CHAPTER 10: THE MAN BEHIND BLACK LANTERN
My husband hit the floor.
For one terrible second, I couldn't move.
Then instinct took over.
“MEDIC!”
No one came.
I dropped beside him.
Blood was spreading across his shirt.
I pressed both hands against the wound.
“Stay with me.”
His eyes opened.
“Victoria…”
“Don't talk.”
“Listen…”
“No.”
“Listen.”
His fingers closed around my wrist.
“Emily…”
“I'll get her.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
His breathing became shallow.
“Don't trust…”
His eyes rolled back.
“Who?” I demanded.
“Who?”
Nothing.
I looked up.
General Ward was standing ten feet away.
Calm.
Perfectly composed.
As if my husband bleeding on the floor was nothing more than an inconvenient detail.
I rose slowly.
My weapon was already aimed at his head.
“You shot him.”
Ward shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who did?”
He pointed toward the black flash drive.
“That contains the answer.”
I glanced down.
The drive lay beside my husband.
Ward continued.
“Pick it up.”
“No.”
“Then Emily dies.”
My finger tightened around the trigger.
“You're bluffing.”
Ward smiled.
“You've spent twenty years studying threats, Victoria.”
He took one step closer.
“You know I'm not.”
I looked at the monitor.
Emily was still strapped to the chair.
Her eyes were closed.
A machine hummed beside her.
“Turn it off.”
“Not yet.”
“Turn it off!”
Ward didn't move.
“Give me the drive.”
I walked toward it.
My father shouted:
“Victoria, don't!”
I stopped.
Ward smiled.
“Your father has always been afraid of the truth.”
I looked at my father.
He was pale.
“Dad?”
He shook his head.
“Don't give it to him.”
Ward laughed softly.
“You still don't understand.”
He looked at my father.
“Tell her.”
My father remained silent.
“Tell her who ordered Black Lantern.”
Nothing.
Ward looked at me.
“He did.”
My eyes moved to my father.
“Is that true?”
My father finally spoke.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
“I ordered the first operation.”
I stared.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To stop Ward.”
Ward laughed.
“That's what he tells himself.”
My father looked at him.
“You betrayed us.”
“No.”
Ward's expression hardened.
“You betrayed the country.”
My father raised his weapon.
“I did what I had to do.”
Ward smiled.
“Just like your daughter.”
I looked between them.
“What happened?”
Ward answered.
“Your father discovered a network selling classified intelligence.”
“I know.”
“He wanted to expose it.”
“Yes.”
“But then he realized the network was larger than he thought.”
“Who was involved?”
Ward smiled.
“Everyone.”
I shook my head.
“That's not an answer.”
“Generals.”
“Politicians.”
“Judges.”
“Defense contractors.”
“Intelligence officers.”
“Even members of Congress.”
I felt my stomach turn.
“And you?”
Ward smiled.
“I was the architect.”
My father shouted:
“Don't believe him!”
Ward turned.
“Why?”
“Because you didn't build Black Lantern.”
Ward laughed.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“She did.”
I froze.
“What?”
Ward pointed at me.
“Your daughter doesn't know this yet.”
I looked at the screen.
Emily was unconscious.
Ward continued.
“You designed the original system.”
My mind went blank.
“I was a field officer.”
“You were an intelligence engineer before that.”
“No.”
“You were recruited because of your ability to recognize behavioral patterns.”
My father looked away.
Ward smiled.
“Your memory wasn't erased because you witnessed Black Lantern.”
“Then why?”
“Because you created it.”
I couldn't breathe.
“That isn't true.”
Ward stepped closer.
“You designed the psychological architecture.”
“I didn't.”
“You called it Project Lantern.”
“No.”
“You believed it could identify compromised officers.”
“No.”
“You were trying to protect the military.”
I stared at him.
A memory surfaced.
A laboratory.
White walls.
A computer screen.
My own hands typing.
A voice saying:
If we can identify compromised officers before they betray us, we can prevent another war.
I stumbled backward.
My father grabbed my shoulder.
“Victoria.”
I whispered:
“I remember.”
Ward smiled.
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
Another memory.
A young man sitting across from me.
Daniel Cross.
Another.
Charles Prescott.
Another.
My husband.
All of them.
I opened my eyes.
“I built it.”
Ward nodded.
“Yes.”
“But you changed it.”
“Yes.”
“You turned it into a weapon.”
“Yes.”
My father's voice cracked.
“I tried to stop him.”
“And failed.”
Ward looked at him.
“Because your father chose loyalty to you over loyalty to the mission.”
I looked at my father.
“Is that why you erased my memory?”
He nodded.
“I knew what Ward had done.”
“But you didn't destroy the project.”
“I couldn't.”
“Why?”
“Because the system had already spread.”
I felt sick.
“How?”
“Through the military.”
Ward smiled.
“Through the government.”
“Through corporations.”
“Through families.”
He looked at Emily.
“Through children.”
I stared at the screen.
“What did you do to my daughter?”
“Nothing she wasn't already carrying.”
“What does that mean?”
Ward stepped closer.
“Emily inherited the final encryption sequence.”
My father's face changed.
Ward noticed.
“You never told her?”
My father didn't answer.
Ward laughed.
“Of course.”
I looked at him.
“What's the encryption?”
“Your memories.”
