But then, that in itself was something to be wary of. Most other warehouses in the region were more active, with heavy loaders rumbling in and out of the lift-doors. Most had some sort of insignia somewhere, even if it was discreet. Most looked less… abandoned.

It was too busy to use an auspex without attracting attention. Zidarov was conscious that he already looked a little out of the ordinary, given that he was wearing no safety gear. He narrowed his eyes, used his iris to store some static picts, and applied the very basic analysis built into his implants. The warehouse had a significant heat signature, which was odd – most were extensively cooled. He could pick up some movement within – nothing precise, but there was a lot of it, indicating that many bodies were milling around, or perhaps patrolling. He ran an audex filter, and picked up the low grind of running machinery.

It was all strangely familiar. At any moment, he half-expected to see a gurney clatter out for maintenance, or a brace of Second Circle operatives emerge into the rain and start chatting.

He switched off his iris filters, and leaned back against the railing again. A place like that would be easy to defend and hard to infiltrate. It was surrounded on all sides by the mishmash of industrial buildings with high walls and poor access. If the contents were of value – and he felt sure they were of extreme value – then they’d be guarded handsomely. He could have requested a forced entry, just as before, but his stock was low for that, and he could guess what Vongella would say. More importantly, he had a strong sense that keeping things quiet, even from his chain of command, was preferable. He had no idea who was operating that place, and until he did it was best no one else was involved.

He withdrew, going back the way he’d come. The rain was steady, making the walkways slippery, and he kept his head down and his collar up.

Once back at the Luxer, he turned the heaters on full and rubbed his hands together to warm them. He thought about his options. Getting inside the warehouse was essential, but it would be hard without backup. Brecht might agree to go in with him, but Brecht wasn’t much use in a firefight, or indeed in any situation where you might need to be quick on your feet. Sanctioner cover would be ideal, but again it would be preferable to do it without putting in any kind of formal request. You never knew who was listening in on those.

He checked which squads were assigned to the suborbital habclave. To his surprise, given all that had taken place, only one was. He pulled up the name of the sergeant, and his heart sank.

Gurdic Draj. This would be fun.