Chapter 55 - The Descent to Level Zero
No one spoke for several seconds.
Every eye remained fixed on the single red dot moving across Thomas Hale's blueprint.
It advanced at a steady pace.
Not hurried.
Not uncertain.
Whoever it represented knew exactly where they were going.
Kevin Ross overlaid the blueprint onto Evergreen's internal maintenance map.
"They're following an old service tunnel."
Marcus Hale leaned closer.
"Can we access it?"
Kevin traced the route with his finger.
"There should be an entrance somewhere near Thomas Hale's office."
Detective Susan Ortega immediately began searching the room. Every bookshelf, filing cabinet, and wall panel was inspected again.
Rachel remained beside the desk, studying Thomas's notes.
Something bothered her.
"The arrows..."
Marcus looked up.
"What about them?"
"They don't all point downward."
Rachel slid the family chart across the desk.
Marcus examined it carefully.
She was right.
One thin pencil line ran in the opposite direction, connecting every major family name to a symbol instead of another person.
An oak tree.
The same symbol that had appeared on the brass key, the wax seal, and the hidden elevator.
Kevin enlarged the symbol digitally.
Tiny handwriting surrounded it.
Almost invisible.
He enhanced the image until the faded words became readable.
The Order existed before Evergreen.
Marcus slowly repeated the sentence.
"So Evergreen isn't the organization."
"No," Ortega replied quietly.
"It may only be the archive."
Before anyone could continue, Officer Brooks called over the radio.
"Marcus, I've found something behind the western wall."
The team hurried into the adjoining corridor.
A narrow maintenance hatch stood partially open.
Fresh scrape marks covered the concrete floor.
Someone had opened it recently.
Marcus shined his flashlight into the darkness.
A metal ladder disappeared almost forty feet below.
Kevin compared the location with the blueprint.
"It matches."
Rachel looked into the shaft.
"So this leads to Level Zero?"
Kevin nodded.
"The old tunnel."
Marcus clipped a safety line to his harness.
"We're going down."
Before climbing onto the ladder, he looked back toward Thomas Hale's office.
The briefcase remained open on the desk.
One of the remaining microfilm cartridges...
Was gone.
May you like
No one had seen it disappear.
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