[MD2, 2:00PM, the black building]

While team Delta was questioning his parents, young Logan Richardson was enduring some rather intense questioning himself. Getting information out of a terrified six year old was proving a taxing experience for those put in charge of the task. But getting the information was vital. When Cohen wandered off, he’d taken another test subject with him. Cohen they could do without. The other one was another matter.

"Where is it?"

The little brat started crying again. And just when they’d finally gotten him calmed down.

"Nice work, Adams," one of the interrogators said to his partner.

"You think you can do any better?"

"Can’t do any worse," he grumbled. He knelt down next to Logan, who was tied to a chair, and smiled at him. "You’re scared, aren’t you, kid?"

Logan nodded emphatically, but kept crying.

"The sooner you tell us, the sooner all this is over."

The boy frowned. "Then.. then I can go home?"

"Sure. Whatever. Where’s the dog?"

"I don’t remember." Logan sniffled.

"You gotta remember! Look, kid, it’s very important that we find that dog. Do you understand that? We saw you with it, so where did you take it?"

"You gonna hurt him?"

"No. No, of course not. But that’s a very valuable dog. We have to get him back." Valuable was an understatement. The tests on the dog were incomplete. If someone found it now, the whole operation would be in jeopardy.

Logan was almost convinced. It was just a dog, after all. And he really didn’t like this place. "If I tell you, I can go home?"

Right, Adams thought, you just keep thinking that, brat.

*****

[MD2, 3:45PM, outside the cabins]

>The team of agents were all outside looking at September
>strangely as she came running towards them.
>
>"I found a clearing. It's huge and there's a large black building
>on the site."
>
>"Black building?" Flynn asked, "A black building in the middle
>of the forest. That's ridiculous, that would be impossible . . ."
>
>"I know, impossible to see at night."

"How far into the woods," Kate asked.

"A little under half a mile, I think," September said.

Flynn looked toward the north, the direction September had come from. "That would put it right at the edge of the park, wouldn’t it?"

Kate nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. If its private property, we can’t just go charging in." Although she was thinking that that was exactly what she’d like to do. "I don’t suppose the county surveyor’s office would be open today," she commented.

"Not likely," Dinah said.

"Maybe Sheriff Bob would know who owns the land," Newt suggested. "I don’t imagine there would be a lot of land sales or construction projects around here. It would be big news."

Kate nodded. "Give him a call."

Newt stepped away from the group to make the call.

Dinah frowned. "The building is awfully close to the cabins. If it’s some kind of covert operation, that seems a little risky, doesn’t it?"

"Not if whatever’s going on is in it’s final stages. The park is basically deserted in the winter. Tourist season isn’t in full swing yet." Kate frowned. One way or another, they were going to have to find out what was going on in that building. It was the best lead they had so far. "How much open space are we going to have to cover to get to it?"

"At least a hundred yards from where I was. It might be less from the other side of the clearing."

"Did you see anyone lurking around?"

"No. But I can’t swear that I wasn’t seen. With the cameras and bugs we found in the cabins, we have to assume that the trees have eyes."

Kate smiled. "And the squirrels are reporting to the enemy. Whatever we do, we’ll have to use extreme caution."

"So we’re going in," Sharlyn asked.

"Unless Newt’s call to the sheriff gives us a good reason not to."

Newt returned to the group. "There’s a fifty acre tract of land bordering the park to the north. It belongs to a company called CEI, but he didn’t know what they do or anything about them. He said there’s been no construction up there that he knows about."

"Building don’t just build themselves," Sharlyn said.

"There weren’t any roads going into the area that I could see," September said. "So how did it get there?"

"Very good question, but not our primary concern," Kate said. "Let’s go take a look at this building."




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