Page 75 of Never Enough

Nemo looked at her, puzzled. “Drought is good?”

“No, of course not. But a lack of seismic activity as well as lower levels in the river means that I’m also less likely to drown in the tunnels should seismic activity occur.”

“So you’re not worried about being crushed to death due to a cave-in, just drowning?” Nemo snarked.

She laughed. “I was trying to predict the odds of one, the other, or both. Don’t get your knickers in a twist.”

“Wrong gender, kitty cat.”

“Oh no. You’re acting like a girl right now. I had it right. But if you’re going to continue being a cunt, fine. Don’t get your smalls in a twist.”

“He’d have to wear some first,” TB argued.

“True,” Gem agreed. Then blushed.

Oops. Now they know for sure, sugar cat. Sorry, not sorry.

Nemo grinned. “Nothing small about me, kitty cat, and you know it.”

“Confirmation achieved,” TB murmured under his breath.

He watched Gem lock down her emotions. There was no way to stem the tide of pink traveling across her features, but the shaking in her hands was barely noticeable, even if her stiff, locked posture wasn’t. He gave her points for trying.

“Okay, guys, give her a break,” Nemo ordered. He tried to help her by leaning over the table to rifle through his set ofphotographs and pull out the zones she mentioned. “So why S or W?”

Gem leapt at his opening. “They present shafts that are farthest from the point of the origin structure but closest to the river. The roads will be too open. Instead, we can hire one of my local contacts. He has a small flotilla of boats we can use as cover, pretending as if he’s headed to Beitbridge. The boats have a small hut-like feature we can hide inside while he and his men navigate to the zone from the north. He can drop us off just before dawn and be on his way toward the dam with no one the wiser. Traveling by night from his location to reach the dam by dawn would raise no eyebrows.”

“This contact… How trustworthy?” TB asked.

“I’ve used Itai often, and he has worked with Loki many times transporting slaves downriver to freedom. The only downside is that he will not be able to take us back up the river. We’ll need another way out.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Steel assured her. “We’ll be coming out of there hot. Medusa will be our ride home. Loki and Gilgamesh will be the escape transportation for the miners.”

“All right,” Waters interrupted. “Midas, due diligence on this Itai fellow. Dig so deep; I want to know what he had for breakfast ten years ago today.”

“On it, boss.”

“Steel. I want maps of the river and any way on or off it in case of emergencies. I don’t want surprises.”

Steel nodded and flipped open his tablet.

“TB. I want schematics on the dam even though we have no intention of being near it. I want to know who works it, when, and who crosses it. Leave no stone unturned.”

“Copy that.”

Waters turned to Gem. “Gem. The people in the mines.Are they free roaming? Chain ganged? How are they controlled?”

“Fear controls them. Ask for water, and if the guard’s cranky, he’ll shoot you without a qualm. There’s no need to chain them down below because there’s nowhere to go. A key card is needed to operate the lifts, so they can’t get into a lift without a guard. Run? You’re shot without warning.”

“Okay. Demon. We’re bound to run into people who need medical help once we get down in those mines, but we’re not going to have time to triage. Since there are guns down there, everyone on our team needs supplies for gunshot wounds. In addition, I want everyone on our team to have breathing gear in case of gas being used or some sort of disaster where they need to be able to breathe in a toxic environment or the case of a cave-in. What maximum time can we expect?”

Demon replied, “Right now, we each have a canister for a maximum of thirty minutes.”

Waters rubbed at his forehead and frowned. “I want more time than that. Demon, get Medusa to connect you with Loki. See what we can do. Can’t load you down too much, but you all need more than thirty minutes of time to work with in an emergency.”

Gem jumped in, “You don’t need Loki. You need Cerberus. He’s the one with all the connections to things like that, including his own stashes. Might have to make another stop somewhere quick before Zimbabwe proper, but he’ll have access.”

“Got that, Demon?” Waters acknowledged.

---