Tunnels 04, Closer

metropolis and rose over the mountain range that extended behind it.
    Rebecca Two was keeping an eye on the other helicopters following behind them in neat formation, while her sister was more interested in what lay ahead. She was looking past the pilot as he pulled on the joystick, and the helicopter banked and then straightened out on a new course. Through the large area of Plexiglas at the front of the cockpit, the incredible vista unfolded before her as the full extent of the jungle came into sight -- a sea of green that seemed to go on forever. "A virgin world," she said to herself. "What we could do with this."
    Rebecca Two began to take an interest in what the navigator was doing on the other side of the cockpit. Tucked behind the pilot, he was obviously in constant touch with him over his headset as he studied a circular screen set into an equipment panel. Unbuckling her safety harness, she used a handrail to steady herself as she went over to him.
    Tapping him on the arm to get his attention, she pointed at the screen. "What are those dark patches there?" she shouted.
    He looked surprised to see her there, but nevertheless slid his headset off so he could hear her.
    "What are those dark areas?" she shouted again.
    " Ein Sturm ist im Kommen ," he yelled in response.
    She shrugged -- good as her German was, the noise of the engine was making it difficult for her to understand him.
    "Storm front," he said, finding the right words in English. "We have to steer around them in these copters as the wind currents and electrical discharges... they are so strong. This is a tracking--"
    "It's a radar system for weather patterns," Rebecca Two anticipated, nodding. "But then what's that?" she said, pointing at a small and indistinct area of light which slowly faded up, then just as slowly faded away again on the monochrome screen.
    Rebecca One had now joined her sister, and was listening to the exchange.
    "Wir wissen nicht... we don't know. Some weeks ago we sent a spotter plane over for a reconnaissance, but he finds nothing. Could be a magnetic field... how do you say... eine Abweichung von der --"
    "Some sort of anomaly," Rebecca One translated, meeting her sister's eyes.
    Rebecca Two frowned. "Maybe -- just maybe -- it's one of Drake's gizmos?" she suggested, and turned to the navigator again. "Is it close to anything -- any features or landmarks?"
    The navigator swiveled in his chair so he could consult a map on a metal shelf by the side of his screen, laying a protractor over it. "The closest feature is the third pyramid... the furthest from our current position."
    "It's near a pyramid! Why weren't we told about this?" Rebecca One demanded.
    The navigator shrugged. "Anyway, we'll see the area as it's the last drop point scheduled for this operation," he replied.
    The twins didn't need to make eye contact -- they were both thinking precisely the same thing.
    "No, it's not," Rebecca Two said unequivocally.
    "We're going there first," Rebecca One ordered. "Tell your pilot to re-route us... right now."

15

    "I'll be out here in the car if you need me. Just speak into this," Drake said, as he made sure the microphone was attached to the inside of Chester's sleeve. Chester was with Drake in the back seat while Eddie was behind the steering wheel. "And Eddie will take up position at the rear," Drake went on.
    "What... in my garden?" Chester said disbelievingly. Through the side window of the Range Rover, his eyes were glued on the house further down the street. He tore himself away from it to look at the microphone in his sleeve and then the handgun in Drake's lap. "Do we really need all this?" he asked.
    Eddie twisted around to Chester. "Yes, we do. Be ready for anything," he said ominously. He checked the street behind in his wing mirror. "And we can't hang around her for long. It's not safe."
    "Look, Chester, I completely understand why you want to do this," Drake began, then sighed. "You want to put your parents' minds at rest that you're okay. But, as I keep trying to tell you, it's really not a good idea."
    Chester set his jaw but didn't reply.
    Drake's unease was evident as he clenched his fingers into a fist and then opened them again. "You've got ten minutes tops with them -- there's no way you can stay any longer than that. The Styx will come and they won't grab only you -- they'll grab your mother and father too. Everyone -- and I mean everyone -- you come into contact with is put at risk."
    "I understand