet street and skidded to a halt. It was an army lorry, and as the tailgate crashed open a squad of soldiers disembarked, their rifles at the ready. Rebecca Two estimated there were around twenty of them. Another soldier jumped from the cab of the lorry, approaching with his handgun pointed directly at her.
    " Wer sind Sie? " the young soldier barked at Rebecca Two.
    "He wants to know who we are," Rebecca One mumbled. "Sounds nervous."
    "Yes, I know -- I speak German just like you," Rebecca Two replied briskly.
    " Wer sind Sie? " the soldier demanded again, this time emphasizing each word with a motion of his sidearm.
    Rebecca turned to face the soldier, who she assumed must be the senior officer. She took in his sand-colored uniform, which was turning a shade darker as he was drenched by the downpour. " Meine Schwester braucht einen Arzt! " she enunciated flawlessly.
    "Yes... need a doctor," Rebecca One murmured.
    The soldier seemed surprised at Rebecca Two's request, and didn't respond. Instead, he issued a command and his squad lined up behind him, their rifles trained on the girls. Then, as he led them, they began to move slowly forward in formation.
    There was a blinding flash of lightning, followed by more thunder.
    Then, all of a sudden, the soldiers halted.
    Rebecca Two realized that she couldn't hear the tinny opera music from down the street any longer.
    And if the soldier had seemed anxious before, she could now clearly see the fear etched on his face. On the faces of all the soldiers.
    Real, unbridled fear.
    "Einen Arzt," she repeated, wondering what was having such an effect on them. She heard a low growl and spun to the street behind her. As they advanced, it was almost as if the men were materializing from the heavy rain. Their dun-brown camouflage blended perfectly with the deluge of water, making them appear like shifting human shadows.
    "Impeccable timing," Rebecca Two said, as the brigade of Limiters came to a halt at precisely the same moment. There were forty of them positioned across the full width of the street, their rifles aimed at the German soldiers. At regular intervals along their line the dog handlers struggled to keep their stalkers under control. These attack dogs were making unearthly noises; low whining sounds vibrated in their throats, as their lips, drawn back to reveal their ferocious fangs, twitched in anticipation.
    But the young soldier and his men weren't looking at the dogs. They were transfixed by the Limiters' death's-head faces, whose eyes were so black it was is if they had been drilled out.
    There was no movement from either if the opposing sides. Except for the rain pelting down, it was as if the scene had somehow been frozen.
    Rebecca Two strolled into the middle of the road and stopped between the two lines. " Offizier? " she asked the German soldier. She was as confident and relaxed as she would have been if she'd been asking a Topsoil policeman for directions.
    He tore his gaze from the Limiters and, focusing on the slim girl in her ragged clothes, nodded mutely.
    " Ich --" she began.
    "I speak English perfectly," he interrupted with a trace of an accent.
    "Good, then I need--" she continued.
    "Tell these troops to