Tunnels 04, Closer

entrance. Parting the vines to survey the view below, he stared at the shallow stream at the base of the cliff. "We're a bit close here." He frowned. "And, anyway, didn't you tell me we had a long walk ahead of us? We've hardly come any distance."
    Elliott joined him at the cave mouth. "It can't be too far away in case we need to get here at short notice. And as for your second question, we're not done yet."
    "We're not?" he said, glancing inquiringly at her.
    "No," she replied. "I have something to ask you, Will."
    He turned to face her. "You do? What's that?"
    "After we took care of the Rebecca twins, didn't anything occur to you?" Elliott put to him.
    Will was silent for a while. "To tell you the truth, I've been trying to forget the whole thing. It was just so horrible," he replied eventually. He began to fidget with the Sten gun slung over his shoulder, a troubled look in his eyes.
    "That's okay," she said, placing her hand momentarily on his arm to still its movement. "I'm not talking about what we did -- you don't have to think about that. But have you never once asked yourself how the three Styx actually got here? I mean, what are the chances of them leaping off that submarine and floating across, just like we did?" She tapped the barrel of his Sten gun. "And anyway, how would they have propelled themselves through the zero gravity belt? As far as we know they didn't have any firearms with them."
    Will frowned. "Well, I'll be damned -- you're absolutely right. I never thought of that. So how did they make it across?"
    "Saddle up," she said, sounding remarkably like Drake as she spun nimbly around and clambered backwards out of the opening, then began to descend the vines.
    Once he was down, Will waded through the stream to the bank. As he clambered out and retrieved the Bergen from the undergrowth where he'd left it, Bartleby's head suddenly popped up from a nearby bush. His cheeks were puffed out, like a trumpet player about to blow a full-bodied note on his instrument.
    "Oh, no. There's a tail sticking out of his mouth," Will spluttered. "And it's twitching!"
    "Caught himself a jungle rat," Elliott said admiringly. "He's a born hunter."
    Will raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that's absolutely right -- he is a Hunter. There you go stating--"
    "Oh, shut up, Will," she laughed, pushing gently against him with her shoulder before moving away. Will grinned to himself, enjoying the moment.

    * * * * *

    They kept to the stream for several kilometers, Elliott and the cat wading ahead of Will. When the water was up to their waists and Bartleby was only just managing to keep his nose above the surface, they made for the side. Once they were out, Elliott didn't take them back into the jungle, but instead led them along the bank, which was covered in a thick growth of gymnosperms. By now the stream had grown so much in size that Will decided it was more accurate to describe it as a river.
    Elliott called a halt several times by holding her fist in the air. Crouching low, she used her rifle scope to check around them, particularly concentrating on the opposite bank. On one of these occasions Will crept over to her.
    "What's wrong? Why do you keep stopping?"
    "I've got this feeling," she whispered, not shifting her gaze from the far bank. "Like there's someone there."
    "I can't see anybody," Will said.
    "It's as though... as though the trees are watching us," she replied, still keeping her voice low.
    Will was nonplussed. "The trees?"
    Elliott nodded. "I know it sounds crazy. I've had the same feeling before... in other parts of the jungle."
    They were both silent as they continued to scrutinize the opposite side of the river. The bank was lined with gymnosperms several meters in height, and then the jungle began with its giant trees. It was here, in between the trees, that Elliott was staring. And Will also noticed that she was throwing the occasional glance at Bartleby to check if he was sensing anything. However, the cat seemed entirely preoccupied by the swarms of iridescent green dragonflies, playfully trying to swipe them with his massive paws as they zipped past. This made Will more confident that there was no cause for alarm. But he'd also learnt that Elliott's instincts weren't to be ignored.
    "Could it just be some animal watching us?" he suggested. "Other than those old skulls at the pyramid and the aeroplane Dad claims he saw, I don't reckon there's anyone close to us. I mean, we haven't seen any signs of people in