The boys were playing in the old plane hangar when they found it.
The disused military airfield had been out of commission for years. The fact that it was so close to their homes made it an ideal indoor play area. All of the offices just inside the main door had been emptied out when the last of the soldiers left. Over time, the two boys had gone through all of the rooms, desk drawers and cupboards. They knew the place inside out. It was this that made it so strange to find the device there at all. It was partly buried under a pile of work coats. It looked new, and it seemed to be a remote hand control for a television or some piece of electrical equipment.
However, they soon realised that this could not be the case as it had only one button. The thing was about the size of a TV remote, but it was a lot lighter. This seemed strange because its casing seemed to be made entirely of metal. The thing was black except for the button, which was red. It had a brushed finish on all surfaces with no visible way of opening it up. They were amazed to see that it still had power. There seemed to be a glow of red light beneath the metal skin, just above the button. It was also intriguing to discover that this illuminated patch turned green when either of them handled it.
Quite naturally, the first thing they wanted to do was press the button. This was talked about for a minute or two. Despite them coming up with the sensible course of action, that being to hand it in, it was inevitable that one of them would give way to temptation. The older of the two finally pressed the button.
For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, the thing began to buzz and the concrete floor beneath their feet began to vibrate violently. The metal walls of the hangar began to shake. Then, without warning…