Chapter 17 - The Real EnemyEleanor fired.
I dropped.
The bullet shattered the wall behind me.
Emily screamed.
I rolled behind a pillar.
“Why?” I shouted.
Eleanor laughed.
“Because you were never meant to inherit anything.”
She stood.
The wheelchair had been a lie.
She walked toward us.
Slowly.
Perfectly steady.
I stared.
“You're not disabled.”
“No.”
She removed her wig.
Her hair was gray.
Her face looked younger than the photograph.
“You were always my greatest experiment.”
I couldn't breathe.
“My experiment?”
“Yes.”
She explained.
Before Daniel.
Before Adrian.
Before Project Orchid.
There had been another project.
Project Genesis.
I was the first successful subject.
The consortium had created me as a living key.
But my mother had escaped with me.
Daniel later found us.
He took me back.
Everything after that had been designed to test one thing:
How much pain could make a person break?
Eleanor wanted to know whether I would remain controllable.
“What did you learn?”
She smiled.
“You became uncontrollable.”
I stood.
“Then why keep me alive?”
“Because now you're useful.”
She pointed to the ledger.
“The Meridian Circle is collapsing.”
“Why?”
“They're fighting each other.”
“Then destroy them.”
“We can't.”
“Why?”
“Because every major bank has a piece of them.”
She handed me a contract.
“Only you can legally dissolve the structure.”
I looked at the signature line.
“Why would I do that for you?”
“You won't.”
“Then?”
“We will make you.”
The door behind us opened.
Daniel walked in.
Alive.
Blood still staining his shirt.
Beside him stood Kyle.
And behind them was my mother.
Alive too.
I stared at her.
“You lied.”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Daniel smiled.
“Welcome to the final stage.”
Kyle looked miserable.
“I'm sorry.”
I didn't believe him.
Then he stepped forward.
And shot Daniel in the chest.
Daniel collapsed.
Kyle shouted:
“NOW!”
The room erupted.
Emily ran toward my mother.
Eleanor reached for the ledger.
I grabbed it first.
Kyle fired again.
Eleanor fell.
For one second, everyone was still.
Then Mom whispered:
“Run.”
We ran.
Behind us, Daniel screamed.
“You can't escape!”
I looked back.
He was standing again.
There was no blood.
No wound.
No bullet hole.
I stopped.
“What is he?”
My mother grabbed me.
“Not human.”
Then the ceiling above us opened.
A helicopter descended through the ruined roof.
A voice came from the loudspeaker.
“Subject 47.”
I looked up.
“Your birthday starts in three hours.”
The helicopter door opened.
May you like
A masked figure stepped out.
“Welcome to Meridian.”
