Tunnels 06 - Terminal

the relative calm after the sound of the tank’s engine retreated into the distance, he could hear the Armagi moving close to him, their feet grinding the broken glass.
    For a second or two as he remained on his back, nothing happened. But as soon as he tried to lift his head, something struck him in the mouth. The blow was so powerful that he heard the crack as one of his teeth snapped off.
    Will didn’t delude himself that the situation wasn’t desperate. For an instant he wished that the tank had reversed over him and killed him, because help wouldn’t be coming. Not now he was in the midst of all these beasts, which would stop at nothing – he couldn’t plead with them for his life as he might with a human being.
    He stole a look at them. He saw the dark inhuman eyes against the translucent planes of their bodies. He saw the serrated edges of their wings like so many glass daggers.
    He was going to die.
    And Will knew it was probably the last thing he should do, but he tried to sit up.
    One of them suddenly lashed out at his chest, so hard that he was flung back against the marble floor again.
    Then another blow. A kick to the head from something spiky. This time he had a glimpse of it coming towards him – it resembled the hind leg of a huge bird.
    There was blood in his eyes. All he could hear was the kettledrum thump-thump of his own pulse.
    I’m going to pass out , he thought. But that’s okay.
    Then there was something else. Another sound.
    He only just caught it as the black blanket of unconsciousness began to fall over him.
    It was a car horn.
    Then he did pass out.

    ‘They’re sticking with us,’ Jiggs said. Kingsway was reasonably clear of vehicles, so he didn’t hold back, pushing the tank almost to its top speed of 35 miles per hour. Even so, the Armagi kept doggedly following, flying around it like a swarm of angry wasps.
    In the commander’s station Drake seemed exhausted as he watched the creatures pursuing them on the rear periscope. ‘We’ve got to find a way to shake them off,’ he mumbled.
    ‘Remember the Ghost Crab Manoeuvre?’ Jiggs asked.
    ‘Sort of … but was that what it was called?’ Drake replied.
    Jiggs turned the tank into the Aldwych. ‘I’m not sure, but you know what I mean. There’s got to be a suitable building around here.’
    ‘Why don’t you keep going round this block until we spot something?’ Drake said.
    Jiggs followed his suggestion, and looped around Bush House and the other buildings in the middle of the Strand, so that within minutes they’d returned back onto the Aldwych from the east side. ‘And, Elliott, we’re going to need to blow some smoke, as they say. Have a look and see if you can find controls for—’
    ‘L8 smoke grenades. Should be by the elevation control,’ Jiggs cut in. ‘If not, there’s another way to do it, by cookingoff the diesel in the exhaust manifolds.’
    ‘How do you know that?’ Drake asked.
    ‘Went for a joyride in one of these once,’ Jiggs replied.
    ‘Okay, think I’ve found it,’ Elliott said, pointing to a series of numbered switches.
    ‘Arm them,’ Jiggs told her. She clicked a master switch on the panel and waited.
    ‘Jiggs, I’ve got us a likely candidate,’ Drake suddenly announced. ‘See that restaurant right on the corner of Kingsway? If you can miss the trees and hit it right, maybe we can flatten the main columns.’
    ‘Looks promising,’ Jiggs replied.
    ‘What are you trying to do?’ Elliott asked Drake with concern.
    ‘He’s trying to bury us,’ Jiggs said.
    ‘It’s an old trick. Create some confusion with smoke, then if we motor into the right building and it works out how we want it, we lie low under the debris,’ Drake explained, then turned to Jiggs. ‘Let’s give it a shot next time round,’ he said.
    As they looped once more around the buildings on the island in the middle of the Aldwych, and the restaurant came into view again, Drake gave the order for Elliott to fire the grenades. They rebounded off the buildings either side, exploding and spreading a thick grey cloud across the road.
    ‘Now, brace yourselves,’ Jiggs warned as he powered the Challenger straight towards the corner building. ‘And wish me luck, because I’ve got zero visibility.’
    Seconds later there was a huge crash, and the tank slowed to a sudden halt, throwing them all forward. But Jiggs rammed down on the throttle again, and the tank eased forward a little, before he killed the