Damian Voss worked best in the dark.
The air inside Langley’s private research facility was crisp with the scent of old parchment and polished mahogany. Soft yellow light flickered from antique chandeliers, casting shadows across the room. It was past midnight when Voss slipped inside undetected, moving like a shadow between rows of bookshelves and filing cabinets.
Langley kept his secrets locked away, but there wasn’t a safe Damian Voss couldn’t crack.
He reached the main records chamber, his boots silent against the polished wood floor. A biometric scanner guarded the steel vault at the back of the room, but Voss had come prepared.
Pulling out a synthetic fingerprint patch—lifted off one of Langley’s researchers earlier that evening—he pressed it against the scanner. The red light blinked once. Then—green.
The lock hissed open.
Voss exhaled slowly and stepped inside.
Langley’s Secrets
Rows of classified documents lined the vault’s walls. Maps, satellite imagery, field reports—each labeled with Langley’s insignia. Voss’s sharp eyes scanned the contents, searching for one name.
Kanjir Citadel.
His fingers brushed over a thick, sealed file. The moment he saw the label, his smirk deepened. Found you.
He flipped it open. Inside were detailed maps of the Himalayas, survey logs, and most importantly—Carter’s planned route.
“So, Langley sent you, huh?” Voss murmured, eyes flicking over the documents.
Ethan Carter. Archaeologist, historian, and now a man unknowingly caught in the middle of something far bigger than an ancient ruin.
Voss wasn’t interested in the history lesson—he was after what Langley really wanted. And whatever it was, it wasn’t just an artifact.
He turned the page and froze.
A classified photo stared back at him. It was blurry, taken from an old expedition site. A temple entrance, half-buried in ice. Symbols etched into the stone walls. But it was what stood at the entrance that made Voss’s blood run cold.
A body.
Not just any corpse. A mummified figure, clad in strange metallic armor.
“What the hell…”
Voss flipped through the notes attached. The original expedition—seven years ago—had reported no survivors. Langley had covered it up, but the reports suggested something was down there. Something that killed them all.
Then, in the final section of the report, a handwritten note:
“No one must reach the temple. If Carter finds it first, eliminate him.”
Voss narrowed his eyes. Langley was playing a dangerous game.
A sudden beep from his watch snapped him back to reality. Security patrol.
No time to waste. He pulled out his phone, snapping photos of the critical pages before shoving the file back into place. Then, in one smooth motion, he slipped out of the vault and disappeared into the shadows.
A New Target
Outside, the city streets were empty, a thin mist rolling in under the glow of streetlamps. Voss walked casually, blending into the night, his mind racing.
Langley wasn’t just searching for the citadel. He was covering something up.
And now, so was Voss.
He pulled out his phone and dialed a secure number. The line clicked.
A voice on the other end answered, low and cautious. “Report.”
Voss smirked. “Carter’s heading into something he’s not ready for.”
A pause. Then: “Is he a threat?”
Voss glanced at the grainy image of the temple. Of the thing frozen at its gates.
His smirk faded.
“Maybe. But if he finds that place first, Langley won’t be the only one hunting him.”
The line went dead.
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