The Last Founder
548 Words
The echo of boots grew louder.
Damien Blackwood's men were advancing through the tunnel.
Marcus's voice crackled over Hope's emergency radio.
"Hope, do you copy?"
Hope grabbed the radio.
"Marcus!"
"We've secured part of the estate, but Damien disappeared. Where are you?"
"We're beneath the mansion."
Marcus paused.
"The hidden tunnels?"
"Yes."
"We've found the Founders' Vault."
Silence.
Then Marcus replied quietly,
"So Adrian's stories were true."
---
Alexander examined the enormous steel door once more.
Five keyholes.
Five founders.
Five keys.
"There has to be another clue," he said.
Hope looked around the tunnel.
The stone walls were covered with faded carvings.
Most were worn away by time.
One carving, however, remained clear.
It showed five people standing side by side, each holding a different symbol.
Above them were the words:
«Power divides. Truth unites.»
Below the carving were five names.
Adrian Kingsley.
Michael Sterling.
Jonathan Blackwood.
Richard Knight.
And...
The final name had been deliberately chiseled away.
Hope traced the damaged stone with her fingers.
"They erased him."
Alexander nodded.
"Not to hide a villain..."
"To protect him."
---
Suddenly, a hidden compartment opened beneath the carving.
Inside lay a faded photograph.
Hope carefully picked it up.
It was older than any photograph she had seen before.
Five young men stood together, smiling at the camera.
For the first time...
The fifth founder's face was visible.
He was tall, with silver-streaked dark hair despite his youth and kind, thoughtful eyes.
On the back of the photograph Adrian had written:
«The wisest among us.»
Hope smiled sadly.
"He doesn't look like someone who wanted power."
"He wasn't," Alexander replied.
"He looks like someone who wanted peace."
---
A loud explosion echoed from the far end of the tunnel.
The steel doors shook violently.
Damien had begun using explosives.
The countdown dropped again.
18:42
Hope frowned.
"The timer keeps decreasing."
Alexander looked toward the ceiling.
"The security system thinks someone is attacking the vault."
"It'll destroy everything if the countdown reaches zero."
---
The emergency speaker came alive once more.
Gabriel Ashford's recorded voice returned.
«"If you have reached this point..."»
«"...then Damien Blackwood is closer than ever."»
Hope answered instinctively.
"He is."
The recording continued.
«"There is one final truth Adrian wanted hidden."»
Alexander stood perfectly still.
«"The fifth founder is alive..."»
«"...because I never left."»
Hope's eyes widened.
"What does that mean?"
The recording answered.
«"I remained where no one would think to search."»
Hope looked around the tunnel.
Alexander frowned.
"No..."
Gabriel's voice spoke one last sentence.
«"I have watched over the Vault for fifty years."»
A deep rumble shook the chamber.
The massive vault door slowly unlocked—not fully, but just enough to reveal a narrow opening.
A warm light spilled through the gap.
Inside, a silhouette stood motionless.
An elderly man stepped forward.
His white hair rested neatly on his shoulders.
Though age had bent his back slightly, his eyes were sharp and filled with quiet wisdom.
He looked first at Hope.
Then at Alexander.
A gentle smile crossed his face.
"I was beginning to wonder..."
"...how long it would take Adrian's granddaughter to find me."
Hope could barely breathe.
"You..."
The old man nodded.
"My name is Gabriel Ashford."
"The fifth founder of Project Raven."
He had been alive all along.
- Writer
