Chapter 11 - The Admiral's SecretThe lights came back.
Admiral Reed was gone.
So was the Omega drive.
The chamber erupted.
“Lock the exits!”
Security moved.
Too late.
Reed had vanished through a maintenance corridor.
I stood frozen.
My mind refused to accept it.
The salute.
The hospital.
Every mission.
Every conversation.
Was it all an act?
Daniel grabbed my shoulder.
“He used you.”
I pulled away.
“No.”
“You saw the file.”
“I saw my mother's warning.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
I looked at the tunnel.
“I know Reed.”
“You thought you knew him.”
I shook my head.
“He could have killed me a hundred times.”
“But he didn't.”
“Exactly.”
Grandmother stared at the screen.
“Perhaps your mother was wrong.”
I looked at her.
“My mother wasn't wrong.”
“Then what?”
“Maybe Reed isn't the enemy.”
Daniel frowned.
“Then why did he take Omega?”
“Because he wants Helix to think he stole it.”
Silence.
Grandmother's eyes widened.
“You're suggesting…”
“He's undercover.”
We ran.
The tunnel opened into the old underground garage.
A car engine roared.
I jumped into the nearest vehicle.
Daniel followed.
Vivian climbed into the back.
“You're seriously trusting him?”
“No.”
I started the engine.
“I'm trusting his behavior.”
We raced into the night.
Our communications came alive.
A message.
Encrypted.
One line.
DO NOT TRUST THE PEOPLE WITH YOU.
I looked at Vivian.
Then Daniel.
Then the empty seat beside me.
“It's Reed.”
Daniel frowned.
“How do you know?”
“Because he always writes in fragments.”
I smiled.
“It's something he taught me.”
We followed the coordinates.
They led to an abandoned naval facility.
The doors opened.
Inside, Reed stood alone.
He held the Omega drive.
I raised my weapon.
“Put it down.”
He did.
Slowly.
“You came.”
“You betrayed us.”
“No.”
“You stole Omega.”
“To protect it.”
“From whom?”
Reed looked toward Daniel.
Then Vivian.
Then me.
“From Helix.”
I lowered my weapon slightly.
“Explain.”
He pulled off his uniform jacket.
Underneath was a Kevlar vest.
Blood covered the fabric.
“I was shot three minutes ago.”
Daniel stared.
“By whom?”
Reed looked at me.
“Marcus Bell.”
“Marcus?”
“He's alive.”
“Where?”
Reed pointed toward the far corridor.
“Not anymore.”
My heart sank.
“What happened?”
“He helped me escape.”
Then Reed handed me the Omega drive.
“Your mother anticipated this.”
I stared.
“Your loyalty was compromised?”
Reed nodded.
“I've spent years inside Helix.”
I looked at him.
“Why did you salute me?”
His expression softened.
“Because I wanted them to know you were protected.”
“You knew who I was.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since your first deployment.”
“You watched me.”
“I protected you.”
I shook my head.
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
“Why should I trust you now?”
“You shouldn't.”
That answer surprised me.
“Trust the evidence.”
He pointed at the drive.
“Open it.”
I did.
A file appeared.
One name.
PROJECT OMEGA: FINAL ARCHITECT
My mother's name.
Then another name.
Mine.
Then a third.
Admiral Reed.
“What?”
Reed said quietly:
“Your mother designed Omega with me.”
I stared.
“You knew my mother?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because Helix was watching.”
He looked at the door.
“And because one person inside your family was feeding them information.”
Daniel stiffened.
“Who?”
Reed looked at me.
“Your sister.”
Vivian froze.
“No.”
I turned.
“Vivian?”
Reed nodded.
“She didn't know what she was doing.”
Vivian began to cry.
“I didn't…”
Reed interrupted.
“You were implanted with a Helix interface.”
Vivian backed away.
“No.”
“That is why they could track you.”
“That is why they could use you.”
She stared at me.
“I didn't know.”
I believed her.
For the first time.
Then the entire facility shook.
Reed looked at his watch.
“They found us.”
“How long?”
“Three minutes.”
I looked at Omega.
“What happens next?”
Reed answered.
“We launch.”
“Where?”
He looked at me.
“Everywhere.”
A second explosion shook the building.
The war had begun.
May you like
And this time, it wasn't against my family.
It was against the system that had controlled them all.
