Chapter 9 - The Man Who Came Back From the GraveThe photograph was faded.
But the face was unmistakable.
Adrian Voss.
Daniel had heard the name only once.
His father had spoken it during a nightmare.
A rival.
A traitor.
A man blamed for a massacre that happened twenty years earlier.
Officially, Adrian Voss died in a warehouse fire.
But the archive suggested otherwise.
Rachel touched the photograph.
“That's my father.”
Daniel couldn't speak.
Victor whispered:
“Yes.”
Rachel looked at him.
“You knew?”
Victor nodded.
“Your mother told me.”
“Why didn't she tell me?”
“Because she believed knowing would put you in danger.”
Rachel stared at the screen.
“Where is he?”
The answer appeared automatically.
STATUS: ACTIVE
Daniel's blood ran cold.
“He's alive.”
Victor nodded.
“Somewhere.”
Rachel looked at the archive.
“Why did Project Mercy need me?”
Victor explained that Adrian Voss had been one of the architects of the original genetic security system.
His knowledge could unlock systems nobody else could.
Rachel carried part of his genetic signature.
Her existence became valuable.
So they hid her.
Protected her.
Monitored her.
Raised her away from Moretti influence.
Until Rachel unknowingly walked into St. Catherine.
And discovered the same network.
Daniel understood something.
“They didn't want her dead.”
Victor shook his head.
“They wanted her controlled.”
“And the bruises?”
“A warning.”
Rachel's eyes hardened.
“They wanted me to hate Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victor looked at Daniel.
“Because Daniel is the only person you trust enough to tell everything to.”
Rachel stared at her husband.
Then she realized the cruelty of it.
Every lie had been designed around that trust.
The messages.
The bruises.
The anonymous men.
The accusations.
All intended to make her distrust the one person standing between her and the people controlling Project Mercy.
Daniel took her hand.
Rachel didn't pull away.
That mattered.
He noticed.
“I should have protected you.”
“You didn't know.”
“I should have known.”
Rachel shook her head.
“They fooled both of us.”
A monitor flashed.
INCOMING CALL
Daniel answered.
A man's face appeared.
Older.
Scarred.
Dark eyes.
Adrian Voss.
Rachel stopped breathing.
“Dad?”
The man looked at her.
Tears appeared in his eyes.
“Rachel.”
She stepped closer to the screen.
“Where are you?”
“Not far.”
“Why did you leave?”
“Because they wanted you dead.”
“Who?”
Adrian looked at Daniel.
“The people who created this.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Tell me who.”
Adrian's voice became cold.
“Your father.”
Daniel's face hardened.
“My father was trying to shut it down.”
“Yes.”
“But you said he created it.”
“He did.”
Rachel looked between them.
Adrian continued.
“He created Project Mercy to protect the Moretti family.”
“Then why destroy him?”
“Because he changed his mind.”
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“Who killed him?”
Adrian looked at him.
“Victor.”
Victor's face went white.
Rachel turned.
“Is that true?”
Victor closed his eyes.
Daniel stepped toward him.
“Victor.”
“I didn't kill him.”
Adrian shook his head.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“You watched him die.”
Victor's voice cracked.
“I tried to save him.”
“Then tell them the truth.”
Victor looked at Rachel.
“I was there the night your father-in-law died.”
Daniel stared.
“What happened?”
Victor swallowed.
“Your father found out Lucian had activated the genetic archive.”
Daniel said nothing.
“Lucian came to the house.”
“Did he kill him?”
“No.”
Victor's voice broke.
“Someone else did.”
Rachel stepped forward.
“Who?”
Victor looked at her.
And whispered:
“Elise.”
Rachel froze.
“My mother?”
“She pulled the trigger.”
The room fell silent.
Victor looked at Daniel.
“Your father asked her to.”
Rachel stared at him in disbelief.
Then another message appeared on the screen.
From Adrian.
Victor is telling the truth.
Rachel looked back.
The video feed distorted.
Adrian's last words came through the static.
“Rachel, your mother didn't betray the family.”
“She was trying to save you.”
The screen went black.
Then the security alarm exploded through the room.
Someone had entered the building.
Victor grabbed his weapon.
Daniel reached for Rachel.
May you like
But before he could move, every screen in the archive displayed one sentence.
SUBJECTS DANIEL AND RACHEL: TERMINATION AUTHORIZED.
Related Stories
