Chapter 20 - LEVEL BENEATH B
No one entered immediately.
The elevator waited in complete silence, illuminated by a single soft white ceiling light.
Its polished interior looked strangely modern compared to the decades-old archive surrounding it.
Alex examined the control panel.
Only two buttons existed.
B.
And beneath it...
B2.
"There isn't a B2 level," the maintenance employee whispered.
"There is on this elevator," Daniel answered quietly.
Detective Bennett inspected the frame.
"No manufacturer."
"No inspection sticker."
"No maintenance records."
Alex looked toward the floor.
"The dust stops here."
Daniel followed his gaze.
Fresh footprints entered the elevator.
None came back out.
Someone had recently gone down.
Bennett removed her radio.
Only static.
"No communication."
Daniel looked at Alex.
"You don't have to do this."
Alex gave a tired smile.
"A few days ago my biggest problem was making a job interview."
He glanced at the hidden elevator.
"I think that life disappeared the moment Lily asked for help."
Daniel held the brass key between his fingers.
"D-17."
He looked at the elevator panel.
Then, almost absentmindedly, he inserted the key into a narrow slot hidden beneath the B2 button.
Everyone froze.
A soft green light appeared.
ACCESS VERIFIED.
The elevator doors began closing automatically.
"No one touched the controls," Bennett said.
The descent started.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Alex watched the floor indicator.
B.
Then...
Instead of stopping...
The display changed to symbols rather than numbers.
A small triangle.
A circle.
Then the letters:
OR.
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Orion."
No one spoke for the remainder of the descent.
After nearly thirty seconds, the elevator came to a smooth stop.
The doors opened.
A long concrete hallway stretched into darkness.
Emergency lights along the ceiling still worked, even though the place appeared abandoned.
Rows of reinforced doors lined both sides of the corridor.
Every one of them bore a number.
D-09.
D-10.
D-11.
...
They walked deeper underground.
The numbers continued climbing.
D-14.
D-15.
D-16.
Finally they stopped.
A thick reinforced steel door stood at the end of the hallway.
Mounted beside it was a tarnished brass plate.
D-17.
The same engraving as the key.
Daniel took a slow breath and placed his hand on the cold metal handle.
Before he could turn it...
A calm voice echoed from a speaker hidden somewhere in the ceiling.
"Welcome back, Mr. Reed."
The four of them looked up instantly.
The voice continued.
May you like
"We've been waiting for Alex Carter."
Then every light in the corridor switched on simultaneously, revealing dozens of security cameras already pointed directly at them.
