Chapter 13 - Marcus ReedMarcus stepped into the room.
Gun raised.
“Daniel, stop.”
My father laughed.
“You still pretend you're in control.”
Marcus looked at me.
“Colin, don't listen to him.”
My father said:
“He's been lying to you since the day he became your partner.”
I tightened my grip.
“What is Marcus hiding?”
Marcus hesitated.
That hesitation told me enough.
My father moved slowly toward a wall.
He pressed his hand against a hidden panel.
A screen activated.
A recording appeared.
Marcus.
Eight years earlier.
He was standing in the Helix facility.
Speaking to Voss.
“We'll get Colin to cooperate.”
Voss asked:
“And Logan?”
Marcus answered:
“He'll never cooperate.”
Voss smiled.
“Then remove him.”
The recording ended.
Marcus lowered his weapon.
“That wasn't what it looks like.”
I almost laughed.
“You're running out of those words.”
“I was undercover.”
“For whom?”
“The FBI.”
My father shook his head.
“You were working for both sides.”
Marcus looked at me.
“Yes.”
“For the Wardens?”
“For the people trying to destroy them.”
I stared.
“Which one?”
“Both.”
Silence.
Marcus finally admitted the truth.
He had been feeding information to multiple factions, trying to keep Logan alive.
But one night he made a mistake.
He gave the Wardens Logan's location.
That was how Logan was captured.
“You betrayed him.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Logan raised his gun.
I grabbed his arm.
“Not yet.”
Marcus looked at me.
“There is one thing you need to know.”
“What?”
“Your father isn't the real head of Helix.”
My father smiled.
“Tell him.”
Marcus hesitated.
Then said:
“Evelyn is.”
Everyone turned.
Evelyn didn't deny it.
She simply walked forward.
“Eventually you had to remember.”
I felt the blood leave my face.
“You created Helix?”
“Yes.”
“You lied to us.”
“I protected you.”
“By manipulating our memories?”
“Yes.”
“By killing people?”
“I saved more than I killed.”
Logan shouted:
“You murdered our mother.”
Evelyn went silent.
I looked at her.
“Our mother?”
She nodded.
“She discovered the program.”
I stared.
“My whole life was built on lies.”
“No,” Evelyn said.
“Your life was built on survival.”
She pointed to the wall.
“Seven resets.”
Then she looked at me.
“One more is waiting.”
“What?”
She pressed a button.
A countdown appeared.
RESET 8: 09:59:59
Logan stared at the screen.
“No.”
Evelyn looked at me.
“You have ten hours.”
“To do what?”
“To decide who you want to remember.”
May you like
The doors locked.
And the countdown began.
