Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

The fence surrounding the old army camp was just as neglected. It wasn't electrified. It wasn't even taut. "I doubt if anything more serious than cleaning products is in development behind that wire."

"No, but we still have to check."

I scanned the nearby darkness but could see nothing except shadows. I switched to infrared. The only thing to find were the small blurs of heat going through the rubbish bins that lined the back of the building ahead

"Rats," I muttered, my stomach turning as I remembered a drunken teenage eating dare and the resulting days of sickness

"If rats are all we find, I'll be happy."

He held up the wire and I ducked through. "I thought you wanted to find your friend?"

"I do, but I doubt he'd be here. Whoever is behind this cloning is very clever and very cautious. Lax security would not be part of it. It's too much of a risk."

"But maybe that's why he's been so hard to find. We're looking for one thing, while he's hiding under our very noses."

"I have no doubt he's hiding under our noses, but I don't think this place is it."

"Why?"

"You said it yourself. Smell the air."

I already had. "Ammonia." But it was overwhelmed by the richness of sandalwood and man

He nodded. "This place does make cleaning products."

"That doesn't mean it can't also be making clones. The base is huge, and from a look at the plans, they're only using a small section of it."

He studied me for a minute. "You're looking for an argument, aren't you?"

Right then, arguing was the last thing on my mind. I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

"Because two seconds ago you were saying you didn't think anything more than cleaning products was being made here, and now you're arguing it could be a front."

"I'm just playing devil's advocate."

"You're definitely playing. I'm just not sure what the game is yet."

I gave him my most innocent smile, but it didn't seem to offer him any comfort

"This way," he said, after a pause

He turned and led the way to the right. The wind stirred the gums and pines scattered around us, and rattled the loose tin on the roof of the buildings just ahead. From behind us came the steady growl of traffic along Camp Road, and from up ahead, the solo roar of an engine

"There's a car headed our way."

"More than likely a guard doing his rounds."

I glanced at my watch. "It's right on nine, so maybe they do either half hourly or hourly checks."

"How close is it?"

"A distance off yet."

"So we've got time to get to the main building if we run?"

"I think so."

He grabbed my hand, fingers hot as they encased mine. "Blur," he ordered, and tugged me forward