“On a standard machine there are eighteen. We didn't install them, but the guy who did installed the standard version. Which brings up a good point, we're working on the assumption he hasn't altered either machine. Given that Getz used two different companies to install the systems, it's possible he used a third to customize them. I don't think it's likely, there aren't many of us who can do this kind of work, but it bears mentioning. But, back to the Abram, the beams can pick up movement up to fifteen feet away.”
“Okay, so we have some leeway in how we approach the monitors and I'm assuming we're going to run those trials today as well, so what's the second weakness?” Dani inquired.
Jay smiled. “The machines are completely unreliable.” He paused for dramatic effect. Next to her, Ty sighed.
“How unreliable?” he asked.
“If they bump into anything they'll shut off. If a big storm comes and shakes them around, they'll shut off. If it gets too warm or too cold, they'll shut off. And when they shut off they don't raise an alarm. Don't get me wrong, if they shut off, whoever is monitoring the system at the house will know the machine is off, but it won't raise an alarm.”
“And how often does this happen?” Dani asked.
“In the three hours we tested four machines, all of them shut off at least once for a time period of at least ten minutes.”
“Hell of a system,” Dani said. “Do they come back on automatically or do you have to reset them?”
“They come back on automatically in most cases, once the system readjusts or recalibrates, but we did have to manually reset one of the machines,” Jay answered, pacing in the front of the room.
“So, if we can get a couple of the machines to shut off at strategic times, given the number of times something similar has, presumably, happened in the past, it's unlikely the guards are going to come running,” Ty commented.
“One can hope,” Jay gave them all a satisfied, if somewhat feral smile. “The machines have created their own ‘cry wolf’ situation that we can take advantage of. And,” Jay added, moving back to the map, “looking at the placement of each system, I don't think it will be difficult to arrange for a machine or two to accidentally need to recalibrate.”
* * *
“Christ, I'm cold,” Dani swore to herself as she peeled the wetsuit off her body. Or at least she thought she was speaking to herself.
“It's because you have no body fat.” Ty stood next to her, already sans suit. Reaching out a hand, he helped her step out of her own.
“Funny, I thought it was because the water is about sixty degrees,” she shot back. She hated being cold. She'd soldier through, but she'd never like it.
Ty laughed at her disgruntlement. “We'll get dry suits next time. We should have had them this time.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” Dani grumbled.
“Dani, are you grumbling about the cold again?” Spanky came up behind her and collected her suit. Unlike her, Spanky was a polar bear, the colder the better.
“Not me,” she gave him a toothy smile. “I'm being sweet as a peach.”
Her colleague snorted in response. “Remember that time in—”
Dani cut him a look and he stopped mid-sentence.
“Right, I'll go wash these up and get you a dry suit for tomorrow.” Spanky turned and walked away.
“That time when, what?” Ty asked with an amused look. He handed her a towel and a sweatshirt.
“It wasn't one of my better moments, I don't feel like reliving it right now,” she answered, drying her hair. She pulled the sweatshirt over her shoulders and then stripped the top of her bathing suit down underneath it. The air outside was warm but she was still chilled from the water where they'd been training for the past two hours and needed the extra warmth of the sweatshirt. When it fell to mid-thigh, she glanced down and realized it was Ty's. She looked up at him. He shrugged.
“You looked like you needed it more than I did,” he answered. “So, what does Dani Williamson look like when she's not having one of her better moments?”
Dani glanced around for her sweatpants before finding them under a pile of towels. They were a little damp, but better than nothing. She slipped out of her bathing suit altogether, safe in the coverage provided by Ty's sweatshirt, and pulled on her pants. It was a delay technique. She'd cut Spanky off not