Tunnels 06 - Terminal

magnet to the Armagi.’
    Eddie nodded in agreement. ‘No question that they seem to have diverted from their original route to the Thames, and instead they’re beating a path here.’
    Danforth had been running another check on the signal from the beacon and its direction. ‘Maybe it’s an obvious thing to say, but my money’s on the tank for the VLF signal – it has to be where it’s originating,’ he said.
    Parry had switched his attention to what was left of the cathedral’s domed roof as he thought out loud. ‘That wasn’t a conventional explosion. Something very strange happened here, and I just pray that we’re on to something we can use to get ourselves out of this corner, or at least buy a little breathing space.’ He was silent for a beat before he added, ‘But we’re running out of time. We need to get someone inside the building for a recce.’
    Danforth cleared his throat. ‘I’ll go. I can get some comms up and running with whoever’s in the Challenger. I’m the obvious choice to do it.’
    ‘It’s unlikely you’ll make it through with that lot to contend with,’ Parry said, peering down at the ever-increasing hordes of Armagi.
    ‘In the scheme of things, I don’t think it makes a whole lot of difference if I stay up here or try my luck down there. As it stands, the chances of us coming through this aren’t very promising,’ Danforth said.
    Parry grimaced as he shot a glance over the Londonskyline. ‘I’m afraid you’re right – the choppers are too far out. Even if I ordered them back right now, it’s doubtful that any of us could get clear of the blast radius.’
    ‘So why not let me go down there and have a recce round the place?’ Danforth asked.
    ‘I’m not going to try to argue you out of it,’ Parry replied, glancing at his watch. ‘Take a couple of my best men – travel light, so you don’t attract too much attention. You can use the pedestrian subway to get as close as you can to the cathedral, then you’re going to have to play it by ear.’ For a moment they all focused on a point twenty feet or so from the entrance to the cathedral where a London Transport sign marked a flight of steps leading down under the pavement.
    Danforth rushed off to put some equipment together in a shoulder bag and, minutes later, he and a pair of SAS soldiers emerged onto the street at the rear of the office block. All three of them checked the immediate area for Armagi but there were none in sight. The creatures seemed to be concentrating themselves directly around the cathedral, which made life easier for the moment, but would cause Danforth problems as he got nearer.
    With one soldier positioned behind him and one in front, Danforth began to edge along the wall of the building, all three of them hugging it and moving as quietly as they could.
    Once they’d reached the corner, the entrance to the pedestrian subway was in spitting distance and, on the assumption that no Armagi had wandered down there, it would bring them up at the cathedral forecourt in no time at all. Danforth was trying not to think about the last twenty feet he’d need to cover, through the throng of creatures. He didn’t delude himself that this whole exercise had the smell of a desperate suicide mission.
    He was almost at the corner when a shout rang out from behind.
    ‘Danforth!’
    Danforth and the two soldiers spun around.
    Chester was standing there, his shotgun pointing straight at Danforth. Martha was beside the boy, her crossbow also levelled at Danforth, while Stephanie was standing several paces behind, looking very frightened.
    ‘Chester, this isn’t a great time,’ Danforth replied, keeping his voice low.
    ‘I’ve been wanting to talk to you,’ the boy growled, ‘about what you did to my parents.’ He advanced towards Danforth, showing no fear despite the fact that the two soldiers had their assault rifles trained on him.
    ‘Do you want us to remove them?’ one of the soldiers asked Danforth.
    ‘Remove us ?’ Chester said, his lip curling viciously.
    ‘Hold on,’ Danforth said, shaking his head. ‘Chester, we seriously don’t have time for this. The US is lining up a nuclear strike on us here in London. We need to g—’
    ‘Remove us?’ Chester repeated. He turned his head towards Martha, and gave her a small nod.
    Like a streak of white lightning, the Brights struck the two soldiers hard, lifting them in the air and hurling them both against the wall. As they slipped