Chapter 9 - The Child in the Red RoomThe coordinates led them to an abandoned medical facility outside the city.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
His grandfather had once owned the property.
The building had been officially closed for decades.
They entered through the basement.
Red emergency lights illuminated a hallway.
A door at the end was painted red.
Daniel remembered his father's words.
Never trust a room with no windows.
He opened it.
Inside sat Lily.
Untied.
Alive.
She was drawing with colored pencils at a small table.
Daniel rushed toward her.
She looked up.
“Daddy.”
He pulled her into his arms.
“I've got you.”
She hugged him tightly.
Then she whispered:
“There's another little boy.”
Daniel froze.
“What boy?”
She pointed behind him.
A child was standing in the corner.
Six years old.
Dark hair.
Pale skin.
Same eyes as Lily's.
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
She began crying.
“Adrian's son.”
Daniel's heart slammed.
“My nephew?”
The child nodded.
“My name is Noah.”
A speaker crackled.
“Welcome, Daniel.”
The voice sounded exactly like Richard.
Daniel looked around.
“Where are you?”
A screen descended from the ceiling.
Adrian appeared.
Older now.
Same face as Daniel.
Only harder.
“Hello, brother.”
Daniel stared.
Adrian smiled.
“You've spent your whole life believing you were an only child.”
“You took my daughter.”
“I protected her.”
“You kidnapped her.”
“I brought her somewhere Orpheus can't reach.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“Give her back.”
“Open Echo.”
“No.”
Adrian looked toward Noah.
The boy stood silently beside Lily.
“Then neither child leaves.”
Daniel's anger exploded.
“You're sick.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Ask your father.”
“Where is he?”
“Watching.”
The screen went black.
Another one lit up.
Richard appeared.
Daniel stared.
His father looked exhausted.
“Daniel.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You abandoned me.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Adrian was alive.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Vanessa was assigned to me.”
“Yes.”
Daniel's voice cracked.
“What else?”
Richard looked toward the camera.
“Your mother did not die from an accident.”
Daniel went still.
“She was killed.”
Vanessa closed her eyes.
Richard continued.
“She discovered Orpheus was using the Stellan family as a test population.”
“What does that mean?”
“They wanted to understand how Echo could be inherited.”
Daniel looked at Lily.
“They used our family.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Through medical records. Genetic studies. Controlled exposure.”
Daniel felt sick.
“Why did you let them?”
“I didn't.”
Richard's face hardened.
“I tried to destroy the project.”
“And Adrian?”
“I failed.”
Adrian appeared on another monitor.
“You always fail.”
Richard looked at the screen.
“You were eight when they took you.”
Adrian laughed bitterly.
“And you signed the transfer form.”
Daniel looked at his father.
“Did you?”
Richard closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
Daniel stared at him with disbelief.
“You gave your own son to them.”
“I thought I could bring you both back.”
“But you couldn't.”
“No.”
Adrian stepped closer to his camera.
“That's why he built a second protocol.”
Daniel frowned.
“What second protocol?”
Adrian smiled.
“The one hidden in Lily.”
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
She nodded.
“Lily was born with the full Echo sequence.”
Daniel stared.
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Adrian said, “she can open everything.”
A metal door behind Daniel suddenly locked.
Gas began hissing through the vents.
Daniel grabbed Lily.
Vanessa grabbed Noah.
Evan smashed the control panel.
“Run!”
The room filled with smoke.
Daniel reached the door.
It opened.
They escaped into the hallway.
Then the building shook.
An explosion thundered somewhere below.
The ceiling cracked.
A piece of concrete fell between Daniel and the others.
He heard Lily scream.
“Daddy!”
Daniel crawled through the debris.
He found her hand.
Held it.
May you like
Then the floor beneath them collapsed.
They dropped into darkness.
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