Chapter 22 - ROOM D-17
Daniel slowly inserted the brass key into the lock.
This time, it turned effortlessly.
The reinforced door swung inward without resistance.
Unlike the observation room, D-17 looked untouched for years.
A thin layer of dust covered the floor.
Metal filing cabinets lined both walls.
A large conference table occupied the center of the room.
Eight chairs surrounded it.
Seven were empty.
One chair had been pulled back slightly.
As though someone had stood up only moments earlier.
Alex walked toward the table.
In its center rested a sealed glass case.
Inside lay a single file stamped in dark blue ink.
PROJECT ORION
For the first time, the project had a subtitle.
SUCCESSION PROGRAM
Daniel stared at the words.
"I've never seen that before."
Bennett examined the glass case.
"No lock."
"No hinges."
Instead, a small biometric scanner protruded from the side.
A screen above it suddenly lit up.
PLEASE IDENTIFY PRIMARY SUBJECT.
No one touched it.
The scanner emitted a soft tone.
Then another.
Alex frowned.
"It's scanning automatically."
A thin beam of light passed briefly across his face.
The display changed.
IDENTITY VERIFIED.
WELCOME, ALEX CARTER.
The glass case unlocked with a quiet click.
Daniel looked at Alex in disbelief.
"It recognized you."
"I've never been here."
"I know."
Alex carefully lifted the file.
The paper felt surprisingly new.
Inside were dozens of pages.
Most had been removed.
Only the first report remained.
He began reading aloud.
"Subject designation..."
He stopped.
His expression changed.
"What?"
Daniel asked.
Alex slowly lowered the page.
"It doesn't say Subject."
"It says..."
He swallowed.
"Successor."
Silence filled the room.
Bennett took the document from him.
Below the heading appeared another sentence.
Selection suspended pending confirmation of final guardian.
Guardian?
Daniel frowned.
"What guardian?"
No one answered.
Suddenly, a hidden projector activated at the far end of the room.
An old recording flickered onto the blank wall.
The image stabilized.
A man in his sixties sat behind a desk.
His face was older than the photographs Alex had seen upstairs, but unmistakably familiar.
It was Michael Donovan.
The former Head of Internal Security.
He looked directly into the camera.
"If you're watching this," Donovan began calmly, "then the people monitoring Alex Carter have already failed to stop him from reaching Room D-17."
He paused, as if gathering his thoughts.
"You have very little time."
The recording continued for another few seconds before abruptly cutting to black.
Across the projection screen, a single line of text replaced the image.
May you like
VIDEO SEGMENT 1 OF 9 RECOVERED
Then the room lights dimmed on their own, and somewhere deeper beyond D-17, another heavy door slowly began to open.
