_{It wasn't long before we were on our way again, hiking up a slight grade towards the theoretical location of the research center. It was a cold morning, but we stayed warm due to our rapid pace into the forest. The road was unpaved and rough, but had been used enough that most of the foliage had been cleared away, replaced with gravel, mud, and tire gouges.}
 

_{"Whatever traffic this road might have had," Hunter began, "it must have been carrying some pretty heavy stuff. Look at those tread marks!"}

_{"Tanks?" Janine asked.}

_{"Doubt that," I said. "What kind of company would need tanks surrounding their research department?"}

_{"What kind of company would hide their unlisted research department on an access road at the base of a mountain 30 or 40 miles outside of the city?" Hunter countered.}

_{I thought about it for a second. He had a point. I hoped that we wouldn't run into any tanks out there. I only had one clip for the pistol that I was carrying, and I suspected that even the 40 caliber rounds that were in it wouldn't have the stopping power required to protect us in the event of an encounter with a tank. Or even a large car.}

_{"Synchro Systems is up to a little more than even we've suspected," Janine observed.}

_{Hunter nodded, stepping under a low hanging branch.}