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11:49 pm - Discovery

Driving across the Central Valley today, I saw something that I'd never noticed before. Maybe they've always been there, but for some reason this time it stood out to me: An enormous warehouse-like building by the highway, surrounded on all sides by a vast sea of freight-truck trailers. Now, when I say enormous, I mean it was probably between a quarter and half mile long, and a few hundred yards across. Dozens of acres of storage space under a roof, and countless tons of transport capacity just waiting to be used.



That wasn't the thing that stood out to me about these massive buildings, though. I mean, it's the San Joaquin Valley. A billion jillion tons of food must ship out of there every month. Of course there are massive warehouses and distribution centers and a need for shipping. The thing that stood out to me was this: none of the buildings have a logo. None of them have a name. None of them have a sign by their gate indicating whose operation this is. Neither do any of the trucks.



Everything about these mammoth structures was unnervingly anonymous.



So, being the nosy sort of fellow that I am, after the third or fourth one of these that I saw around Stockton, I couldn't help but at least look a little closer. So I pulled off into the dusty driveway of the next one I saw and drove up to its massive closed chain-link gate. Curiously, once I got nearer, I could see that the fence was electrified and topped with a small version of concertina wire rolls - small ones that weren't so obvious from the highway. Also of interest: the smooth-raked stretches of sand providing a border just inside the fence all the way around, except at the gate.



Great for leaving footprints in. Or burying mines under.



Everything about the building seemed "closed" at the moment. No movement, no lights, no sounds. It was clean, though, so I don't think it was abandoned or unused in the least. Just… not needed today.



I was about to get back in my car and forget the whole thing when a little red-and-white security car pulled off the highway, into the access driveway between me and the road. It had that striped security paint job and a yellow flashing light bar and the actual word SECURITY on its doors… but no other logo, no other name. The driver who got out looked innocuous enough.



"Can I help you with something?" he asked over the sound of his running engine.



"Oh, I was just wondering what these giant unlabeled warehouses are for," I called back to him. "I was just about to get back on the highway."



"It's a fulfillment center," he said, his face entirely cold.



"Like Amazon? Or something else?" I turned back to look at the hulking building in the dimming light of sunset. "I bet if aliens invaded and started sending us into their food processors, it would be at a place just like that."



It was just a goofy thought, the sort of thought I have a hundred times a day, and I thought I said it too quietly for him to even hear… but when I looked back at him something was making his face twitch. "I think… you'd better come with me, sir," he finally announced, and began walking toward me.



That's when I noticed the badge on one sleeve of his jacket. I've never seen an emblem like that ever before.



Without even thinking, I ran to my car, just as he broke into a run of his own. His hands clamped onto the side as I wheeled around and stomped on the gas pedal in a storm of pebbles and dust. He came loose and tumbled behind me, but was back up altogether too fast, something dark in his hand.



There was a flash of light: SMASH! Something shattered the back window of the car. I didn't even hear the crack of a firearm. Whatever he'd fired was very quiet.



Then I pushed my foot to the floor and pretty much didn't let up until I got here.



So, uh, you don't mind if I crash on your sofa tonight, do you?



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For consideration: when in doubt start with a chase scene