The Mills Project

"Its supposed to be cooler than this in November."
"Yep. You know what it is, its that darn global warming. Gonna melt them polar ice caps and we're all gonna die."
"Don't be dumb, Warren. Everybody knows that global warming's just something Al Gore made up because he didn't have anything to do after he got done inventing the Internet!"
"Well, you're the one who said it was warm, geez, you don't have to call me dumb."
"You're right, you're not dumb, just mentally limited... Hey, did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
THWACK!
"Now I heard it! Whadya think it is?"
THWACK!
"I don't know, but its our job to find out. Lets go."
Tom Baker and Warren Sakler had been partnered-up as security guards at Mills Laboratories for over eight years now. Warren always joked that they spent twice as much time together as with their wives, and Tom always said that it was better like that. The less he saw Diane the less time they had to argue.
"Do you see anything on the security monitors?" Tom asked, just as Warren started scanning the bank of small black and white TV's on the opposite wall.
"Nope, but camera 12 still ain't working. I sent in a repair order over a week..."
THWACK!
"Alright, lets go. Camera 12 is Dr. Micales lab. We'll check there first."
Both security guards reached instinctively toward their holsters and unbuttoned the safety clasp. Tom couldn't help but smile. This is why he took this stupid job in the first place, since he'd been discharged from the Marines he'd been doing everything he could to try to find a way to duplicate the adrenaline rush of the war in Iraq. It turns out that being head of security at Mills Laboratories didn't offer quite as much action as he'd expected.
He could feel the hair on the back of his neck begin to slowly stand up like sleeping giants who've waited patiently for ages just for an excuse to wake up.
Warren on the other hand was already starting to get the nervous shakes. His palms were starting to sweat and the raising of the hairs on his neck sent chills down his spine.
"I hope there's a bad guy in there, I can't wait to see his face when we storm in there!" spat Warren. He always tried to overcompensate for his lack of bravery by acting overly confident. Nobody was fooled.
"We won't be storming into anywhere, Warren. Shhhh."
THWACK!
As they walked quickly down the corridor that led to Dr Micales' lab the noise was becoming more pronounced. Tom's military instinct was starting to kick in. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Identify the problem. Assess the situation. Then formulate the best way to solve the problem.
What is that sound? It was an eerie combination of the sound of a carpet being beaten with a broom stick mixed with the metallic clang of one of those huge, rusty, exhaust fans that always seems to be slowly turning at the end of the room during the climax of every action movie...