Take - Page 85

He pulled to a stop and lowered his window.

“We need to see your ID, sir?” one guard asked.

Reath held up his ID, and I fished out my driver’s license.

The man nodded. “Welcome, Ms. Parker, Mr. Fury. They’re waiting for you.”

They opened the gate, and we continued down the driveway. Soon, an ugly, squat concrete building came into view.

“Wow, that looks like it was designed to withstand a bomb blast,” I said.

As we got out of the car, Reath scanned around. I did as well, listening to the birds chirping in the trees. The building really was ugly.

I looked at Reath and was sure that he’d memorized the place already.

Two men exited the building and waited for us. As we approached, one stepped forward, a bright smile on his face. He was about my height, probably in his fifties, with thinning hair.

“Ms. Parker, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Dr. Donald Croft.”

We’d traded lots of emails about my project. “Oh, it’s great to meet you in person.” We shook hands.

“Your project… Inspired.” Enthusiasm wafted off him. “I’m so excited for all the potential applications.”

“As am I. If I can actually get my experiments done.”

“That’s why we’re here. Can I call you Francesca?”

“Call me Frankie.”

“Great. Frankie. And I’m Don. This is Trent Weare. He’ll be in charge of security. He’s been with DARPA a long time.”

The other man was tall and fit, with a stern face and a buzz cut. He nodded politely at me.

“And this is my…friend, Reath Fury.”

“Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Fury,” Don said. “Now, I’m sure you’d like to look around. Frankie, please make sure the lab has everything you need. If you need anything else, you just let me know. Mr. Fury, you can ask Trent here any questions about security.”

We headed for the door.

Trent pulled out a keycard. “We have a top-of-the-line security system, reinforced doors, and no windows.”

“Biometric locks?” Reath asked.

Trent inclined his head. “Only on the exterior doors.” He slid his card through a reader, then pressed his palm to a scanner. “This facility was built for the CDC, and they didn’t want any unauthorized access to dangerous biological agents.”

We entered the building and walked down a very gray hall. The place was a maze and lit entirely by florescent lights.

I tried not to pull a face. It wasn’t my first choice to be essentially locked in a concrete box, but hey, it wouldn’t be forever.

Trent slid his card through another reader and a door opened. “After you.”

I stepped inside and my mouth dropped open. The lab was huge. The benches were packed with equipment.

“This will be perfect.” I mentally catalogued everything I could see.

“I’ll show Mr. Fury our other security protocols,” Trent said. “We have a well-equipped security office down the hall.”

I was vaguely aware of them leaving the lab, but I was too busy looking at everything.