"It's the tests." The guard shrugged again. "They weakened the soil structure to a point where some sections are now almost liquid. Not deep, but dangerous all the same."
So they were testing weapons that could liquefy earth?
Why anyone would want such a weapon was a question he didn't bother asking. Military minds did not work on the same rationale as the nonmilitary.
They finally approached another doorway. The guard swept his pass card through the slot, and the metal door slid aside to reveal a pale green corridor. Several doors led off it, though all were currently closed. Windows lined one wall, and through them they could see several white-coated technicians going about their daily business.
The guard continued on. Illie nudged Gabriel's arm and pointed toward the lab. "They seem okay to you?"
He watched a scientist measure some clear liquid into a vial. "I suppose so. Why?"
Illie's frown deepened. "Because I'm not getting any readings from them. It's as if they're emotionally nonexistent."
"Might distance be a factor? The walls look fairly deep here in the labs."
Illie shook his head. "Shouldn't matter when I'm this close."
"Maybe the labs are psi nullified."
"Then I wouldn't be able to read you, would I? Or the guard."
True. So what was going on? The guard stopped and punched several numbers on a keypad to the right of a doorway.
The door slid open.
"This is the lab, gentlemen. I'll be out here if you need anything."
Illie stepped past the guard. Gabriel followed. The lab was narrow but long, all white walls and gleaming metal benches.
The far end was lined with a map and upright cabinets, several of which had been forced open. Papers and folders were strewn over nearby tables.
"None of this makes sense." Illie walked down the aisle between the rows of tables, his footsteps echoing in the cold silence. "If our thieves could get into this lab unseen, why wouldn't they be able to break as easily into the cabinets? And if taking photos did set off the alarms, how the hell did they escape? I get the feeling there's only one entrance to this place."
"One entrance, but perhaps more than one exit." Gabriel bent to study the lock on one of the cabinets. Whoever had broken in certainly hadn't been subtle. They'd simply smashed the lock with something heavy. "If they're running equipment tests aboveground, they need some way to get up there."
"But it's not safe up there."
"Only for earthbound humans. Everything we've heard points to nonhuman involvement. You have the fingerprint scanner?"
Illie placed the device in Gabriel's outstretched hand.
Roughly palm size, the scanner had been devised to pick up and record surface variances. Skin was oily, and generally one touch was enough to leave a print behind, even if it wasn't visible to the eye. The only prints it generally couldn't pick up were a vampire's. There was very little moisture or oil in their skin.
Gabriel pressed the switch and ran the scanner across the lock. The unit beeped, indicating it had picked something up.
Gabriel pressed the store button and then moved on to the next cabinet.
"I'll tell you one thing—the matter transmitter is not a recent project, if these plans are anything to go by."
Gabriel glanced up. Illie leaned against the table, studying the papers strewn there. "Why do you say that?"
"Simple. They're dated. These plans are over two years old."
"Check the other cabinets."
The scanner picked up several more prints. They wouldn't know until they got back to the labs whether any of them belonged to the felon who'd broken in. And they'd have to collect and eliminate the fingerprints of the scientists who worked here first.
"End cabinet has more recent projects," Illie said into the silence.