Ethan's mind reeled as he stared at Dr. Lee. "What could possibly be coming?" he asked, his voice shaking with fear.
Dr. Lee's expression was grim. "We're not sure," she admitted. "But we have to be prepared. The ancient civilization left behind a warning, a message in the form of a hidden code."
Ethan's eyes widened as he felt a surge of excitement mixed with trepidation. "A code?" he repeated. "What does it say?"
Dr. Lee nodded. "It's a countdown, a timer ticking away the seconds until... whatever it is... arrives."
Ethan felt his heart racing as he thought about the implications. A countdown? What did that mean? Was it a natural disaster? An alien invasion? Something else entirely?
Dr. Lee pulled out a small device from her pocket and pressed a few buttons. The device beeped loudly, and a holographic display flickered to life above it.
The countdown began to tick away, the numbers flashing in bright red digits: 10:00:00:00.
Ethan felt his mind spinning as he stared at the countdown. 10 hours? What could happen in 10 hours?
Dr. Lee's voice was calm but urgent. "We have to find out what this code means. We have to know what's coming."
Ethan nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. They had to act fast, before it was too late.
As they worked to decipher the code, Ethan couldn't shake off the feeling that they were running out of time. The countdown was ticking away, and they were running out of options.