Chapter 5 - General Elias Kane.Natalie had met him exactly once.
Three years earlier.
He had pinned a medal onto her uniform after an operation in Syria.
He had smiled for photographs.
He had called her “one of the Army's brightest young officers.”
Now he stood underground, surrounded by armed men, looking at her like she was a problem waiting to be solved.
“General,” Natalie whispered.
Kane smiled.
“You remember me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Briggs stepped in front of her.
Kane's gaze moved to him.
“Sergeant Briggs.”
“General.”
“You've caused quite a mess.”
Briggs tightened his grip.
“You've been killing soldiers.”
Kane shook his head.
“No.”
He looked at Natalie.
“We've been saving them.”
Natalie almost laughed.
“Is that what you call this?”
Kane gestured toward the glass rooms.
“Do you know what happens when a soldier survives something no human being should survive?”
Natalie said nothing.
“They become different.”
He stepped closer.
“Stronger.”
Natalie's eyes narrowed.
“Or broken.”
Kane smiled.
“Sometimes both.”
Ward suddenly raised her weapon.
Kane didn't even flinch.
“You won't fire,” he said.
“Try me.”
Kane looked at her.
“You don't know what they did to you.”
Ward froze.
Natalie noticed.
Kane smiled.
“Exactly.”
He looked back at Natalie.
“Do you want to know why you survived Night Glass?”
“Yes.”
“Because we designed you to.”
Silence.
Natalie's mind stopped.
“No.”
Kane continued.
“You were not chosen because you were expendable.”
Briggs whispered:
“Don't listen.”
Kane ignored him.
“You were chosen because you were compatible.”
“With what?”
Kane smiled.
“The Echo protocol.”
The name struck Natalie like electricity.
Echo.
She remembered it.
A medical room.
A doctor saying:
“Subject Echo Seven is responding.”
Her own scream.
Kane continued.
“You were one of twelve candidates.”
“Candidates for what?”
“Human resilience.”
Ward suddenly whispered:
“Natalie.”
Natalie looked at her.
Ward's eyes filled with tears.
“I was Echo Eight.”
Natalie froze.
“You?”
Ward nodded.
“They erased our memories.”
Briggs looked away.
Kane's expression became almost sympathetic.
“We didn't erase anything.”
He pointed at Natalie.
“Your mind did.”
Natalie's hands began to shake.
“No.”
“You survived because your brain refused to accept what happened.”
Kane stepped closer.
“But now you're remembering.”
He smiled.
“And that changes everything.”
Natalie aimed her pistol at him.
“You killed my team.”
Kane shook his head.
“Your team was transferred.”
“Where?”
“Some died.”
“Who?”
Kane looked toward the glass rooms.
“Some are still here.”
Natalie glanced toward Aaron Cole.
“Why?”
“Because they remembered.”
Natalie's throat tightened.
“What did they remember?”
Kane smiled.
“That you weren't the victim of Night Glass.”
He paused.
“You were its architect.”
Natalie went completely still.
Briggs stared at him.
“That's a lie.”
Kane looked at Natalie.
“Ask her.”
He pointed at Ward.
“Ask Captain Ward who gave the order to begin.”
Natalie turned.
Ward's face crumpled.
“I don't remember.”
Kane smiled.
“You will.”
He raised his hand.
The lights in the corridor went dark.
Natalie heard a click.
Then a recording began.
A woman's voice filled the hallway.
Calm.
Professional.
Familiar.
Natalie knew the voice.
It was hers.
“Begin phase three.”
Natalie's blood froze.
The recording continued.
“Terminate all witnesses.”
Her own voice.
Her own command.
Then came screaming.
Gunfire.
Then silence.
Natalie dropped her pistol.
“No.”
Kane whispered:
May you like
“Welcome back, Echo Seven.”
And somewhere beneath Fort Campbell, something began waking up.
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