Tunnels 06 - Terminal

then head out as quickly as possible. And I hope this isn’t just some wild frolic.’
    Drake followed Elliott as she climbed through the hatch in the turret, then leapt down from the tank. After checking the interior of the cathedral was clear of any Styx, they sprinted down the nave. On reaching the area under the huge dome of St Paul’s and the Whispering Gallery, Drake continued on for some way in the direction of the altar before realising he was by himself. He turned to find Elliott had stopped directly under the dome.
    ‘This is it,’ she said, closing her eyes.
    Drake frowned. ‘What is? I don’t get it. What could be here that’s going to be of any help to us at all?’ he demanded, the desperation evident in his voice.
    ‘I honestly don’t know,’ Elliott replied, opening her eyes and holding the sceptre before her.
    Drake came back towards her. ‘But this is a cathedral – what are you looking for here? And why here, in particular? What’s so special about this place?’
    ‘I really don’t know yet,’ Elliott admitted. ‘Will thought it was to do with ley lines – which might be why this has always been a holy place.’
    Drake lost it at this point. ‘ Ley lines? A holy place ! What sort of New Age claptrap is that? I know we need a bloody miracle, Elliott, but that’s so f …’
    He never finished the sentence because Elliott, with bothhands gripping the sceptre, twisted the shaft halfway along.
    ‘What’s this?’ Drake breathed, as he and Elliott noticed the most bizarre phenomenon. It was as if the light on them and the ground around them had gone through some sort of spectrum shift.
    This effect was becoming more pronounced by the second, until they found they were in the dead centre of a hemisphere of shimmering azure light, some forty feet across. The edge of the hemisphere was fluxing and shifting in the same way that an oil film does on water.
    With no warning, a strong wind swept through the interior of the cathedral, strong enough to send pews scraping across the floor and hymn books flapping into the air like untidy birds taking to the wing.
    It was followed immediately by an immensely loud creaking and cracking sound, as if the whole fabric of the building was coming under strain.
    ‘Get down!’ Drake shouted, peering above them.
    In less than the blink of an eye, the dome of St Paul’s lifted off.
    And, just as quickly, it had completely vanished from sight.
    ‘What did you just do?’ Drake demanded, as he had his first glimpse of blue sky above. He moved towards Elliott, ready to protect her from the pieces of masonry and timber that were dropping to the ground around them, but it proved unnecessary. None of it had actually fallen within the blue circle where they were.
    Drake continued to peer above him, completely bemused. ‘Where did it go?’ he mumbled, shaking his head in sheer disbelief. It was as if some giant being had simply lopped off the top of a boiled egg with a spoon.
    Elliott merely shrugged. ‘We saw something like this before, at the pyramid.’
    As he continued to shake his head, Drake was still trying to take it in. ‘Well, you got me.’ Then he laughed. ‘Against all the odds this building survived the Blitz, and we’ve just trashed it!’ He turned his attention to the shimmering blue bubble surrounding them. ‘And what’s with the light show?’
    Elliott shrugged again, not offering any explanation. Instead she was peering around as if she was disappointed, as if she’d expected more.
    As the L94 in the tank began to hammer away from the front steps, Drake was brought back to the seriousness of their situation. ‘Okay, that’s it,’ he decided. ‘We’re sitting ducks in here. Time to get going.’
    As if to prove his point, something swooped in through the open roof. The first Armagi touched down, and fortunately didn’t attack immediately, giving Drake the time to empty a magazine from his assault rifle into it. Pieces spun off the creature like chunks of flying ice before it dropped to the ground.
    Several more Armagi landed on the cathedral floor, but as Drake changed magazines, they didn’t seem to be attacking.
    He cocked his rifle, watching them as they remained stock-still. ‘What’s wrong with them? Why aren’t they coming for me?’ he asked. Still not one of the Armagi made a move, as if they didn’t want to step into the circle of blue light.
    Drake and Elliott exchanged glances, neither speaking for the