Read Tunnels 05 - Spiral for Free Online Page A

disapprovingly. “The patron saint of waifs, strays, and Topsoilers,” she fumed at him. “I would’ve thought you’d learned your lesson by now.”
    The Second Officer grunted and straightened up. “Where’s Mother?” he asked.
    “She’s upstairs, rest —” Eliza began, then interrupted herself as she remembered what she’d been wanting to tell her brother. “You’ll never guess what happened today. The Smiths were moved out.”
    The Second Officer nodded. The Smiths were neighbors two doors down, and they’d lived there as long as anyone could remember — certainly for several decades before he was born.
    “Mother’s taken it very badly. There are hardly any of us left on the street now.” Eliza frowned. “We’re being pushed out for all these New Germanian soldiers, and they never so much as answer if you speak to them. They act as if you’re not there. It’s not right what’s going on.” Her voice was wavering, she was so distraught, but she now lowered it in case someone overheard her. “I don’t even know if our people are actually being taken to the North or not — there are rumors down the market that whole families are disappearing, lock, stock, and barrel.” She put her hand on her brother’s arm. “Can’t you do something? Can’t you talk to the Styx?”
    “You are joking? Me?” the Second Officer asked.
    “Yes, you. The only reason
we
haven’t been uprooted yet is because the Styx believe you’re a hero, taking on those Topsoilers all on your own when they came to rescue your lady love.” The Second Officer found it hard to bear the withering look Eliza gave him. He may have been able to deceive the Styx, with his old friend the watchman from the Laboratories to corroborate his story, but his sister knew him too well. “And if they think you’re so
bloody
marvelous, perhaps they’ll listen to what you have to say.”
    The Second Officer wasn’t sure if he was more shocked by his sister’s swearing or by her outlandish suggestion that he somehow tackle the Styx over what they were doing in the Colony.
    He shook his head as he crossed to the front door, careful to shut it behind him because he didn’t want the dog to follow. He left the fuggy warmth of the house with huge reluctance, uneasy about what he would be expected to do in the North Cavern, and generally very unhappy with his lot in life.

    Parry waited until they had all gathered in the hall. Elliott was the last to arrive as she floated down the stairs, wearing a red dress, and her glossy black hair done up in a chignon. She’d grown considerably since she’d arrived Topsoil, putting on several inches of height and even adding a little weight to her boyish figure. This may have been a result of Parry’s overgenerous helpings at mealtimes and his insistence that they all eat well, or perhaps it was because of her age. Whatever the reason, to Will and Chester she’d never looked so feminine before, and they were now doing their best not to gawk at her. For her part, she didn’t look at anyone in particular, least of all either of the boys.
    “Right. Come along,” Parry announced, swinging open the heavy oak door to his study. They filed in without speaking, glancing around the room they’d been forbidden to enter until now. It was larger than Will had expected, with a row of safes along the paneled walls — one of these was open, and Will could see files stacked inside.
    “Hi, Dad,” Chester said, and Mr. Rawls, in his crumpled clothes and a day’s growth of stubble on his chin, rose from a chair beside the ancient printer. It was still rattling away, accompanied by a grinding sound as a roll of paper with perforated edges fed its seemingly endless appetite.
    Will saw some computer displays on a bench beside the printer, but they were all dark. There was another screen on a desk in front of the far wall, but it was pointing away so Will couldn’t tell if it was turned on or not. And on the far wall