Spiral (Tunnels novel)

Spiral - Book 5

UK Cover for Spiral
Author	Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Series	Tunnels
Genre	Fantasy Science Fiction Subterranean fiction Lost World
Publisher	Chicken House Publishing
Publication date	UK: September 1, 2011 US: May 1, 2012
Published in English	September 1, 2011
Media type	Novel
Pages	440
ISBN	(UK First Edition, Paperback)
OCLC	132316306
Preceded by	Closer
Followed by	Terminal

UK: September 1, 2011

Spiral is the fifth novel in the Tunnels Series, written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. It continues the story of Will Burrows in his struggle against the Styx, who have been a major and pernicious influence throughout mankind's history. Spiral was published in the United Kingdom by Chicken House on September 1, 2011, and publication in the US followed on May 1, 2012.

Part One: The Phase

After the events of Closer, Colonel Bismarck, deprogrammed by an explosion during the attack on the Bank of England, decides to help defeat the Styx, and joins Will and Drake at Parry's estate. Drake introduces Will and Chester to three retired commandos living at Parry's estate: "Sparks" Sweeney, who was surgically altered to have enhanced senses and faster reaction times, Danforth, a genius who worked in defense electronics, and Jiggs, who is very good at hiding. Will also meets Parry's gardener, Old Wilkie, and his granddaughter Stephanie. The people of the estate watch for Styx presence, and eliminate the Dark Light conditioning with the help of a device known as the Purger, invented by Danforth. The Purger causes a Darklit person to repeat part of their programming, and Elliott, who is able to speak Styx, finds that Chester has been programmed to call the Styx and report their location. Bartleby and Colly, the Hunters, are engaged in a hunt near the estate, when they encounter two of the Styx soldiers called Limiters spying on the manor. The Limiters wound Colly, and kill Bartleby. Will and the group decide to leave when Mrs. Burrows detects Limiters entering the estate. They escape, only to be cornered by Eddie the Styx, who reveals that the Limiters, rogues like him, are under his control, he was the one Chester was reporting to, and that he saved Emily Rawls, Chester's mother, from being used as a terrorist by the Styx. After much hesitation and discussion he decides he must tell them of the Phase. Meanwhile, in the Colony, the Second Officer begins to worry, as the Styx are neglecting the Colonists to focus on their Topsoil plans. Many people have been moved to an unruly and violent shantytown in the North Cavern to make room for the New Germanian army, and people are disappearing. Topsoil, various terrorist attacks are made by Darklit people who have had bombs surgically implanted within them, and these "human bombs" kill foreign politicians to stir up hatred of Britain. At a factory bought by the Old Styx, the Rebecca Twins have brought several hundred humans and Darklit them to render them brain-dead, perfect hosts for the Phase. They have also brought the Styx's females, who are undergoing part of the Styx's life cycle called the Phase. The Styx are revealed to be an insect species with a unique trait: at infrequent intervals (hundreds or thousands of years apart), the Styx women grow a pair of insect limbs and a mosquito-like ovipositor, used to insert egg sacs into human hosts. From each egg sac, thirty Styx larvae hatch and eat the host from the inside, also absorbing the host's genetic code, explaining why the Styx so closely mimic humans. Styx females who haven't gone through puberty, such as the Rebecca Twins, only experience back pain and minor bleeding where the insect limbs would grow if they were old enough to join in the Phase. Eddie also reveals that in the event the Warrior Class was killed, the Armagi would be released. The Armagi are capable of adapting to all environments, with three legs on land, fins and gills for water, or wings for air. The most horrifying aspect is that they can regenerate their entire body from just a single cell, making them nearly impossible to kill. Upon learning this, Drake and them decide they must take action. They set up headquarters in a military base known as the Complex, bomb shelter for the UK High Command dating back to the Great War. As a newscast reveals, strong anger has arisen worldwide over the human bomb attacks originating from Britain, and the United States and other countries cut off their connections to Britain, which closes its borders and puts itself under martial law. Underground, the Styx abandon the Colony and seal the exits after evacuating the people of the shantytown to use as hosts for the Phase. Finally, Eddie is brought back to base where Elliott angrily attacks him.