Chapter 13: The Woman Behind the Glass
For a moment, I couldn't understand what Claire had said.
"I killed the woman who raised you."
The words repeated in my head.
Then I looked through the glass.
The woman standing beside my father was smiling.
She looked like my mother.
Same eyes.
Same face.
Same voice.
But now I noticed the differences.
My mother's hair had always been slightly curly.
This woman's was perfectly straight.
My mother had a small scar beneath her chin.
This woman didn't.
And suddenly I remembered something else.
My mother had always hated hospitals.
She couldn't even walk into one without becoming anxious.
Yet the woman behind the glass was standing inside a medical facility as if she belonged there.
Because she did.
I turned toward Claire.
"Start talking."
She looked down.
"Her name is Elena."
"Elena what?"
"Elena Cross."
My father's wife.
His partner.
His first subject.
I looked at the woman behind the glass.
"Why does she look like my mother?"
Claire swallowed.
"Because they were identical twins."
I felt sick.
"You said my mother didn't have a sister."
"She didn't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because Elena was dangerous."
I turned toward the glass.
The woman smiled.
Then she picked up a microphone.
"Hello, Daniel."
Her voice was almost identical to my mother's.
But there was something colder underneath it.
"You've been looking for answers."
I stepped closer.
"Where is my real mother?"
She tilted her head.
"You already know."
"No."
"She's dead."
My heart stopped.
"You killed her?"
She smiled.
"Not exactly."
"Then who did?"
She looked at Richard.
He didn't answer.
I turned toward him.
"You said she was alive."
"I said nothing."
"You let me believe she was."
"That was your mistake."
Ava suddenly stepped forward.
"You killed Grandma."
Elena looked at her.
"Which one?"
Ava's face went pale.
"The real one."
Elena smiled.
"Very observant."
I pulled Ava behind me.
"You stay away from her."
Elena laughed.
"You're protecting her."
"She's my daughter."
"No."
She shook her head.
"She's your sister."
I felt rage surge through me.
"Stop lying."
"I've never lied to you."
I laughed.
"You've been watching me since I was five."
"Yes."
"You experimented on me."
"Yes."
"You killed my mother."
"Not personally."
"You kidnapped Ava."
"No."
"Then what are you?"
Elena smiled.
"Your family."
I felt sick.
Claire stepped between us.
"Don't listen to her."
Elena looked at Claire.
"You've always been jealous."
"Of what?"
"Of what Richard created."
Claire's face hardened.
"You didn't create anything."
Elena looked toward Ava.
"She did."
I looked at Ava.
"What is she talking about?"
Elena pointed toward the child.
"Your daughter was born with the genetic traits we spent decades trying to reproduce."
I shook my head.
"She's normal."
"Exactly."
Elena smiled.
"That's what makes her extraordinary."
Richard stepped toward the glass.
"The program failed for years."
He pointed toward me.
"Daniel was the first success."
Then Ava.
"She was the second."
I looked at Ava.
"Second?"
Elena nodded.
"You inherited the traits from Subject Zero."
"And Ava inherited them from me."
"No."
She smiled.
"She inherited them from both of you."
I froze.
"What does that mean?"
Richard answered.
"Your mother was never your biological mother."
I stared at him.
"Then who was?"
He looked at Elena.
"Her."
I couldn't breathe.
Elena smiled.
"You're my son."
I shook my head.
"No."
"Yes."
"You're lying."
"I can prove it."
She pressed a button.
The screen changed.
A DNA report appeared.
MATERNAL MATCH: ELENA CROSS
I stared at it.
The report continued.
Probability of maternity: 99.9998%.
My knees weakened.
"No."
Elena smiled.
"You've spent your entire life believing the wrong woman was your mother."
I looked at Claire.
She was crying.
"Is it true?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
I turned toward Serena.
She looked devastated.
"Did you know?"
She shook her head.
"I only knew your mother wasn't who she claimed to be."
"Then why did you stay?"
"Because I was trying to find out who was real."
I looked at Ava.
She was staring at Elena.
"Then who is my mother?"
Elena smiled.
"Me."
Ava stepped backward.
"No."
"Yes."
"Mommy is my mother."
Elena looked toward Serena.
"She was never your mother."
Ava started crying.
Serena rushed toward her.
Elena slammed her hand against the glass.
"Don't touch her."
Serena stopped.
"She's mine."
"No."
Elena smiled.
"She's ours."
I felt something break inside me.
I looked at Richard.
"Why?"
He answered simply.
"Because we needed the perfect lineage."
"You made children for an experiment."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"To eliminate weakness."
"And what happened?"
Richard looked at Ava.
"We succeeded."
I shook my head.
"No."
"Don't you see?"
He stepped closer to the glass.
"Fear never worked."
He pointed at me.
"You survived."
Then Ava.
"She survived."
"Because we failed."
"No."
He smiled.
"Because you learned."
I stared.
"Learned what?"
"How to protect what you love."
The room fell silent.
Richard continued.
"That was the missing variable."
"Love."
I looked at Serena.
Then Claire.
Then my mother.
All the lies.
All the fear.
All the manipulation.
Maybe my father had spent decades trying to understand one thing he could never control.
Human attachment.
I looked at Ava.
And suddenly I understood why he had never simply killed me.
Why he had kept watching.
Why he had used Serena.
Why he had created situations that forced me to choose between fear and protection.
He wasn't studying my weakness.
He was studying my choices.
I turned toward the glass.
"You want to know what I learned?"
Richard smiled.
"Tell me."
"You're afraid."
His smile disappeared.
"You've spent your whole life controlling everyone around you."
I stepped closer.
"But you can't control me."
Richard's expression hardened.
"You think you're free?"
"No."
I smiled.
"I think you're trapped."
Elena suddenly shouted:
"Richard!"
He turned.
"What?"
"Look at the monitor."
A warning appeared.
SECURITY BREACH
Richard's face changed.
"What did you do?"
I looked at Marcus.
He was standing beside the control panel.
He smiled.
"Not me."
Thomas stepped from the shadows.
"I did."
Richard's face went pale.
Thomas held up a small device.
"I uploaded the archive."
Richard stared.
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
"Impossible."
"Your entire operation."
Thomas smiled.
"Government servers."
"Journalists."
"Law enforcement."
"All of it."
Richard's eyes narrowed.
"You'll destroy innocent people."
"No."
Thomas looked at him.
"You did that years ago."
Alarms began screaming.
Red lights flashed.
Doors opened throughout the facility.
People started running.
Richard grabbed Elena.
"Lockdown!"
She pressed the controls.
Nothing happened.
Thomas laughed.
"You don't own this place anymore."
I grabbed Ava.
"Let's go."
We ran toward the exit.
Claire followed.
Serena limped behind us.
Then a gunshot rang out.
Serena collapsed.
"Mommy!"
Ava screamed.
I turned.
Elena stood at the end of the hallway.
Gun in hand.
She had shot Serena.
I ran toward her.
Claire grabbed me.
"Daniel, no!"
I fought her.
"She shot my wife!"
Elena smiled.
Then she raised the gun again.
This time at Ava.
I froze.
Elena whispered:
"Come to me."
Ava shook her head.
"No."
"You're my daughter."
"No!"
Ava grabbed my hand.
"I'm not yours."
Elena's face twisted.
Then she fired.
I pushed Ava aside.
The bullet struck me.
Pain exploded through my chest.
I fell.
Ava screamed.
"Daddy!"
I hit the floor.
Everything became blurry.
The last thing I saw was Ava kneeling beside me.
Crying.
And Elena walking toward her.
May you like
Then the facility doors slammed shut.
And darkness swallowed us all.
