Tunnels 05 - Spiral

piece of war machinery hovering no more than forty feet above their heads was quite terrifying.
    As it taxied into position between Parry and Drake and began to descend, it tipped back. It maintained an angle of forty-five degrees and the moment the wheels at the rear of the fuselage touched down, a ramp swung open between them. Over the sound of the helicopter’s engine, Parry and Drake were yelling at everyone to get on board. There were subdued red lights marking the edges of the ramp to guide them, and as Will climbed it, he glimpsed army insignia on the fuselage. Drake, Sweeney, and the Colonel hauled the crates up the ramp and then it thudded shut, and they were airborne.
    Will took the place beside Chester and strapped himself in. With seats down both sides, the interior was easily twice the size of a train car, but there was no sign of the crew. Will and Chester watched as Parry moved to the front of the helicopter. The boys caught a momentary glimpse of the two pilots bathed in the green glow of their instrumentation, before the door to the cockpit closed again.
    Seeing their interest, Drake came over and leaned between them, speaking loudly so they could hear. “So what do you think of our ride?”
    “Wild!” Chester replied.
    “What type is it?” Will shouted.
    “It’s a Chinook from No. 27 Squadron on its way back to Hampshire. Dad called in a few favors and managed to hitch us a lift. Of course, our presence is completely unofficial, and there’ll be no record of us being picked up on the flight log.”
    Will and Chester nodded.
    Drake gestured toward the window behind the boys, and they both swiveled around to look through it. There were one or two tiny points of light glimmering like stars in the distance, but otherwise there were just eddies of snow twisting into the darkness. “Keep buckled up as it’s going to be a bumpy flight. We’re tree-hugging all the way to avoid radar as much as we can,” he told them.
    “Yeah, we’re really shifting it,” Will said excitedly as they zipped over an illuminated stretch of road.
    But as Drake went back to his seat, Will’s initial enthusiasm quickly evaporated. The beat of the engines and sudden changes in altitude brought back memories of the last helicopter flight he’d been on.
    Although it was difficult to tell in the dim light, Will was certain that he caught both Elliott and Colonel Bismarck looking at him. He wondered if they were also thinking about the journey they’d taken together in the inner world. It was shortly after Dr. Burrows had been gunned down by one of the Rebeccas, and Will had been so beside himself with rage and grief, he’d had to be strong-armed onto the aircraft by two New Germanian soldiers.
    And then, to make matters worse, Will had proceeded to blame Elliott for his father’s death. He could see the glint of her eyes as she sat opposite him in the helicopter, and he felt so ashamed of his behavior. But more than this, he couldn’t stop thinking about his father’s violent end on the sun-soaked pyramid.
    He was still lost in these thoughts when Chester poked him in the ribs, a big grin on his face as he gave the thumbs-up. Will could only manage a weak smile in response. But at least someone was enjoying the flight.
    Will wasn’t sure if he’d nodded off, but it seemed no time at all before the engines changed in pitch. Then he glimpsed many more lights through the windows as they reduced altitude. Before he knew it, there was a jarring bump and the helicopter had touched down.
    Parry and Drake were there, shouting at everyone to disembark over the sound of the rotors, which were still turning. The crates were quickly off-loaded, and in less than a minute, the helicopter lifted off again.
    Will’s ears rang in the silence. They’d been dropped in a field where the snow was coming down even heavier than ever, and there was nothing visible around them.
    Then, from a far corner, a single pair of headlights flicked on for an instant. Parry signaled back with his flashlight, and suddenly multiple lights raked across the field.
    The vehicles began to approach, one at a time. The first was a camper van, followed by a Land Rover, then a Volvo estate and a whole succession of rather nondescript cars. Parry spoke to each driver as Drake and Sweeney loaded a crate into the back. Then the vehicles continued on, their wheels churning the snow as they went.
    As the last of them disappeared into the night, Parry spoke