Ethan turned toward his father.
"Is that true?"
Robert looked down.
Victoria continued.
"But when he discovered that they were planning to eliminate everyone who knew about the agreement, he tried to escape."
Ethan felt sick.
"So my father worked with them?"
"Yes."
Robert finally spoke.
"I was trying to protect you."
Ethan stepped backward.
"You were one of them?"
His father couldn't look him in the eyes.
Victoria approached Ethan.
"There's something else."
She reached into her pocket and placed a small photograph in his hand.
It showed a newborn baby lying in a hospital bed.
On the back was written:
Subject 017. The original witness.
Ethan looked confused.
"Who is this?"
Victoria's expression became darker.
"That's you."
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Ethan stared at the photograph.
A newborn baby.
A hospital bracelet.
A handwritten number.
017.
"That's impossible," he whispered.
Victoria looked at him.
"Your father told you that you were born at St. Mary's Hospital, didn't he?"
Ethan nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"That's not entirely true."
His mother stepped forward.
"Victoria, please."
But Victoria continued.
"You were born in a private medical facility operated by a foundation connected to the Black Circle. St. Mary's Hospital was only listed on your birth certificate."
Ethan shook his head.
"Why would anyone do that?"
"Because your birth was connected to an investigation."
Robert looked away.
Ethan turned toward him.
"What investigation?"
His father remained silent.
Victoria answered.
"Twenty-three years ago, the Black Circle was running an illegal witness-protection operation. They were moving people, changing identities, and secretly controlling criminal investigations."
She paused.
"Some witnesses were protected. Others were erased."
Ethan felt his stomach tighten.
"And I was one of them?"
Victoria nodded.
"Your mother worked in the medical department of the facility. Your father was responsible for security."
Ethan turned toward his mother.
"Mom?"
She looked devastated.
"I never wanted you involved."
"But you knew?"
She nodded.
"I knew something was wrong. I didn't understand everything until it was too late."
Robert stepped forward.
"Ethan, listen to me. You were never supposed to become part of this."
"Then why does everyone have a file about me?"
His father didn't answer.
Victoria checked her watch.
"We don't have much time. Miller will return with more people. We need to get to the archives."
"The archives?" Ethan asked.
"The original evidence is hidden beneath the old police station."
Robert looked at her.
"That's impossible. The building was destroyed."
"Not all of it."
Victoria pulled out a folded map.
"There's an underground passage connecting the old station to the abandoned courthouse. Your father designed it."
Ethan looked at Robert.
"You built a secret tunnel beneath a police station?"
"I was following orders."
"Of course you were."
His voice was full of anger.
Victoria interrupted them.
"Save your arguments. We need to move."
They entered the abandoned courthouse shortly before midnight.
The building had been closed for more than a decade. Dust covered the floors, broken windows allowed the rain to enter, and old documents were scattered across the reception desk.
Victoria led them toward a staircase behind the main courtroom.
At the bottom was a steel door.
Robert took out a small key.
He inserted it into the lock.
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
"That's strange," he whispered.
Victoria examined the door.
"Someone changed the lock."
Robert stepped backward.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Ethan noticed something on the wall.
A small black circle had been painted beside the door.
Beneath it were two numbers.
017.
He touched the symbol.
Suddenly, a small screen illuminated.
A voice emerged from a hidden speaker.
"Identity verification required."
Robert stared at the screen.
"That's new."
Victoria looked at Ethan.
"Try your hand."
"What?"
"Put your hand on the scanner."
Ethan hesitated.
Then he placed his palm against the glass.
A green light appeared.
The screen displayed:
IDENTITY CONFIRMED.
WELCOME BACK, SUBJECT 017.
The steel door unlocked.
Ethan stepped backward.
"How does this know who I am?"
Victoria didn't answer.
Inside the room were dozens of metal filing cabinets.
Each cabinet carried a number.
001.
002.
003.
And so on.
The final cabinet was marked 017.
Robert approached it.
"That's the one."
He opened the drawer.
Inside was a thick folder containing photographs, medical records, financial statements, and several handwritten reports.
Ethan picked up the first document.
It was a medical report dated twenty-three years earlier.
His name was written at the top.
But beneath his name was another line.
Biological parent verification: UNCONFIRMED.
Ethan frowned.
"What does this mean?"
His mother suddenly grabbed the document.
"Don't read that."
He pulled it away.
"Why?"
Victoria watched them silently.
Ethan turned to the next page.
There were two photographs.
One showed his mother holding a newborn baby.
The other showed another woman standing outside the same facility.
Ethan recognized her immediately.
It was Victoria.
But the date on the photograph was impossible.
It was dated three days before Ethan's birth.
He looked at Victoria.
"Why were you there?"
She slowly lowered her eyes.
"Because I was responsible for bringing you into the world."
Ethan froze.
"What?"
His mother began crying.
Robert closed his eyes.
Victoria continued.
"Your mother gave birth to you, but she wasn't the only person who knew about the operation. I was investigating the facility when I discovered that several newborn identities had been illegally altered."
She pointed toward the folder.
"Your file was the most important one."
Ethan turned another page.
This time, he found a photograph of a man.
A man who looked almost exactly like him.
Same eyes.
Same jawline.
Same scar above the eyebrow.
Except the man was older.
Much older.
Beneath the photograph was a name.
ADRIAN COLE.
Ethan whispered:
"Who is Adrian Cole?"
His father finally spoke.
"Your brother."
Ethan looked up.
"I don't have a brother."
Robert shook his head.
"You had one."
"Had?"
His father swallowed.
"He disappeared the night you were born."
Suddenly, a phone began ringing somewhere inside the archive.
Everyone turned.
The sound came from the final filing cabinet.
Victoria opened a hidden compartment.
Inside was an old mobile phone.