Adam made his way up the mountain. The path was familiar. He did not need much light to see it. He stepped over roots and around rocks. His body knew the way.
The climb was steady. He did not rush. The sounds of the city faded behind him.
They were replaced by the quiet sounds of the woods. A branch snapped under his foot. A night bird called from a high tree. He kept moving upwards. After some time he reached the top.
The summit was a small flat space. In the center of it stood a single enormous tree. Its trunk was thick and covered in rough bark. Its branches spread out wide.
They made a dark shape against the sky. Adam walked to the tree. He sat down at its base. He leaned his back against the solid trunk. From here he could see the entire city. It was a dark shape spread out below him.
He watched the last piece of the sun sink below the horizon. The sky turned a deep dark blue. Then the city began to change. A single light appeared. Then another. Soon clusters of lights flickered on.
Each light was a family starting its evening. Adam watched the silent show. He saw the life of the city from far away. It was a picture he could look at without being a part of it.
He felt the distance. The distance was comfort. He closed his eyes. The city's glow was a soft light behind his eyelids. He fell asleep.
Deep under the mountain a different world was awake. It was a vast laboratory hidden from the sun and the sky.
The facility was clean and white and brightly lit. It was a place of science and machines.
A huge particle collider dominated the space. Its metal rings and complex wires formed a massive circle under the earth. It was a powerful and silent beast waiting to be woken.
Inside the central control room scientists moved with purpose. They wore clean white lab coats. Their voices were a low hum of technical words. They made their final checks.
They stood around a long bank of monitors. The largest screen was in the middle. It showed complex diagrams and streams of data. It was the brain of the entire operation.
An older scientist stood at the center of the group. His hair was grey. His face was stern. He was clearly the one in charge. He turned to the scientist sitting next to him.
"Is everything ready?" he asked. His voice was sharp. It cut through the low hum of the room.
All the scientists in the control room turned to face him. They did not speak. They gave a collective nod. It was a single unified movement.
Then their attention went back to the large screen. The numbers and lines on it were stable and green.
A younger scientist stood a little away from the main group. He looked worried. His brow was furrowed. He spoke up. His voice was uncertain. "Shouldn't we issue a warning to the people on the surface? We don't know what the result of this will be."
The old scientist answered him. He did not turn to look at the younger man. His eyes stayed fixed on the screen.
"We are deep beneath the mountain. It will not cause any harm to the populace." His tone was final. It was not a suggestion. It was a fact. The statement ended the conversation before it could begin. No one else spoke.
The old scientist shifted his gaze. He looked across the room to a separate control panel. A single worker stood there. He was dressed in simple grey clothes and a grey cap. He did not look like a scientist.
He looked like a man who worked with his hands. He stood still waiting for the order. The old scientist looked at him and gave a single sharp gesture with his hand. It was the signal.
The worker in grey clothes saw the gesture. He gave a short nod to show he understood. He took one calm step toward his console.
His movements were deliberate and sure. He reached out a hand. He pressed a large red switch. It clicked loudly in the tense room.
Instantly the main computer screen changed. The stable green lines flickered. They wavered for a second. Then they turned red. Countless values and readouts began to climb.
They moved at a frightening speed. A low powerful hum started. It came from the walls of the laboratory. The sound grew steadily louder. It became a deep rumble that vibrated through the floor. The particle collider was active. The beast was awake.
Every scientist in the room stared at the screen. Their eyes were locked on the changing data. They tracked the escalating numbers. The calm focus they had before was gone.
Now the air in the room was tight with tension. The energy readings surged. They climbed past the projected starting points. They kept going higher and higher. The hum became a roar. The floor shook.
One of the scientists leaned closer to his monitor. His eyes were wide. He was watching a data stream that was completely off the charts. He spoke in a low uneasy voice. He spoke to the person next to him but everyone heard it over the roar.
"This could be a very dangerous experiment."