Chapter 11 - The Husband I Never KnewEverything I believed about Thomas shattered in a single night.
He hadn't been merely involved.
He had founded Black Meridian.
He had built the network.
He had created Echo.
He had designed the archive.
And somehow, he had also tried to destroy it.
I looked at Daniel.
“Why?”
“He changed.”
“Why?”
“Because of Oliver.”
That answer wasn't enough.
So Daniel finally told me the truth.
Thomas believed information was power.
He built Black Meridian to control dangerous intelligence before it could destroy lives.
But eventually, the organization stopped following his rules.
They started using the system for profit.
Political manipulation.
Extortion.
Assassinations.
Human experimentation.
Thomas tried to shut it down.
Black Meridian turned against him.
“And Dr. Vale?”
“Thomas's closest scientist.”
“And Michael?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Thomas's identity cover.”
“What?”
“Your husband's original identity was hidden.”
I stared.
“Then who was I married to?”
“The real Thomas.”
My head spun.
“You're saying the Architect was him?”
“Yes.”
“But he's dead.”
Daniel said nothing.
I looked at the archive.
The message remained.
THOMAS BENNETT
Then another line appeared.
ARCHITECT STATUS: UNKNOWN
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“Unknown?”
Daniel stared.
“He might still be alive.”
“No.”
“The body recovered from the accident was never identified.”
I froze.
“What?”
“There was severe fire damage.”
“You never told me.”
“I couldn't.”
“Couldn't or wouldn't?”
He looked away.
I approached him.
“You let me mourn a man who might be alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because if Thomas was alive, there was only one reason.”
“What?”
Daniel looked at Oliver.
“He was protecting him.”
My son was asleep in the corner.
I walked over and touched his hair.
Then I noticed something.
A thin scar behind his ear.
I had never seen it before.
“Oliver.”
He woke.
I moved his hair aside.
Daniel inhaled sharply.
“What?”
“That scar.”
“What about it?”
“That's an Echo interface mark.”
My blood ran cold.
“What did they do to my son?”
“They didn't just store memories in him.”
Daniel looked sick.
“They stored something else.”
“What?”
“Access.”
“To the archive?”
“No.”
He stared at Oliver.
“To Thomas.”
A sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Mara raised her gun.
Daniel stood.
The door opened.
No one was there.
Only a folded piece of paper.
I picked it up.
Three words were written on it.
Come to Home.
Daniel stared.
“What does that mean?”
I recognized the handwriting.
My husband's.
I whispered:
“He wants me to go home.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because your apartment is the first place they'll search.”
I turned the paper over.
There was another sentence.
Bring Oliver alone.
And beneath it:
Trust no one. Especially Daniel.
I looked up.
Daniel's face had gone pale.
Because from outside the door came another voice.
May you like
Thomas's voice.
“Elena.”
