Grid Cache

Door sweep cleared. Slid flat on my front, squeezing under the rubber strip and back onto the hardwood. Exterior mission concluded. Sector safe. Beside the door sat the heavy black boot tray. Raised geometric grid pattern across the rubber basin. Prime obstacle course. I scaled the outer lip—stiff knee lift, landing square in groove zero. Dead ahead, a fallen copper penny was lodged upright between two rubber treads. Tactical puzzle. I planted my boots, leaned my square shoulder against the metal rim, and shoved. Clink. It dropped flat into the grid slot, completely level with the rubber ribs. Camouflaged cache secured. Hallway perimeter quiet.