Dave moved closer, pressing one hand against the cool glass while another body circled around to examine the enclosure from a different angle. Climate control units hummed quietly along the ceiling, maintaining whatever temperature and humidity levels were required inside.
Dave crouched down, peering through the glass at the base of the nearest dune. The sand looked ordinary enough. It was fine-grained, pale gold, the kind you might find on any beach. There were no visible objects, no containers, no obvious signs of what might be buried beneath it.
Just sand. Mountains of it.
What is Navuh hiding in there?
He straightened and made his way to the controls. The security panel glowed red in the dim basement light, and as Dave examined the lock, he realized that it was biometric. A retinal scanner that was likely keyed to a single user.
Navuh.
Dave tried every bypass technique he knew, but the security system was sophisticated and impenetrable. It was impossible to hack an eyeball.
The irony wasn't lost on Dave. He could compel any human and immortal on this island to do his bidding, bend their will to his own, but he couldn't compel a machine. The scanner sat there, red light blinking steadily, utterly immune to the power that made Dave almost unstoppable.
Frustration bubbled up, and Dave tamped it down. Patience. There had to be another way.
He was still examining the lock when he heard footsteps approaching. Dave didn't turn around. He already knew who it was.
"What are you doing down here?" Losham asked, his voice echoing off the concrete walls and carrying that particular blend of authority and wariness that had characterized all their interactions since Navuh's disappearance.
Losham understood the necessity of that alliance, but he was also watching. Calculating. Preparing for the day when Dave's power might become so great that they wouldn't need the alliance anymore. When they could rule the island on their own.
Smart of him. Dave would have done the same if the roles were reversed.
"I'm cataloging Lord Navuh's possessions," Dave said, and the words came from three mouths simultaneously, the two near the glass enclosure and a third that had been cataloging storagecontainers on the far end of the basement. The effect was intentional. A reminder of what Dave was, what he could do.
Losham's jaw tightened, but he covered it well. "Have you found anything interesting?"
"We found a storage room full of artwork. It might be valuable now or in the future."
Losham smiled. "I advised Lord Navuh to invest in art. It's a good investment in any economy because it is independent of the fiat currencies that get systematically devalued."
"I wouldn't know." Dave, or rather two parts of him, turned toward the glass enclosure. "We think this is even more interesting than art."
Losham moved closer, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sand-filled chamber. "Any idea what is in there?"
"We hoped you would know."
"I haven't been here recently." Losham circled the enclosure, studying it from multiple angles just as Dave had done. "This is new."
Dave tapped the security panel. "Biometric lock. Retinal scanner. Keyed, no doubt, to Lord Navuh alone."
"Can you bypass it?"
"No. We've tried every technique we know. Without Navuh's eyeball, we're not getting in."
Losham made a huffing sound. "The submarine is the same. I've searched his quarters for fingerprints that could be lifted off surfaces, but the cleaning staff were too thorough. They didn't leave any prints intact."
Losham pressed his palm against the glass, staring at the sand within. "What do you think is in there?"
"Something valuable enough to warrant climate control and two-inch-thick tempered glass." Dave moved to stand beside him. "Something that needs to be preserved in specific conditions. The temperature in there is being maintained at eighty-five degrees. Humidity at fifteen percent."
"Desert conditions."
"Approximately, yes."
Losham examined the glass with a frown. "We could blow up the glass. It's thick, but it's still glass. Enough explosives will shatter anything."
