Chapter 13: The Man Who Was My Father
I couldn't hear anything after those words.
The room seemed to collapse into silence.
My real father was standing right there.
I turned toward Travis.
He looked as shocked as I felt.
“No.”
The word escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
The woman standing beside the broken chamber smiled sadly.
“Yes.”
Travis shook his head.
“That's impossible.”
She looked at him.
“You were created from her.”
He stared.
“What does that have to do with her father?”
“Everything.”
My mother suddenly stepped forward.
“Enough.”
The woman turned toward her.
“You've hidden it for thirty-eight years.”
My mother was crying.
“I was protecting her.”
“You were protecting the experiment.”
“No.”
“You let her marry the replacement.”
My mother looked at Travis.
“I didn't know Elias had kept him.”
Travis stepped toward her.
“Kept me?”
She looked at him.
“You were supposed to be destroyed.”
His face went white.
“What?”
“You were the second prototype.”
My stomach twisted.
“Then who was the first?”
The woman pointed toward herself.
“Me.”
“And Travis?”
“The third.”
I stared at Travis.
“You were created from me?”
“Yes.”
“Then how can you be my father?”
The woman shook her head.
“He isn't.”
I exhaled.
Then she pointed toward Elias.
“He is.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
Elias smiled weakly.
“At last.”
My mother screamed:
“Don't!”
Elias looked at me.
“Your mother lied because she knew you'd hate me.”
I couldn't speak.
“You're my father?”
“Yes.”
I felt sick.
“But you're my mother's brother.”
Elias's smile disappeared.
“That is what she told you.”
My mother stepped backward.
“No…”
He looked at her.
“You never told her the truth.”
My mother shook her head.
“You promised.”
“I promised nothing.”
I looked between them.
“Tell me.”
Neither answered.
“Tell me!”
My mother finally whispered:
“Elias isn't my brother.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He was your father's brother.”
I stared at Elias.
“Then why did you call him your brother?”
“Because it was safer.”
“Safer for whom?”
“For you.”
I looked at Elias.
“So you're my father.”
He nodded.
My knees weakened.
“Why?”
“Because your mother was part of the program.”
“And you?”
“I created it.”
My stomach turned.
“You experimented on my mother.”
“Yes.”
“You killed my father.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“Your father was the one who created the first sequence.”
“Then who was he?”
Elias smiled.
“You've been looking at him this entire time.”
I turned toward the first woman.
She was crying.
She whispered:
“Your father wasn't human.”
I stared.
“What?”
“He was the original prototype.”
My mind couldn't process it.
Elias stepped forward.
“He was the first successful genetic reconstruction.”
My mother closed her eyes.
“He was created from the bloodline.”
“Whose?”
Elias answered.
“Yours.”
I felt dizzy.
“What does that mean?”
“Your family wasn't chosen because of genetics.”
He looked at my daughter.
“You created the genetics.”
I stared.
“That makes no sense.”
“It will.”
He pointed toward the baby.
“The archive isn't a record of the past.”
He paused.
“It's a blueprint.”
My sister whispered:
“A blueprint for what?”
Elias looked at her.
“Evolution.”
The room fell silent.
My daughter began crying.
The silver ring appeared in her eyes.
The first woman stepped closer.
“She knows.”
I looked down.
“Knows what?”
“That Elias isn't trying to preserve the family.”
She looked toward him.
“He's trying to replace humanity.”
I stared.
“With what?”
“With you.”
My blood froze.
“With me?”
“With your genetic sequence.”
Elias smiled.
“You were the only successful carrier.”
My mother shook her head.
“She was never supposed to survive.”
“But she did.”
“And now she has twins.”
Elias looked at my stomach.
“Perfect twins.”
Travis stepped forward.
“You planned everything.”
“Yes.”
“You planned the pregnancy.”
“Yes.”
“You manipulated Claire.”
“Yes.”
“You created me.”
“Yes.”
