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. They have also brought the Styx's females, who are undergoing part of the Styx's life cycle called the Phase. 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. 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. 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.

Meanwhile, in the Colony, the Second Officer begins to worry, as the Styx are neglecting the Colonists to focus on their Topsoil plans. After much hesitation and discussion he decides he must tell them of the Phase. 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. Burrows detects Limiters entering the estate. Will and the group decide to leave when Mrs. The Limiters wound Colly, and kill Bartleby. 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 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. 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. Will also meets Parry's gardener, Old Wilkie, and his granddaughter Stephanie.

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. Plot summary Īfter 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. Spiral was published in the United Kingdom by Chicken House on 1 September 2011 publication in the US followed on. 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 is the fifth novel in the Tunnels Series, written by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams.

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon