“Okay, so that’s a bad thing,” Lila said halfheartedly.

“Yes, and the worst part is that we have very little time to delay the catastrophe.” Sergey pointed to Ian and Lila. “You two are familiar with things that go bump in the night and this is definitely going to be a big bump.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” Lila asked.

“We need you to go down to the research facility and spend the night there to give us a reading on the situation.”

“You want us,” Lila gestured to herself and Ian, “to spend the night at someplace that you think is the source of the next disaster of the week?”

“Exactly.”

“Sure, why not?” Lila got up from the couch and once again moved toward the door. “Can’t be worse than the place we used to live. Ghosts wandering up and down the stairs and hiding out in the attic.”

Ian nodded. “What’s the address?”

Sergey handed Lila a piece of paper on which he had written a series of numbers followed by the address of a parking garage.

“What’s this?” Lila pointed to the numbers.

“It’s the access code for the building connected to the parking garage. Take the elevator to the third floor. You’ll need to enter the first code at the elevator, and this second code at the access door to room 331. Also, you’ll need these.” Sergey produced a couple of ID badges with their names and photos.

“Awfully sure of yourself, aren’t you.” Lila commented as she tucked the badges in her handbag.

“We like to be prepared. We could only hope that such dedicated professionals would be willing to take the case and run with it.”

“Well, luckily you were right.” Lila looked at Ian. “Let’s go.”

Charlie remained by the couch and Sergey walked them to the door. “Good luck to you,” he said gravely and shook each of their hands.”

Lila walked into the stairwell and shook her head. “We are so trusting.”

“Trust, but verify,” Ian stated as he dialed his supervisor. “John, we just had a conversation… Really. You’re sure?” He hung up. “Before I even had a chance to say anything, John told me to take as much time as I need to help ‘our friends.’ Very strange.”

Lila looked down at the address with surprise. “I know this place. It’s where I did a summer internship when I was in high school.”

“You were already an intern in high school?” Ian asked incredulously. “You were a go-getter.”

“I was very advanced.” Lila grinned. “It’s a small contractor who works on special projects. They’re close enough to the Air Force Base to be convenient, but far enough away for deniability.”

They made it home quickly, then took only enough time to feed Pearson and pack up some treats and hot drinks for their evening’s adventure/sleepover.

They parked at the garage and made their way to the elevator, punching in the series of numbers given to them by Sergey. The elevator opened directly into a small room with a guard sitting at a desk. “ID’s,” he said in a bored voice.

Ian and Lila both handed over their badges and the guard buzzed them through a thick metal door.

“Ladies first.” Ian waved his hand for Lila to precede him through the door.

“Gee, thanks.” Lila said dryly.

“Hey, you wanted to do this,” Ian pointed out.

Lila led the way hesitantly through the entrance and they slowly strolled down the hallway looking for room 331.

”Smile, you’re on camera.” Ian murmured so only she could hear.

“I know,” Lila smiled. “I saw the display on the guard’s desk.”

Finally reaching the door, Lila entered the code and received a red flash on the keypad. Trying the door, it refused to open. “What the…” she began to gripe.

“Try it again,” Ian encouraged her. “Breathe.”

Lila once again pushed the series of keys and this time the small keypad light flashed green and unlocked with an audible click. Lila pulled down the handle sharply and pushed open the heavy door.