They walked through the entrance without issue. The space opened into a wide atrium with a high ceiling, clean lines, and a reception desk positioned to the left. A few people stood in line, while others moved past toward different sections of the building.
JD and Drayke joined the line. When their turn came, a woman at the desk asked for their purpose of visit.
"General tour," JD said.
She handed them visitor passes without further questions. "The public wing is straight ahead. Follow the markers. Some areas are restricted and marked as such."
They took the passes and moved on.
The interior was organised into sections, each marked with signage. They passed through a corridor lined with displays—glass cases showing equipment, screens cycling through information about ongoing projects, diagrams of lab processes. Other visitors moved alongside them, some pausing to read, others walking through with purpose.
Drayke kept his pace steady, and his eyes moved across the space. "It's bigger than it looks from outside," he said.
JD nodded, and he took in the layout. The public wing was clearly separated from the rest, with doors and hallways leading elsewhere blocked by keycard readers and occasional staff members who stood near entry points without drawing attention to themselves.
They stopped at one of the displays. A screen showed a timeline of developments, mostly generic information about research initiatives and community outreach.
A man beside them, perhaps in his fifties, turned to his companion. "They say they're close to something with the new samples," he said. "My brother works in processing, and he mentioned it last week."
His companion, a younger woman, looked interested. "What kind of something?"
"He didn't specify," the man replied. "He just said there's been progress."
They moved on. JD and Drayke stayed at the display a moment longer, and then they continued forward.
The space opened into a larger area with seating and more exhibits. Several visitors were gathered around a demonstration screen showing a simplified breakdown of lab operations. A staff member stood nearby, and he answered questions when approached.
Drayke glanced at JD. "Might as well," he said.
They walked over. The staff member, a man in his thirties with a name tag reading "Tobin," was explaining the facility's structure to a small group.
"…three main divisions," Tobin was saying. "Public engagement, which is where you are now. Research and development, which is not accessible without clearance. And processing, which handles incoming and outgoing materials."
A woman in the group asked about the research being conducted. Tobin gave a practised answer about medical and technological advancement, and he didn't offer anything specific.
When the group dispersed, JD stepped forward. "How long has the lab been operating?" he asked.
Tobin turned to him. "About six years in this location," he said. "There was a smaller facility before that."
"And the staff?" JD asked. "How many work here?"
Tobin smiled slightly, and the smile didn't reach far. "That varies by project," he said. "I wouldn't have an exact number."
Drayke spoke up. "You mentioned processing," he said. "What kind of materials come through?"
"Standard lab supplies, mostly," Tobin replied. "Equipment, samples for study." His tone remained even. "Nothing unusual."
They thanked him, and they moved on.
Further down the corridor, they found another seating area. A small group of visitors had gathered near a window looking into one of the restricted sections. Through the glass, they could see a laboratory space with several people in white coats working at stations.
One of them, a young man with pale blonde hair, was moving between tables with quick steps. He stopped at a counter, and he spoke to a colleague. Then he moved to another station, and his movements were slightly hurried. He didn't match the steady pace of those around him. When a senior staff member approached him, he straightened abruptly, and he listened with visible tension in his shoulders before nodding and returning to his work.
Drayke noticed it too. He didn't comment, and he just watched for a moment longer before turning away.
They continued through the public wing, and they passed more displays. They occasionally stopped to read or listen to other conversations. The space was well-designed for transparency without revealing much—plenty to see, and little that mattered.
Near the exit of the public section, they encountered another staff member, a woman organising pamphlets at a small stand. She looked up as they approached.
"Any questions about what you've seen?" she asked.
JD shook his head. "Clear enough," he said.
She smiled, and she used the same practised expression Tobin had used. "Feel free to come back," she said. "We update the exhibits regularly."
They walked out of the public wing, and they stood in the atrium again. The exit was nearby, but they didn't move toward it immediately.
"So," Drayke said quietly.
JD looked back at the corridor they'd come through. "We saw what Charter wanted us to see," he said.
"Which wasn't much," Drayke replied.
"Enough to know the layout," JD said. He adjusted his jacket. "The public section is open. Everything else is controlled, and the staff are trained to say nothing specific."
Drayke glanced toward the restricted areas. "And that doctor?" he asked.
JD followed his gaze. "I noticed him too," he said.
"He looked like he was expecting trouble," Drayke said.
"Or causing it," JD replied. He turned toward the exit. "Either way, it's not our concern right now."
They walked out into the evening light. The building stood behind them, still and orderly as before.
Drayke checked his watch. "Back?" he asked.
JD nodded. "We've got what we came for," he said.
They began walking toward the bus stop, and the lab shrank behind them as they moved further into the city. The streets were quieter now, and the evening had settled in properly. They didn't speak much as they walked, and they didn't need to. Both of them were processing what they had seen, and they were fitting it into the larger picture Charter had presented.
At the bus stop, they waited in silence. A few other people stood nearby, and they didn't pay attention to JD or Drayke. The bus arrived after ten minutes, and they boarded it. They took seats near the back this time, and they sat apart from each other by one empty seat.
The ride back was uneventful. JD looked out the window, and he watched the city pass by in segments of streetlight and shadow. Drayke sat with his arms crossed, and he didn't look at anything in particular. The radio was playing at the front of the bus, but they couldn't make out the words from where they sat.
When they reached their stop, they got off together. The junction was dimly lit, and the main road was a short walk away.
"Same place tomorrow?" Drayke asked.
JD shook his head. "I'll call you," he said. "I need to think about what we saw."
Drayke accepted this, and he didn't push for more. "Alright," he said. "Don't take too long."
He walked off in one direction, and JD walked in another. They didn't say goodbye, and they didn't need to.
JD made his way back to his small house. The neighbourhood was quiet, and most windows were dark. He let himself in, and he locked the door behind him. He didn't turn on the main light, and he moved through the small space by memory.
He sat down on his chair, and he opened his laptop. He didn't start it up immediately, and he just sat there in the dark. The visit to the lab played through his mind, and he focused on the details. The layout, the staff, the young doctor with pale blonde hair who moved too quickly and stiffened when approached.
He didn't know what to make of that yet, and he didn't have to decide tonight. Charter had said soon, and soon could mean anything.
JD closed the laptop without turning it on. He stood up, and he walked to the small window. He looked out at the houses across from his, and he saw no movement. He was still hard to find, and he intended to stay that way.
He went to bed without undressing fully, and he lay on his back with his eyes open. He didn't sleep immediately, and he didn't try to force it. He just waited, and eventually the darkness took him.