Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls - Jane Lindskold [87]
“We have no idea where they are or what defenses they might have or anything at all,” Abalone says, but from how she toys with her pipestem I can see that she is merely listing research points, not admitting defeat.
“Some of this I may be able to give you,” Margarita says after a thoughtful pause.
“No, we cannot expect you to risk your job,” Professor Isabella says. “You have already given us a warning.”
“She,” Margarita says, touching my arm, “gave me my life. I want to do this thing and give her a chance to have her own.”
I smile. “Amiga, gracias.”
“Well.” Abalone rises. “As Sarah would say, ‘If it were done ’tis best it is done quickly.’”
“Isn’t that from Macbeth?” Professor Isabella asks with a wry smile.
“Maybe once, but it’s Sarah’s now.” Abalone turns to Margarita. “Are you free tonight?”
“And tomorrow,” she replies. “I am visiting my sister and little niece and they will cover for me if anyone asks questions.”
“Good,” Abalone says. “Let’s go to one of my safe houses and start planning. Best to bring this to Head Wolf as a reasoned-through plan rather than asking for support without an idea of what we’ll need.”
I nod agreement, but as I trail them to the hotel room, I resolve that support or no support, I will carry this through.
The conference proceeds smoothly—I realize that we are becoming something of old hands at this and that Ailanthus owes itself for our training. Margarita rattles off information which Abalone files. I know my Baloo well enough to realize that nothing will be taken on faith, but she has sense enough not to start cross-checking in front of our guest.
“Now, we’ve decided that you want the building where Dr. Aldrich has been set up. It will do you good—he stays there and does his work there and keeps his records there. The impression I got is that he is under sort of house arrest, maybe because he lost Sarah,” Margarita says. “Not so good is that he is there because the building is in a well-guarded complex. There are a whole lotta sensors—heat and motion and plain old video. Human guards roam the place and some of them have dogs.”
“Ouch,” Abalone says, wrapping a fiery lock around her index finger. “Not very hopeful—rules out any frontal assault.”
“Well, there is a bright spot,” Margarita says. “The big shots, they don’t want to have to deal with all that every time they come to work, so there is a way in that all you need are pass codes and prints for fingers, eyes, and voice. Then you take a capsule trolley to whatever building you want and never cross the grounds.”
“I may be able to do something about prints,” Abalone says slowly. “Can you get us the codes?”
“They’re changed on an erratic schedule,” Margarita says. “You couldn’t count on what I got for you being right. Sometimes they change every week, other times every couple of days, sometimes every couple of hours. The Security Chief didn’t want to set up this entrance at all, so he’s a bastard about avoiding patterns that could make it easier to get in.”
“Clever,” Professor Isabella says, looking up from the volume of Sun-tzu that she’s been reading.
“We may have to blow the doors,” Abalone growls, “and that means giving up any chance of getting in unnoticed.”
Margarita looks surprised. “Hey, aren’t you forgetting Sarah?”
Abalone tilts her head in puzzlement. “Sarah? She can’t read or even tell left from right all of the time.”
“Yeah, but things talk to her. She’s the sweetest little codebreaker in the world.” Margarita wags a finger. “What you think they were using her for or why they so hot to get her back?”
“I…I didn’t think,” Abalone admits. “I knew, but I didn’t think. I’m so used to looking out for her that I forgot what she can do.”
Betwixt and Between blow her a Bronx cheer—in duet, but I am content to look smug. Then uncertainty seizes me. What if I can’t do it? What if the lock is impersonal or has nothing