Tunnels 04, Closer

eat with my men," Rebecca Two said. She glanced at the trolley the servant had abandoned and smirked. "But don't let us keep you from you lizard arse."

11

    "Want me to shift some of that stuff over to the hideaway?" Elliott offered, as she tied up the Bergen ready to take with her. "It might be safer there."
    In the base she'd build up in the tree, she was watching as Will rather aimlessly checked through his belongings. There was no real reason for him to be there -- he just wanted to be with Elliott.
    She stood up and came over to him as he failed to answer. "You should keep a couple of weapons and some rounds here, but the rest is just cluttering up the place," she said.
    "Yes, sure, okay," he replied. He began to pick out a few items, then stopped to look up at her. "I didn't mention anything about the tunnel to Dad, you know," he told her.
    "No?" she asked.
    While Dr. Burrows hadn't shown any interest in the hideaway, Will knew that the tunnel behind the waterfall would be something he'd insist on seeing. As evidenced by the carving at its entrance, the Ancients had built it, and no doubt he'd want to explore it thoroughly.
    "You should tell him," she said, as she knelt down beside Will and selected a few items to take with her, as if he was incapable of doing it himself. "If it runs all the way back to the Martha's level -- which it very well might -- then it's the way home for you. And that's important."
    Will nodded. "Yeah, but, like you, I don't want to leave here. One day soon, Dad's going to go back and tell everyone about his discoveries. He wants to be recognized. He talks about it all the time." Will's inner conflict was evident as he furrowed his brow. "And he'll make me go with him, because he'll need help carrying all the skulls, stones and other artifacts, to support his claims."
    "Maybe he'll want you to go with him so he can keep an eye on you, and make sure you're okay," Elliott suggested.
    Will was quick to answer this. "No, you that's not the way it is with him." He rubbed his face and sighed. " Some ideas are too big and important to let people get in the way ," he said, quoting what his father had declared just before he'd thrown himself down Smoking Jean, a leap of faith which had ultimately led them all to this secret world. Will looked pointedly at the girl beside him. "No question his work comes first. Before me, even."
    Elliott nodded.
    Will pretended to examine a broken fingernail. "And I'm not leaving you here... not by yourself," he said, his voice quavering.
    "We'll see," Elliott replied noncommittally. Gathering some of Will's belongings in her arms, she rose to her feet. "Look on the bright side -- maybe something will kill us before we have to make any decisions," she said, returning to her Bergen.
    Will was in turmoil. He'd tried not to let Elliott know how he felt about her in the only way he knew how, without embarrassing either of them, but she hadn't responded how he'd hoped she would. In fact, Will felt that her response amounted to a rejection.
    Maybe it boiled down to something very simple -- maybe she didn't like him that much. Perhaps he wasn't special enough in her eyes. She could see him for what he was -- it wasn't as if there was much mystery to him, because they both lived in such close proximity to each other. And it wasn't as if there was much he could do to impress her -- she was the one equipped with all the incredible skills that enabled her to thrive in this environment. There was nothing he could do to impress her that she couldn't do ten times better.
    They had been thrown together in this unreal situation due to extraordinary circumstances, and maybe that was as far as it went. Given the opportunity, perhaps she'd rather be with someone else. "Chester," Will sighed under his breath.
    And even if that wasn't the case, Will couldn't help but think that Dr. Burrows might be spoiling everything for him with his selfish and single-minded pursuit of knowledge. Will turned his head in the direction of the pyramid. Through the leaf cover he could just see his father scuttling along one of the tiers, his scrawny limbs carrying him like some errant spider as he continued on his exhaustive study of the carved inscriptions. A spider weaving a web in which, whether Will liked it or not, he was ensnared.

    * * * * *

    As the first knell of the bell filled the South Cavern with its low, forlorn sound, Mrs. Burrows began to emerge from the dark corner of her mind in