Chapter 19 - The Secret Finally Revealed
Cybercrime specialists worked furiously to bypass the encryption.
The countdown continued.
Six minutes.
Five.
Michael watched helplessly.
Then Ethan quietly walked into the command room holding a sheet of paper.
"Dad..."
Everyone turned.
"I drew this because I remembered something."
He handed the drawing to Detective Bennett.
At first it looked like an ordinary child's sketch.
The apartment.
The hidden tunnel.
Several stick figures.
Then Bennett noticed a series of symbols along one wall.
"What are these?"
"The old man showed me."
Michael's heart skipped.
"What old man?"
"The one who said Grandpa built the secret rooms."
"When did he show you?"
"A long time ago."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"I thought it was a game."
Bennett suddenly grabbed the drawing.
"They aren't random."
Officer Ramirez leaned closer.
"They're coordinates."
"No..."
Bennett smiled for the first time in days.
"They're a substitution cipher."
She entered the symbols into the computer.
The password field immediately accepted them.
The encrypted folder opened.
Hundreds of scanned documents filled the screen.
Blueprints.
Letters.
Government contracts.
One video file sat alone in the center.
Recorded twenty-two years earlier.
James Turner appeared on the screen.
Alive.
Older than Michael remembered.
He looked directly into the camera.
"If you're watching this, then Project Raven has failed."
Michael couldn't breathe.
His father continued.
"My name is James Turner."
"I am recording this because someone will eventually try to erase the truth."
He slowly removed his jacket.
On his left shoulder was the familiar raven-and-compass tattoo.
"I never died in that warehouse fire."
Gasps filled the room.
"I disappeared because the people behind Project Raven believed I was dead."
James paused.
"If Michael is alive..."
"...tell him one thing."
The recording briefly distorted.
Then his voice returned.
"Never trust the man who calls himself Daniel."
The screen suddenly went black.
Michael looked around the room in confusion.
"But Daniel has been trying to help us."
Bennett wasn't convinced anymore.
Neither was anyone else.
At that exact moment another hidden video file began playing automatically.
This one showed Daniel.
He looked directly into the camera.
His first words sent chills through the room.
"If James told you not to trust me..."
May you like
"...then he never escaped."
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