The Last Anniversary
The reinforced iron security doors of Registration Area 12 parted into the dark interior gallery with a heavy, pressurized hiss that echoed loudly through the limestone plaza. I stepped past the unsealed threshold into the black-glass fortress of Sector Four, my boots making no sound against the dense, industrial rubber floor mats that lined the entrance path. Behind me, the freezing downpour of the storm was instantly cut off, reduced to a silent, blurred distortion against the thick, reinforced panoramic panes of the exterior wall.