Page 45 of What is Found

“All you need to know—and because it’s allIreally know—is that a karez is an aqueduct, only really long and below ground and on a slope,” Davila said. “Some of these channels have been around for centuries. The one Shahida’s talking about is north of here.”

“She squirreled kids away in an aqueduct?”

Driver shook his head. “In an access well and chamber alongside adefunctaqueduct. A cave, for all intents and purposes. The karez there got destroyed…well, diverted. Missile strike, and back in the Soviet era, judging from some of the stuff we found in the village.”

“Diverted,” John repeated. “Meaning what, exactly? Where did the water go?”

Driver gave a dismissive shrug. “Flowing alongside. If you’re really quiet, you can just barely make it out. No leaks or seepage, as far as we can tell. Place where the kids are is dry.”

“You mentioned a village. People still around?”

“Not that we’ve seen. The place is deserted, at this point. All the structures except one are rubble. It’s a ghost town.”

“Then why the cave if there’s no one around?”

“You never heard of eyes in the sky? You tell me where you can hide twenty-seven kids and have no one notice.”

It was a fair point. “How far away?” He watched them all toss looks and said, “Oh, for God’s sake, just tell me. How far?”

“Six hours,” Driver said.

“Give or take,” Flowers said. “Depending on whether the lights are with you.”

He felt his mouth form an astonished O.“A twelve-hour round trip? How are you planning to move that many kids? What, you got the Magic School Bus in your back pocket?”

“That wassucha great show,” Flowers said.

Driver rolled his eyes. “We got four Humvees. Better armor, and trucks are too slow anyway.”

“Still going to be tight. These had better be some small kids,” he said.

“Mostly thin. Figure in a driver and shooter, it’ll just be doable.”

“Of course,” Flowers added, “half the time we’ll be driving in the dark.”

“Thedark?”This just kept getting better and better. “And you don’t think a drone operator’snotgoing to decide vehicles speeding for the airport aren’t just a little bit suspicious and call in a missile strike?” John asked.

“Which is where Mac comes in,” Driver said. “All the relevant parties will know.”

“While he sits in a cushy armchair and watches this go down via live feed?”

“Not Mac,” Flowers said. “He’ll bewith Driver. Adds a little incentive to get it right, know what I’m saying?”

“Meaning you can count on the left hand knowing what the right is doing?”

“Meaning we’re in the clear from our side,” Driver said.

“And from the other? Say, the Taliban?” He spared a glance for Shahida. “Or anyone else you’ve managed to piss off?”

“Hey, man,” Flowers said, “risk is our business.”

“Say, that’s pretty catchy,” Meeks said. “That Tom Cruise?”

“Mission: Impossible?Naw.” Flowers flapped a hand. “Cribbed it from Captain Kirk.”

“I think we can count on our side not gunning for us,” Driver said. “With you in the mix, Worthy, we got just enough manpower to pull this off. Otherwise, we leave some kids behind?—”

“Which we no do,” Shahida cut in. A hectic flush stained the underside of her jaw. “You no leave these boys, Driver, not afterwedo for you?—”

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