"Who is her mother?"
Victoria remained silent.
Ethan stepped closer.
"Tell me."
"Her mother was a woman named Sarah Bennett."
The name meant nothing to him.
"Who was she?"
"A forensic analyst. She worked with the Blackwood Police Department five years ago."
Ethan shook his head.
"I've never met her."
Victoria looked at him carefully.
"That's what you remember."
"What does that mean?"
Before Victoria could answer, Robert's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
"Who is it?" Ethan asked.
Robert didn't answer.
He stepped away and picked up the call.
"Hello?"
A man's voice came through.
"Good morning, Robert."
Robert immediately recognized it.
"Miller."
"How's the family?"
Robert tightened his grip on the phone.
"What do you want?"
"Something simple. The original files."
"They're gone."
Miller laughed.
"Don't insult my intelligence."
Robert looked toward Ethan.
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere you cannot reach."
"Then why are you calling?"
"Because I have something you want."
Robert closed his eyes.
"Who?"
Miller answered calmly.
"Your wife."
The call ended.
Robert lowered the phone.
Ethan noticed the change in his face.
"What happened?"
Robert looked at Victoria.
"He's got her."
"Who?"
"My wife."
Ethan turned toward his mother.
But she was already walking away.
"Mom?"
She stopped.
Then she slowly turned around.
"I knew this would happen."
Robert approached her.
"We need to move."
"No."
"What?"
She looked at Ethan.
"I need to tell him the truth."
Victoria shook her head.
"We don't have time."
But Ethan stepped between them.
"Nobody is leaving until someone tells me what's going on."
His mother took a deep breath.
"Five years ago, I met a woman named Sarah Bennett. She was investigating the Black Circle. She had discovered that the organization had continued Project Genesis long after it was supposedly shut down."
Ethan listened carefully.
"She contacted me because she had evidence that one of the original subjects was still alive."
"Who?"
"Adrian."
Ethan looked toward the photograph.
His mother continued.
"Sarah was killed shortly after she contacted me. But before she died, she managed to hide something."
"What?"
"A recording."
"Where?"
His mother looked at him.
"Inside Lily's school."
Ethan frowned.
"Why would she put evidence inside a school?"
"Because nobody would think to search a child's classroom."
Victoria checked her weapon.
"We're going there."
Robert looked at her.
"That's exactly what Miller wants."
"Then we'll make sure he regrets it."
They arrived at the school shortly after eight.
Parents were dropping off their children. Teachers were greeting students near the entrance, and the playground was filled with laughter.
Ethan looked at the building.
It seemed impossible that something connected to the Black Circle could be hidden in such an ordinary place.
Victoria handed him a small photograph.
"That's Lily's classroom."
Ethan studied it.
Then he noticed a familiar symbol drawn on the wall behind the teacher's desk.
A black circle.
His stomach tightened.
"She's already been here."
Victoria nodded.
"Yes."
They entered through a side door.
The school hallway was nearly empty because most students were already in class.
Ethan approached the classroom.
Through the window, he saw a little girl sitting near the back.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, Ethan forgot everything.
The girl smiled.
Then she stood up and walked toward the door.
"Are you my dad?"
Ethan couldn't answer.
He knelt in front of her.
"What's your name?"
"Lily."
"That's a beautiful name."
She looked at him carefully.
"Mommy said you would come back."
Ethan felt his throat tighten.
"Your mommy?"
Lily nodded.
"She said you were looking for me."
Ethan looked toward Victoria.
But she was no longer standing beside him.
He turned.
"Victoria?"
Nothing.
The hallway was empty.
Then the school intercom crackled.
A male voice spoke.
"Officer Cole, please report to the principal's office."
Ethan slowly stood.
Lily grabbed his hand.
"Don't go."
He looked down.
"Why?"
She whispered:
"That's not the principal."
Suddenly, every classroom door opened at once.
Armed men entered the hallway.
Teachers screamed.
Children began crying.
Ethan immediately pulled Lily behind him.
"Everybody stay down!"
One of the men raised his weapon.
"Give us the girl!"
Ethan drew his gun.
"Put it down!"
The man laughed.
"You really don't understand, do you?"
Ethan tightened his grip.
"Last warning."
The man slowly lowered his weapon.
Then he smiled.
"Your brother sends his regards."
Ethan froze.
A second man appeared behind him.
Before Ethan could turn, something struck the back of his head.
The world became blurry.
He fell to his knees.
The last thing he heard was Lily screaming his name.
Then everything went black.
When he woke up, he was sitting inside a dark room.
His hands were tied.
A television stood directly in front of him.
The screen turned on.
A familiar face appeared.
Adrian.
His brother.
He looked older, colder, and strangely calm.
"Hello, Ethan."
Ethan struggled against the ropes.
"Where is Lily?"
Adrian smiled.
"Safe."
"Let her go!"
"Why? She's family."
Ethan stared at the screen.
"What do you want?"
Adrian leaned closer to the camera.
"I want you to stop looking for answers."
"Why?"
"Because the truth will destroy everything you believe."
Ethan clenched his jaw.
"Then tell me the truth."
Adrian's smile disappeared.
"Fine."
He paused.
"Your father didn't abandon me."
Ethan remained silent.
Adrian continued.
"He sold me."
The room smelled of damp concrete and old cigarettes.
Ethan sat in a metal chair, his wrists tied tightly behind his back.
The television continued displaying Adrian's face.
For several seconds, neither brother spoke.
Then Ethan finally asked:
"Why would Dad sell you?"
Adrian leaned back in his chair.
"Because he needed money."
Ethan shook his head.
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
Adrian reached toward something outside the camera's view.
A moment later, a document appeared on the screen.
It was an old financial agreement.
The date was twenty-three years earlier.
Robert Cole's signature appeared at the bottom.
Ethan stared at it.
"What is that?"
"An agreement between your father and the Black Circle."
Adrian pointed toward the signature.
"Your father received three million dollars in exchange for transferring custody of Subject 016."
Ethan's stomach tightened.