Page 88 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
The entry hatch was integrated into the canopy—a section that would lift up on hydraulic struts. Beside it was what Eluheed assumed was a scanner, its small LED display dark.
The sub's high-tech seemed incongruent with the cave's rough walls.
"Look at this," Tony said, crouching beside the dock where a charging cable connected to the submarine's hull. "It's electric. Probably has lithium batteries."
"This makes sense." Eluheed peered inside the craft, looking at the console. "Navuh wouldn't want anything that required specialized training to operate. This is designed for civilians and probably has automated systems."
"GPS and tracking systems, too," Tony added. "We'll need to work out how to disable those, but first, we need to figure out how to get in and then how to turn it on."
"Here is the lock." Eluheed pointed at the scanner.
Tony scrambled up beside him. "Let me see." He trained his flashlight on the small panel beside the hatch handle. "It's a fingerprint reader."
"Are you sure? It could be a numeric pad."
"It's a scanner." Tony leaned over and touched the plate. The thing came alive, but there were no numbers on the display.
"Well, it doesn't look like a numeric code, but it might require an entire handprint."
Tony shook his head. "It's too small for that. The question is which finger is needed." He changed the angle of the flashlight's beam. "It's not the thumb, so I assume it's the pointer. Is Navuh right-handed or left-handed?"
"Right-handed," Eluheed said. "How do you suggest we get his fingerprint? Cut his finger off in his sleep?"
"Of course not." Tony chuckled. "It's possible to lift fingerprints from a smooth surface using tape and graphite powder, or even just tape if the print is fresh enough. I saw it done in a movie once. Then it's possible to transfer the fingerprint to whatever surface you want, and it works."
Eluheed stared at him. "Are you suggesting that we get Navuh's fingerprint from something he has touched?"
"It shouldn't be too difficult. All we need to do is intercept the maid who clears the dishes after Navuh and Areana's breakfast. We get the prints and transfer them to something we can use on the scanner."
"That's insane."
"Do you have a better idea?"
Eluheed didn't. "Would it actually work?"
"It should, in theory. The oils from skin leave a decent impression on smooth surfaces. With clear tape and maybesome powder from the kitchen, even flour might work, we could lift the print. Then it's just a matter of transferring it to something the scanner will read. Latex would be ideal, but even clear tape might work if we're careful. We can practice beforehand, so we don't mess it up with the real thing."
Eluheed rubbed the back of his neck. "That means we need more time and can't make our escape tomorrow."
"It's just a small delay. But we know the submarine exists, we know how many it seats, and we have a potential solution for accessing it." Tony swept his light around the cave. "This is a good spot, too. The cave opens to the sea. You can even see light from the entrance over there. Once we're in the water, we're free."
Eluheed looked across the water to where Tony indicated. There was indeed a lighter patch of darkness in the distance that suggested an opening to the outside.
"We need to disable the cameras," Eluheed said.
Tony considered that. "We shouldn't. Now that we know how close the sub is and how easy it is to get to it, we need to rethink our strategy. If we disconnect the cameras now and then have to wait one more day or two to get the fingerprints, the risk that Navuh would check the feed for some reason before we're ready to leave grows. Better to wait until we're actually escaping. One snip, and the power is cut to all of them. A few minutes of dead cameras won't matter if we're already gone."
It made sense, though it meant their next trip would be even more critical. Everything would have to work perfectly, from getting the fingerprint to accessing the submarine, and starting it without any idea how to operate it.
"There's something else," Tony said, crouching to examine the submarine's hull more closely. "Look at these."
Eluheed directed his light where Tony pointed. Small rectangular panels were set into the hull at regular intervals.
"Battery compartments," Tony said. "The question is whether they are charged and how long they can last."
Another unknown in an equation with too many variables already. But they were committed now. They'd found the submarine and confirmed it could hold all four of them. That was more than they'd had this morning.
"I'm sure Navuh would keep the submarine charged. It doesn't make much sense to have an escape vehicle that requires long refueling." He looked at his watch. "We should head back. We've been gone for well over an hour."
