Sophia whispered:
"My father hid it before he died."
Then she looked toward the ceiling.
A tiny red light blinked above the ventilation system.
"Don't say anything else," she whispered.
Ethan understood.
They were still being watched.
Sophia leaned closer.
"At midnight, the power will go out. When it does, run."
Then she walked away.
For the first time since the gala, Ethan began to believe she had never betrayed him.
But he still didn't know whether they could escape.
And he still didn't know what his mother had been hiding.
At exactly midnight, the lights went out.
A loud alarm sounded somewhere beneath the building.
Ethan heard footsteps running through the corridor.
Then the metal door opened.
Sophia appeared.
"Now!"
She cut the ropes around Ethan's wrists.
Daniel struggled to stand.
Ethan rushed toward him.
"Can you walk?"
Daniel nodded.
Sophia handed them two security uniforms.
"Put these on. There are guards outside the main entrance."
They moved through a narrow maintenance tunnel.
The air was cold, and water dripped from the ceiling.
After several minutes, they reached a steel staircase.
At the bottom was a door marked:
PROJECT NIGHTFALL β RESTRICTED ACCESS.
Sophia used the access card Margaret had given them.
The door opened.
Beyond it was an enormous underground laboratory.
Ethan stopped.
He had never seen anything like it.
Rows of glass chambers stood beneath the ceiling. Large pipes connected different sections of the facility, and several computers were still operating.
A massive circular machine occupied the center of the room.
Daniel stared at it.
"They never shut it down."
Ethan looked at him.
"What is this place?"
Daniel walked toward the central control panel.
"The original Nightfall reactor."
He explained that the project had been designed to create a new source of energy using a highly reactive chemical compound.
But the system had a serious weakness.
When the temperature reached a certain level, the compound became unstable.
The resulting reaction could release toxic gases and trigger an enormous explosion.
The Riverside disaster had been caused by an unauthorized experiment involving the reactor.
But Daniel had discovered something even more disturbing.
The original machine had never been intended to generate electricity.
It had been modified to produce controlled chemical reactions that could be used for military applications.
"Who wanted to buy it?" Ethan asked.
Daniel looked toward the far wall.
"People who don't appear in public."
Sophia opened a nearby computer.
"There's a server connected to the city surveillance network."
She began examining the files.
Within seconds, she found hundreds of archived recordings.
"These cameras were installed throughout Blackwood City."
Ethan frowned.
"Why?"
"Because Nightfall wasn't the only experiment."
She opened a map.
The system showed cameras positioned around hospitals, government offices, private residences, and police stations.
Sophia looked horrified.
"They've been monitoring the entire city."
Daniel nodded.
"Samuel wanted to control every person who could expose the project."
Ethan approached the computer.
"Can we access the recordings?"
Sophia shook her head.
"Most are encrypted. But there's something else."
She opened a folder labeled:
SUBJECT 001 β LAURA COLE.
Inside were medical records, photographs, and video interviews.
Ethan clicked the first recording.
His mother appeared on the screen.
She looked tired but healthy.
"October 21, 2019," she said. "I am recording this because I believe someone inside the Nightfall project is deliberately manipulating the medical records."
She looked directly into the camera.
"Samuel Cole is not working alone. He has help from the highest levels of government."
The video continued.
"I also discovered that the original reactor design was changed without Daniel's approval."
Ethan felt his throat tighten.
His mother was not merely a victim.
She had been investigating the conspiracy.
The next recording showed her speaking with Michael Bennett.
Sophia moved closer.
Her father appeared younger, wearing a police uniform.
Michael said:
"Laura, you need to leave Blackwood."
She replied:
"I can't. Daniel is still inside."
"Daniel is not the only person in danger."
Laura looked toward the camera.
"Then help me find the man who ordered the explosion."
Michael hesitated.
Then he said a name.
"Edward Voss."
Daniel suddenly turned.
"No."
Ethan looked at him.
"Who is Edward Voss?"
Daniel appeared genuinely frightened.
"He was the original architect of Nightfall."
Sophia searched the database.
A profile appeared.
EDWARD VOSS β DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
Status: Retired.
Location: Unknown.
The file contained a photograph of an elderly man wearing a dark suit.
On his finger was a silver ring.
The same ring Samuel had worn.
Ethan stared at the screen.
"He's the man behind everything."
Daniel nodded.
"Samuel was his student. Victor was his business partner. Hayes was his instrument."
Sophia opened another folder.
Inside was a document titled:
FINAL TRANSFER AGREEMENT.
It showed that Nightfall's assets were scheduled to be transferred to a private corporation at midnight.
The date was today.
Ethan checked the clock.
11:42 p.m.
"They're moving the entire project tonight."
Daniel looked at the reactor.
"If they transfer the research, they'll be able to restart everything somewhere else."
Sophia suddenly heard something.
Footsteps.
Several people were approaching the laboratory.
She closed the computer.
"We have to go."
But before they could reach the exit, the overhead speakers activated.
A man's voice filled the room.
"Good evening, Daniel."
It was Edward Voss.
"Welcome back to your creation."
The laboratory doors locked.
A countdown appeared on the main screen.
SYSTEM PURGE: 18 MINUTES.
Daniel looked at the reactor.
"He's going to destroy the evidence."
Ethan grabbed the memory card.
"Then we need to stop him."
Daniel shook his head.
"No. We need to get your mother."
A video appeared.
Laura Cole sat inside a glass chamber.
Her hands were restrained.
Edward Voss stood beside her.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Daniel, you have fifteen minutes to surrender the original recording."
He paused.
"Otherwise, your wife will finally disappear forever."
Ethan stared at the screen.
Then the video changed.
Laura looked directly toward the camera.
She whispered:
"Ethan, don't trust your father."
The screen went black.
The countdown continued.
Fourteen minutes.
Thirteen minutes.
Twelve minutes.
Daniel stood motionless in front of the screen.