“That’s what your grandfather died protecting. An object recovered in 1973. It’s been silent for decades. But yesterday… we picked up a signal. From his house.”
I step back. “Wait—are you saying this thing is active again?”
I should leave. I should walk out of here and call someone, anyone. But a strange compulsion grips me, something old and deep and maybe not entirely mine. My hand drifts to the medal. It’s warm now. Warmer than it should be.
“What do I have to do?” I whisper.
“Put the medal in the case.”
I approach the empty glass display. There’s a small indentation at its center. Hesitantly, I remove the medal from my neck and press it into the slot.
The lights in the room flicker.
The floor vibrates under our feet.
The glass case glows, then begins to rise, revealing a hidden shaft beneath it. A spiral staircase descends into blackness.
The colonel draws a flashlight. “You sure you want to do this?”
We descend together.
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