Chapter 14: The Daughter Who Was My Sister
“Mom.”
The word wasn't spoken aloud.
It came from inside my head.
Soft.
Tiny.
Terrified.
I froze.
My hands went instinctively to my stomach.
The baby kicked again.
“Mom…”
I looked at my mother.
“Did you hear that?”
She was crying.
“Yes.”
My sister stepped closer.
“What did she say?”
I couldn't answer.
The voice came again.
“Don't let him take me.”
My blood ran cold.
I looked directly at Elias.
He was staring at my stomach.
Not at me.
Not at the baby I was already holding.
At the child still inside me.
“You can hear her,” he whispered.
I backed away.
“What did you do to my daughter?”
Elias shook his head.
“She isn't your daughter.”
The first woman stepped forward.
“She is your sister.”
I stared at her.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“That baby is mine.”
“She is both.”
My mother covered her face.
“Claire…”
I turned toward her.
“Tell me the truth.”
She couldn't look at me.
“Tell me!”
She finally whispered:
“When you were born, there were two babies.”
My breath stopped.
“You and her.”
“What happened?”
“You were healthy.”
“And her?”
“She wasn't.”
I stared.
“She was dying.”
My mother wiped her tears.
“Elias refused to let her die.”
“So he experimented on her.”
“Yes.”
“Where is she now?”
My mother looked at my stomach.
“You're carrying her.”
I shook my head.
“That doesn't make sense.”
“The sequence was dormant.”
“How?”
“She was preserved.”
“Preserved?”
My sister stepped forward.
“Your sister's cells were stored.”
I looked at her.
“Then how did she end up inside me?”
Elias answered.
“Because your body was the only place where she could develop again.”
I felt sick.
“You put her inside me.”
“No.”
He smiled.
“You did.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“The pregnancy was natural.”
“You're lying.”
“No.”
He looked at Travis.
“Ask your husband.”
I turned.
Travis was pale.
“You knew?”
He shook his head.
“I knew there was something unusual about the pregnancy.”
“What did you know?”
“I knew the twins had different genetic signatures.”
“But you didn't know one was my sister?”
“No.”
My sister looked at him.
“Elias did.”
Elias smiled.
“Of course.”
I looked at him.
“Why would you bring her back?”
“Because she was the missing component.”
“Of what?”
“The archive.”
I looked down.
My baby moved.
“She's not a component.”
“She is the original.”
My firstborn stirred in my arms.
The silver ring returned to her eyes.
Then she looked toward my stomach.
The voice inside my head returned.
“She's scared.”
I whispered:
“Who?”
“My sister.”
I looked at the woman standing across from me.
“You can hear her too?”
She nodded.
“She remembers being her.”
I didn't understand.
“You're saying the woman in my stomach remembers this woman?”
“Yes.”
The woman touched her own chest.
“She was me before they divided us.”
My head spun.
“Then who am I?”
Silence.
Nobody answered.
I looked at my mother.
“Who am I?”
She finally looked at me.
“You're the bridge.”
Between what?
She didn't say.
Then every monitor in the room suddenly switched on.
The countdown returned.
00:07:31
My sister stared.
“We have seven minutes.”
“Until what?”
“Until the archive completes.”
“And my baby?”
“She'll be forced to connect.”
“With who?”
My mother answered:
“With you.”
I looked at Travis.
He was already moving toward me.
“What can we do?”
My sister shook her head.
“There is only one way.”
“What?”
“Separate the sequence.”
“How?”
“We have to deliver the second baby.”
I stared.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“But she's not ready.”
“She isn't supposed to be.”
My mother looked at the clock.
“If she stays inside Claire when the archive completes, the two sequences will merge.”
“And then?”
“Claire dies.”
I felt my heart stop.
“And the baby?”
“She survives.”
Elias smiled.
“Exactly.”
I looked at him.
“You want me to die.”
“I want the sequence.”
“Why?”
“Because once it's inside the baby, I can control it.”
My sister raised her gun.
“You won't get near her.”
Elias laughed.
“You still think guns matter.”
The lights suddenly went out.
Something slammed against the door.
