Tunnels 03, Freefall

Pore.
    He'd left before the old Styx had ordered the Limiters to jump to their deaths, but had witnessed the horrific events leading up to it. Hidden on the slope above the Pore, he'd been powerless to prevent Cal from meeting a sudden and violent end. Will's younger brother had been brutally gunned down by the Styx soldiers after he'd panicked and stepped out into the line of fire. And minutes later, Drake had been equally powerless to save Will and the rest of them when all hell had broken loose. He could only watch as the large-bore guns of the Styx Division opened up, and Elliott, Will and Chester were blasted over the side of the Pore.
    Drake had been through so much with Elliott in the Deeps that he could usually second-guess how she'd act in any given situation. And as bad as things looked, Drake had still retained a sliver of hope that somehow she had managed to anchor herself and the boys to the side of the colossal opening, and they hadn't actually dropped down it. So Drake had remained where he was, rather than do what his instincts were telling him and get away from the area, which was swarming with Styx and their savage attack dogs.
    As Limiters searched the perimeter of the Pore, he'd listened out, hoping to catch the reports as Elliott and the boys were located and hauled out. At least if they were captured, he would have an opportunity to try to free them later on.
    But as the minutes ticked by and the search down by the Pore continued, he'd become increasingly disheartened. He had to accept that Elliott and the boys were gone for good, that they had fallen to their deaths. Of course, there was a decades-old story about a man who had stumbled into the Pore and miraculously reappeared at the Miners' Station, babbling about fantastic lands, but Drake had never believed a word of it. He'd always dismissed it as a rumor manufactured by the Styx to give the Colonists something to think about. No, as far as he was concerned, nobody survived the Pore.
    He was also becoming increasingly concerned that he'd be detected by the Styx dogs, known as stalkers -- vicious brutes whose fierceness was surpassed only by their prowess at tracking. They hadn't yet picked up his scent trail because of the clouds of smoke left over from the recent gun barrage. But the wind was rapidly dispersing the smoke and wouldn't afford him protection from the dogs for very much longer.
    He'd just been debating whether he should leave when he'd heard a commotion. Jumping to the conclusion that Elliott and the boys had been spotted, he'd immediately raised himself up on his elbows and peered around the menhir he'd hidden behind. The number of soldiers with unshielded lanterns in the area allowed him a clear view of the reason for all the activity.
    Down by the Pore he caught the briefest glimpse of someone in full flight, their arms outstretched on either side of them.
    "Sarah?" he'd said under his breath.
    It had certainly looked like Will's mother, Sarah Jerome, but he couldn't begin to understand how she'd managed to get to her feet and, far less, how she was able to run. Her injuries had been so severe that he would truly have thought she'd be dead by now.
    But from the glimpse he got, she appeared to be very much alive as she tore over the uneven ground. Drake had watched as the Styx reacted, running towards her as they brought up their rifles. But no shots had been fired as Sarah swept two small figures over the edge of the Pore with her. She and the figures had simply vanished from sight.
    "I'll be damned," he said under his breath as he'd heard high-pitched screams, assuming instantly that one of them had to be Sarah.
    Other shouts -- the shouts of Styx soldiers -- rang out all over the slope and, as footfalls passed not meters from where he was hiding, Drake had quickly tucked himself back behind the menhir. But he hadn't been able to resist a second look.
    All the soldiers in the area had gathered around the spot where Sarah had jumped. A single Styx had stepped up onto a chunk of masonry and had begun to shout rapid orders at the soldiers milling around him. He'd appeared to be older than the rest of the troops, and was dressed in the usual black coat and white shirt, rather than the Limiter combats. Drake had seen him around the Colony before -- he was clearly someone at the very top of their hierarchy, someone very important. And with the ease of someone used to issuing orders, he quickly and efficiently organized the