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Knowing that getting the story behind the coyote paw was more than I was entitled to, I let the subject drop. My food was gone, and it was time to return to the problem at hand.
“Do you think it would help our situation if, when the rain was finished, we took down your sensors? If they come looking for us and don’t find the sensors, that would make it harder to find us, right?”
Ethan lifted an arm to scratch his shoulder. “Possibly, but like I said, we aren’t hidden here. Eventually they will track us down. I doubt we will be able to evade them or hide from them.”
“What about going farther into the cave? Do you know what’s there?”
“The cave dead ends after about a thousand feet. There’s no exit out the back.”
“Okay.” That was unhelpful, but I was determined not to lose now that I had finally gotten free. “What about weapons? Do you have any?”
“Some,” he admitted. “Not a lot. I have more knives than I do guns. The ship itself has some weapons, but I doubt we’d be able to use them without causing the cave to collapse.”
Feeling frustrated, I folded my arms. “Well, what doyousuggest we do?”
“Easy there.” He smiled, as though we were discussing something as trivial as what to eat for dinner. “Taking the sensors down is still a good idea. That’s the first thing I suggest we do. I need to not leave them behind, if possible, anyway. They are extremely expensive. As soon as the rain stops, we can go get the sensors and bring them back here. We need to be careful going out there, but the sensors aren’t far. Then I suggest maybe we set up someone to keep watch. Perhaps from the mouth of the cave. It might give us some forewarning if someone does come looking.
“There is another idea I had.” He paused to rub his jaw. “I should run it by Andy because I’m not sure we can do it, but it’s theoretically possible. The sensors are made to record the storm’s severity. One of the things they can do is detect the density of the charged particles. If we can set them up to scan overhead, we might be able to find a break in the storm where the particles are less dense, and it would be safe to fly through. That may take time to find because I doubt there’d be a clear spot until the tail end of it reaches us, but it could still provide us a way out sooner. Anything else we can do is just to buy us time. We have the force field. Unless they think to collapse the cave over us using their ship, which would be extremely dangerous, there isn’t too much they can do to us with the shield.”
I brightened up at the idea. “That actually sounds like a not dreadful plan.”
He pressed his hand to his heart. “Your words cut me to the quick! You feel so poorly towards my ideas? Here I thought it was a brilliant flash of genius.”
I burst out laughing at his dramatics. “Not quite up to my standards. Now, if you figured out a way to reconfigure the sensors to somehow hide us from those guys, I would callthata genius idea.”
“Unfortunately, I think that’s far outside my wheelhouse. Technology isn’t my strongest skill. That’s why I have Andy around.”
“Is he yours or is he with the ship?”
“He belongs to my employers, so he comes with the ship. He’s useful to have around. He helps me get better results faster, so Centric Enterprises considers him a valuable investment. He honestly does all the heavy lifting.”
“At least there is some use for an android.” I tapped a finger against the tabletop. “How long until the rain stops?”
He pulled out a tablet and clicked on it. “If the storm continues moving at the same pace, about two hours, but we should give it a little extra time before venturing out. The rain can hang around in the air for a while and still do damage.”
“Agreed. But I don’t want to wait too long. I doubt those guys will be smart enough to be careful.”
“It might cost them their lives.” Ethan shook his head. “This storm is no joke. The only reason I’m even considering going out there is because I know what to look for. I’ve studied this weather pattern for a long time. An amateur will likely step in the wrong thing out there and that’s it. They’re dead.”
His words were serious, and I shivered. “There have been too many near deaths around me recently. I think I’m ready for a vacation.”
“Hopefully, you can have one soon.”
I hope so.“I’d love some time off. This is a high-profile case, and I’ve made some friends in high places. I might be able to call in a favor or two and get a break once I solve this case. Who knows?”
“I think if you ask nicely your superiors will want to reward your efforts. I bet you are an excellent cop.”
“What makes you say that?” I tried not to squint, but I wasn’t sure his tone was complimentary.
Ethan shrugged. “I can tell. You are obviously strong, and you seem competent and dedicated to your job. Are you telling me you’re an awful agent?”
“Of course not,” I scoffed. “I think I do a good job. I’m just not sure how I feel about that coming from a guy who has a ‘healthy dislike’ for cops.”
He laughed again. “I’m sorry. I have nothing against you. Really. The cops and I have just never been friends, that’s all.”
“You’re hanging out with the wrong kind of people in that case. Some of the best people I’ve ever known have been cops. Good people, with kindness and strength and a sense of justice. I know there are some bad ones out there, but there are a lot more of the good ones. If I didn’t believe cops help people, I wouldn’t be one.”
Ethan nodded. “I can see that. You believe in what you do. That’s important. Everyone should believe in something.” He stood up. “I need to tell Andy to start working on a plan to program the sensors to see if they can detect the weak spot we need.”
