The staircase seemed to have no end.
John kept one hand on the wall as he descended, though he didn't really need the support. The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Behind him, Aerion remained unusually quiet.
Darius was even quieter.
And Specimen 001—
The massive creature moved down the stairs without making a sound.
John glanced back.
"You sure you want to keep going?"
The creature's golden eyes met his.
**Yes.**
"You don't know what's down there."
**Neither do you.**
"Fair."
They continued.
For several minutes, the only sound was their footsteps.
Then Darius stopped.
"Wait."
John turned.
"What?"
Darius pointed at the wall.
There were markings carved into the stone.
Not the symbols used by Project Evolve.
These were older.
Much older.
John ran his fingers over one.
"This wasn't built by them."
"No."
Darius looked fascinated.
"The facility was constructed around this."
John looked at the staircase.
"So the secret came first."
"Exactly."
