Tunnels 04, Closer

over the trees, stopping in a circular holding pattern around the first. They maintained a low altitude just above the treetops, their blades stirring up the branches and causing a whirl storm of scattered leaves.
    Above the clamor of the massed helicopters, Will heard the unmistakable crack of rifle fire. Shards of stone splintered over him and his father. They were being pinned down by precise firing. He knew then that the Styx wanted them alive -- Limiters didn't miss.
    Will threw a glance back at the jungle. There was no way they could reach it, even if he and his father took advantage of the low gravity and pitched themselves off the side of the pyramid. The distance was just too great -- the Styx sharpshooters would have plenty of time to pick off anyone fleeing across the clearing. It wasn't an option.
    Dr. Burrows seemed completely lost, cowering against the wall and hugging his journal in both arms, as if preserving it was all that mattered to him. Will peeked out again at the helicopter directly overhead. He wished he hadn't, catching a glimpse of the dark forms of Limiters silhouetted against the white sky as they abseiled down the ropes. There were six of them, all sliding toward the top of the pyramid at speed.
    Acting on impulse, Will pointed his Sten at the Styx soldiers, but a hailstorm of bullets rained down. Shots were being fired by Limiters in the other helicopters, striking the ledge mere meters from him. He lowered his weapon and slumped back against the wall. What was the point against all this firepower and such numbers?
    "We've had it," Will muttered to his father.
    There was no escaping from this, and he felt listless, as though all his energy had been sapped.
    He heard a shout from the top of the pyramid. It was a Styx directing the other soldiers to the ledge where he and his father were trapped.
    The Limiters had landed.
    They were so close now.
    "It's all over, Dad."
    Will put his arm around his face and shut his eyes, waiting for the inevitable.
    Waiting for capture.
    Then the inexplicable happened.
    The wall they were pressed against and the stone floor below them gave way.
    "Whoa!" Dr. Burrows shrieked.
    They both plunged into darkness.

    * * * * *

    "Hey!" Rebecca Two exclaimed, as they continued to hover above the pyramid. "Where'd they go?"
    "What?" Rebecca One snapped from further inside the helicopter, where she'd been unable to see as much as her sister. She squeezed in between the door gunner and her sister in order to get a better view. "Don't tell me we've lost them! How can that be?"
    The first wave of Limiters to alight on the plateau-like area at the top of the pyramid were already searching the tier where Will and Dr. Burrows had been. Other helicopters were setting down in the clearing, men leaping from them the moment the ground was close enough. And the barks of stalkers echoed around the trees as their handlers began to pick up on the many scent trails.
    "They won't get far," Rebecca Two said.

    * * * * *

    In unbroken darkness, Will was rolling over and over as he tumbled down an incline. He tried not to yell out as his elbows and knees knocked against multiple corners -- he realized they were the edges of a flight of stairs, and thankfully each step was relatively shallow or the pain would have been that much worse.
    As he landed face down on a stone floor, the wind was knocked completely from him. Managing to get his lungs working again, he immediately cast around for his Sten, which he'd dropped on the way down. With the image of the Limiters descending on their ropes still fresh on his retinas, Will knew how vital it was he located his weapon.
    But what had happened?
    The Styx soldiers had almost been on them, but by some incredible stroke of luck, he'd managed to escape.
    But where was he now? And where was his father?
    Having got his breath back, he rolled over onto his side and began to shout, "Dad, Dad, are you there?"
    There was a moan and something clouted Will on the top of his head. He reached out and grabbed it. He discovered it was Dr. Burrows' foot. "Watch it, Dad," he warned, feeling the leg above it, then pulling himself alongside his father, who was lying on his back and clearly stunned. "Are you okay?" Will asked, shaking him by the arm.
    "Ow!" Dr. Burrows complained after a moment, then spoke in a disgruntled voice. "Please, just let go of me, Will -- that arm's bloody sore."
    Satisfied his father didn't seem to be too badly injured, Will released