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the security console, disconnected the damaged computer, and hooked up the laptop. Before doing anything else, he glanced out into the parking lot. Just his BMW and the old pickup truck. Luckily no one else had shown up yet. Biotech employed ten people, most of whom didn't arrive until the normal work hour of eight.

Flipping open his wallet, Ward pulled out the card he had been given two years ago and had never used. Grabbing the phone, his fingers rapidly punched in the designated numbers.

The other end was picked up on the third ring. "Site and code, please."

Ward followed the instructions on the laminated card. "Site seven. Code three alpha eight six."

"One moment, please."

Ward licked his lips as he waited. His mind went into overdrive as he tried to figure out a way to salvage his research from this disaster. Then it leapt to a more immediate issue -- where were _they_? Nervously he glanced out into the parking lot again. For all he knew _they_ were watching the building at this minute. He pulled the pistol closer on the desktop.

A deep voice came over the phone. "This is Agent Freeman. I'm the station chief here. Who am I talking to?"

Ward remembered Freeman from the man's few inspection visits to the lab. "This is Doctor Ward from site seven. I have a class-one security violation here."

There was a slight pause on the other end. Ward could barely hear the man talking to someone else in the background, then the voice came back on the phone. "Go secure."

Ward punched the red button on the STU III phone. "I'm secure."

He heard a hiss and beep as the other end went secure. Now, even if the phone line was tapped, the conversation would be unintelligible to anyone except himself and the man on the other end.

The agent's voice was calm. "All right. I'm going to ask you some questions so I can do an initial assessment. Please answer as succinctly as you can."

"All right, I'm ready," Ward said. He heard a rustle of paper on the other end.

"What's the status of the Synbats?"

"Gone. Present location unknown."

"How many other cleared people are aware of this incident?"

Ward looked out into the parking lot again. "Just me so far. No one else has shown up for work."

"Good. Is there anyone else, unauthorized that is, who is aware of this incident that you know of?"

"No."

"What's your best estimate of when this happened?"

"Sometime last night. I just discovered them gone a few minutes ago."

"What about the security guard? What does he report?"

Ward glanced about the lobby. "He's missing. I've got three other bodies here."

There was a pause on the other end. "Three bodies? Who killed them? The guard?"

"I think the Synbats did it."

Another pause. "Have you identified the bodies?"

"No. Just three males. One in the lobby and two inside the outer containment doors."

"Were they trying to steal the Synbats?"

Ward rolled his eyes. "How the hell am I supposed to know? If they were, they certainly didn't do a good job of it."

"Unless there were more than three, or the guard was involved."

Ward wasn't interested in this line of thinking right now. "Maybe they tried to steal the Synbats and underestimated what they were up against. I don't know, but the bottom line is that the Synbats have either been taken or have escaped."

Freeman obviously decided to stick with the immediate problem. "All right. Here's what I want you to do. First, secure the inside of the building."

Ward looked down at the computer screen and called up the building security program. All external alarms indicated that the building was secure except for the front door. He rapidly punched in instructions, electronically relocking that door, and was rewarded with a secure status on the external alarm. "I've done that."

"OK. Next, is there anyone on your staff you'll need to help in the search for the Synbats? Try to keep it to a minimum."

Ward considered that quickly. "Yes. I'll need my primary assistant, Doctor