Chapter 10 - The Voice Behind the Darkness
Every flashlight swung toward the entrance.
Nathan spun around so quickly he nearly lost his balance.
The room behind them was empty.
Only darkness stretched into the tunnel.
The voice came again.
"You're slower than your father ever was."
It was calm.
Confident.
And unmistakably real.
Several officers rushed toward the tunnel with their weapons raised.
"Clear the corridor!"
Footsteps thundered through the narrow passage.
Nothing.
No one.
The Director raised a hand.
"Hold your positions."
Nathan's heart pounded violently.
"I know that voice..."
His wife looked at him.
"You've heard it before?"
Nathan nodded slowly.
"As a child."
"My father used to meet someone in his study."
"He always sent me upstairs."
"But sometimes..."
Nathan closed his eyes.
"I heard that voice through the door."
The Director frowned.
"You never saw the man?"
"No."
"I only remember my father calling him..."
Nathan struggled to recall.
"...Guardian."
The room fell silent.
The young woman carrying the cassette recorder whispered,
"That's not a name."
"It's a title."
Just then, one of the technicians noticed a small red light blinking beneath the ceiling.
"A camera."
Hidden inside the stone wall.
The Director followed the cable.
It disappeared behind another section of rock.
"There must be another room."
The forensic team searched every inch of the wall.
After several minutes, one officer pressed against a loose stone.
A deep mechanical rumble echoed through the vault.
Another hidden doorway slowly opened.
Beyond it...
Was a control room.
Dozens of monitors covered the walls.
Some were decades old.
Others were brand new.
Every screen displayed a different part of the mansion.
The ballroom.
The wine cellar.
Nathan's office.
The underground tunnel.
Even the Director's temporary command post outside.
Someone had been watching everyone.
For years.
A dusty desk stood in the center of the room.
On it rested a fresh cup of coffee.
Still warm.
The mysterious man had been there only moments earlier.
Then another sound echoed through hidden speakers.
"You've finally reached the room I wanted you to find."
The Director spoke calmly.
"Show yourself."
A soft chuckle answered.
"Not yet."
"You still don't know which one of you is lying."
The monitors suddenly changed.
Every screen now showed a different member of Nathan's family.
His father.
His mother.
His wife.
Celeste.
The secret daughter.
Even Nathan himself.
One face flashed briefly among them.
A young boy.
No one recognized him.
Then the system shut down.
Every monitor went black.
Before darkness filled the room completely...
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One final sentence appeared in white letters across the largest screen.
"The heir has already chosen."
