Chapter 12: The Truth About Project Sparrow
The hallway fell silent.
David Reynolds walked forward with the composure of a university professor entering a lecture hall.
No guards.
No weapon.
No fear.
He stopped ten feet away from me and looked down at Lily.
"You've grown stronger than we predicted."
Lily hid behind my leg without saying a word.
For the first time since we'd entered Building Nine...
Reynolds looked disappointed.
"I spent years developing methods to make children trust us."
He glanced back at me.
"And you ruined all of them."
I stepped forward.
"You hurt children."
"You kidnapped them."
"You destroyed families."
He smiled sadly.
"No."
"I gave them new ones."
Reynolds' Philosophy
Detective Hayes raised his pistol.
"Don't move."
Reynolds ignored him.
Instead, he slowly looked around the hallway at every rescued child.
"You all think I'm a monster."
"But tell me..."
He pointed toward one frightened little boy.
"How many of these children came from loving homes?"
Nobody answered.
Reynolds continued.
"Some were beaten."
"Some were neglected."
"Some were forgotten."
He turned toward me.
"You've only seen Lily."
"You haven't seen the others."
Hayes didn't lower his weapon.
"That doesn't give you the right to steal them."
Reynolds nodded.
"You're correct."
"It doesn't."
"For many years..."
"I convinced myself it did."
For the first time...
His voice carried genuine regret.
The Founder
"I didn't create Project Sparrow."
Every person in the hallway froze.
Reynolds slowly removed a leather wallet from his jacket and carefully placed it on the floor before stepping away from it.
"No tricks."
Hayes motioned for an officer to retrieve it.
Inside was an old photograph.
Taken nearly thirty years earlier.
Five adults stood in front of an orphanage.
One of them was a much younger David Reynolds.
Another face caught Hayes' attention immediately.
Deputy Commissioner Robert Ellis.
But there were three more.
A judge.
A wealthy businessman.
And...
A woman.
My father suddenly whispered,
"I know her..."
Everyone turned toward him.
"That's Margaret."
"My wife."
"My God..."
"My wife."
My heart stopped.
My mother.
The Secret
Reynolds closed his eyes.
"Your mother volunteered at the orphanage."
"She truly wanted to help children."
"She believed Project Sparrow would become a counseling program."
"It wasn't."
"It became something else."
Hayes looked at the photograph.
"She left."
"Yes."
Reynolds nodded.
"She resigned when she discovered what the board planned."
"But Ellis didn't."
"He took control."
Daniel and Tessa
"What about my brother?"
I demanded.
"And my sister?"
"They weren't founders."
"They were born into it."
Reynolds looked almost tired.
"They grew up believing Sparrow protected children."
"They never questioned the system."
"They obeyed."
"Until it was too late."
I thought back to Daniel's terrified face.
His desperate attempts to stop us from opening the hidden room.
Maybe...
He hadn't been protecting Reynolds.
Maybe he'd been protecting something even worse.
Hayes Notices Something
While Reynolds spoke, Hayes quietly studied the underground map again.
Then he looked at Reynolds.
"You've been keeping us talking."
Reynolds smiled.
"Very good."
Hayes suddenly shouted,
"Server room!"
"The countdown isn't for the children."
"It's for the data!"
Every officer realized it at once.
The timer had never been connected to explosives.
It was connected to the computers.
Project Sparrow's records.
Every victim.
Every participant.
Every secret.
Everything would disappear forever.
The Race to B3
"Go!"
Hayes ordered.
Half the officers rushed toward the maintenance shaft Rachel had revealed.
According to the map...
It led directly to Level B3.
The hidden server room.
The countdown read:
06:18
Six minutes.
Ellis Arrives
A loud explosion echoed above us.
Then another.
The ceiling shook.
One officer shouted into his radio.
"They've breached the main entrance!"
Deputy Commissioner Ellis had arrived.
This time...
With dozens of heavily armed men.
Some wore police uniforms.
Others didn't.
Hayes immediately understood.
"Those aren't officers."
"They're private contractors."
"They're Ellis' security."
Gunfire erupted somewhere above.
The battle for Building Nine had begun.
Lily Speaks
In the middle of the chaos...
Lily tugged on Reynolds' sleeve.
Everyone froze.
Even Reynolds looked surprised.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"Why didn't you let Ava go home?"
Reynolds didn't answer.
Lily continued.
"She cried every night."
"You heard her."
"You just closed the door."
For the first time...
The confident man standing before us looked completely broken.
His shoulders sank.
His eyes filled with tears.
"I know."
He whispered.
"I know."
"I hear every child."
"Every night."
A Decision
The gunfire above intensified.
Hayes looked at Reynolds.
"You can still stop Ellis."
Reynolds slowly nodded.
"He never trusted me anymore."
"He changed the security codes yesterday."
"Only I know the emergency override."
Hayes hesitated.
"Will you help us?"
Reynolds looked toward the frightened children.
Then toward Lily.
Finally...
He made his choice.
"I'll take you to the server room."
"But once Ellis realizes what I'm doing..."
"He'll kill all of us."
No one answered.
Because everyone already knew he was right.
Reynolds picked up the dropped keycard from the floor.
He walked toward a steel security door hidden at the end of the hallway.
He swiped the card.
The lock flashed green.
The heavy door slowly slid open.
A blast of cold air poured out.
Beyond it stretched another corridor filled with rows of humming servers.
At the far end...
A single terminal glowed bright red.
The same one Rachel had warned us about.
The countdown reached:
04:59
Then, behind us, an explosion tore through the elevator shaft.
The doors burst outward in a shower of sparks.
Smoke filled the hallway.
A familiar voice echoed through the chaos.
"David..."
Deputy Commissioner Robert Ellis stepped through the smoke, holding a handgun.
Behind him stood more than twenty armed men.
Ellis smiled coldly.
"I was wondering which side you'd choose."
He slowly raised the pistol.
And aimed it...
Not at Reynolds.
May you like
But at Lily.
End of Chapter 12
