They left the office and walked the short distance to the communications hub. They opened the door to see that Nigel, Neil, Avery, and Meryn were crowded around a computer monitor. When they walked up behind them, Kari felt her mouth drop.
"Meryn McKenzie!" Magnus exclaimed. All four of them jumped. "What on earth is that?" he asked, pointing to the screen.
"I'm calling it the porn channel," Meryn answered cheekily.
"Are those the cameras?" Kari asked, unable to take her eyes off the two figures moving against each other on the computer screen.
Avery tilted his head. "I didn't know you could do it like that." Kari reached around his face and covered his eyes with her hands.
Magnus frowned. "Meryn, I am very disappointed in you. Those cameras were meant to be put in places to watch for our killer. They were not meant to compromise the privacy of the citizens of the city."
Meryn shook her head, laughing. "They are in public spaces."
Magnus' mouth dropped. "Where is this?"
Meryn looked at the computer screen then pointed to a small number. "The backside of the transport tunnel on Level Five."
"They're doing that in the air?" Avery asked, trying to move Kari's hands.
"Yup. I'm envious; Aiden and I haven't even mastered shower sex yet." Meryn informed them, giggling.
Magnus sat down in one of the chairs. "There has not been a dull moment around here since you arrived." He frowned. "Meryn, do the people know that the cameras went up?"
"Yes, the warriors let them know that was the next step after Wi-Fi was established."
Kari gave up on trying to cover Avery's eyes and simply leaned forward and turned off the monitor. "Meryn, where is all of this footage being stored?"
Meryn stood and walked over to a large black box on the table next to the monitor. "This is a network attached storage unit. It has about thirty-two terabytes of storage, which, after our RAID configuration, gives us sixteen terabytes of usable space. We will be able to recycle and store video here. One of the unit warriors will come in daily and fast-forward through the footage. Any movement or anything out of the ordinary is stored and all the rest is deleted."
"Is there a way to keep it all?"
Meryn winced. "Why keep thousands and thousands of gigabytes of boring footage?" Kari gave her a flat look. "I guess we could keep it. We will definitely need a set-up that will move the video to tape storage and we'll need more hard drives."
Kari nodded. "I think that is a good idea. You never know if the warrior reviewing the footage is having an off morning. He may miss something or delete it by accident. It is better to keep the footage intact."
Meryn nodded. "Yeah, I could totally miss stuff without coffee." She looked at Magnus. "That kind of set up can get expensive," she warned.
Magnus waved a hand. "Do what you have to do to arrange for the storage capacity for the next couple years."
Meryn rubbed her hands together gleefully. "I get to order new technology! I love it!"
"Magneto." A voice came over the walkie-talkie. Magnus looked at Meryn "These walkie-talkies are worth their weight in gold." She gave him a thumbs up. Magnus picked up the walkie-talkie. "Magneto here, what is it Professor?"
"Sire, I just wanted to let you know that we are ready to start the field trip. I was wondering if you would like to attend?"
"Of course, Kari and I will be there shortly."
She waved at Meryn and kissed Avery on the top of his head before following Magnus down the hall to the other side of Level One.
Declan was waiting for her at the entrance to the rarely seen sections of Noctem Falls Royal quarters. The doors to the gardens were larger and grander than the ones in the living quarters. The entire section where Magnus lived was modern compared to the doors in front of her. They looked like they belonged in a castle. The door itself was wooden, and the rounded stone arch had symbols and words carved into it in a language she could not read. Around her, excited children jabbered to each other, pointing at the door; parents smiled at their children's excitement.
Declan walked up to her and took her hand. "Are you ready to see the Royal Gardens?" he asked. She nodded, and in truth, she was. Noctem Fall's Royal Gardens, which coaxed living plants to bloom out of season and underground, was as nearly impossible to be invited into as the Fae Gardens.
Just then, a very exuberant Magnus made his way to the front and greeted the children. "Well, I see all my fierce little cadets are here." The children giggled. "I understand that some of you are not feeling very well, so I have made sure that you can spend time here in the Royal Gardens. So without further ado..." He turned, placed his hand on the door, and as if by magic, it unlocked. They all heard the tumblers turn, and slowly the doors cracked open. Magnus pushed them forward and opened them wide.
Immediately, Kari could smell the flowers, the earth, and the leaves that lay just beyond. Declan took her hand and walked her forward. The children took off at a dead run, screaming in excitement. Their parents had a hard job trying to keep up with them. Everywhere they turned, there was something else to look at.
Huge trees grew impossibly tall, and above them, the sky was a bright blue. She'd never seen daylight in a cave before, but here it felt real, as if she were standing topside. She looked around in wonder. Vine flowers grew out of control. Water fountains gurgled and bubbled, giving the entire scene a beautiful background murmur that harmonized with the gently swaying wind chimes caught on an artificial breeze that swept through the cavern.