"What?"
Miller opened a small metal case.
Inside was a photograph of a man Ethan had never seen before.
The man had the same eyes as Ethan.
The same facial structure.
The same distinctive scar above the eyebrow.
Miller placed the photograph in Ethan's lap.
"Robert Cole was never your biological father."
Ethan looked up.
Miller smiled.
"Welcome to the beginning of the truth."
And somewhere in the darkness, a phone began ringing.
The caller ID displayed a name that had been officially declared dead twenty-three years earlier.
VICTORIA MORGAN'S FATHER.
The black vehicle moved through the empty streets of Blackwood City.
Ethan sat in the back seat, his hands tied behind his back. Across from him, Captain Miller watched him silently.
For nearly twenty minutes, neither man spoke.
Finally, Ethan broke the silence.
"Who is the man in the photograph?"
Miller looked at him.
"Someone you've been searching for your entire life."
"I don't know him."
"That's because you've spent your entire life being told what to remember."
Ethan leaned forward.
"Stop speaking in riddles. Who is he?"
Miller opened the metal case again.
The photograph showed a middle-aged man standing beside a black car. He wore a dark suit and a silver watch. His face was calm, almost expressionless.
Beneath the photograph was a name.
ELIAS VOSS.
Ethan stared at it.
"Is he my biological father?"
Miller nodded.
"Yes."
Ethan laughed bitterly.
"So Robert Cole wasn't my father?"
"He raised you. He protected you. But he wasn't the man who gave you life."
"Why would my mother hide that?"
Miller looked out the window.
"Because Elias Voss wasn't an ordinary man. He was the founder of Project Genesis."
Ethan's expression changed.
"The Black Circle?"
Miller nodded.
"Before the organization became what it is today, Elias believed he could create a perfect intelligence network. He wanted people who could live under different identities, move through institutions unnoticed, and gather information without attracting suspicion."
"And the children?"
"Part of his experiment."
Ethan felt sick.
"You experimented on children?"
Miller didn't answer.
The vehicle finally stopped outside an abandoned hospital.
The building stood at the edge of the city, surrounded by a rusted metal fence. Most of its windows were broken, and a faded sign hung above the entrance.
BLACKWOOD MEDICAL CENTER.
Ethan recognized the building from the photographs in the archive.
It was where Project Genesis had begun.
Miller opened the door.
"Welcome home."
They entered through a side entrance and walked down a long corridor.
The walls were covered with old photographs. Some showed doctors. Others showed children standing in front of numbered doors.
Ethan stopped in front of one photograph.
A little boy stood beside a hospital bed.
He was wearing a white shirt and dark trousers.
His face was unmistakable.
Adrian.
But beside him stood another child.
Ethan.
Both boys were approximately five years old.
He stared at the image.
"I don't remember this."
"Of course you don't," Miller replied. "Your memories were deliberately suppressed."
Ethan turned toward him.
"How?"
"Medical procedures. Psychological conditioning. Years of controlled information."
They continued walking until they reached a steel door.
A small golden number was attached to it.
13.
Miller unlocked the door.
Inside was a spacious room with a single table, two chairs, and a large window overlooking the hospital garden.
An elderly man was sitting beside the window.
His hair was completely white, but his eyes were sharp.
He looked up.
"Ethan."
The young officer froze.
The man smiled.
"I've waited a long time to meet you."
Ethan stared at him.
"Are you Elias Voss?"
The man nodded.
"Yes."
"Are you my father?"
Elias looked at him for several seconds.
"Biologically, yes."
Ethan clenched his jaw.
"Then why did you abandon me?"
Elias sighed.
"Because you were never supposed to survive."
Silence filled the room.
"What?"
Elias folded his hands.
"When you were born, the Black Circle was already collapsing. Several members wanted to destroy the entire project. Your mother refused to cooperate. Robert tried to protect her, and Adrian was considered too dangerous to remain alive."
Ethan stepped closer.
"So you separated us?"
"I gave you different identities."
"You gave me a fake life!"
Elias nodded.
"Yes."
Ethan's voice became louder.
"You made me believe my father was dead! You made me believe I was an ordinary person!"
Elias remained calm.
"And yet, you became a police officer."
Ethan froze.
"What?"
Elias smiled faintly.
"That was the most interesting part of the experiment. Even without knowing your origins, you chose to become part of the institution that destroyed your family."
Ethan stared at him.
"You planned that?"
"No."
Elias looked toward the window.
"Some things cannot be controlled."
For a moment, Ethan almost believed him.
Then Elias reached into his jacket and removed a small photograph.
It showed a young woman holding a newborn baby.
Ethan recognized the woman.
Sarah Bennett.
The woman Victoria had told him was Lily's mother.
"Why are you showing me this?"
Elias placed the photograph on the table.
"Because Lily is not your biological daughter."
Ethan's face turned pale.
"Then why does she call me her father?"
"Because you were listed as her legal guardian in a protection agreement."
Ethan shook his head.
"That's impossible."
Elias continued.
"Sarah was investigating Project Genesis. She discovered that someone had stolen the original subject records. Before she was murdered, she entrusted Lily to a man she believed could protect her."
"Who?"
Elias looked directly at him.
"You."
Ethan felt his knees weaken.
"Why would she trust me?"
"Because Sarah knew something about you that even you didn't know."
Elias leaned forward.
"Your memories were altered, Ethan. But not everything was erased."
He pointed toward Ethan's chest.
"Somewhere inside your mind is the location of the original evidence."
Ethan stared at him.
"And you want it?"
Elias smiled.
"No."
He stood up.
"I want you to remember it."
Suddenly, a loud alarm sounded throughout the hospital.
Miller looked toward the door.
"What's happening?"
A security guard appeared in the corridor.
"Sir! We have an intrusion!"
Elias closed his eyes.
"Who?"
The guard hesitated.
Then he answered: