Page 30 of Dark Chains: First Link
"Good morning," Losham said as the Eight entered. "Please close the door behind you." He motioned to the dining chairs that had been moved against the wall. "Except for Number One, the rest of you can sit over there."
As the others obeyed Losham's command, Number One sat down in one of the two chairs across from Losham.
"I have a task for you," Losham said. "My brothers are nipping at my heels, Kolhood requested another council meeting for Monday, and while the stated purpose is to discuss ongoing operations, we both know the real agenda is to challenge my authority."
"This is not new," Number One said.
"No, but the frequency is increasing. I need to know what he and the others are plotting, and my regular sources can't get close enough to my brothers to provide me with the intel I need."
"What do you want us to do?"
Losham leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. "Kolhood is the most dangerous of my brothers, but also the most difficult for you to influence. His inner circle, on the other hand, is not as resistant to your thralling and compulsion. I know that he's meeting with his top commanders to strategize, and I need to know what they're discussing and what timeline they're operating on."
"Kolhood is not immune to our thralling," Number One said. "But he's resistant enough that any attempt to probe deeper than his surface thoughts would alert him. And he's suspicious of us, so even getting close to him is difficult."
"That's precisely why I'm not asking you to target Kolhood directly. Those surrounding him will do." Losham reached into a drawer and produced a folded sheet of paper. "These are the names of the commanders who attend most of his private meetings."
Number One took the paper and unfolded it. There were only six names on the list, and he recognized all of them. Five were senior commanders with vast experience that spannedcenturies. The sixth was a logistics officer with access to supply chains, communication networks, and transport schedules.
"Is there something specific you want us to focus on?" Number One asked.
"Anything that has to do with ousting or eliminating me. I want the conversations, plans, and promises that are made behind closed doors."
The Eight weren't sure how they could get close enough to these commanders without raising their suspicions. They were too high up to be subject to inspections by simple soldiers, and that was what the Eight were. Despite their enhancement and their close association with Losham, they hadn't climbed up in the ranks.
Number One folded the paper and tucked it into his uniform pocket. "We can continue the inspection rounds. It provides a pretext for getting close to military personnel across the island, but it will not be sufficient to get close to these commanders. All we can do is redirect our rounds to areas where these commanders are stationed and hope to bump into them."
"That's exactly what I had in mind." Losham glanced at Rami, who nodded, confirming something that had probably been discussed before Dave's arrival. "The inspections reinforce the narrative that I'm on top of things, including the military. Kolhood can't object to it without appearing to be an obstructionist. Continue your rounds and report back to me as soon as you catch something, even if you think it's trivial."
"Yes, my lord." Number One rose, gave Losham a nod that was as close to a bow as he ever offered, and left the office with the other seven following him into the hallway.
The intelligence on Kolhood's circle serves our interests as well,Number Three thought. Stabilizing Losham's position is in our best interest.
Kolhood has made it clear that he considers us a liability, Number Six added.If Losham falls and Kolhood takes over, eliminating us would be one of his first acts.
The collective agreed. Serving Losham's intelligence needs aligned with their own survival, which made the task straightforward even if the execution was difficult.
They walked through the lobby and out the front entrance, to where the Humvee was parked in the shade of a palm tree.
They climbed in, and Number Seven took the wheel.
"I want to stop at the enclosure," Number One said after a few minutes when they had cleared the residential area. "I want to see Sullha."
The collective processed the statement, registering it without surprise because they had been monitoring the thought forming in Number One's background processes.
"We should wait for the call with K tomorrow night," Number Eight said. "We don't have anything to tell Sullha yet."
"That's not true." Number One shifted in his seat. "K said he might be able to save some of the women. I want Sullha to be one of those women."
She will be the first among them, the collective thought, and the thought carried no judgment. Number One's attachment to Sullha was a data point that the hive mind had cataloged and was monitoring with interest rather than concern, at least for now.
"Her and her boy," Number One continued. "And perhaps my mother."
Number Eight stirred. "I want Vinnah saved."
"And Asira," Number Four added.
The list was growing, which was inevitable. Every member of the collective had connections to the enclosure, threads from childhood that the training camp and the enhancement had frayed but not severed. The question was not who they wanted to save but how many they could realistically extract alongside their own escape.
