The Hidden Power
The dimmed lab beneath the earth glowed as Max, a brilliant scientist, hunched over the radiant chunk of meteorite on his workbench. His fingers shook ever so slightly, not out of fear but out of the magnitude of what he had discovered. The rock in front of him pulsed with an unearthly energy that he could not quite understand.
Max gazed at the object, his mind racing with options. A meteorite, something unknown to man, had fallen just days ago—its energy source from some substance alien to the planet. He repositioned gear on his workbench, the soft whine of equipment filling the room.
"Unbelievable," he whispered, his voice unrecognizable over the hum of his machinery.
Suddenly, there was a thud above, followed by footsteps. Max's heart skipped a beat. He quickly pressed a button on his console, locking the lab's security system.
"Not now," he muttered.
Max stood up, his senses heightened, as he looked at the piece. It held the key to something beyond dreams. If used correctly, it could provide unlimited energy. But if misused, it could change the world for the worse.
Max turned his eyes to a recording device on a table. He pushed a button, and a holographic projection burst to life. His own face appeared on the screen, old and tired, as if he'd been practicing for something grand.
"To my son," the recording began. Max's voice was calm, but beneath, he could feel the urge to rush. "If you're watching this, something's gone terribly wrong."
Max bunched his fingers into a fist, observing as his younger self stood before him. His son, Max's son, was just a child then. His voice trembled slightly, laced with regret.
"This meteorite—this stone—is the discovery of the century. Its source of power is something we've never seen. I can only describe it as. unlimited. If we're able to harness it, it could change the world. It could solve all energy crises. cure all diseases. provide us with a future beyond our wildest imaginations."
He paused, a fleeting shadow of doubt passing over his eyes.
"But it might kill everything if it goes into the wrong hands."
Max wiped the sweat off his forehead, the cold seeping cold down his face. He saw in his head the events of that fateful day repeat themselves time and again. The night he'd first heard of the genuine possibility of the meteorite. The knocking at the door by government officials. The threatening faces, the soft-spoken menace, the browbeating request for his secrets.
"You need to keep this hidden, Max." His own voice echoed within his mind.
The footage continued with younger Max speaking directly to the camera. "I've kept my work. hidden away in a vault that no one can locate. The sole key remains in your possession, son. The world is not ready for this."
The tape flickered, his younger self's face blurring, as if the transmission was about to cease. Max's hand quivered over the console. This was it. The final words from his father—the man who had tried to protect him, even from the very truth.
"I hope you can forgive me," the recording continued. "I've done what I could to keep you safe. But you must never let anyone else take this meteorite from you. It's too dangerous."
The hologram began to fade, and Max's older self whispered the final line.
"This is for you, my son."
The footsteps from above were becoming louder. Someone was coming. Max stopped the recording quickly, his mind racing. He had to act fast.
The government had finally located him. They would do whatever it took to ensnare the energy of the meteorite. Max knew that he could not stay here anymore. He grabbed the hard drive with all his father's research and hurried towards the vault at the back of the laboratory.
As he shut the vault, he waited for a moment, staring at a photo on the desk—a photo of his father holding him as a little boy. Max's heart ached. He never knew how much weight his father had borne, and now it was his.
"Don't worry, Dad," Max whispered, "I'll finish what you started."
Grasping the vault door for the final time, Max closed the vault and switched off the lights. The lab door crashed open behind him, the agents were there. The game was on.