Page 89 of Dark Chains: First Link
That didn't mean the plans didn't exist. It only meant that they were being kept at a higher level, among the inner circles that Dave still couldn't safely penetrate.
The crew supervisor is the most useful, Number Five thought.His dual loyalty means he receives instructions from two separate chains of command. If we monitor him, we can track what both Kolhood and Hazok are planning.
As the workers paused for a water break, clustering around the portable cooler, Dave spread through the basement.
The debris field stretched from the far wall to within a meter of the temporary support beams. It was denser toward the center, where the collapse had been most severe.
Two weeks seemed like a reasonable estimate. If the crews maintained their current pace, they would reach the chamber in twelve to fourteen days. If they encountered unexpected obstacles, it could stretch to eighteen or twenty.
We need to report this to Onegus, Number One thought.
It would be their third communication using the device they had been provided. Last night, Number One conducted the check-in at twenty-two hundred hours, standing on the hotel roof where the ambient noise covered the whispered conversation.
They also need to know about the spies, Number Three added.
When the soldiers finished their break and returned to the debris field, Dave watched them for another minute, then turned toward the ramp.
Number Four stopped, his eyes catching a crate that was half hidden behind a pile of broken concrete and twisted metal shelving. It was large, made of wood, and the collective recognized it immediately.
Before the first explosion, when Dave was taking inventory of everything in the basement, they had cataloged this crate. It contained old books.
It was pushed against the wall by the force of the collapse but otherwise undamaged. The wooden sides were intact, and the partially dislodged lid revealed a glimpse of cloth-bound spines stacked in neat rows.
Sullha loves books.
The thought surfaced in the collective, originating from Number One.
Sullha reads everything she can get her hands on, and the library in the enclosure has a pitiful selection.
It had more books now than when they had been children, but it was still very limited.
During his previous visits, Yaaf had nothing to bring her. The truth was that he hadn't even thought of bringing her a gift, but the books were right there, and he knew that Sullha would love them.
Number One walked to the crate, lifted the dislodged lid, and looked inside.
The books were in good condition despite the dust that coated everything in the basement. There were at least a hundred of them, hardcovers in several languages. English, French, Arabic, and Russian. The subjects were varied. One on the history of the Eastern Hemisphere, a couple of novels, a book with diagrams on the cover, a thick volume bound in dark blue cloth with gold lettering that looked pretty.
He didn't know what Sullha liked to read. The novels were probably the safest choice, but she was also thirsty for knowledge, so the history and mathematics books might interest her as well.
Picking up one of the novels, he tucked it inside his shirt, pressing it flat against his abdomen where the fabric of his uniform concealed the shape.
The others followed, each one tucking a book under their shirt.
Eight soldiers with eight stolen books.
34
SULLHA
Burda knew everyone.
It was one of the advantages of being old and bossy and having worked every rotation in the enclosure over the course of decades. The woman had an internal directory of twelve hundred names, faces, ages, room assignments, and temperaments that was more reliable than any written record.
"Why do you want to know about these two?" Burda had asked.
"I want to make new friends, and those two names popped into my head. I must have known them at some point and forgotten."
Burda had given her the look that said she knew Sullha was lying but wasn't going to press. It was one of the things that Sullha liked about the woman. She was nosy, but not pushy. She'd also told her which dormitories the two were living in.
