She hadn't thought of that, but it was a crucial component of their plan. She'd just assumed that Dave could compel a laboratory staff to let Dimitri and Petrov work there.
But that was a consideration for later. First order of business was to get off this godforsaken island.
The clan was already invested in retrieving their people from Navuh's basement, so they must have a plan of operations in motion. They were already watching, already engaged. They weren't some theoretical ally who might hypothetically be willing to help.
The trick was making them aware that they had allies on the inside.
"Wait." Petrov held up a hand. "You want to negotiate with an unknown organization that has captured Navuh and is remotely controlling the de facto ruler of this island through compulsion. And your plan is to, what, introduce yourselves and ask nicely for help?"
Mattie smiled. Petrov had a gift for reducing the most complex issues to their most absurd essence.
"We have something to offer them," Number One said. "We have intelligence about the Brotherhood, and we can prove we are the good guys they want to ally with because we want to liberate nearly two thousand women and children from the breeding program. That would be a strategic blow to their enemy's ability to produce warriors, which in itself is extremely worthwhile to them. It forever changes the balance of power. In addition, we offer them the scientists who can provide them with valuable research data on the enhancement program."
Petrov raised both brows. "I didn't know we were for sale."
"You are not for sale. What we want to propose is a partnership."
"The distinction is academic from where I'm sitting."
"The distinction is the difference between arriving as refugees and arriving as allies. Refugees are dependent. Allies negotiate."
That was such a smart observation. Mattie was impressed.
Petrov's expressive face went through a series of rapid transitions, starting with skepticism, shifting to irritation, then reluctant consideration, and finally grudging acceptance.
He reached for his coffee mug, stared into it, found it empty, and set it down with a clink. "Dave has a point."
"That's all nice in theory, but how do we contact them?" Dimitri asked.
"That is the problem we have not yet solved," Number One said. "The clan calls Losham on his cellular phone. He does not call them."
"Can you intercept the next call?"
"Not without Losham knowing. He answers in private, and the compulsion ensures he maintains the secrecy of the calls."
"What about the Brotherhood's communication systems? The island has satellite links, radio equipment?—"
"All monitored. Any unauthorized transmission would be flagged immediately. Our phones are only good for communicating on the island, and that's true for most everyone's phones. Only the elite commanders, Navuh's sons, and a few others who are deployed outside the island have phones with access to the outside world."
Dimitri ran his hand through his hair again.
"We thought you might have some ideas," Number One said. "You think outside the box."
"Thinking creatively won't help if the problem is fundamentally unsolvable."
"There is always a solution," Dave said. "We just haven't found it yet."
Mattie had been turning something over in her mind since Number One had mentioned satellite surveillance. The clan was watching the island. From space, presumably, or at least from a distance. They had cameras or sensors or some kind ofmonitoring technology pointed at this rock in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and they were watching.
What if the solution wasn't about transmitting a message through monitored channels? What if it was about being seen?
"You said the clan is monitoring the island," she said. "That they have access to satellite surveillance."
Number One nodded. "That is Losham's assumption."
She leaned forward, and an idea was taking shape. "What if we give them something to look at?"
"What do you mean?" Dimitri asked.
