The rest of the journey to the compound was uneventful. Freyr could feel palpable tension in the soldiers; several times it appeared Lieutenant Rowe spotted something, as he quickly looked into the sight of his assault weapon. Each time, after a few moments he slowly lowered it and exchanged looks with the driver. Within ten minutes of driving at very fast speeds, they approached the compound gates. Two more CraSec soldiers there motioned for them to stop, scanned the vehicle and then waved them through.

This new corporate development was a grid of ugly, cavernous testing sheds at one end, and a small assortment of basic office buildings at the other. Freyr had seen various corporate enclaves like this appearing since the rules on private sector Cradle investment were relaxed a decade ago. It had made their work at the government R&D department more difficult, as these places were often situated where the Cradle’s energy was most accessible. A phenomena that her team were trying to recreate, which often meant negotiating access to restricted areas.

They drove to the front of the most aesthetically pleasing of the office buildings and parked. An assortment of CraSec and civilian buildings were already there, as well as a full squadron of security personnel. They stood at attention while being debriefed by a senior officer Freyr didn’t recognise. She had never seen so many soldiers in one place during her time in the Cradle. Before she’d been put on leave, it was rare to see more than two of them at once outside of a barracks.

As they got out of their buggy, the squadron saluted and began dispersing towards the warehouse grid. The senior officer looked their way. “Let me do the talking.” Karos whispered urgently to Freyr as the woman walked over. “Welcome back, Doctor. Who is this?” she asked. “Good morning, Major! This is Dr Lang, my second. I’m hoping her unique perspective will help with the investigation.” Karos replied cheerfully. “Freyr, this is Major Osman, she’s overseeing this operation.” Freyr shook Major Osman’s hand. “I’m glad to hear it. At this point we need all the help we can get.” Osman smiled grimly. “It happened on the top floor of this building - follow me.”

Osman took them briskly into the lobby of the building and up in the lift to the fifth floor. When the lift doors opened, a hive of activity greeted them. The atrium had been repurposed as a command centre, with civilian investigators hunched consoles and other equipment arrayed on trestle tables. Through a large arch in front of them, was a large open space full of office equipment. Near the middle, Freyr could see some of the tables had been overturned and a large portion of the window had been smashed in clear signs of a struggle.

“Would you get Dr Lang set up with the video footage please?” Osman tapped one of the operators on the shoulder. He quickly punched up the start of a recording and vacated his chair for Freyr to sit down. Osman and Karos crowded round her to see the screen as well. Taking a deep breath, Freyr hit ‘Play’.