Tunnels 05 - Spiral

wearing a red dress, and her glossy black hair done up in a chignon. She’d grown considerably since she’d arrived Topsoil, putting on several inches of height and even adding a little weight to her boyish figure. This may have been a result of Parry’s overgenerous helpings at mealtimes and his insistence that they all eat well, or perhaps it was because of her age. Whatever the reason, to Will and Chester she’d never looked so feminine before, and they were now doing their best not to gawk at her. For her part, she didn’t look at anyone in particular, least of all either of the boys.
    “Right. Come along,” Parry announced, swinging open the heavy oak door to his study. They filed in without speaking, glancing around the room they’d been forbidden to enter until now. It was larger than Will had expected, with a row of safes along the paneled walls — one of these was open, and Will could see files stacked inside.
    “Hi, Dad,” Chester said, and Mr. Rawls, in his crumpled clothes and a day’s growth of stubble on his chin, rose from a chair beside the ancient printer. It was still rattling away, accompanied by a grinding sound as a roll of paper with perforated edges fed its seemingly endless appetite.
    Will saw some computer displays on a bench beside the printer, but they were all dark. There was another screen on a desk in front of the far wall, but it was pointing away so Will couldn’t tell if it was turned on or not. And on the far wall itself was a large map of Scotland, with the highland and lowland areas depicted in pastel shades. With the exception of Mrs. Burrows, everyone’s gaze had come to rest on it.
    “Yes, you’re in Scotland,” Parry said, raising his voice to be heard over the printer. “Sixty miles due north of Glasgow, to be precise.” He aimed his walking stick at the point on the map. “Just about there.” The hairs pricked up on the back of Will’s neck; it obviously no longer mattered that they’d be able to identify the location of the estate, and that was a little ominous. Parry opened his mouth to talk, but then clucked. He swung to Mr. Rawls. “Put that bloody thing on pause, will you? Can’t hear myself speak.”
    Mr. Rawls swiped a switch on the printer as Parry perched on the edge of the desk and continued. “You’ll doubtless be wondering why Jeff and I have locked ourselves away in here for the last twenty-four hours.” He glanced at Mr. Rawls, who gave a small nod, then Parry tapped the floor twice with his stick. “I asked him to help because I needed someone to man the telex. I’m still on the distribution list for the COBRA bulletins.” Parry smiled, but it wasn’t out of amusement. “The powers that be keep me in the picture. In my former line of work, you never really retire.”
    Mr. Rawls saw that his son was frowning. “COBRA is a government committee convened whenever there’s a security risk to the country,” he explained.
    “Wouldn’t it be quicker to get the information over the net?” Will asked, looking from the aged printer beside Mr. Rawls to the computer screen.
    “The web is never secure,” Parry said. “The only way to trace this telex would be to dig up the miles of dedicated trunk line it’s connected to.” He took a deep breath. “So where do I start . . . ? My son — who you know by the preposterous moniker of Drake — has always steadfastly refused to allow me into his struggle against the Styx. He’s even been going around telling everyone I’ve popped my clogs, just to protect me.” Parry raised his eyebrows. “But my safety isn’t an issue anymore because the game’s changed. Would you take them through the latest COBRA bulletins?” he said to Mr. Rawls.
    “Of course. Just over a day ago, reports began to surface of incidents all over Europe — multiple assassination attempts on heads of state and key political figures. In France, the President and his wife escaped death by the skin of their teeth, but two further attacks on the Spanish and Italian parliaments killed several dozen politicians. And in Brussels a room full of assorted MEPs was taken out.”
    “But there wasn’t anything about this on TV last night,” Will said.
    “And we couldn’t even get the news this morning — most of the channels had this notice up that they’re not available,” Chester added.
    “I’m not surprised,” Parry said. “But first things first. Please go on, Jeff.”
    “Sure,” Mr. Rawls said. “The