“The main difficulty as I see it is that it would take eighty million very clever ants working very rapidly and in perfect unison.”
“There’s another problem.” Mechanical and master both turned to the inspector. He indicated the large, free-form planter that contained both landscaping and shed. “That all sits on a solid, impermeable base. Excess water is removed by means of several drains, to prevent the plants from becoming waterlogged.”
“Ants can find cracks anywhere,” Moses pointed out. “Even in drainpipes or surfaces designated as impermeable.”
“I won’t argue with that. There’s one more drawback to your thesis. That landscaping includes some pretty expensive exotics. They’re sprayed and treated regularly to keep them pest-free. Unless your eighty million trained ants are individually equipped with environment suits, I’m afraid they’d succumb pretty quickly.”
“Nice try, Moses,” said Manz. “Stretching it a bit, though.”
Plastic lenses turned to face him. “It appears we are going to have to do a great deal of stretching if we are to find a solution to this problem.”
Manz grunted. “I won’t argue with you there.” He turned back to the inspector. “You might as well know that the Company’s trying something new with this shipment. It isn’t something visible to the naked eye.”
Hafas’s thick eyebrows rose. “I wasn’t informed in advance?”
“Sorry. Company policy. Trying to restrict access to new developments. Not that we don’t trust you, or your people, but …”
“You don’t trust me, or my people,” Hafas finished for him. “That’s all right. I’m not offended. In fact, I approve.”
“I thought you might.” Nice to be working with a real pro, Manz mused, even if he was only municipal civil service.
“In addition to the usual internal security systems, the case containing this particular shipment should now be emitting a faint photonimbus about a meter in diameter. Anything larger than the case itself enters that field, it’ll trigger a host of internal alarms. So will any attempt to move the case from its present position. Should either type of interference take place, the container will go berserk with lights, sound, and motion. That should set off every telltale in the place. The whole system is self-contained within the case, and only the Company rep who placed it in the shed can deactivate it.”
“Let’s hope so.”
They turned as Vyra materialized behind them.
“Find anything?” Manz asked her.
She sounded discouraged. “Standard Earthside shuttleport. Nothing unique about the security arrangements.” Catching sight of Hafas’s expression, she added, “Everything seems tight and optimally run. I didn’t see any obvious gaps. The few unobvious ones don’t appear to be any source for concern.”
“As opposed to the situation in here,” he told her. “Moses has theorized that ants are responsible.”
“It was merely a preliminary suggestion,” the mechanical reminded him.
“Inspector Hafas here is convinced that the various bug sprays the Port gardeners use render that hypothesis untenable. I’m inclined to agree with him, but we can check for evidence of bug-work anyway.” Hafas nodded agreement.
“Why don’t you two … three … go back to your hotel? If this shipment proceeds like the last few, nothing’s going to happen. By tomorrow morning it’ll be safely out of here. You can’t concentrate here, with all the conspicuous distractions. We need whatever ideas and suggestions your brains can come up with, and those might function better in more congenial surroundings. If it looks like anything’s brewing, I’ll get in touch with you immediately.”
“Nothing’s going to brew,” Moses commented.
Manz considered briefly. He knew the layout by heart now, and it wasn’t his job to actually keep watch over the shipment. He wasn’t a gunny; he was an adjuster, and he could adjust just as well from the comfort of a Jacuzzi.
“Okay, we’ll take you up on that. Thanks for the tour. Enlightening, but depressing. I’ve got one or two notions percolating that might lead to some …”
WRRRAAANGGGG!
Alarms multiplied like protons cast off fissioning atoms. Half a dozen Company agents came stumbling out of opposite doors, weapons in hand, looking for someone to nerve-fry. Hafas and his remaining plainclothesman drew their own guns, as did Manz and Vyra. Administration workers who had been strolling the courtyard or walking blissfully from one office to another stopped in their tracks, paralyzed and bewildered. A couple who had been seated on a bench next to the landscaped planter found themselves unceremoniously hustled off for a security check, uneaten sandwiches still in hand.
Someone finally shut off the bells and sirens, which made the inspector audible. His expression was agonized as he lurched toward the center of the courtyard, its elegant flora, and the enigmatic but now somehow ominous bulk of the security shed.
“Not now,” he was muttering to himself. “Not already.”
Manz didn’t wait for an invitation. He and Vyra followed as Company agents and JeP police converged on the shed.
They were soon joined by the slightly overweight Company rep. Out of breath, he waited with the rest of them for Security to unseal the door. The rush of air that accompanied their entrance suggested that the shed’s integrity had not been violated.
There was barely enough room inside for the rep, Hafas, Manz, and Vyra. Several shipping containers of varying size and composition rested on the shelves where they’d been placed. So did the gleaming titanium case that not so very much earlier had been banded to the rep’s wrist. Squinting uncertainly, he picked it up.
A neat, fist-sized hole in the bottom showed where it had been pierced.
They waited impatiently for him to produce the wand that would banish the alarm nimbus. He pointed it at the case and thumbed the necessary combination. Then he extracted a small metal stylus from a security pack of its own and inserted it into a hole in the side of the case. There was a delay while the container’s lock cycled, then a soft click. The rep removed the key and inserted it in a matching hole on the other side, repeating the procedure. Only then was he able to open the case without setting off its internal alarms.
The padded foam cutouts that lined both sides of the case were empty, their contents gone missing. Manz wasn’t surprised.
The rep blinked back at him, utterly baffled. “I don’t understand. We just put this in here a little while ago.”
“We don’t understand either,” growled Hafas, “but we’re going to. By God, we’re going to.”
That’s it, make positive-sounding mouth noises. Gets the adrenaline rushing, makes you feel better. Humans are unsurpassed at their ability to fool themselves into thinking things are going to get better.
Manz rubbed the back of his neck and eyed the inspector. “You want to make the announcement or should I”
“I’ll split it with you. I’ll tell my people, and you inform yours.”
“That means I get to tell Gemmel. Lucky me.”
“Lucky him,” murmured Vyra. She was conducting a minute inspection of the seam where the metal walls met the ceiling. “He’s the one who has to notify the Board.”
