Chapter 63: Descendants
"When was this reservoir built?"
The team leader asked a pair of twin brothers in the group who wore thick glasses.
"Give us a moment."
One of them opened his backpack and began pulling out a computer, a power supply, and other equipment, while the other took a precision satellite antenna, a signal booster, and other connecting devices from his own pack.
They found a relatively flat spot, and the two brothers went through a dizzying series of motions, working almost as though they shared one mind and body.
A basic information station was soon set up.
One of them brought over a rock to use as a stool and sat down.
He shook out his fingers, then began working so fast the others could barely follow his movements.
Lines of text flashed across the screen, sometimes as quickly as a slideshow.
In less than two minutes, the flickering screen had reached a menu containing information on reservoirs in and around Leon.
He clicked through, entered a few commands, and plugged in a USB drive to load a piece of software. The authorization indicator turned green, granting access.
"Here it is. A reservoir on a tributary of the Rhône River, completed in the late 1960s. It was primarily designed to supply electricity to nearby residents. In the early twenty-first century, its main functions shifted to storing drinking water and flood control. Only two generating units are still operational, but neither is running."
The younger twin slowly read out the information.
"Why aren't they running?"
A female team member asked the question almost without thinking.
"The local government decided that maintaining the generating units cost more than buying electricity from elsewhere, so they 'temporarily' shut down the hydroelectric plant."
"Can you find out what's at the bottom of