Tunnels 06 - Terminal

at the temple. ‘Of course, I’ll do that for you. Anything.’
    Chester suddenly let go of Martha, and pulled away from her. He stood still for a moment, pressing his lips together as in deep thought. ‘If we don’t know how far away Danforth is, then we need transport … something with some oomph. Wait here,’ he said, going into the hallway and grabbing his jacket from the hook. Then he threw the front door open and stormed out from the house.
    There was no way that Stephanie could follow him, so she settled back in her usual armchair, clutching the old goose-down counterpane around her that she’d taken from a bedroom, and simply stared out of the window. It wasn’t as if there was anything else for her to do in the place – no new magazines, and on most days not even a radio station to listen to. Several hours passed, and she had slipped into her usualstupor – the only way she could get through the day – when an engine roared outside.
    Stephanie and Martha, armed with her crossbow, were immediately at the window, peering out to see who it was. Chester stepped from the vehicle, a four-wheel drive that was caked in mud. He gestured for them to come outside.
    ‘Found this four-by-four in a nearby farm the other day when I was having a look round, and thought it might come in useful. There were some spare cans of diesel around the farm too, so I’ve put them in the back, and some tinned food so we don’t have to eat sheep glop any longer,’ he said, glancing into the rear of the vehicle. Then, as he walked around the front, he slapped the bonnet decisively. ‘Come along, you two! Get your acts together. We’re hitting the road!’
    ‘I don’t fancy it. I’m not riding in one of them contraptions,’ Martha said. She had a deep-seated mistrust of anything more complicated than her crossbow. ‘Anyway, who’s going to steer?’
    ‘Steer? You mean drive ? I’m going to, because that douchebag Parry taught me.’ Chester went right up to Martha. ‘Come along – you said you’d do anything for me. Well, I’m asking now.’ She looked undecided, but Chester was determined to have his way. ‘You know you want to help me – you know you do, Mum.’ He planted a big, noisy kiss on her peeling lips.
    ‘Oh! Oh! Oh!’ Martha fluttered breathlessly. She immediately coloured up, swinging her shoulders like a little girl. ‘Oh, all right, my darling boy,’ she said.

    ‘Unless it’s stray animals giving us false positives, looks like the party’s hotting up,’ Parry announced.
    Two of his men had simultaneously raised their hands as the thermal sensors they’d been monitoring on their laptops registered signals. On the top floor of the block of flats there were a dozen such men in total, some drawn from the SAS and others from Parry’s Old Guard, all staring at their computers on various pieces of furniture they’d scavenged from the deserted floors below. Surrounding the men were the building’s air conditioning plant and the motors for the lifts, which of course hadn’t been in operation for several months because of the lack of power.
    Another of the men at the laptops stuck up his hand at that moment. ‘Over to the northwest too, boss. Strong signal,’ he reported.
    ‘Yes, it would appear that we’re in play,’ Eddie agreed, meeting Parry’s eyes. ‘And it’s what we expected: the sensors are picking up Limiters as they move into position around the installation to catch anyone who tries to make a run for it.’ He switched his attention to a nearby screen, which showed a live view of GCHQ, the government’s communications and signals agency. It was some five hundred yards away from where they were now, the image being piped in from one of the cameras positioned on top of the apartment building. ‘So the frontline troops, the Armagi, will lead the attack, with my former comrades, the Limiters, acting as the mop-up squad,’ he added.
    ‘ Mop-up squad ? I never thought I’d ever hear the Styx elite being described quite like that.’ Parry smiled, but his eyes told a different story. Stepping closer to Eddie, he lowered his voice. ‘We’ve both sacrificed far too many men in recent weeks so Danforth’s cover with the Styx could be preserved. I want you to know that the selfless behaviour of your formerLimiters will not be overlooked.’
    True to form, Eddie’s response was devoid of any emotion. ‘Thank you, but they knew what the stakes were when they joined me,’