Tunnels 05 - Spiral

Mrs. Burrows were heading back to the Quarter, when Elliott appeared from nowhere.
    “I thought I told you to stay put,” Drake said, clearly annoyed.
    Elliott didn’t reply, and Will noticed that she was purposefully avoiding his gaze. Perhaps all wasn’t well between the two of them after Mrs. Burrows had attacked her father and the angry exchange that had ensued. And Elliott didn’t speak to him during the time it took for them to rejoin Sweeney and Colonel Bismarck, who had been guarding the nuclear weapons and the rest of the equipment.
    Although the First Officer had had other matters to attend to and wasn’t yet with them, he’d suggested that they wait for him at his police station. So that was their next stop, and once they’d moved all the equipment over there, they sat around in the main office, eating their rations. The nuclear weapons were safely under lock and key in one of the cells in the Hold, somewhere that held only bad memories for Will. So bad that he’d found himself unable to go into the dank and dismal place again.
    When the First Officer finally turned up, strolling breezily in through the swing doors, he’d only made it a few feet when there was the frantic noise of claws scrabbling on stone from beside Mrs. Burrows. If Colly hadn’t been carrying so much extra weight, she would have undoubtedly leaped over the top of the counter. Instead she cannoned straight through the opening in it.
    “My girl!” the First Officer bellowed as the Hunter reared up and put her paws on his shoulders to lick his face. “I thought I’d lost you for good.” Purring at deafening volume, Colly rolled onto her back, inviting him to rub her stomach. “Who’s Daddy’s girl, then? Who’s Daddy’s girl?” he cooed at the animal in baby talk.
    He looked up when Mrs. Burrows came over to the counter. “My Hunter was with you all the time!” the First Officer said to her. “Thank you! And she looks so fit and well — she’s really filled out.”
    “It’s a bit more than that,” Mrs. Burrows said.
    “Kittens! No?” he asked, as he examined the cat.
    “Yes,” said Mrs. Burrows.
    A big, stupid grin creased the First Officer’s face. Still grinning, he stood up. He stuck a finger in the air as something occurred to him. “And I have a little surprise for your son.” He trundled through the counter and into his office. Reappearing with something hidden behind his back, he went over to Will.
    “Here,” he said, revealing what it was.
    “Awesome!” Will burst out. It was his trusty spade — his favorite possession from his time in Highfield. He reached for it.
    “Not so fast,” the First Officer said, teasingly putting it out of the boy’s reach. “It’s yours on one condition: I want you to promise never ever to clobber me with it again!”
    “Done!” Will said, taking his spade and inspecting the brightly polished blade.
    Colly wouldn’t leave the First Officer’s side and was now rubbing herself affectionately against his legs. “I missed her,” he mumbled.
    “She’ll be stopping here with you when we go,” Mrs. Burrows said. “It wouldn’t be fair to take her along.”
    “Of course,” the First Officer agreed readily, stroking the cat’s broad head and making her purr at even greater volume.
    “Um, I’d like to make a proposal, Celia,” Drake began, putting aside his sandwich and rising from his chair. “I’ve talked this through with Will . . . and we think you should remain behind in the Colony, too.”
    “O-kaaay,” Mrs. Burrows said slowly.
    “I’ve got all the manpower I need for the mission,” Drake continued. “And you’ve already given us a glimpse of how useful you can be to the Colonists now that the Styx are out of the picture. Not least that, with your supersense, you’d be invaluable as an early warning system if the Styx try to pick up where they left off. You’ll be able to smell them coming.”
    Mrs. Burrows considered this for a moment. “I can see the logic in that,” she said. “Yes, I’ll stay, then.”
    Will was surprised she’d decided so quickly, but the First Officer was overjoyed. “Excellent,” he kept repeating as he clapped his meaty hands together.
    While everyone thought about going back to their sandwiches, Drake remained on his feet. “There’s something I need to air with all of you. And this involves you, too,” he said, turning to the First Officer.
    Drake slid a small attaché case from his Bergen and