Max breathed deeply as he stood before the heavy steel door at the base of the stairs. The dust-encrusted air within the tunnel was heavy and damp, but all of that seemed to disintegrate as he cautiously extended a hand for the massive, rusted handle. It was as if the burden of the world rested upon his shoulders. His heart pounded against his chest, having no idea what lay behind this door, but also propelled by an unending need to see the truth.

  With a strong thrust, the door groaned open, and a view took Max's breath away.

  The laboratory lay out before him, much bigger than he could have ever dreamed. Fluorescent lights overhead flickered with an otherworldly glow, illuminating the vast area. Computer terminals lined the room, their screens dark and unlit, and equipment that seemed both advanced and complicated. Mechanical appliances sat half-finished, some still going, some in chaos, as if his dad had spent years building them.

  Over and around him, there were fragments of inventions—technological devices that might have been from another planet. Blueprints covered the walls, bizarre equations, and prototypes that Max had no idea where to start trying to comprehend. The space seemed alien and familiar simultaneously, as if breaking into a mind much larger than his own. His father's mind. A genius's mind.

  Max gingerly entered the room, looking around everything with his eyes. He brushed his hand over a metal surface, and the chill ran through to his fingertips. "So that's what you were hiding, Dad," Max breathed, speaking almost silently, his heart reeling with a maelstrom of emotions. "I never thought there'd be something like this."

  The dawning realization of wonder and disbelief swept over him. His father had created all of this. It was a world of creation, of mind, of genius. And yet, it was a world of secrets as well—secrets Max had never been aware of until now. He regretted that he had never really appreciated his father's depth, his genius.

  The room appeared to throb with power, every piece of machinery vibrating with an energy of its own. Max couldn't help but feel dwarfed by it all. He'd struggled for years to meet his father's expectations, but this? This was a plane he'd never dreamed of.

  "I was always so busy trying to prove myself," Max grumbled to himself, moving further into the lab. "But this. this was his world. And I've hardly scratched the surface."

  He could feel his father's presence everywhere, even though he was no longer present to see it. Knowing that he was standing in an area so saturated with his father's brilliance hurt Max. His father had made something amazing, something that would revolutionize everything if it ever saw the light of day. But for the time being, it was secret. It was concealed. And Max was the one who would have to dig it up.

  His hands skimmed the lines of a blueprint tacked to the wall, his eyes scanning the fine prints that looked like they would spring alive. This was a laboratory. This was a sanctuary of minds, a sanctuary where his father had dumped his heart into turning the impossible into possible.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Max shut his eyes for a second, allowing the weight of the situation to sink in. His father had always been a puzzle to him, but now, amidst all of this, Max was starting to realize. His father had been building something greater than himself. Something beyond the normal world Max had grown up in.

  With a deep breath, Max took a step forward, determination growing within him. "I'll complete what you began, Dad. I'll work it out. For both of us."

  And with that, he stepped deeper into the lab, prepared to find the secrets hidden behind its walls.

  The Meteorite Fragment

  Max moved further into the lab, his heart pounding as he saw something in the middle of the room that seemed to pull him in like a magnet. There, under the creepy light of the lab's dim illumination, stood a high-tech containment chamber. The chamber was sleek, nearly futuristic in appearance, constructed of a shining metal Max had never seen

  before. Within, delicately suspended in a glass vessel, was the fragment of the meteorite.

  The fragment glowed softly, its surface radiating with an unearthly light. It throbbed slowly, almost hesitantly, as if it were alive, pulsing in time with Max's own heartbeat. The surrounding air hummed with electricity, shivering Max's spine. His breath was trapped in his throat.

  He took another step, driven by an unseen force. Each step was weightier, as if the shard called to him, telling him to move in closer.

  Max's eyes widened as his fingers danced just over the glass vial. "What is this.?" he breathed, struggling to get words out. His hand shook, not knowing if he should touch it. But something within him, some ancient instinct, informed him that he was supposed to. The energy in the room grew dense, and an otherworldly magnetic force seemed to weigh the air around him down.

  He stood there, immobile for a second, just observing it. The fragment reacted to his presence, glowing more intensely with each second. Max experienced a chill run up his spine, as if the meteorite sensed him, sensed his every move.

  Lastly, not being able to hold back, he opened the journal his father had left him very carefully. His hands were trembling as he searched through the pages for further hints. The handwriting was messy, full of quickly written notes and drawings, but one section caught his eye.

  "This piece of the artifact contains unimaginable power. But it is a double-edged sword. If the wrong people get their hands on it, it might ruin everything."

  Max's breath caught in his throat as he read the words. He could hear his father's voice in his head, with a sense of urgency. "A double-edged sword." he muttered to himself. The words chilled him and, for the first time, realized the scope of what he was up against.

  He gazed at the piece, more than ever conscious of its possible danger. It was not merely a piece of space debris; it was something much more potent, something that would change everything. Max tightened his fists, a rush of determination filling him. His father's words were explicit—this power needed to be kept safe at any cost.

  But who was going to be looking for it? And what would they even do with it once they'd found it?

  Max shook his head, struggling to concentrate. "I have to protect this," he whispered to himself, his tone resolute. The weight of his father's words pressed down heavily on him. The world could be changed with this piece, for better or for worse. And Max. Max was the one who had to ensure it didn't get into the wrong hands.

  He spared one final, lingering glance at the fragment. The light appeared to beat with a more intense rhythm now, as if it knew the choice he had just made. Max stood up straight, bracing himself for whatever was ahead.

  "I won't let anyone ruin what you created, Dad," Max promised softly, more to himself than to the room.

  The fragment did not move, as if in anticipation, its light still soft, yet somehow tremendous.