Tunnels 05 - Spiral

them was stunning.
    A woman with short-cropped black hair sashayed to the chair at the opposite end of the table from the twins and settled into it, crossing her legs elegantly.
    “Alex,” Rebecca One greeted her.
    Alex smiled.
    “I caught the spread they did on you in
Hello!
magazine,” Rebecca One continued. “You looked simply fantastic in the photos.”
    “Yes, I was pleased with how that shoot turned out,” Alex replied. With homes in London, Paris, and New York, she was the guiding light at one of the world’s leading PR companies.
    Another woman, with shoulder-length blonde hair and dressed in a black Vivienne Westwood suit, took the place beside Alex. Moving with the grace of a cat, she slid down in the chair, propping one of her Jimmy Choo–shod feet on the edge of the table.
    “And hi, Vane,” Rebecca Two said to her. “It’s been a long time.”
    “It has,” she replied.
    Although it was difficult to tell at first glance, Alex and Vane were twins just like the Rebeccas, and had always been role models for the young girls.
    “We saw you’ve been busy with your latest show,” Rebecca Two said to Vane.
    The woman gave a small smile. She was the main presenter on a reality television series that was topping the ratings. “It doesn’t take much to amuse the average Topsoiler,” she said, her voice dripping with scorn.
    Alex rubbed a shoulder under her jacket, casting an eye around the boardroom. “What a dive this place is. Wholly unremarkable.”
    Rebecca Two nodded in agreement. “Yes, it’s perfect, isn’t it? And out back,” she said, inclining her head to her right, “there’s nearly an acre of controlled environment.”
    Rebecca One took over, addressing all the women. “And in that acre we’ve already prepared three hundred subjects for you.”
    All the women reacted immediately, purring with approval. And all of them, without exception, had begun to breathe more heavily as their faces became flushed. Several were kneading their shoulders.
    But a woman standing in the midst of the group behind Vane and Alex seemed less than impressed. “Is that all?” she said curtly. Her appearance was dowdy in comparison to the other women; dressed in a khaki uniform, she wore no makeup, and as she took off her officer’s cap, her hair was a mousy brown. She was one of the highest-ranking women in the British Army. “Because I know where we can obtain many more candidates than that,” she said, referring to the soldiers under her command. “And they’re all in tip-top physical condition.”
    Rebecca One answered quickly. “There’s no need for them. The same number again is going through processing and will be ready for you soon. That should be adequate even for your voracious appetite, Major.”
    A woman in a dark blue suit took a step forward from the group. She had come direct from the Harley Street optometrist’s clinic where she administered regular Dark Light sessions to many leading politicians and businessmen. “Can I make a start on him?” she asked, widening her dark eyes as she ogled Captain Franz. “He’s a sweet morsel.”
    “I saw him first.” Alex laughed, uncrossing her legs as she ran her tongue over her perfect teeth.
    “You’re both mistaken. I think you’ll find that he’s mine,” Vane said.
    “No,” Rebecca Two answered a little too sharply. “He’s useful to us.”
    “Really?” Alex said, her eyes flashing as she noticed how defensive the Rebecca twin had become. “And in what way could this Topsoiler ever be deemed ‘useful’?”
    To defuse the situation, Rebecca One clapped her hands together and rose to her feet. “If everyone is ready,” she announced, “then please follow us.”
    The girls led the way, the Styx women behind them. Their heels clicked on the linoleum as they left the carpeted area and trooped down the corridor leading to the first of the warehouses. A pair of Limiters, the fearless soldiers of the elite Styx regiment, was stationed at the entrance of the former factory. But they didn’t seem to be so fearless now, cowering and pulling back as far as they could from the horde of women. As she passed, Alex leaned toward one and growled at him. The Limiter nearly jumped out of his skin. “Men are such wimps,” she chuckled throatily.
    But the rest of the women didn’t utter a word as they stepped onto the factory floor. The industrial humidifying units were rattling away to themselves, and the air was thick and