Behind the Wall
封鎖の扉の向こうにあった、犠牲者を悼む静かな慰霊の部屋
Noah knew that he would never rest until he saw Sector Seven with his own eyes.
Late one night, Dana secretly gave him an old security code she had found.
"Use it quickly," she whispered, "before anyone notices that the door has opened."
Noah walked through the silent corridors while the rest of the colony slept.
When he reached the great metal door, his hands were shaking with fear and hope.
He typed the code, and after a long pause, the heavy lock clicked open.
When he opened the door, a wave of cold, air flowed out to meet him.
Beyond it lay a wide, dark room that had not been touched for many years.
His small light revealed rows of quiet screens and a long, curved wall.
When his eyes adjusted, he saw that the wall was covered with names and faces.
Each face belonged to a worker who had died in the accident long ago.
Beneath every photograph, a short message honoured a person the colony had lost.
Noah understood at last that Sector Seven was not a place of danger.
It was a , a silent room built to remember the first settlers who had fallen.
They had died while repairing the dome during the terrible storm of the third year.
The leaders had sealed the room, perhaps because the memory was too painful to face.
In the centre stood a single machine that glowed with a soft blue light.
It was this machine that had been sending the flicker every night at midnight.
For years, it had quietly counted the names of the dead, like a beating heart.
Noah felt tears rise in his eyes as he read message after message.
These people had built the colony with their hands, and then they had been forgotten.
He had come here expecting a , but he had found only and love.
When he finally turned to leave, a soft voice spoke from the shadows behind him.
"So," said Captain Vega quietly, "now you have seen what we tried to protect."
She had followed him through the dark, and she was no longer angry.
"Sit down, Noah," she said gently. "It is time you heard the whole story."