Ashlyn Chronicles 1: 2287 A.D. Read Online Free PDF Page B

deactivated.
    Without hesitation, Steven disengaged the latch on his armor’s cybernetic, right glove. A tiny wisp of heated air escaped as it clashed with the cold air inside the room. Removing his glove, he set it down on the floor beside him and put his thumb to the box’s thumbprint recognition lock—showing no surprise as it turned from red to green. As the box unlocked, the lid popped up slightly.
    Though Steven never looked up at his team, he could feel their astonishment.
    Triggered by the opening of the box, the west wall slid aside. Behind it laid an ice-covered corridor that led to an elevator and a stairwell door.
    “Open sesame,” jested Hitch as they all watched the shorn snow settle to the floor in a light mist.
    “Keep watch on the hallway, Hitch. Might be a Yeti hiding in there,” teased Steven.
    Turning his attention back to the box, his eyes wide with expectation, he slowly lifted the lid. Inside, he found three items. The first, an antique NASA patch with a picture of the centuries-old lunar lander that displayed the famous words spoken long ago by Neil Armstrong. He read it aloud, “One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mankind.”
    Beneath the patch lay a small vial of unlabeled, green liquid. Next to it, a flashcard holo-player. Sensing its importance, Steven ran his fingers over it.
    Standing, he set the player atop a desk in the center of the room and with an anxious tap activated it.
    In the air above it, a blue shimmering field appeared. In its center stood a life-size holo of a man in a white smock.
    “Hello, Steven.”
    Tomlinson voiced the team’s thoughts, “How in the hell is that possible?”
    Steven looked at Tomlinson, his own mind unable to supply the answer.
    “The only possibility is that they knew the admiral would be the one coming,” said Stratton, who was watching the video feed through his helmet’s monitor from outside.
    “Thanks for explaining the obvious,” said Tomlinson. “Maybe I should say it again. How the damn-shit-fucking-hell is that possible? According to you, the message was left fourteen years ago!”
    No one dared to blink. They stood transfixed as the man moved to situate himself on the edge of a desk. Steven saw anguish and sadness etched into the man’s face. It appeared that he was trying hard to hold back tears. He watched the middle-aged man, probably no more than a hundred and seventy years of age, remove a handkerchief from his smock’s right pocket. He dabbed his eyes, his forehead. When he was done, he folded it and put it back.
    After letting out an audible sigh he said, “Now that the shock of my welcome is over, let me introduce myself. My name is Dr. Tynabo Takamura.” The doctor then bowed his head in honor.
    “Since you are here, I must assume that this facility’s energy reserves have become critically low, and my security system has been forced to activate the distress beacon. Over these last months, I have often wrestled with the idea of contacting you, but our lack of pertinent outside information might have put you and this facility in danger. To address your first concern, Steven—yes, the door to this room is now sealed. As for ‘why?’, the answer is simple—to protect our lifetime of work. Thus, this facility is now set to self-destruct. Had anyone else besides you tried to open the box that held this hologram, this facility would now be part of a large mushroom cloud. I should also mention that any attempt to escape will also trigger my security measures.”
    His words were punctuated by three short blasts from the facility’s alarm and an announcement: “Facility secured. Self-destruct has been enabled.”
    “He sure is a paranoid bastard!” said Hitch.
    “Stratt, are you seeing all this?”
    “Aye, sir. We’re watching your video feed.”
    Tynabo continued, “Steven, you are the only person alive who can disable the security system. To do so, you must see past your confusion and anxiety. You must learn