Chapter 12: The Real Daniel
The man standing across from me had my face.
Not similar.
Not close.
Mine.
Same eyes.
Same crooked smile.
Same scar on the left side of his chin.
Even the small birthmark behind his ear.
For a moment, I wondered if I was looking into a mirror.
Then Tommy reached toward him.
“Daddy.”
The word hit me harder than anything else that night.
I tightened my arms around him.
“No.”
The other man smiled.
“It's all right.”
He stepped forward.
“Tommy knows.”
I backed away.
“Stay away from my son.”
He laughed softly.
“Your son?”
I felt anger rise.
“Yes.”
He tilted his head.
“You really believe that?”
Michael stepped between us.
“Don't listen to him.”
The man looked at Michael.
“You still haven't told him?”
“Told me what?”
Michael's jaw tightened.
The man smiled.
“Your brother has been lying to you from the beginning.”
I turned toward Michael.
“Is that true?”
“No.”
The other man laughed.
“You were always terrible at lying.”
Michael raised his gun.
“Don't.”
“Why?”
The man looked at me.
“Because he doesn't know what he is.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What am I?”
He pointed at the vial labeled DANIEL REED. ORIGINAL MEMORY.
“You're Subject Zero.”
I stared at the vial.
“What does that mean?”
“You were the first.”
“The first what?”
“First successful consciousness transfer.”
My mouth went dry.
“I was seven.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“You were twenty-eight.”
I froze.
“What?”
“You were an adult when they created the body you're living in.”
I looked at Claire.
She was crying.
“Claire?”
She whispered:
“It's true.”
My entire world collapsed.
I turned toward the man.
“Then who was I before?”
He smiled.
“Me.”
He touched his chest.
“The original Daniel.”
I couldn't breathe.
“Then why don't I remember you?”
“Because they erased you.”
“Why?”
“Because my father wanted control.”
The man looked toward the monitor.
Our father.
“He couldn't control me.”
“So he made another version.”
“Yes.”
“And put my memories into it?”
“Not all of them.”
“What did he leave out?”
“The memories that could make you dangerous.”
I stared at him.
“Which ones?”
He stepped closer.
“The truth about your mother.”
My mother.
The woman standing beside our father.
She looked almost frightened now.
“What did she do?”
The original Daniel looked at her.
“She killed Alex.”
I felt a chill.
“But Alex was your twin.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“Alex was me.”
I frowned.
“Then who am I?”
He looked at me.
“A copy of him.”
I looked at Tommy.
The baby was staring at both of us.
Then he said:
“Two Daddys.”
The room went silent.
I almost laughed.
It was the first thing that had made sense all night.
“There are two of us.”
The original Daniel nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then why does Tommy recognize you?”
“Because he carries my memories.”
My father's voice came through the speakers.
“Exactly.”
I looked at the monitor.
He smiled.
“Project Echo was never about immortality.”
“Then what was it about?”
“Continuity.”
“What's the difference?”
“If the body dies…”
He pointed toward the vial.
“…the person doesn't have to.”
I stared at him.
“You've been moving people's consciousness.”
“Yes.”
“Into children.”
“Into suitable vessels.”
My stomach turned.
“You call children vessels?”
“They are biological containers.”
Claire screamed:
“They're human beings!”
My father ignored her.
He looked at me.
“Your body was failing.”
“What?”
“The original Daniel had a degenerative condition.”
I shook my head.
“I've never been sick.”
“Exactly.”
He smiled.
“We fixed you.”
I stared at my hands.
“How?”
“We transferred your consciousness into a healthy body.”
My mind struggled to process it.
“So I'm not a copy?”
“You are.”
“But I have his memories.”
“Fragments.”
“Then why do I feel like me?”
“Because identity is memory.”
I looked at the original Daniel.
“Then who is the real me?”
He smiled sadly.
“That depends on which memories you trust.”
The room went quiet.
Suddenly, Emma stepped forward.
“Daddy.”
Both of us looked at her.
She pointed at the original Daniel.
“You promised.”
He nodded.
“I remember.”
I looked between them.
“What promise?”
Emma whispered:
“He promised he would come back for me.”
The original Daniel knelt.
“I tried.”
“You were too late.”
“I know.”
“You left me.”
“I didn't have a choice.”
Emma's face hardened.
“You always have a choice.”
I felt a strange pain in my chest.
Those words sounded familiar.
Claire had said something similar.
My father smiled.
“Do you see now?”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“Why you were created.”
I said nothing.
“You were designed to be obedient.”
The original Daniel laughed.
