The Storm (NUMA Files 10)

“Like what?”

“If the bots in open ocean are being given directives, shouldn’t we be able to intercept those signals?”

“Theoretically,” Marchetti said. “But we’d have to move closer to them.”

“Closer?” Leilani said.

That didn’t sound great to Paul either. “How close would we have to go?”

“Depends on the type of transmission,” Marchetti said. “It could be a low-frequency signal or a shortwave burst. Those would cover a wide area and could be sent from almost anywhere. It could be a high-frequency or line-of-sight transmission from an aircraft, ship or satellite. It’s even possible that the signal is sent to one part of the floating swarm and then they transmit it to one another like a game of telephone. In which case we’d have to be in the right place at the right time even to pick it up.”

“It sounds easier to force the information out of Otero,” Leilani said.

“All things being equal, the simplest solution is usually the best,” Paul said. “What type of transmission would you use?”

Marchetti paused for a moment. “Short-range coded broadcast,” he said eventually. “High-frequency.”

“Then that’s what we’ll look for.”

“It will likely be an extremely short broadcast,” Marchetti warned. “On the order of milliseconds. Perhaps repeating at intervals, but very fleeting. Without knowing what we’re looking for, it might be impossible to pick it out from the background noise of the atmosphere. Static, other radio transmissions, ionization, all those things could be a problem.”

“You’re a wet blanket,” Paul said, feeling as if every solution came with its own roadblock.

“We don’t have to pick it out,” Gamay said, “we have something here that will do it for us.” She waved a hand over the samples. “All we have to do is record the chatter, watch for the little bots to wake up and then dissect the transmission after the fact.”

Marchetti appeared impressed. “That should work,” he said. “That should work perfectly. I’ll direct the island toward the edge of the swarm. Based on the last plotted location, we should reach it in thirty-six hours.”

CHAPTER 25

KURT AND JOE HAD BEEN IN CAPTIVITY FOR SEVERAL HOURS. No food, no water, no light and no company. They hadn’t been beaten or interrogated or threatened, just left in the dark in a small room, chained to the same heavy pipes they’d followed on their journey to the test tank.

Joe’s voice came out of the dark in a raspy tone. “Can’t say much for the accommodations.”

Kurt’s own throat was getting dry. He’d done what he could to keep his mouth shut and breathe only through his nose. “Didn’t we call for turndown service an hour ago?”

“I believe we did,” Joe said. “I wonder if the delay has something to do with the firefight?”

“It didn’t sound like that went into overtime, but they might have a big mess to clean up or others to deal with. More likely, they don’t need to question us if this Zarrina is still reporting.”

“One thing I don’t get,” Joe said. “Why’d they attack her at the dock if she was on their side?”

Kurt thought about that. “Any number of reasons. Maybe she’s under deep cover, and the thugs didn’t know. Maybe it was a diversion. One thing for certain, it made us want to protect her. Took away any sense of suspicion. The best con jobs never come from the con artist, always from the mark. We saw what we wanted to see: a friend in need. We were already in a defensive mode because Kimo and the others were gone. After rescuing her, our natural instinct to circle the wagons took over.”

“It didn’t hurt that she had Leilani’s passport and e-mails. Or that she knew Leilani had been calling NUMA for updates on her brother.”

“I’m guessing they got those from the real Leilani,” Kurt said.

“They must have grabbed her and replaced her the moment she hit Malé.”

Joe was undoubtedly right, which made it all the more imperative that they escape. “We have to figure out a way to get free,” Kurt said. “I’ve run my hands all along this pipe. I can’t find a weak spot.”

“Nothing over here either. I tried rocking it loose, but it’s bolted into the stone, I can’t get any play in it.”

As Joe finished speaking, the door to their cell opened. The overhead lights snapped on, blinding Kurt and Joe for a second.

In walked Jinn and the bearded man, Sabah, who always seemed to be with him. Several armed guards accompanied them.

“I don’t see any towels or mints in their hands,” Joe said.