Then another impact.
The police shouted from outside.
“Everyone get down!”
Glass shattered.
Men rushed into the clinic.
Travis grabbed me.
“Stay behind me.”
My sister fired.
A man dropped.
Another rushed forward.
My mother pulled me toward the delivery room.
“Go!”
I stumbled inside.
Travis followed.
My sister stood at the door.
“Lock it!”
The door slammed shut.
She held it closed.
“Claire, lie down!”
I climbed onto the table.
The pain was unbearable.
“I can't.”
“You can.”
Another contraction hit.
I screamed.
My daughter in my arms began crying.
The unborn twin kicked violently.
Then I heard the voice again.
“Mom.”
I gasped.
“I'm here.”
“Don't be afraid.”
I started crying.
“I'm scared.”
“I know.”
“Who are you?”
Silence.
Then:
“I'm your sister.”
I closed my eyes.
“What's your name?”
The voice answered:
“Emma.”
My heart broke.
“Emma.”
“Yes.”
“Are you my baby?”
“Yes.”
“And my sister?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I don't know.”
I cried harder.
“Do you want to be born?”
A pause.
Then:
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to meet you.”
I placed my hand over my stomach.
“I want to meet you too.”
The pain intensified.
My sister shouted:
“She's coming!”
Travis grabbed my hand.
“I've got you.”
I looked at him.
“Don't let them take her.”
“I won't.”
“Promise.”
“I promise.”
My mother stood beside me.
“I'll protect both of you.”
I looked at her.
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“Why didn't you?”
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
She looked toward the door.
“Of what Emma would remember.”
Another contraction.
I screamed.
The monitors went crazy.
The countdown flashed.
00:03:14
My sister shouted:
“Push!”
I did.
Pain exploded through my body.
Again.
Again.
Then I heard a tiny cry.
My entire world stopped.
My sister lifted the baby.
She was tiny.
Perfect.
Alive.
And when she opened her eyes...
They were silver.
She looked directly at me.
I reached for her.
“Emma…”
The baby stopped crying.
I held her against my chest.
And the moment our skin touched, thousands of memories flooded through me.
I saw my mother carrying two babies.
I saw Elias taking one.
I saw my father screaming.
I saw a laboratory.
I saw a woman being strapped to a table.
I saw the first experiment.
I saw the original archive.
Then I saw something that made my blood freeze.
Elias wasn't the creator.
My father wasn't the creator.
My mother wasn't the creator.
The program had existed before all of them.
For generations.
And the person who started it...
Was standing beside me.
I opened my eyes.
My mother was crying.
“I'm sorry.”
I looked at her.
“You started it.”
She shook her head.
“No.”
“Then who did?”
She looked at Emma.
“Your grandmother.”
My heart stopped.
“My grandmother died before I was born.”
“No.”
My mother swallowed.
“She never died.”
The lights suddenly came back on.
The clinic doors opened.
A woman entered.
She was old.
Elegant.
Calm.
She looked at Emma.
Then at me.
And smiled.
“Hello, Claire.”
My mother whispered:
“Mother…”
The old woman looked at her.
“You failed.”
Then she looked at me.
“But my granddaughter succeeded.”
I held Emma tighter.
“Who are you?”
She smiled.
“The woman who built the first archive.”
I stared at her.
“And why are you here?”
She looked toward the ceiling.
The countdown had disappeared.
Then she said:
“Because the archive has finally awakened.”
She turned toward the door.
“Now we can begin the final stage.”
I looked at Travis.
He was staring at the old woman in horror.
“What?”
He whispered:
“I know her.”
My blood ran cold.
“How?”
Travis stepped backward.
“She was the woman who raised me.”
The old woman smiled.
“Hello, Travis.”
Then she looked at me.
“And hello, daughter.”
I froze.
“Daughter?”
She smiled.
“Yes.”
Then she pointed at Emma.
“Because that child isn't the only thing I came here to reclaim.”
She pointed at me.
“I came for both of you.”
And behind her, Elias appeared.
Alive.
Smiling.
Holding a syringe.
May you like
He whispered:
“It's time to finish what your family started.”
