Chapter 9 - My brother looked like me.Not similar.
Not close.
Identical.
Same jaw.
Same eyes.
Same nose.
Same scar.
The only difference was the age.
He looked forty.
I was thirty-four.
He smiled.
“Do you remember me?”
“No.”
“Of course not.”
He stepped closer to the glass.
“Our father made sure of that.”
I raised my gun.
Victor stepped between us.
“Put it down.”
“No.”
“Your brother is not your enemy.”
I almost laughed.
“He kidnapped my children.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“They are not your children.”
The words cut deeper than I expected.
“They carry my blood.”
“They carry mine.”
I looked at Miles and Nora.
“Why?”
“Because our father designed the program around my genetic material.”
Adrian placed his hand against the glass.
“I was the original.”
“What was wrong with you?”
He smiled.
“Nothing.”
“Then why create me?”
“Because they needed a normal version.”
I remembered the basement.
The glass.
The boy.
The mirror.
“You were unstable.”
“I had memories.”
“What does that mean?”
“I remembered everything.”
Adrian looked toward Victor.
“He didn't like that.”
“Who?”
“Our father.”
Adrian's voice became colder.
“He wanted an heir who could obey.”
I stepped toward him.
“Then why am I alive?”
“Because your mother loved you.”
I froze.
“My mother died when I was seven.”
“No.”
Adrian shook his head.
“She escaped.”
I felt dizzy.
“You're lying.”
“Ask Victor.”
I turned.
Victor didn't deny it.
My entire childhood was collapsing.
My father had built an empire around secrets.
My brother had survived.
My mother had disappeared.
Lucia had faked her death.
And now my children were locked inside a laboratory.
I pointed the gun at Victor.
“Release them.”
“We can negotiate.”
“No.”
“You need to understand what happens if they leave.”
“What?”
Adrian answered.
“They'll be hunted.”
“By who?”
“Everyone.”
“Why?”
“Because they are proof that Project Mercy worked.”
I looked at the twins.
“And Theo?”
Victor smiled.
“He is different.”
“What does that mean?”
Adrian stepped closer.
“Theo is the control.”
I stared.
“Control for what?”
Adrian's eyes hardened.
“The entire system.”
My stomach tightened.
“What system?”
“The genetic network your father created.”
I didn't understand.
Adrian continued.
“The program didn't end with the children.”
He pointed toward the laboratory.
“It expanded.”
He showed me a database.
Hundreds of names.
Politicians.
Judges.
Police officers.
Businessmen.
Doctors.
Mafia bosses.
All connected.
“Your father used Project Mercy to create loyalty markers.”
“What?”
“Biological leverage.”
He explained it slowly.
Certain people in power had received treatments.
Their families had been manipulated.
Their health monitored.
Their children tracked.
The Moretti syndicate wasn't just organized crime.
It was one component of a massive network.
I looked at Victor.
“You inherited this.”
“No.”
He smiled.
“Your brother did.”
Adrian looked at me.
“I never wanted it.”
“So why did you take my children?”
“To protect them.”
“You kidnapped them.”
“I rescued them.”
I shook my head.
“You're insane.”
Adrian ignored me.
“Ask yourself why Lucia died.”
“I know how she died.”
“No.”
He leaned forward.
“She wasn't supposed to survive the birth.”
“What?”
“She took your place.”
“My place?”
“She knew they were going to kill you.”
I felt my legs weaken.
Adrian whispered:
“Lucia wasn't your victim.”
“She was your shield.”
The chamber behind him unlocked.
Miles and Nora stirred.
I took one step forward.
Then another.
Victor raised his weapon.
“Don't.”
I stopped.
Adrian looked toward the door.
“They're coming.”
“Who?”
He smiled.
“The government.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Your father's enemies finally discovered the laboratory.”
An explosion shook the building.
Then another.
Sirens filled the underground corridors.
Victor cursed.
Adrian opened the chamber.
He grabbed Miles.
I grabbed Nora.
For one brief moment, we stood together.
Brothers.
Enemies.
Family.
Then the emergency lights turned blue.
A voice echoed over the speakers.
“Federal agents. Drop your weapons.”
Victor looked at me.
“You brought them here.”
“I didn't.”
Adrian smiled.
“Yes.”
Everyone looked at him.
He whispered:
“I did.”
May you like
Then the laboratory doors exploded inward.
And armed federal agents stormed the room.
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