Chapter 6 THE FAMILIAR DOOR
ADRIAN POV
I didn’t move. My hand remained on the handle of the chair as Rook’s words settled between us.
“I recognized you before you told me your name.”
So that was why he had watched me so carefully in the market.
Rook leaned against the workbench, his hand folded loosely around his chest, his brows raised up.
“And you still sent me into the market?” My face filled with anger.
A faint smile touched his lips, unbothered about the sharpness in my tone.
“I wanted to watch you closely.” he said smoothly.
I studied his face, analyzing his confident posture.
“I knew you needed the money,” he continued, shifting his weight from the chair. “So I needed to know if you were useful long term.
At least he was honest about his self interest because in a world like this, a lot of people won’t.
“So how much is the bounty?” I let out, ignoring his words.
“Five hundred thousand,” he replied without hesitation.
My jaw dropped low. I cleared my throat after some seconds of thinking. “How am I sure this is not a set up?”
He pushed himself up from the chair, moving towards the table. “The people who put that bounty don’t care whether you’re Adrian or not. They care that you’re useful.”
As a man of few words, I said nothing, analyzing everything smartly.
He tossed a paper onto the table playfully. “So, Kane. What do you say?”
“My Arrival confirms my reply,” I said coldly while standing up smoothly from the chair.
Rook studied my face for a second before giving a decisive nod towards the exit. “Noted.”
By seven-thirty the next morning, I was already standing across from Rook’s repair shop. My left shoulder still hurts, but the bandage held the pain a little.
Rook opened the side door of his shop, immediately he sighted me. He handed me a dark canvas bag.
I unzipped the bag and looked inside. There were gloves. A small flashlight and some mechanical tools.
I realized I forgot to ask him what the business was all about because of how I needed the job. “What are we actually doing?”
“Working on something,” he replied while locking his door.
“What exactly?”
He stared at me in disbelief. “Trust me Adrian, it’s something useful.”
I still didn’t know if to trust him because I haven’t trusted anyone since after the Apex breach.
“Fine!” He exclaimed. “This might actually help you know what happened during project Apex.”
My attention sharpened, as I got more interested. “How did you know?”
“Forget about it.” he covered up, I still wasn’t going to trust him though.
Ten minutes later, Base Camp appeared through the morning fog.
The building was massive and ugly, surrounded by high fencing and old streetlights. Most of the surrounding warehouses looked like what had been abandoned, but the security system still looked active.
I stopped. As I kept analyzing the place, it looked like a place I had been before but I just couldn’t place it.
“Is this an old repair facility center?” I asked Rook just to be sure that I wasn’t overthinking.
“No,” he agreed, dropping down beside me.
“Automated security?” I asked again.
“Hmm kind of.” He stood up, and turned towards me, scanning my face as he watched my facial expressions. “Have you been here before?”
“I think but I can’t place it right.” I paused to think, then continued. “I think I came here with someone a long time ago but I can’t remember what I came here to do.” I said with confusion written all over my face.
Then I shifted my body posture upward. “Let's start working, I will figure that out later.” I cut the little tension between us.
We moved behind a rusted shipping container.
Rook pulled out his scanner and connected it to a maintenance panel screen. The screen flashed red.
ACCESS DENIED.
He frowned, tapping the casing.
“Move.” I commanded smoothly, stepping over his shoulder.
He looked at me, raising his eyebrow.
“What do you want to do?”
“I designed systems like this before now. That is the difference between knowing technology and understanding its architecture.” I said proudly.
He hissed. “Just go on.”
“Firstly, you disconnect the power line connection, redirect the movement of the maintenance screen and then wait for the internal lock to release.” I taught professionally.
At first nothing happened.
Rook raised an eyebrow, leaning over my shoulder.
“Any problem, technology expert?” he mocked.
“Just shut up. I’m thinking.” Pain rising over me.
But then I realized something, the alarm circuit wasn’t connected to the main wire. It had been separated. Someone had changed the system.
“This wasn’t damaged,” My hand moving fast the system.
Rook’s expression hardened instantly. “What?”
“The relay was deliberately changed. That's why the maintenance panel screen got denied.”
He stared at the wire. “Can you open it?”
“Yes.”
I crossed the wires and immediately a soft click sounded. The door opposite us opened.
Rook looked at the door then at me. “Well you're good at this.”
“Don’t sound surprised.” I said like I wasn’t proud just to hide my emotion.
We slipped inside quietly, pulling the door shut behind us. The corridor was dark and cold.
I switched on the flashlight, keeping the beam low against the floor to avoid any forthcoming.
Rook walked ahead while I followed from behind, watching the ceiling for any hidden cameras.
Then the Apex Core beneath my jacket vibrated. I stopped in my tracks.
The damaged device had activated by itself. This was enough proof that I had been here before.
I pulled it out. A faint projector screen flickered in the area, while I and Rook stood to see what was about to show.
Rook's face read surprised. “What’s that?”
[AREA SCANNING…]
A few seconds later, information began appearing.
[THREAT DETECTED]
[RANK: 20]
[INFLUENCE: LOW]
[THREAT LEVEL: 17%]
I looked down through the pitch black corridor but there was no voice or any sign of anyone moving.
“What’s wrong?” Rook whispered.
“Someone is nearby.” My eye still scanning everywhere.
He immediately reached for his weapon. “How many are they?”
The screen flickered again with the remaining information.
[DATA RELIABILITY: 43%]
I frowned at the low confidence level. That was too low.
“I’m not sure.” I muttered honestly.
Suddenly, a metal door opened ahead of us.
A man stepped out, his faceview covered with the beam of Rooks flashlight. He wore a maintenance uniform and carried a tool case in his right hand.
But as I watched his posture, something didn’t fit the core’s assessment.
The man didn’t look nervous or lost. He looked like someone who belonged there. More importantly, he wasn’t surprised to see two intruders standing in the dark.
I lowered the device, my instincts screaming. “Don’t move.” I called out in the dark hallway.
The man’s eyes shifted toward Rook's weapon. Then toward my face. And instantly, he disappeared around a corner.
Rook ran after him, I didn’t because something felt wrong.
Not with the man but with the door he had come through.
Because one question kept ringing in my head: Why does this door look familiar?
