Tunnels 04, Closer

"You need to come with me now. Drake's plan hasn't worked out." He glanced down at the felled figure on the carpet. "That's a Colonist, and he was sent to activate you."
    Mrs. Rawls also rose to her feet, looking at the unconscious man. "Activate me? What for? And what's in that box?" she asked, pointing at the gray box, which was around twenty centimeters square.
    "I don't know what they were going to make you do, but the box probably has something harmful in it. Probably not a bio weapon, but it could be a bomb," he said, picking it up and putting it under his arm. "Either way, it's too dangerous for you to stay her any longer. You're to leave with me, Mrs. Rawls."
    "Yes, er, Mr...." she said, frowning as she wondered how to address this man who had come into her house and saved her.
    "How very rude of me. My name is Edward Green," the man told her. "but, please, call me Eddie. Everyone else does."

36

    Will, Chester and Elliott were down by the edge of the lake when Will heard his name being called.
    "I think Drake wants you," Elliott said, spotting how he was beckoning Will over.
    Will climbed the slope up to the house, joining Drake by the table and chairs on the terrace.
    "Have you just got back?" Will said. Drake had been going off for two or three days at a time, but would never tell anyone what he'd been doing.
    Drake nodded.
    Will saw he still had his holdall slung over his shoulder. For some reason Will assumed Drake had brought him a present, just as he'd done when he'd given Chester the skateboard.
    "Is that something for me?" Will asked expectantly, pointing at the holdall.
    But Drake didn't answer, and as Will saw the man was being uncharacteristically hesitant, he realized that this wasn't the case, and became quite alarmed. "What's wrong?" he said, but again Drake didn't answer, taking the holdall from his shoulder and placing it on the table. He unzipped the top and opened it up to delve inside.
    "I don't know quite how to tell you this, Will," Drake said, as he took out a white carrier bag, but kept it in his hand. "Let's sit down, shall we?"
    Will pulled one of the chairs from under the table and sat in it, waiting for Drake to continue.
    "You know you asked me to deliver your father's journal to the BritishMuseum. You wanted me to get it into the hands of someone qualified to understand it, someone who could present your father's incredible discoveries to the world."
    "Yes," Will murmured, no liking the sound of this at all.
    "I don't have to tell you, the big problem is that there's no physical proof to go alongside the journal. I mean, it wasn't as if you could have brought any artifacts or specimens back with you, to support all the claims your father made in it."
    By this stage, Will felt fit to burst. He had to know what had happened. "Drake, just tell me -- I don't care if it's bad news. I'm ready for it." He glanced at the white carrier bag. "What's in there?"
    Drake held his hand up. "Please, let me finish."
    "Okay," Will grimaced.
    "Apparently your father's journal was examined by several specialists in the various departments of antiquities at the museum, then somehow it found its way to a Professor White at LondonUniversity."
    "Professor White," Will mumbled several times, then suddenly leapt to his feet. "I know that name," he exclaimed. "No! He's the creep who took all the credit for the Roman villa Dad found in Highfield. He nicked it from my dad. No, not him!"
    "Sit down, Will," Drake said firmly. "I haven't finished yet."
    Will's face flushed red and he was breathless with indignation. Nevertheless he took his seat again as Drake resumed. "Turns out Professor White rather liked what he read, and turned it over to two of his students. And they wrote a book."
    "What sort of book?" Will demanded.
    Drake opened the carrier bag and glanced inside. "It's the first novel this pair have had published. You know better than anyone that what survived of the Doc's first journal is probably still in Martha's shack, where you left it. And at the beginning of his second journal -- the one you brought back with you -- the Doc tried to recreate a day-by-day record of the events building up to the discovery of the Colony, and everything that came afterward." Drake took a breath. "Anyway, these two students were so inspired by what they read, they came up with a whole story based on it."
    "They did what?" Will said, although he could barely speak, he was so tense. "So it's an academic book,