Tunnels 05 - Spiral

we’ll work something out. OK?”
    “OK, I suppose,” Mrs. Burrows said.
    They all held back as Sweeney and Drake checked the door into the airlock for booby traps, then opened it.
    As if she couldn’t wait to find out what state the Colony was in, Mrs. Burrows was right behind the two men.
    Sweeney was halfway across the corrugated flooring when he suddenly missed a step and staggered. He was groping for the side of the airlock as if his legs couldn’t support him. Drake was immediately on the case, pulling the larger man back with him.
    “No! Colly!” Mrs. Burrows shouted. The Hunter had collapsed beside her. She was out cold.
    “Get the cat out!” Drake yelled at the Colonel and Will.
    Sweeney seemed to recover as soon as he was helped toward the elevator. Colly, however, remained completely unconscious.
    “What is it?” Mrs. Burrows said. “We can’t have this — she’s pregnant!”
    Drake pointed to his ear. “It’s a subaural field. They’ve put one around the door to stop anyone using it. Sweeney was wearing his plugs, but he’s hypersensitive to most frequencies. And, of course, Colly had no protection at all.”
    “But she’ll be all right?” Elliott asked, running a hand over the cat’s plump stomach.
    “She should be,” Drake replied. “Now, you’re all going to get as far back as you can, because — in time-honored fashion — the Colonel and I are going to blow our way through.”

IN MARKET SQUARE, a large paved area at the center of the South Cavern, people were gathering to hear what the Board of Governors had to say. Word of the forthcoming meeting had gone around, and most, if not all, of the remaining occupants of the subterranean city were turning up.
    The Governors hadn’t been much in evidence lately. But since the Styx had abruptly vanished, they’d crept out from wherever they’d been hiding, clearly with the intention of reasserting their authority over the Colony.
    Before the recent troubles, the square had thronged with people on market days, purchasing goods from the numerous rows of carts. But now these carts had been wheeled to the side to make room, although a few people were standing on them to get a better view of the Governors.

    And almost the full complement of Governors was present on a hastily erected platform. There should have been twelve of them, but one of their number was unwell; Mr. Cruickshank was suffering badly with gout and hadn’t been able to leave his bed. The rest, all decked out in their tall stovepipe top hats, formal black coats, and gray pinstripe trousers, were sitting stiffly behind a long table on the platform. When it was time for the meeting to start, the eleven men removed their top hats from their heads and placed them on the table before them. Then, Mr. Pearson, the most senior Governor, rose to his feet.
    With his lugubrious expression and the painfully slow way he spoke, he began to lecture the people about “Keeping order” and how it was “a Colonist’s duty to his neighbor to obey the age-old laws.” Sir Gabriel Martineau’s name kept cropping up as Mr. Pearson wittered on; he obviously believed that frequent references to the Colony’s founder would resonate with the audience and make them more compliant.
    But although the crowd was listening, they weren’t pleased with what they were hearing. The Governors had been the puppets of the Styx, merely putting into effect whatever the real ruling class ordained. And with the Styx out of the picture, it was inevitable that there wouldn’t be the same degree of respect for these officials.
    “We have . . . ,” Mr. Pearson proclaimed, one hand tucked into his waistcoat as he wagged a finger at the rock canopy far above, “we have known hard times for these past months. We have all been parted from family and neighbors, although we don’t yet know the reason for this. And we don’t know where they have been taken or when they will be returned to us again.”
    “Never,” a woman in the crowd muttered.
    “And when our lords themselves return, you can be assured that we, the Board, will ask them these very questions,” Mr. Pearson said in answer to the woman.
    With this reference to the Styx, a ripple of disapproval spread through the crowd.
    “And until the status quo is restored, we will ensure that our daily routines are back to normal and that we are not troubled by outbreaks of lawlessness from the small handful of malcontents in our society,” Mr.