“Cat and I are going back up to the observation tower to check whether there’s any kind of vent up there for an underground system.”
They all switched off their transmitters. It was harder going uphill. But not slower. That’s what all the stairstepping and rock climbing were for.
Now Cole knew what to look for, he climbed a tree well back from the cleared perimeter and scanned for some kind of pipe or vent hidden in the tall grass.
Bingo. There were about two dozen small pipes, sticking up only a few inches above the ground before they bent over to keep water from coming in. At ground level you couldn’t see them for the grass.
Cole pointed his soundcatcher toward them and was able to pick up a difference between the pipes and the surrounding area. They were connected to something that was actively producing noise.
He climbed back down the tree and backed away from the cleared area, heading down the Chinnereth slope this time. Cat was soon near him, though they did not talk and remained fifty feet apart as they made their way down the slope.
Near the cleared edge of the woods, but not close enough to be seen, they stopped and Cole approached Cat. Across the water, the cabin sat on its little island. It had a chimney, which might very well contain vents for more underground structures.
It might also contain something else. An entrance.
“I think I’m going for a swim,” said Cole.
“I was having the same thought,” said Cat.
Cole switched on his transmitter. “We’re on the west shore of Chinnereth, just west of the cabin. Cat and I are going to swim across to see if there’s an entrance there.”
“Water’s gonna be cold, abun,” said Babe. “You two gonna have little tiny dicks when you get there.”
“Least I’ll still have one,” said Cat.
“We won’t go for another half hour,” said Cole. “Drew and Babe, bring the SMAW down near the waterline in case we need some backup. Load and Arty, you get to Chinnereth shoreline nearest to the cabin. Benny and Mingo, you can’t get here in time to be useful. So go north, get to Highway 12, but stay in infra range. If we confirm that this is the place, get to where you can make contact with Torrent so he can send in a strike force.”
“I don’t know what you just figured out,” said Babe.
“That’s because you’re in public relations,” said Mingo, “and I’m an engineer.”
“Thought that meant you drove trains,” said Babe.
“There are standpipes in the tall grass under the observation tower,” said Cole. “There’s machinery operating underground.”
“And the water,” said Mingo. “Only place where it could go is from one lake into the other. Anything else would be too obvious. They must pump it out of Chinnereth, uphill, into Genesseret, using all that electricity they’ve stored up. Genesseret rises, Chinnereth falls. Exposing their doorway. They go in or out, whatever, and when they’re done, they seal the watertight entrance and let the water flood back downhill to fill it back up. Genesseret drops back to normal, Chinnereth rises.”
“You can’t know that,” said Babe.
“No other possibility,” said Mingo. “Word, man.”
“The ultimate moat,” said Drew.
“That’s a lot of water to move,” said Babe.
“The federal government paid for the whole thing,” said Benny. “Your tax dollars at work.”
“So why are you going out to the island?” asked Arty.
“We’re almost sure,” said Cole. “But are we sure enough to call in a strike force yet?”
“They got to have a back door,” said Mingo. “Can’t drain the lake every time somebody’s got to go outside to smoke.”
“Boat,” said Cat.
They switched their transmitters off.
A small motorboat was coming up the lake from the area of the dam. He