Chapter 19

The darkness beneath the hatch was absolute for three long seconds.

Then, with a low hum, a row of dim, industrial LED strip lights along the concrete walls flickered to life.

The air smelled like old paper, ozone, and concrete dust.

The staircase led down into a long, narrow corridor reinforced with heavy steel I-beams.

Upstairs, we could hear the muffled, heavy thuds of boots moving across the cabin floorboards.

They were searching the rooms.

It wouldn't take them long to find the closet.

"Keep moving," James whispered, guiding Claire down the hall.

At the end of the corridor stood a massive, solid steel blast door.

It looked like something salvaged from a Cold War missile silo.

In the center of the door was a mechanical combination dial and a modern, digital biometric scanner that looked completely out of place.

The digital screen was dark, but as we approached, a proximity sensor triggered, and the words SYSTEM LOCKED - AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED glowed in bright red letters.

Vance stepped forward, his eyes burning with an intense, obsessive light.

"This is it," he whispered, reaching out to touch the cold steel.

"The gateway to Black Slate."

"How do we open it?" I asked, looking at the biometric scanner. "If it requires my father's or grandfather's biometric data, we're locked out forever."

"Your grandfather knew he wouldn't live forever, Daniel," Vance said, turning to look at me.

"He designed the system to recognize DNA lineages."

"The scanner doesn't look for a specific fingerprint."

"It looks for the unique genetic markers shared by the Brooks bloodline."

"Press your hand against the glass."

I hesitated.

If I opened this door, I was giving Vance exactly what he wanted.

But upstairs, a heavy thud echoed through the ceiling.

They had found the closet. They were already hammering on the hidden hatch.

"Daniel," Claire whispered, her voice trembling as she looked up at the ceiling. "They're right above us."

I looked at my son's face, pale in the dim LED light.

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I didn't have a choice.

I stepped up to the door and pressed my right palm flat against the glowing glass scanner.