Tunnels 04, Closer

louder and the breeze stronger until she spotted a glow coming from up ahead.
    "Daylight... I think this could be it," she said. Then, as she followed the tracks up an even steeper section of tunnel, the source of illumination came into view.
    The tracks continued, but along one side of the tunnel, where there should have been hewn rock, there was a blinding light. As far as she could tell it wasn't artificial. But after so many hours in the darkness with only the green hue cast by her luminescent orb, it was difficult for her to look directly at it.
    "I'm going to leave you here for a second," she said, and carefully put her sister down.
    Then, protecting her eyes with her arm, she advanced toward the light. The gusts of wind blew with such intensity that they pushed her back.
    She told herself to be patient until her vision could cope with the glare, and, after a while, she was able to remove her arm. Through the jagged opening she could see white sky. Combined with the wind, the overall effect was that she was somewhere very high up, not far under the clouds if there'd been any.
    "So... all this time... have I been climbing up the inside of a mountain ?" she posed to herself.
    Giving a shrug, she went nearer to the opening.
    She cried out in wonder.
    "You've got to see this! You'll love this!" Rebecca Two shouted to her unconscious sister.
    Far down below her was a city with a river cutting through the middle of it. As she traced the route of the river, she saw that it ran into an area of water that stretched as far as the eye could see.
    "An ocean?" she asked.
    However it was the city that filled her with awe. Not only was it on an immense scale, but the buildings within it also seemed to be correspondingly large. Even at this great distance, it was possible to pick out with the naked eye what appeared to be a huge arch, not dissimilar to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, with wide avenues radiating all around it. Although this arch was by far the most substantial structure, there were numerous other buildings, all of classical proportion, and all laid out in regular blocks. As Rebecca Two worked her way out from the center of the city, there were extensive areas of smaller buildings, which she assumed were houses.
    And this certainly wasn't some deserted ghost city.
    If she looked really hard, what appeared to be vehicles were moving in the avenue and streets, smaller even than fleas at that distance.
    She caught the steady beat of an engine and sought out a helicopter hovering over the city -- it was unlike any type of helicopter she'd seen Topsoil, with rotors on either side of its fuselage rather than at each end. "What is that ?" she said.
    She returned her attention to the ocean beyond the city. If she shielded her eyes, where the sun glinted off the surface of the water there seemed to be all manner of boats and ships.
    But what made by far the biggest impression on her was the aura of order and power that emanated from this massive metropolis. She nodded approvingly to herself.
    "My kinda place," she said.

3

    Tired as they were, Chester and Martha traveled through the night, tramping through countless fields, and giving any inhabited buildings or roads a wide berth. Martha was adamant that she lead the way, although Chester knew she couldn't have the faintest idea of where she was heading. He didn't either, but he resolved to go along with her for the time being -- it wasn't as if he had any sort of alternative plan at that precise moment, not with her around his neck, anyway.
    As he walked, Chester thought about Drake, deciding that he should try to leave another message for him. If nothing came of it, he would bite the bullet and ring his parents. But to make either call, Chester needed a phone, and he was prepared to bide his time until he came across one. He knew only too well that Martha would do all she could to stop him speaking to 'evil Topsoilers', so somehow he'd have to give her the slip. That decision sustained him as he went -- he just wanted more than anything to be shot of the woman.
    As the first signs of light mottled the sky, they stopped in a clearing in the middle of a small wooded area surrounded by fields. The dawn chorus was just beginning, and Chester couldn't believe how noisy and how numerous the birds were. There was chattering and activity everywhere. It was in such contrast to the subterranean environments Chester had grown accustomed to, where if an animal showed itself, it was