Chapter 12 - Adrian stared at the man holding his daughter.Elias Mercer looked older than the photographs.
But his eyes were sharp.
Cold.
Clinical.
Emma was quiet in his arms.
Too quiet.
Adrian's voice shook.
"Put her down."
Elias smiled.
"You're very much like your father."
"You killed him."
"No."
"I thought you..."
"I rescued him."
Adrian stared.
"From what?"
"From himself."
Elias walked into the room.
"Your father wanted to expose the project."
"So you stopped him."
"I protected the work."
"You murdered him."
"I prevented a catastrophe."
Adrian stepped forward.
Elias raised the syringe.
"One more step."
Adrian froze.
Clara stared at him.
Elias looked at her.
"You remember now."
She nodded.
"Some."
"Enough."
"Enough to hate you."
Elias smiled.
"Hate is useful."
Daniel stepped forward.
"You should have killed me."
Elias looked at him.
"I tried."
"You failed."
"Yes."
Daniel raised his gun.
Elias smiled.
"You won't shoot."
"Why?"
"Because you need me."
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"The antidote."
Elias nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked at Adrian.
"Your daughter has approximately twenty-seven minutes before her cells become unstable."
Adrian's heart stopped.
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
"Then why..."
"I activated the treatment."
Adrian stared.
"You can't."
"I already did."
Clara stepped forward.
"You're lying."
Elias looked at her.
"Am I?"
Clara suddenly grabbed her head.
The pain hit instantly.
She screamed.
Adrian rushed toward her.
Daniel caught her.
"What happened?"
Clara whispered:
"Images."
"What images?"
"Emma."
"What about her?"
"She's not the first."
Elias smiled.
"Now she remembers."
Clara looked at him.
"You created another child."
"Several."
"Where?"
Elias didn't answer.
Adrian shouted:
"Where?"
"Some survived."
"Where?"
"Scattered."
"Why?"
"Because you can't keep all your assets in one place."
Adrian stared.
"My daughter isn't an asset."
Elias smiled.
"To you."
Then the door opened.
Victor entered.
Olivia was with him.
Her hands were tied.
Adrian looked at his daughter.
"Olivia."
"I'm okay."
Victor shoved her forward.
Elias looked at Victor.
"You were told to keep her isolated."
Victor nodded.
"She escaped."
Olivia glared.
"He's lying."
Victor struck her.
Adrian lunged.
Daniel grabbed him.
"Don't."
Elias walked closer.
"Now we can make a deal."
Adrian stared.
"What?"
"Clara for Olivia."
Adrian looked at Clara.
Then Olivia.
Then Emma.
Three people.
Three choices.
He couldn't breathe.
Victor smiled.
"Choose."
Silence.
Then Olivia spoke.
"Dad."
Adrian looked at her.
"Don't choose me."
Victor frowned.
Olivia continued:
"Choose Clara."
Adrian's eyes filled with tears.
Victor raised the gun.
"You have five seconds."
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
A loud explosion shook the building.
The lights died.
Victor turned.
Daniel fired.
Adrian rushed forward.
Chaos erupted.
Elias dropped the syringe.
Clara grabbed Emma.
Olivia broke free.
Adrian caught her.
"Run!"
They sprinted through the corridor.
Behind them, alarms screamed.
Elias shouted:
"STOP!"
They reached a steel door.
Clara inserted the access chip.
The door opened.
Inside was a hidden laboratory.
At the center was a machine.
A single sentence appeared on the screen.
PROJECT E-18.
Adrian stared.
"E-18?"
Clara whispered:
"That's not Emma."
Daniel looked at the machine.
"No."
He turned pale.
"It's Olivia."
Adrian froze.
"What?"
Daniel pointed toward the screen.
"Your father wasn't testing Emma."
He looked at Olivia.
"He was testing you."
Olivia stared in horror.
"But you said I was the baseline."
Daniel whispered:
May you like
"That was the lie."
Then the laboratory door locked behind them.