I froze.
“My memories?”
“Yes.”
“Then why Emily?”
“Because your memories were fragmented.”
He pointed at the screen.
“Her brain contains the missing pieces.”
I felt cold.
“You used my daughter to reconstruct my memory.”
“Exactly.”
“Why?”
Ward's smile vanished.
“To open the archive.”
“What happens when it opens?”
“Every secret becomes accessible.”
“Then why do you want it?”
Ward looked at me.
“Because whoever controls the archive controls everyone who is connected to Black Lantern.”
I understood.
Leverage.
Political power.
Blackmail.
An entire government held hostage by its own secrets.
“You want to rule them.”
Ward smiled.
“I want to prevent chaos.”
“You're a dictator.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I'm the man cleaning up your father's mistake.”
My father stepped forward.
“You murdered thousands.”
Ward looked at him.
“I saved millions.”
“You're insane.”
“History will decide.”
I raised my weapon again.
“History won't get the chance.”
Ward looked at me.
“Go ahead.”
I hesitated.
“Shoot me.”
His smile was almost peaceful.
“You'll never find Emily's room.”
I looked at the screen.
Ward continued.
“You'll never reach her in time.”
I lowered my weapon slightly.
“Why?”
“Because the facility is already in lockdown.”
He pressed a button.
Steel doors slammed shut throughout the complex.
Red lights flashed.
A voice announced:
BIOLOGICAL CONTAINMENT INITIATED.
My father looked around.
“What did you do?”
Ward smiled.
“Nothing.”
He pointed toward the monitor.
“Someone else did.”
The screen changed.
Emily opened her eyes.
But she wasn't looking at the camera.
She was staring directly ahead.
Her expression was blank.
A technician stood beside her.
“Memory integration is complete.”
Ward nodded.
“Begin phase two.”
I felt my blood turn cold.
“What is phase two?”
Ward looked at me.
“Ask your daughter.”
The screen zoomed in.
Emily's lips moved.
She whispered something.
I couldn't hear.
Then the audio activated.
Her voice came through the speakers.
“Mom…”
I stepped closer.
“Emily?”
She looked directly into the camera.
But her eyes weren't afraid anymore.
They were calm.
Too calm.
“Mom…”
“Yes?”
Emily smiled.
“I remember everything.”
I felt my heart stop.
“What do you remember?”
She looked toward someone standing beside the machine.
Then her face changed.
“Dad.”
I turned toward my husband.
He was still unconscious.
Emily continued.
“He was there.”
My husband suddenly opened his eyes.
He looked at the screen.
“No…”
Emily whispered:
“He was the one who gave Ward the list.”
I stared at my husband.
“What list?”
My husband tried to stand.
“No, Victoria.”
“What list?”
He shook his head.
“Don't listen to her.”
Emily's voice came through again.
“The list of soldiers.”
My blood ran cold.
“What soldiers?”
“The ones Ward was going to eliminate.”
My husband closed his eyes.
I stared at him.
“Did you give him the list?”
He said nothing.
“Answer me!”
Finally, he whispered:
“Yes.”
My father looked horrified.
Ward smiled.
“Now you understand.”
I turned toward him.
“You manipulated my husband.”
“No.”
Ward shook his head.
“He volunteered.”
My husband looked at me.
“I was trying to protect you.”
I felt tears burn my eyes.
“You gave him soldiers.”
“I gave him names of people he was already targeting.”
“You still gave them.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
My husband couldn't answer.
Ward walked toward me.
“Because your husband made a choice.”
He pointed toward Emily.
“And now your daughter has made hers.”
I looked at the monitor.
“What choice?”
Emily smiled.
Then the screen displayed a new message.
PHASE TWO COMPLETE.
Underneath it:
ARCHIVE ACCESS GRANTED.
Every monitor in the facility turned black.
Then one word appeared.
VICTORIA.
I stared.
The next line appeared.
WELCOME BACK.
Then the entire facility began to shake.
My father looked around.
“What is happening?”
Ward's smile disappeared.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
“That wasn't supposed to happen.”
“What?”
He stared at the screens.
“They accessed the archive.”
I looked at him.
“Who?”
Ward whispered:
“Not Emily.”
The screens flickered.
A new face appeared.
A man.
Older.
Scarred.
Cold eyes.
I recognized him.
Charles Prescott.
But he wasn't alone.
Standing beside him was another person.
A woman.
I knew her immediately.
Dr. Rebecca Sloan.
The psychologist who had watched Emily since childhood.
She looked directly into the camera.
Then she smiled.
“Hello, Victoria.”
Ward took a step backward.
“No.”
Dr. Sloan continued:
“You've spent twenty years believing you created Black Lantern.”
She shook her head.
“You didn't.”
I stared.
“Then who did?”
Dr. Sloan smiled.
“We did.”
She looked toward Charles.
Then back at me.
“And we've been waiting twenty years for you to remember one final thing.”
The screen went black.
A final sentence appeared.
YOUR FATHER WAS NEVER THE FIRST VICTIM.
Then another.
YOU WERE.
The facility shook again.
And somewhere deep underground, a door opened.
Behind it was a room I had seen before.
The red door from my dreams.
And from inside that room came Emily's voice.
“Mom…”
I turned toward it.
May you like
“Come find me.”
Then the lights went out.
