Chapter 40

Anya led Lars to a secluded corner of the warehouse, behind a towering stack of crates, where they could talk without being overheard. The air was thick with dust and the sounds of machinery, but they were shielded from prying eyes.

"Okay, Lars," Anya said, her voice low and serious. "Let's start with the basics. What do you know about Section C-7? What are the security measures? What are the routines of the enforcers?"

Lars took a deep breath, his face filled with concentration. "Section C-7 is where they store the spare parts for the hydroponics systems," he said. "It's heavily guarded, especially at night, when the new shipments arrive. There are usually at least four enforcers on duty, patrolling the perimeter. They rotate every two hours."

"What about the cameras?" Anya asked. "Where are they located? What are their blind spots?"

Lars hesitated, his face troubled. "That's the tricky part," he said. "They just installed the new cameras yesterday. I haven't had a chance to study them yet. But I know they're state-of-the-art. They can see everything, even in the dark. And they're connected to a central monitoring station. If they detect anything suspicious, the alarms will go off instantly."

Anya nodded, her face grim. "That's what I was afraid of," she said. "We need to find a way to disable those cameras, or at least blind them temporarily. Do you know anything about the camera system? How it works? Where the power source is located?"

Lars shook his head, his face filled with frustration. "I don't know anything about that," he said. "I'm just a worker. I don't have access to that kind of information."

Anya sighed, her hope dwindling. "Okay," she said. "Let's focus on what we do know. You mentioned that there are enforcers patrolling the perimeter. What are their routines? When do they take breaks? Where do they congregate?"

Lars thought for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration. "They usually take a break every hour," he said. "They go to the break room in the south wing. It takes them about five minutes to walk there and five minutes to walk back. So, for about ten minutes every hour, the perimeter is unguarded."

Anya's eyes lit up. "That's good," she said. "That gives us a window of opportunity. We can use that time to slip past the enforcers and get closer to Section C-7."

"But what about the alarms?" Lars asked. "How do we disable them? I don't know anything about the alarm system."

Anya hesitated, her face troubled. "I have an idea," she said. "But it's risky. I have a device that can jam the alarm signals. But it only works for a few minutes. And it's unpredictable. It could set off the alarms instead of disabling them."

Lars looked at her, his face filled with apprehension. "That's too risky," he said. "We can't take that chance. If the alarms go off, we're finished."

"I know," Anya said. "But it's the only option I can think of. Unless you have a better idea."

Lars thought for a moment, his face troubled. "What about the ventilation system?" he said. "I know it sounds crazy, but maybe we can use the ventilation shafts to get into Section C-7. They're not guarded, and they're too small for the enforcers to crawl through."

Anya looked at him, her eyes widening with surprise. "That's actually a brilliant idea, Lars," she said. "I never thought of that. Do you know where the ventilation shafts are located? Do they connect to Section C-7?"

Lars nodded, his face filled with excitement. "I think so," he said. "There's a large ventilation shaft in the north wing, near the loading docks. I've seen workers go in there to clean the filters. I'm not sure if it connects directly to Section C-7, but it's worth a shot."

Anya smiled, her heart filled with hope. "Okay," she said. "Let's do it. We'll use the ventilation system to get into Section C-7. But we need to be careful. The ventilation shafts are probably filled with dust and debris. And they could be booby-trapped. The Overseer wouldn't want anyone using them to sneak into the warehouse."

"I know," Lars said. "But we have no choice. It's our only chance. We'll need to be prepared. We'll need masks to protect us from the dust, and tools to clear away any obstacles. And we'll need to move quickly and quietly. If we're caught, we're finished."

Anya nodded, her face resolute. "Okay, Lars," she said. "Let's gather our supplies. We'll meet back here in one hour. And then we'll put our plan into action. Are you ready?"

Lars took a deep breath, his face filled with a mixture of fear and determination. "I'm ready, Anya," he said. "Let's do this."