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Mark spotted a folding ladder leaning against a bulkhead and grabbed it to further their disguise

With the Golden Sky tied to the dock andspaces were deserted Linda and Mark spent the next several hours crawling over every pipe, conduit, and duct, looking for anything out of the ordinary Unlike Juan’s time on the Sky’s ill-fated sister ship, their search was unhurried and methodical, but, in the end, the results were essentially the same

“Nothing,” Mark said, the frustration in his voice co it out “Not one da attached to the ventilation system or the water supply”

“Those are thea virus, sure” Linda used a ball of cotton waste to wipe grease off her hands “What else is there?”

“Short of walking around and spritzing every surface on the ship with an ato If we’ve had this much time down here by ourselves, the Responsivists probably did, too” He pointed overhead, where ducts as big as barrels were anchored to the ceiling “In two hours, I could take apart a section of that and set up my dispersal system inside”

Linda shook her head “The risk of being caught is too great It has to be so much simpler and quicker”

“I know, I know, I know” Mark rubbed his te in on his brain “I re he wanted a look at the ht be so to check”

“Where would they be?”

“Topside On the front of the funnel, most likely”

“That’s pretty exposed”

“We should wait until tonight”

“Then let’s head back to the public areas and change”

Meandering their way out of the labyrinthine engine room, they finally came out into a corridor filled with people Guest-service workers in various uniforineers wereIstanbul

A chance gliht Linda up short Aa unifor just outside the laundry It wasn’t the ht her eye It was the way he looked ahen their eyes iven the first chef she’d seen in the galley It was the look of someone as somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be

He turned away slightly but then peeked back over his shoulder As soon as he saw Linda still studying hi in the opposite direction