Tunnels 06 - Terminal

did what she claimed it would. ‘Okay, if you help yourself to one of those germ suits, you might as well get started on the decontamination.’ He swung towards the bushman, still speaking to Elliott. ‘And do you think you can get Woody to help? If not, there’ll be no one outside the tent to process me when I go through.’
    ‘Don’t worry about him – just sort out what kit we’re taking with us,’ she answered, already heading to where they’d laid out two of the white plastic suits identical to those that Jürgen and Karl had been wearing the first time they’d bumped into them in the city.
    While Will checked through all the equipment in their Bergens, Elliott issued instructions in the Styx language to Woody who was outside the tent. She was in the shower section of the tunnel being completely drenched by the germicide, which was sprinkling down from the overhead syphon. Some of the fluid trickled into her eye, stinging it so badlythat she had to step from under the shower and wash it with water from a canteen before she could go on. ‘I hope we’re doing this properly!’ she shouted grimly to Will.
    ‘Oh, I truly hope so, too,’ Will shouted back. Shaking his head, he let out a humourless laugh. ‘Or we’ll be responsible for killing all several billion people up on the surface.’ His head reeled at the thought. Just saying those words brought home the implications – even the smallest of mistakes that allowed one single, tiny virus to be carried to the outer world would be more disastrous than words could express.
    Elliott was similarly affected. Still blinking her eye, she didn’t move for a moment. ‘Then … do you think I should go through the shower again?’
    Will glanced at the plastic tanks beside Woody. ‘Might be a very good idea. We’ve buckets of the blue gunk.’
    Once Elliott had showered for a second time, Will slid their Bergens and their equipment into the entrance, and Elliott soaked it all in the germicide.
    Dragging all the kit with her, Elliott then moved further down the tent where she stood under the bank of ultraviolet light that Woody had turned on. Having donned her plastic suit – which was a task in itself because the germicide covering it made it slippery – she finally put on the cylindrical helmet. Making sure it was seated properly in the seal around her neck, she clicked the two catches shut, and then turned on the valve to the small canister of air. She slung this over her back where it hung from a strap. Then she called out to Will that she was ready.
    ‘My turn,’ he said to Woody, uncomfortable because the bushman made no effort to avert his eyes as he stripped off all his clothes. ‘Elliott, I’m coming in. No peeking!’ he shouted,and entered with his germ suit under his arm. He too went through the shower twice and, finally stood under the lights while Elliott faced in the opposite direction, arms crossed and humming impatiently.
    When he was dressed, he joined her at the far end of the tunnel, and they stood side by side, ready to step into the shimmering mirror that lay directly outside the tent.
    ‘It’s still there?’ Will asked nervously.
    Elliott unzipped a few inches of the door flaps to check. ‘Yes,’ she replied.
    ‘And you’re sure about this?’ He picked up his Bergen and hooked his Sten over his shoulder, then looked rather undecided. ‘Tell me one last time – this is really going to zap us through to the surface? Like something out of Star Trek ? How do you know we won’t just burn up or something?’
    She frowned at the mention of Star Trek , but answered simply, ‘It’s going to work.’
    ‘Yeah, yeah, you can’t tell me how, you just know it,’ Will grumbled.
    Without a further word, Elliott unzipped the door flaps, and they faced the glimmering portal together, their equipment and suits dripping with germicide.
    ‘Let’s do it,’ Will said quietly. He took her hand and squeezed it as they both left the tunnel, walking towards the portal. ‘Feels cold,’ he said.
    They hadn’t even entered the square when a force took hold of them, wrenching them with such power they couldn’t have resisted even if they’d wanted to.
    For less than a beat, all they heard was the rush of air. Despite the suits they felt it on their skin, like a sudden blast of wind.
    And they knew they were no longer in the inner world.

 
     
    P ART T HREE
    Bishops Wood

 
     
     
    Chapter Thirteen

    T hey fell several feet onto