A Song of Spiders

Chapter 19 - The Demiurge

Alone on the train again, Dex turned to Karma.

'I can't believe Rachel is really gone. What do we do now?' said Dex.

We carry on. That's all there is. But I don't know how.' said Karma.

‘I think we should break into Trinity and blow up the labs.’ said Dex.

Karma looked at him sceptically. ‘I think that's how it would work in a movie. We're the heroes and we save the day by charging in and stopping the disaster. But in real life, we'll just get turned away from the door. Or worse, someone will recognise us from the attack on the pope in the Phoenix Park and we'll be arrested and disappear like so many people have in this country.’ She brushed her hair behind her ears.

She looked at him steadily. ‘This is what I think we should do, help out, but stay in the background. Cabot and these guys have the training, manpower and experience to deal with this. I know you think we'll be able to somehow sneak in there and pull this off somehow, but ask Rachel what she thinks of going in all heroic. I don't think much of my life.’ She paused.

‘But if I watched you die like Rachel, I think...’ she didn't finish just looked at him with an unspoken appeal.

‘I'd not want anything to happen to you either.’ said Dex and held her hands.

‘We have a chance to do something about what's happened to this country Karma. We might not be able to change everything. I know that, I'm being realistic, but maybe we can just push things a bit more in the right direction. Is that not better than doing nothing?’

He trailed off, suddenly unsure. 

Karma was looking at him again for a long time. Eventually she said.

‘OK, we'll try and see what we can do.’ she smiled at him.

He smiled back. ‘When we get to Dublin, we get off this train and head into Trinity. I think this train is  slowing down, we'll be there soon.’

They spoke to Cabot and he agreed to allow them to join the assault team. ‘I think what you are doing is brave, and I would rather you didn't do it but you proved yourselves in the Phoenix Park. I have to allow you to do this, don't I?’ He looked concerned, but resigned.

Soon after they arrived in the underground rail station. A group of thirty men and women left the train as well. They were dressed to look like tourists, carrying camera bags and maps. They followed a dark tunnel that led to an underground river. On the way they told Dex and Karma the plan. They were to wander into Trinity like tourists visiting the the old college to see the Book of Iona and then individually break away from the tour group and try to make their way to the labs. Then find a sample of the demiurge and escape with it.

At the end of the long dark tunnel they found themselves at an underground jetty. There the group split up and climbed into six river taxis. The taxis made their way to the Liffey and gradually joined the other river traffic there.

When the taxis dropped them by Trinity, they all joined the groups going inside.

They wandered in hushed awe into the sleek multimedia centre where guides talked to them about the significance of the Chthonic church in Irish history. They walked slowly at the back of the group as information and images of the past drifted by. Dex felt a firm hand on his shoulder and looked over to Karma to see the other was on her shoulder. A voice behind them said.

‘You pair are so fecking easy to predict. Come with me and don't frighten the other tourists or we have to make them all disappear. Do you understand me?’

They were led quietly to a side door and led inside to a dark corridor. 

Once they heard the door shut they turned. It was Tommy. He was wearing a tour guide's uniform and grinning at them like the cat who had caught the mouse.