A man walked slowly through a narrow corridor, his footsteps echoing softly against the concrete floor.
Dust covered both of his hands.
Not ordinary dust.
Its colour seemed wrong somehow. Darker than normal dust. Heavier. As though it did not belong in the corridor at all.
The man lowered his gaze towards his hands while continuing forward. The corridor remained silent around him. No voices. No movement. Only the distant hum of machinery somewhere beyond the walls.
After a few more steps, he stopped in front of a water tap fixed against the wall.
One hand reached towards the tap while the other remained underneath it, waiting.
He slowly turned the handle anticlockwise.
At first, only a few weak drops emerged from the pipe.
Then suddenly water burst through it.
The stream splashed across his hands, washing away the strange dust little by little. He rubbed his fingers together carefully, watching the dark particles disappear beneath the running water.
For a brief moment, his mind felt empty.
Then someone called his name.
"Juson."
The voice came from a room to his left.
He immediately froze.
The voice was familiar.
The man standing near the tap was none other than Juson.
Without hesitation, he turned off the water and looked towards the room.
He had intended to wash his face as well, but the voice had interrupted him before he could.
A few seconds later, he was already walking towards the door.
His hand moved towards the lock.
Before he could touch it, the door slowly slid open from inside.
Someone had opened it for him.
The man standing there kept his head lowered, staring at the floor. He looked exhausted. Disturbed.
Without saying much, he stepped aside and gestured for Juson to enter.
Juson quietly walked into the room.
A chair stood nearby, but he ignored it.
Instead, he stopped beside a long table positioned in the centre of the room.
Two men were already there.
One stood beside several pieces of scientific equipment spread across the table.
The other wore a safety mask.
For several seconds Juson simply stared at the man who had opened the door.
It looked as though he wanted to say something.
Yet no words came out.
The man eventually noticed his silence and turned towards him.
"Why are you this quiet?" he asked.
Juson said nothing.
He slowly walked closer and stopped beside the masked man.
His friend Hakiten was there too.
The two of them appeared to have arrived together from somewhere else.
Silence settled over the room.
After a few moments, Hakiten glanced towards Juson.
"Come outside for a moment."
Juson nodded.
Both of them left the room.
The instant the door closed behind them, the masked man stopped working.
The small container in his hand was placed carefully on the workspace.
Then he simply stood there.
Listening.
Almost as though he could hear their conversation through the walls.
Outside the room, Hakiten folded his arms and leaned against the corridor wall.
He looked towards Juson.
"Why are you upset today?"
His voice remained calm.
Careful.
Juson lowered his head.
Several seconds passed without an answer.
Hakiten frowned.
"Speak."
Still nothing.
Eventually Juson spoke.
"I did something."
Then he fell silent again.
Hakiten's patience quickly disappeared.
"What did you do?"
Juson hesitated.
His gaze drifted towards the floor.
Finally he answered.
"I broke a Zerre container."
The reaction was immediate.
Hakiten froze.
Every trace of calm disappeared from his face.
Fear quietly appeared in his eyes.
For a few seconds neither of them moved.
Juson swallowed.
"I don't know what will happen later."
Hakiten looked away.
He understood exactly what those words meant.
A Zerre container was not something people simply broke.
Before either of them could continue, the door behind them slid open.
The masked man called them back inside.
Both boys returned to the room.
This time Hakiten stood closer to the table while Juson remained near the door.
The safety mask had not removed.
He turned towards them.
"What is today's date?"
Hakiten answered immediately.
The man nodded.
He picked up the small container once more and quietly wrote something beside it.
11th July, 1986.
Neither Juson nor Hakiten asked why.
The room became silent again.
Only the faint sounds of equipment could be heard.
Then another voice echoed through the corridor.
"Genido!"
The shout came from outside.
Loud.
Irritated.
The name was called again.
And then once more.
As soon as Juson heard it, he instinctively stepped backwards.
Genido immediately placed the object in his hand onto the table.
Without saying a word, he walked towards the door.
Before leaving, he removed the mask completely and left it behind.
Then he opened the door and disappeared into the corridor.
The room fell silent once more.
Juson stared at the doorway.
Something about the situation unsettled him.
A small trace of fear appeared on his face.
For reasons he could not explain, the atmosphere inside the room felt heavier than before.
As though something had already begun moving beneath the surface.
And none of them realised it yet.