Chapter 12 - The fog swallowed the terminal.Claire stared at Adrian.

“What did he mean?”

Adrian didn't answer.

Sebastian kept the gun aimed at Lily.

“Tell her.”

“Let Lily go.”

“No.”

“Sebastian.”

“Tell her the truth.”

Claire stepped toward Adrian.

“What happened twelve years ago?”

Adrian's eyes remained on Sebastian.

“There was a car explosion.”

Claire remembered.

The same explosion everyone said killed Sebastian.

“A convoy was attacked.”

Adrian continued.

“I was twenty-eight.”

“My father was alive.”

“Yes.”

“What did you do?”

Adrian's face hardened.

“I killed a man.”

Claire's heart stopped.

“Who?”

“A man named Nathaniel Cross.”

Sebastian smiled.

“There.”

Claire shook her head.

“What does that have to do with me?”

Sebastian answered.

“Everything.”

He lowered the gun slightly.

“Nathaniel Cross was your biological father.”

Silence.

Claire couldn't breathe.

Adrian's face was haunted.

“He was Orpheus.”

Claire looked between them.

“You knew?”

“I knew his name.”

“You knew he was my father?”

“No.”

Sebastian laughed.

“He didn't know until after the explosion.”

Claire stared at Adrian.

“Then why did you kill him?”

Adrian's voice cracked for the first time.

“He was going to kill Rebecca.”

Claire froze.

“What?”

Adrian looked at her.

“Rebecca was trying to escape Orpheus. Nathaniel found her. He followed her.”

“And you killed him.”

“Yes.”

“Then why did everyone think Sebastian died?”

“Because Nathaniel had arranged the explosion to kill Sebastian and me.”

Sebastian interrupted.

“I survived.”

“You disappeared.”

“I had to.”

“You let everyone believe you were dead.”

“I needed Orpheus to think I was gone.”

Claire looked at Lily.

“Then why take her?”

Sebastian's expression changed.

“Because Lily inherited something from Rebecca.”

“What?”

“Evidence.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“I know what you're doing.”

“Do you?”

Sebastian smiled.

“Your daughter was conceived while Rebecca was working against Orpheus.”

Adrian stiffened.

“What does that mean?”

“Rebecca discovered that Lily's blood could unlock the genetic archive.”

Claire's mind struggled to understand.

“What genetic archive?”

“Orpheus didn't just manipulate people.”

Sebastian looked at Claire.

“It studied them.”

He stepped closer.

“Everyone connected to Orpheus was recorded.”

Claire remembered Room 17.

The files.

The children.

“Why me?”

“Because you were the first successful subject.”

Claire went cold.

“Successful at what?”

“Survival.”

Adrian shouted:

“Enough!”

Sebastian smiled.

“See? You still protect her.”

He pulled a small device from his pocket.

“This is the final archive key.”

Claire stared.

“What does it do?”

“It opens the complete Orpheus database.”

“And why do you need me?”

“Because the database recognizes your DNA.”

Sebastian raised the device.

“Without you, it's useless.”

A laser sight appeared on Sebastian's chest.

Marcus's voice.

“Drop the gun.”

Sebastian laughed.

“You think I've come here alone?”

Red laser dots appeared through the fog.

Everywhere.

Adrian pulled Claire behind him.

Gunfire erupted.

The terminal exploded into chaos.

Claire dropped to the ground.

Lily screamed.

Adrian rushed toward her.

A bullet struck the railing above them.

Then another.

Sebastian disappeared into the fog with Lily.

Claire saw him dragging the child toward the water.

“ADRIAN!”

He turned.

She pointed.

“LILY!”

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Adrian ran.

And Claire ran after him.