Tunnels 06 - Terminal

right,’ Elliott confirmed. ‘You see, all that time ago, some of the atmosphere leaked out from the centre, and we came Topsoil to put things right. But we never made it back, and with no one to helm the ship, it drifted into orbit around the sun. We were never meant to stay here.’
    ‘That’s a very imaginative little tale – trying to buy yourself some time, are you?’ It hadn’t escaped Hermione’s notice that Elliott was including herself in references to the Styx. ‘And you evidently think you’re one of us now? It’s a little late in the game to switch teams.’
    Ignoring the remark, Elliott indicated the massed ranks of Armagi all around her. ‘In the beginning we looked more like that … and Styx and humans worked and lived together inside the ship, because we’d brought them on the journey with us.’
    ‘I really don’t need to hear any more of this drivel,’ Hermione said, snapping her insect limb as she’d done before.
    The noise, like the single click of a castanet, reverberated around the place. But, to Hermione’s bewilderment, none of the Limiters had taken a shot. Elliott was still standing there.
    The girl smiled at Hermione’s confusion. ‘We only began to resemble humans after our last Phase … to resemble the species that we’d bred and reared to serve us. Pretty ironic, isn’t it?’
    Hermione snapped her limb again, and then again, growing more and more irate.
    What she hadn’t seen was the Limiter sharpshooters being sniped. Parry had given the order, and his men on the rooftops had successfully put the three Limiter teams out of action before they’d had a chance to fire even a single shot at Elliott.
    Hermione had stopped clicking her limb and was frowning.
    ‘Anything wrong?’ Elliott asked her.
    ‘You! You’re wrong!’ Hermione screeched, swinging to the Old Styx and then the two Limiters on the cathedral steps. ‘And you,’ she shouted at them. ‘Do the honours, will you, and shut this tiresome bitch up once and for all? She’s boring me stiff.’
    The Old Styx produced a handgun at the same time as the two Limiters brought up their long rifles.
    There were sounds like distant whispers.
    The Old Styx was thrown forward onto the ground, a neat hole in the back of his head. Rebecca Two jumped back from beside him in surprise.
    And the two Limiters on the cathedral steps were also knocked off their feet by powerful sniper rounds from Parry’s men.
    ‘Damn,’ Hermione muttered, as if their deaths were as bothersome as breaking a fingernail.
    Elliott knew the sound of a silenced sniper rifle only too well. She realised then that she wasn’t alone, that she had friends out there.
    She raised her hand above her head, calling out, ‘Don’t shoot her!’ She pointed at Hermione. ‘Leave her to me!’
    ‘Get back in the car, you little fool! Don’t just stand there!’ Hermione screamed at Rebecca Two, who showed no sign that she was going anywhere. Hermione scowled at her, then turned on Elliott. ‘At least I can rely on the Armagi to do what I tell them.’
    She began to beat her insect limbs together, faster and faster.
    Not a single Armagi moved a muscle. They were simply standing there in their droves, watching.
    ‘What is wrong with them?’ Hermione complained.
    ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’ Elliott said, ‘They won’t attack me because I’m the same as you. I have your blood in my veins. I’m just as much Styx as you are.’
    ‘If you want anything doing properly, you have to do it yourself,’ Hermione grumbled.
    The Styx woman launched at Elliott.
    But the girl didn’t just stay put.
    She went to meet Hermione.
    As they came together, Hermione lashed at Elliott’s eyes with her insect limbs, but she got more than she’d bargained for.
    Elliott cried out, the skin tearing apart between her shoulders.
    And from the base of her neck, a pair of insect limbs snapped open to their full length. Like something newborn,they were speckled with blood. And they were also brown and far lighter in colour than Hermione’s shiny black legs.
    But they were every bit as strong.
    Elliott’s new pair of limbs caught Hermione’s in their pincers, stopping the Styx woman in her tracks, and effortlessly holding her off.
    Hermione was speechless.
    ‘Parry,’ Bob said over the headset. ‘Two minutes to impact.’
    ‘You’ve launched already? Aren’t you watching the video feed?’ Parry rumbled. ‘You have to abort.’
    ‘Sure, we’re