Travis's fists clenched.
“Then why did you let me love her?”
Elias stared at him.
“Because love makes people predictable.”
Travis punched him.
Elias fell.
Police rushed forward.
But Elias only laughed.
“You still don't understand.”
Travis grabbed his collar.
“Understand what?”
Elias pointed toward the ceiling.
“Look.”
The lights flickered.
Every monitor changed.
A countdown appeared.
00:19:47
My sister stared.
“What is that?”
Elias smiled.
“The archive is opening.”
My mother went pale.
“How?”
Elias looked at my daughter.
“She activated it.”
My heart pounded.
“What happens at zero?”
He looked at me.
“Everyone connected to the sequence will receive the memories.”
“Then expose them.”
“Yes.”
“But what happens to my daughter?”
Elias's smile faded.
“She won't survive.”
I felt the world stop.
“No.”
My sister stepped forward.
“Why?”
“Because the archive needs a permanent host.”
My mother whispered:
“Claire.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“You have to stop it.”
“How?”
“By giving it yourself.”
I froze.
“You mean…”
“Yes.”
“You want me to take it?”
My mother nodded.
“Your body was designed for it.”
I looked at my daughter.
“No.”
The woman who looked like me stepped closer.
“You don't have to.”
Everyone turned toward her.
She touched my arm.
“There is another way.”
“What?”
She looked at Travis.
“He can absorb it.”
Travis stared.
“What?”
“You were created for the sequence.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“If I do that, what happens?”
She looked at me.
“You die.”
Travis's face went white.
“What?”
“If you absorb the archive, Claire survives.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Travis looked at me.
“Claire.”
“No.”
“I'll do it.”
“No!”
“You have the children.”
“You're my husband.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I'm not the man you thought I was.”
I grabbed his hand.
“You are still the man I love.”
He looked at me.
For a moment, the entire world disappeared.
Then he leaned forward.
He kissed my forehead.
“I love you too.”
My mother began crying.
My sister looked away.
The countdown continued.
00:12:04
Suddenly, the second baby kicked.
Hard.
Travis grabbed his chest.
The silver ring appeared in my first daughter's eyes.
The woman beside me whispered:
“She's choosing again.”
I looked at my daughter.
“What is she choosing?”
The baby looked directly at Travis.
Then at me.
Then toward Elias.
Her tiny hand opened.
The countdown stopped.
00:10:00
Every monitor went black.
Elias stopped smiling.
“No.”
My sister looked at him.
“What happened?”
He whispered:
“She changed the target.”
“Who?”
Elias looked at my daughter.
“The archive isn't going into Travis.”
He stared at me.
“It's going into Claire.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
My daughter began crying.
The lights turned white.
My entire body convulsed.
Memories flooded my mind.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Women screaming.
Children crying.
Doctors operating.
Elias signing documents.
My father running.
My mother hiding.
Travis being created.
My sister being taken.
And then I saw something else.
A room.
A red door.
A newborn baby.
My mother holding it.
Elias standing beside her.
And a young woman screaming:
“That's not Claire!”
I gasped.
The memory changed.
I saw myself as a baby.
Then another baby beside me.
Twins.
But I hadn't been one of them.
I was the third child.
The one who survived.
The one who carried the original sequence.
I opened my eyes.
My mother was standing over me.
She was crying.
I whispered:
“You lied.”
She nodded.
“I know.”
“There were twins before me.”
“Yes.”
“Who were they?”
My mother couldn't answer.
The first woman stepped forward.
“I was one.”
I looked at her.
“And the other?”
Her face turned pale.
She pointed toward my pregnant belly.
“The second twin.”
I froze.
“What?”
“The baby you're carrying.”
My heart stopped.
She whispered:
“She isn't your daughter.”
I stared at her in horror.
“She is your sister.”
The room went silent.
Then the second baby kicked again.
And for the first time...
I heard her voice inside my head.
May you like
Mom.
I screamed.
