Ethan turned back toward him.
The older man was struggling to breathe. Blood covered the front of his uniform.
Victoria knelt beside him.
"Daniel, stay with us."
Reeves grabbed her wrist.
"Don't waste your time."
"We can get you out."
"No."
He looked at Ethan.
"There's something you need to know."
Ethan moved closer.
"What?"
Reeves swallowed painfully.
"Your brother wasn't the first child they took."
Ethan frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Reeves looked toward the filing cabinets.
"The Black Circle created a program called Project Genesis. They collected information about children whose identities could be altered without attracting attention. Some came from abandoned medical facilities. Others were children of witnesses who had been murdered."
Victoria's expression changed.
"Daniel, stop."
He ignored her.
"They weren't just changing names. They were building new identities for people who could later be used as informants, witnesses, or even political instruments."
Ethan felt sick.
"How many children?"
Reeves closed his eyes.
"Seventeen."
Ethan looked at the number written on his photograph.
017.
"Was I the last one?"
Reeves nodded.
"You were supposed to be."
A distant explosion shook the ceiling.
Dust fell from the ventilation system.
Victoria looked toward the entrance.
"We have to leave. Now."
But Reeves grabbed Ethan's arm.
"Find the woman behind the badge."
Ethan frowned.
"What woman?"
Reeves struggled to breathe.
"The woman who created the original program."
"Who is she?"
Reeves opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, his body went limp.
Victoria checked his pulse.
Then she slowly stood.
"He's gone."
Ethan stared at the man.
For years, Reeves had been the officer who taught him how to handle his weapon, how to write reports, and how to survive his first night patrol.
Now he was dead.
And Ethan didn't even know whether he had been a good man or a criminal.
His mother touched his shoulder.
"We need to go."
Ethan moved away from her.
"Don't touch me."
She froze.
For a moment, he saw the pain in her eyes.
But he didn't care.
Not anymore.
They escaped through a narrow maintenance tunnel behind the archive. Victoria led the way, while Robert carried the remaining documents.
After nearly ten minutes, they reached an abandoned subway entrance.
Outside, the rain had stopped.
The city looked strangely peaceful.
People were walking along the sidewalks. Cars passed through intersections. A restaurant nearby was still serving customers.
Nobody knew that beneath their feet, an entire history of corruption was being uncovered.
Victoria checked her phone.
"We need somewhere safe."
Robert shook his head.
"There isn't anywhere safe."
"Then we create one."
She turned toward Ethan.
"Do you still have the flash drive?"
Ethan reached into his jacket.
It was gone.
His face changed.
"What?"
He checked his pockets again.
Nothing.
"The flash drive!"
Robert immediately searched his coat.
"Did you lose it?"
"I had it when Reeves gave it to me!"
Victoria closed her eyes.
"Someone took it."
Ethan looked toward his mother.
She was standing a few steps away.
Her hands were trembling.
"Mom?"
She slowly looked up.
"Give it back."
She didn't move.
Ethan approached her.
"You took it, didn't you?"
His mother began crying.
"I didn't want this to happen."
"Where is it?"
She reached into her coat and pulled out the small black flash drive.
Victoria immediately raised her weapon.
"Don't move."
Ethan stared at his mother.
"Why?"
His mother looked at him.
"Because Adrian contacted me before you were born."
Ethan shook his head.
"That makes no sense."
"He was only a child, but he understood what was happening. He knew the Black Circle wanted to use him."
"Then why did you take him?"
"Because he asked me to."
Silence.
Ethan blinked.
"What?"
His mother wiped her tears.
"Your brother begged me to take him away. He knew your father was working with the organization. He knew that one day Robert would be ordered to eliminate him."
Robert looked devastated.
"That's not true."
She turned toward him.
"You signed the order, Robert."
His father lowered his head.
Ethan looked between them.
"Which order?"
His mother handed him the flash drive.
"The order to terminate Subject 016."
Ethan looked at the number.
016.
His brother.
Robert's voice cracked.
"I never carried it out."
"But you signed it."
Ethan stepped away.
His father had been willing to kill his own child.
Or at least, he had been willing to authorize it.
Victoria suddenly received a message.
She read it.
Her expression changed immediately.
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
Victoria showed him the screen.
It contained a photograph of a little girl standing outside a school.
Underneath it were six words.
THE LAST SUBJECT IS STILL ALIVE.
Ethan looked at her.
"Who is she?"
Victoria slowly lowered the phone.
"Your daughter."
Ethan stared at her.
"I don't have a daughter."
Victoria looked toward his mother.
"Apparently, there are still things nobody has told him."
And somewhere across Blackwood City, a little girl was being watched by a man wearing a police uniform.
At 6:40 in the morning, Officer Ethan Cole received a photograph that changed everything.
It showed a little girl sitting on a wooden bench outside a school.
She was approximately seven years old.
Her dark hair was tied into two small ponytails, and she was holding a pink backpack.
On the back of the photograph was a handwritten message.
SHE HAS YOUR EYES.
Ethan stared at the image.
"Who is she?"
Victoria stood beside him.
"Her name is Lily."
"How do you know?"
"Because I've been watching her for six months."
Ethan turned sharply.
"You've been watching a child?"
"Protecting her."
"From whom?"
Victoria hesitated.
"From your brother."
Ethan felt a chill move down his spine.
"Adrian?"
She nodded.
"Your brother has been searching for her."
"But why would he care about a little girl?"
Victoria looked directly at him.
"Because Lily is the only person who can unlock the final part of Project Genesis."
Ethan stared at the photograph.
He had never been married.
He had never been in a serious relationship long enough to have a child.
At least, that was what he believed.