Chapter 17 - My MotherMy mother was alive.

For twelve years, I had believed she died of cancer.

I had mourned her.

Visited her grave.

Spoken to her photograph.

And now she was standing on a video screen.

Older.

But unmistakably her.

I picked up the phone.

"Mom?"

She looked at me.

"I knew you'd come this far."

My chest hurt.

"Where are you?"

"Not where you think."

Jonathan lowered his head.

"You knew."

My mother's eyes moved toward him.

"Jonathan has always been a coward."

He flinched.

I stared between them.

"Tell me the truth."

She sighed.

"Which truth?"

"The real one."

She was silent.

Then said:

"Orchid was mine."

Jonathan looked at her.

"You said—"

"I said nothing."

I felt dizzy.

"Why did you abandon me?"

"Because I was dying."

"Why did you let me believe you were dead?"

"Because people were looking for you."

"Who?"

"The people who funded Orchid."

"Who?"

She looked toward Khloe.

"Her father's employers."

Thomas Mercer.

"Who were they?"

She hesitated.

Then spoke a name I'd never heard.

"Vesper."

I frowned.

"What is Vesper?"

"A private research consortium."

"Government?"

"No."

"Military?"

"No."

"Then what?"

My mother smiled sadly.

"People who believe human biology is property."

I swallowed.

"Why me?"

"Because you were the only successful subject."

"Successful at what?"

"Regeneration."

She explained.

My cells healed faster.

Not superhuman.

Just enough.

Enough for medical applications.

Enough to make the implant viable.

Enough to make me valuable.

"But the implant hurt people."

"Because they copied your biology incorrectly."

"Eleanor died."

"I know."

"Because of you?"

She closed her eyes.

"Partly."

I felt rage.

"You knew."

"Yes."

"And you still let it continue."

"I tried to stop it."

"You started it."

"I started research to save lives."

"You turned people into experiments."

"I was wrong."

It was the first honest sentence she'd spoken.

Then she said,

"Nathaniel was supposed to kill you."

I turned toward him.

Nate looked shattered.

"I refused."

My mother nodded.

"He was given one order."

"Why didn't he obey?"

"Because he fell in love."

I looked at Nate.

"You knew?"

"Yes."

"For eight years?"

"Yes."

"Then why stay with me?"

"Because leaving you would have exposed you."

My mother interrupted.

"And because he needed you to activate Orchid."

Silence.

Nate looked at her.

"Don't."

She continued.

"After the wedding, we discovered the system could not be fully activated without your consent."

"Which I would never give."

"Exactly."

"So you manipulated me."

"Yes."

I felt tears burn.

My mother looked directly at me.

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head.

"Too late."

She seemed to accept it.

Then Khloe stepped closer to the camera.

"Hannah."

"What?"

"There's one more thing."

"What?"

She looked terrified.

"The facility isn't the real threat."

"Then what is?"

Khloe whispered,

"Vesper is already in Chicago."

The screen went black.

At the same moment, every phone in the room received the same alert.

ORCHID SYSTEM COMPROMISED.

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A second message followed.

GLOBAL ACTIVATION: 00:29:59.