Under My Skin

Under My Skin - Part 34

"A momentary gap in the grid," pleaded Cetz. "Just a few seconds. That's all I need."

He and Grant were alone in a side room of the Tech Lab where Grant kept his gadgets and blueprints.

"It's not possible to make a hole in the grid without making the whole thing fall." Grant gestured at the electrical panel that showed the extent of the domed Electronic Signal Scrambler that protected the Watch Base from prying eyes and kept them blind at the same time. It also detected the entrance and exit of any living thing onto the base. "The system is daisy chained; if one E.S.S. transmitter dies the two next to it amp their signals to cover for it. But if you take down ten in one sector, enough to make a hole, the whole grid goes and the secondary alarms go off as the system reboots."

"I'm not talking a large hole. Just a small one, barely detectable."

"How small?"

Cetz fished around in his pocket and brought out a tube of chap-stick. "As small as this."

Grant lifted an eyebrow. "That small?"

"Yes."

Grant quirked his lips to the side. "I can halve the electricity draw of two transmitters together so there is a gap between them. I just need to delay the surrounding transmitters from amping their signals, but not for long or else it would be obvious."

"That's perfect," said Cetz. "But I need you to time the energy pull at the same time Rachel is activating a BT."

"Good God, not the 10."

"No, the 9." Cetz pointed to a blueprint of the base and its exits. "Can you cause the gap to happen here?"

"Yeah. Are you going to tell me what this is about?"

"Can't. Plausible deniability."

"Will it mess with Zachs?"

"Definitely."

Grant grinned. "Oh, I like it."

"I thought you would."

***

It took Rachel a full hour in a silver hypoallergenic suit, searching the sterile storage area, before she found what she had been looking for; a neck and spine clamp that had originally belonged to the former Doctor Grovic. To the few people that were involved in Grovic case, the device was known as something else entirely. She took out its plastic case, left storage, stripped off the suit, went straight to her office, and locked the door. She plugged in the spine clamp and found it had a full red charge.

The device looked to be in working order; she'd have to do a few tests and examine it closer to make sure. Now all she had to do was inform Cetz and explain to Will and Louis what she would be doing.

Knowing what the device had originally been used for sickened her.

"God forgive me," she muttered.

***

During his inspection of the underground firing range and gym facility, Zachs was informed of a possible demonstration of the BT-9 during lockdown. He immediately approved. With restrictions of course.

"I've heard the BTs can be a strain on the electrical grid," said Zachs as he instructed his men to test the target hangers in the firing range, the silhouettes of human bull's-eyes swung back and forth like laundry. "The 10 can apparently take the grid down entirely. What assurances do you have that the 9 won't do the same?"

Cetz had already thought out the discussion and had an answer ready. "We're starting with a minimal scan, and we're using this as an opportunity to test some new modifications made to the E.S.S. barrier. Many times we've needed to do a high-intensity scan during lockdown, but couldn't because of the threat to the barrier. Hopefully this test will show us our limits with the grid."

"I'd be delighted to see that." Zachs eyed the bull's-eyes at the end of the range. "Tell me Cetz, even though you're head of Watch Two, do you still follow the training done by agents?"

"If you're asking me if I still have a firearm, yes. And I practice down here from time to time. Whatever good that'll do me." Cetz was only thirty three, too young to let himself get soft behind a desk. "Why?"

"I was comparing you to the previous head of Watch Two. I'm surprised how well you've adapted to your new role."

That left a sour note in Cetz's gut. Now he was being judged too.

The sooner he got rid of Zachs the better.

His headset beeped; Reese and Beni needed to talk to him. Cetz left the firing range, excusing himself saying he had to oversee things with the BT. He hoped the safecracker and driver had good news. It was hard enough keeping Zachs in the dark, and he still had to coordinate with Rachel.