Tunnels 03, Freefall by Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams Page B

centimeters of pure crystal windscreen. This was made doubly difficult, not only because the windscreen was badly scratched and covered in dust, but also because his view was limited by the massive diamond wheel mounted on the front of the vehicle. Several times he scraped the vehicle against the side of the lava tube, throwing himself and the Coprolites around in their seats.
    Then as he cleared the lava tube and entered the Great Plain, he floored the accelerator. The vehicle lurched forward... he was surprised how fast it could traverse the moonscape-like terrain of the plain. Even over the din of the engine, Drake could hear the boulders splintering as the three rollers under the vehicle crushed them to powder. And from the waves of intense heat on the back of his neck, he knew that the two Coprolites at the rear of the vehicle were continually opening the doors of the firebox to feed it with fuel and to stoke it.
    After several kilometers, there was a sharp crack. Something had struck the crystal windscreen. Then he heard the sound again, but this time the outer hull was hit, making it ring like a dampened bell. Drake realized they were being shot at.
    In the headlamps, Drake caught sight of a Limiter, his high-power rifle raised. Drake laughed -- it was rather like a mosquito trying to get the better of an elephant. He yanked down on one of the levers to alter course towards the Limiter, who loosed off another shot. Then he didn't look quite so confident, realizing the huge machine was bearing directly down on him and it was time to run. And run he did, frequently changing direction like a chased hare as he tried to escape.
    But Drake wasn't about to let him off that lightly. He'd mastered the steering levers and it was no effort to keep after the Limiter, who, growing ever more frantic, tripped and fell. Drake drove straight for him, but just at the last moment the Limiter rolled out of the vehicle's path. His rifle wasn't so fortunate and was squashed flat against the bedrock.
    "Your lucky day, matey!" Drake yelled, speeding away from the Limiter as he heaved on a steering lever to get back on course for the Bunker.
    Two kilometers further on, Drake caught his first glimpse of the Bunker wall, and very soon it was all he could see through the windscreen -- a thick grey ribbon stretching across the plain. He eased off the throttle, drawing up just before the wall. Uncertain what he should do next, he glanced at the Coprolite beside him. The man leant over and pushed home another rod. The whole vehicle shook as the cutting wheel mounted on its front began to slowly rotate.
    The vibrations grew and grew, so much so that Drake's vision became blurred. As the wheel reached its maximum revolutions, the Coprolite pointed at the accelerator. Drake gently depressed it and the vehicle edged forward. The wheel touched the concrete wall, its diamond-tipped teeth beginning to bite into it and spewing out huge torrents of dust. Drake watched in fascination as the wheel sliced through the wall like a hot knife through butter. Once the teeth encountered the iron reinforcement inside the concrete, the incredible power of the wheel was fully revealed -- massive chunks of the wall were simply ripped out.
    It took five minutes to penetrate the outer wall of the Bunker, and then the cutting wheel made short work of the internal partitions, slicing through them as if they were made from paper. When he thought he was far enough in, Drake steered the vehicle into a corridor and powered down. He unstrapped himself and went to the rear hatch. As he opened it, he was able to survey the full extent of the devastation the vehicle had left in its wake. The columns supporting the ceiling had been demolished, and great slabs of concrete had fallen in. At least there was no easy way for the Styx to follow after him. He turned to the Coprolites.
    "I don't know how to thank you," he said.
    One of them by the firebox nodded at him. Drake couldn't