DAVE #2
"You didn't trust us," Number One said, and there was no heat in the statement of fact because the collective had already processed it and agreed that they would have done the same.
"You were not prepared to place five chests of incalculable value in the hands of eight soldiers you know very little about, and what you do know is not good.
We understand. We would have done the same if faced with a similar decision. "
Anandur smiled, or rather grinned. "Glad you understand. No hard feelings, eh?"
"No hard feelings," Number One repeated. "We are not offended by competence. We are here to help. Just tell us what you need."
The collective already knew that the clan's team had managed to retrieve only three of the chests before the collapse forced them to abandon the other two. They'd gathered the information by skimming the surface thoughts of the two commanders and some of the others.
"Much appreciated," Yamanu said after a moment's hesitation. "You can keep the guards off us."
They could do much better than keep them off. They could, and they would make them forget that there was anything worth investigating in the basement. They could and would compel every responder to report a structural collapse.
But they chose not to articulate all that. "We can do that, and we can also help you dig."
Anandur frowned. "How do you know that we need to dig?"
"Because you are still here. If you had extracted all the chests, you would be gone by now."
The redhead nodded. "Good reasoning. We managed to get three out, so there are two more we need to dig out." He turned to look at the new pile of debris. "We will probably need to dig through the night and part of the day tomorrow, and then we need to wait for nighttime to get the chests out."
"Through the cove?" Number One asked even though the collective knew that for a fact.
Anandur nodded, and the collective appreciated that he hadn't tried to lie.
"We have a submarine waiting, and we have special waterproof casings to transport the chests to the vessel, but it needs to be done under the cover of night."
Number One assessed the pile of debris, and the collective estimated how long it would take to clear it.
"Four of us will run interference up top, and four will help you down here.
We are enhanced, which means that we are stronger than regular immortals, so the clearing will get done faster, but I doubt we will manage to extract the two other chests before sunrise.
You are correct in your estimate that you will have to wait for tomorrow night to transport the two remaining chests to the submarine. "
"We could use the help," Yamanu said. "Especially since we are down nine men. One of ours got badly injured, and two had to carry him to the cove. The other six carried the three chests."
"Glad to be of assistance," Number One said. "I just need to call Losham first."
"Go ahead."
He walked a few feet away, took out the phone, and dialed Losham. The other seven held their positions while the line connected, the collective composing what Number One was about to say before the first ring sounded.
"What's going on?" Losham asked in lieu of a greeting.
"It was a structural collapse of the ceiling.
The supports gave way, and another big chunk of the ceiling came down together with dirt from the backyard.
Whoever designed this structure must have miscalculated the load of the earth and vegetation above and the insidious deterioration caused by water. "
"Are you sure that it wasn't sabotage?" Losham asked.
"There is no sign of anything other than gravity causing the collapse."
The exhalation came down the line, ragged with relief. "You are certain?"
"We are. Right now, it's unsafe for the crews to continue working down here. We will clean up as much as we can and try to put up some supports. We will report to you in the morning."
There was a long silence on the other side of the line. "You are going to clean it up and secure the excavation?"
"We are."
"Why?" His suspicion was reflexive. "That is not your job. The eight of you are not laborers."
"We know how much this matters to you," Number One said, and into the words the collective wove the thread, gentle and warm and beneath the surface of Losham's attention, the suggestion threading through the cadence. "We want you to have peace of mind. It's handled, and you can rest."
The exhale on the other side of the line signaled a profound relief. "That's very kind of you. Thank you."
"We are your allies, Losham. Have a good night. We will report in the morning." Number One ended the call and turned to Yamanu. "Losham will not interfere."
Number One was about to return the phone to his pocket when the collective flagged the other thread tonight that had been left dangling.
Anita.
She was asleep in the suite at the hotel, thralled to stay that way until morning, and in the morning the brothel would send the handler to collect her, and the Eight would not be there to manage it.
The handler would knock, but she would not answer because she was thralled to sleep until roused by the Eight.
The fix was the one they had intended to use in a few days, when they were readying to transport everyone they were taking with them to a ship.
They would just book another day and night with Anita.
Number One dialed the brothel.
"This is Number One," he said. "We are keeping Anita through tomorrow, so don't send the handler to fetch her tomorrow morning. She is resting, and we do not wish her disturbed."
He let the suggestion ride underneath the words, smoothing the clerk's mild reflex to confirm against a schedule before it could form.
"Two days," the clerk repeated. "Of course. No one will disturb her."
"Thank you."
Number One ended the second call and pocketed the phone, and the collective turned its attention to the question of who was going topside and how.
Number Seven and Number Four walked over to a supportive beam that was still standing.
Number Seven planted his back against the stone and laced his hands into a stirrup, and Number Four braced beside him.
Number Two stepped into Number Seven's locked hands, and was launched upward in a single coordinated heave, caught the lip of the breach, and pulled himself over the edge into the yard above in one fluid motion.
The whole maneuver had been executed without a word passing between any of them because no words were needed.
"Impressive." Anandur clapped his hands. "Dinner and a show, just without the dinner." He turned to Yamanu. "If we're staying, we will need to get more provisions."
As the two continued talking about field rations, three more of the Eight were propelled up by the same method.
Above them, the four expanded the collective's awareness, spreading it out across the dark to intercept anything that might approach. The four below turned to the rubble. The network was stretched thinner across the separation, but they were close enough that it wasn't really a strain.
"There's a problem with the digging," Anandur said, eyeing the four who remained. "We've already collapsed this thing once tonight. We need to be careful not to cause another one. The question is how hard do we want to push?"
The collective did not need to confer, because it had already resolved the calculus on the descent.
"As hard as we can without burying ourselves," Number One said.