“And you failed.”
My father looked at him.
“You're the defective one.”
“No.”
The original Daniel looked at me.
“He is.”
I felt my blood run cold.
My father smiled.
“Destroy the archive.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“If you destroy it, every transferred consciousness disappears.”
My mother looked at him.
“No.”
He turned toward her.
“It's the only way.”
“Your son will die.”
“He isn't my son.”
My mother stared at him.
“Daniel is.”
My father shook his head.
“Daniel is a failed experiment.”
The original Daniel stepped forward.
“Then why are you afraid of him?”
My father's smile disappeared.
The original Daniel pointed toward me.
“You know what he remembers.”
My father said nothing.
“What does he remember?”
The original Daniel looked at me.
“The night you killed him.”
I stared.
“Who?”
“Your father.”
“But I didn't kill him.”
The original Daniel nodded.
“You did.”
“No.”
“You pulled the trigger.”
I shook my head.
“That's not what I remember.”
“Because they changed the memory.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
He stepped closer.
“You killed him.”
I looked at my mother.
She was crying.
“Mom?”
She whispered:
“He forced you.”
“What?”
“He put the gun in your hand.”
My father laughed.
“You were always weak.”
My mother turned toward him.
“You destroyed our family.”
“I saved it.”
“You killed our children.”
“I perfected them.”
“You killed Alex!”
The room became silent.
My father stared at her.
She continued.
“You killed Daniel.”
Then she pointed at me.
“And you created this.”
I couldn't breathe.
My mother walked toward me.
“I'm sorry.”
I stepped backward.
“Don't.”
“You deserve the truth.”
“No.”
“You were never supposed to be the replacement.”
“What was I supposed to be?”
She looked at the original Daniel.
“His escape.”
I froze.
“What?”
She whispered:
“Your father wanted to erase Daniel.”
“I was created to save him?”
“Yes.”
“But why did I become separate?”
“Because something went wrong.”
“What?”
“You developed your own consciousness.”
The original Daniel smiled.
“That wasn't an accident.”
My mother looked at him.
“You planned it.”
“Yes.”
He looked at me.
“I wanted you to live.”
I felt tears forming.
“You knew?”
“Every moment.”
“Then why didn't you come back?”
“Because they would have killed you.”
My father suddenly shouted:
“Enough!”
He pressed a button.
The archive began shutting down.
Red lights flashed.
Michael looked at the controls.
“He's destroying the data.”
“Can we stop him?”
“Maybe.”
“How?”
Michael pointed toward the central chamber.
“Someone has to stay inside.”
“What happens?”
“The transfer begins.”
“And then?”
Michael looked at me.
“Whoever enters may not come out as themselves.”
My father smiled.
“Choose.”
The original Daniel stepped forward.
“I'll do it.”
“No.”
I grabbed his arm.
“You've already lost enough.”
He looked at me.
“You don't understand.”
“What?”
“If I don't enter…”
He pointed toward Tommy.
“…they'll transfer my consciousness into him.”
I froze.
My father smiled.
“Exactly.”
Tommy began crying.
I held him tightly.
“No.”
My father pressed another button.
A machine descended from the ceiling.
The transfer chamber opened.
A mechanical voice announced:
SUBJECT ZERO READY.
Then:
SECONDARY HOST READY.
I looked at Tommy.
The original Daniel looked at me.
“We have one choice.”
“What?”
“Which one of us gets to keep his memories.”
I stared at him.
Then the chamber doors opened.
My father raised his hand.
“Take them.”
The machines activated.
A blinding white light filled the room.
I heard Claire scream.
Michael shouted my name.
Emma cried.
Tommy's tiny hand slipped from mine.
Then everything went black.
When I opened my eyes…
I was lying inside the transfer chamber.
Someone was standing over me.
It was Claire.
She was crying.
“Daniel?”
I tried to speak.
No sound came out.
She leaned closer.
“Which Daniel are you?”
I stared at her.
I couldn't remember.
My name.
My daughter.
My wife.
My brother.
Nothing.
Then a tiny hand touched my face.
Tommy.
He looked into my eyes.
And whispered:
“Daddy…”
A memory suddenly exploded inside my head.
A little girl.
A fire.
A red gate.
A promise.
Then another memory.
My father's face.
And one sentence:
“If Daniel ever remembers who he really is, kill him.”
I opened my eyes.
Claire was still crying.
I looked at her.
And finally remembered.
Not who I was.
But what I had done.
I had chosen the wrong child.
May you like
Twenty years ago.
And my choice had started all of this.
