Chapter 82 - The Archive Index
Samuel continued examining the room while Daniel read the letter again.
Hidden beneath the glass case he noticed a thin drawer.
Inside rested hundreds of index cards arranged alphabetically.
Each card contained only three pieces of information.
A person's name.
A date.
A location.
Daniel pulled one at random.
Rebecca Carter
Recruited
March 14
Another.
Victor Hayes
Assigned
Another.
Daniel Carter
His hand froze.
The card contained no recruitment date.
No assignment.
Only one line.
Observed
Samuel frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Elias slowly answered.
"It means they watched you."
"For how long?"
The old man looked toward another cabinet.
"Since before you were born."
Lily searched the remaining cards.
She found her own.
Unlike Daniel's, hers contained a red stamp across the top.
PROTECTED
She looked up in confusion.
"Protected from what?"
No one answered immediately.
Instead, Elias unlocked the final drawer.
Only one card remained inside.
Its name caused every conversation to stop.
Margaret Carter
Daniel whispered the name.
"My grandmother."
Elias nodded.
"The first person who refused to surrender the Record."
On the back of her card someone had written a single instruction.
May you like
Open File Zero.
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