Night came and Sio was ready to move. She couldn't make the trip to the cave, but she could program the holo-band to receive information about it. If Auburn was going to investigate in the morning with Otheyo, maybe they would make a trip to this cave too. It was a stretch, but something told her it would be best to sync up with as many holo-bands as possible. Her first two targets: Lurio's and Auburn's. She waited until midnight to check in on either one of them, just to be sure they were asleep.
She snuck out of her room, tip-toeing toward first Auburn's room. The door slid open silently as she moved into the main bedroom and knelt down beside the end table where Auburn's holo-band was. She grabbed at it trying hard not to make any sound. She nicked the side of its band to the edge of the end table and froze.
Auburn stirred, but did not awaken.
Quickly, Sio tapped into the holo-band's data and synced it with her own and returned the holo-band to its place. She made to exit the room, but stopped when she heard rustling on the other side of the door. She held the door's handle to make sure it did not slide open on its own. When she heard footsteps subside down the hallway and the front door open, she let the sliding door open. She quickly went to the front entrance of the shell-unit and peeked out the front windows under the blinds and saw Lurio walk towards the entrance of the village.
Curious.
Sio took this opportunity to sneak into Lurio's room. She found it neatly put together, nothing seemed out of place. Lurio's room, while showing signs of someone inhabiting it, was impeccable. She looked around for any sign of his holo-band, but no luck. Sio got to thinking. If Lurio made a habit of sneaking out at midnight, what else would he be doing? Sio went rummaging through his closet, nothing. She went through his nightstands, nothing. She went through the compartments underneath his cot.
Something.
Sio took out what looked to be a memento box. She opened it. Inside were holo-pics of Lurio's daughter when she was about Sio's age, holding a flute. Lurio was there in the back, smiling. It was strange to see Lurio's smile. He seemed like a completely different person. His eyes were lighter, and while his wrinkles were not as apparent in this pic, he had smile lines. Sio swiped to the left and saw a gallery of pics where Lurio and his daughter were together. Sio put the box back to where it was and closed the compartment.
She would find nothing here, but it was still a mission accomplished. She now had access to updated information. She made sure that everything was just as it was in Lurio's room then left to return to her own. Sio made for her bed, and slept the rest of the morning.
–
Sio awoke to a distant alarm likely coming from Auburn's room. Groggily, she stood to greet the day. She readied herself by taking a typical black thermal undersuit and exited her room. Auburn greeted her as he walked down the hallway into the main living area and she greeted him back as was becoming custom to her. She brushed her hair with a quicksanitation brush, one that applies a light rinse and antimicrobial layering, and her teeth with a similarly designed toothbrush. All the while she jumped into her thermal undersuit, stumbling while she multitasked to put on a sleeve and brush her teeth at the same time. She emerged refreshed and ready to take on whatever her day might bring. Auburn similarly was ready, his brown hair showing signs of just exiting a sanitation unit. It was still slightly damp so Auburn rubbed along a microfiber towel to quicken its drying.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" He asked. He was an observant one.
"I thought today we could start my apprenticeship." She replied. It wasn't a complete lie. She did eagerly await beginning her Dunestrider training.
"Fair. Then you'd best eat up, we'll leave for the mines afterward." He asked no more questions. He was oddly placated at her answer. But Sio did not question her luck.
They ate an unremarkable meal of bread and leftover stew. It served its purpose in filling their bellies and giving them calories to burn throughout the day. Then they set off toward the mines at the edge of town. Sio was surprised to see scaffolding had encompassed the massive water pump. They had begun repairs. She wondered if they'd be able to open the mines soon, but for now it looked as though the rest of the miners were on scouting duty with their head mineral analyst. Auburn made for Otheyo's office, Sio followed.
As they walked into the rectangular shell-unit they were greeted with the sight of Otheyo slumped over his desk, his shell-suit half undone despite the cold barely battled by the interior heaters. The unit they occupied was not designed for long term occupation, but judging from the mess, a stack of holo-pics, tablets, a pile of pre-heated meal packs and presumably empty cans of synthetic coffee littering every table, it looked as though Otheyo made it to be a temporary lodging space.
"You brought the girl." Said Otheyo, evidently not too pleased at the sight of Sio standing beside Auburn.
"The girl will aid in the search. This concerns her as much as it concerns you and me." Replied Auburn with a steady voice. Sio remained silent. Otheyo looked at Sio, and Sio felt his gaze from underneath his mask. It was an intense stare. Ultimately, Otheyo relented. He sighed deeply and returned his gaze to the screens behind his desk that replayed monitoring information in loops.
"We'll start at the pump, follow me." Otheyo zipped up his shell-suit and walked first out the door. Auburn and Sio followed as commanded. Otheyo expertly lead them through the scaffolding surrounding the pump and they came across a valve that had clearly been broken off. "Here is where the culprit did the most outward damage, but by the settings I've looked over on the pump, it was someone who knew how to upset the internal dynamics of the machine. Whoever they were knew exactly what to strike. That cannot be a coincidence." Otheyo pulled up the pump schematics, as well as pressure readings. Auburn shook his head.
"They struck fast by the look of it, knowing how to collapse the system in minutes." He said. Sio followed enough to know that they were talking about the culprit being someone that knew their systems thoroughly. She wondered if Otheyo looked into every person who knew how to run the machine, it was the most obvious solution. "You've already vetted the monitoring stations?" Auburn asked.
"Already, and thrice through, Auburn. They knew all of the codes, not a single trace of breach. I've already talked to my head specialist who would know these codes, he swears he was near the entrance of the mines, and the security feed checks out from multiple sources that he was there. The security feed to the pump was cut off at the exact moment someone would have begun breaching the system. They had access to my office, everything."
"You sure you didn't do it, Otheyo?" Auburn joked. Otheyo sighed and scratched his head.
"Unless I've another ego when I go to sleep, I doubt I'm capable of ruining an entire operation. Besides, what would I gain? The mines functioning means my secured place here." Otheyo halfheartedly replied. Auburn shook his head, patting the man's shoulder. This was a puzzle indeed.
"Give us a list, those that have access to the pump," said Auburn. "We'll give you a culprit." Otheyo laughed a humorless laugh.
"Sure, Auburn. I'll give you that list, but I've already exhausted it." Otheyo said as he swiped at his holo-band, giving Auburn access to those who had access to the pump monitoring stations.
"Never underestimate a Dunestrider's stubbornness," Auburn replied.