Al was by now accustomed to the dizzying elation he felt in heart, mind, and loins wherever Alyce drew near, so it no longer interfered with his thinking.
And thinking was what he was doing now. He didn't have any crazy memory powers, but he'd studiied the schematics so many times now they were scratched bloodily across his brain. But what he really needed right now...he smiled at the irony...they'd gotten these plans from the place's personnel director. Should definitely have asked for more....
He spoke almost inaudibly, hands over his lips as if wiping sweat from his unshaven face. "Listen toots, can you access the residential registry from here, or maybe entry/exit logs? Be real nice ta know how many folks precisely's meant ta be down here, how many are kids, an' where they'd most likely be kept.
He was formulating priorties in his mind, and wished it was easier to talk to the others.
First, get their guy. Box ticked, and loads of intel.
Second, kill She-HAL.
But if that wasn't possible, then third would be to give up on saving everyone and just save as many uninfected children as they could find and then flood the whole place. Better to save the kids than lose everyone, and it's what their lost-soul parents would want too.
If, that was, they couldn't kill She-HAL. Just because some computer had started mimicking self-awareness didn't make it all-powerful or invulnerable. Whether it was cold or water or whatever, there was an off-switch somewhere....
And then, whoa Nelly! Silky made their play and the resident Fake Intelligence didn't take it too well.
<<Heh heh - sounds like she's got as much of a mad-on fer this feller as you do, Silky baby. Could be some common ground ta find there....maybe they's a way this don't have ta git ugly right away....>>