Ethan turned toward him.
"What did Mom mean?"
Daniel didn't answer.
"She said not to trust you."
Daniel lowered his eyes.
"Your mother knows something I never told you."
"What?"
Daniel took a deep breath.
"Seven years ago, I was given a choice. I could surrender the original Nightfall research, or Samuel would kill your mother."
Ethan frowned.
"You said you refused."
"I did. But then he showed me something."
"What?"
"A recording of Laura agreeing to help him."
Ethan shook his head.
"That's impossible."
"I thought so too."
Daniel explained that Samuel had created a false video showing Laura cooperating with Nightfall.
He had used the recording to convince Daniel that his wife had betrayed him.
Daniel disappeared after the explosion because he believed Laura had willingly joined Samuel.
But now he understood that the recording might have been fabricated.
Sophia examined the security network.
"I've found the location of the chamber."
She displayed a map.
"Sector C. Three floors below us."
Ethan looked at the countdown.
"Let's go."
They moved through the laboratory.
Several emergency lights illuminated the corridor.
As they reached the lower level, they found a series of locked doors.
Sophia bypassed the first security panel.
The second required a biometric scan.
Daniel placed his hand against the reader.
The door opened.
Inside was a medical room.
Several monitors displayed vital signs.
And in the center stood a glass chamber.
Laura Cole was inside.
Ethan rushed toward her.
"Mom!"
She slowly raised her head.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Ethan?"
He pressed his hands against the glass.
"Mom, it's me."
Laura began crying.
Daniel approached.
"Laura."
She looked at him.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then she stepped backward.
"Don't come closer."
Daniel stopped.
"Please."
"You left me."
"I thought you were working with Samuel."
Laura shook her head.
"You believed him instead of me."
Daniel lowered his eyes.
"I know."
Ethan looked between them.
"Can we discuss this later? We need to get you out."
Sophia examined the control panel.
"The chamber is locked through the central security system."
She connected her laptop.
A warning appeared.
MANUAL OVERRIDE REQUIRED.
Daniel searched the room.
He found a small emergency switch behind the medical equipment.
He pulled it.
The chamber opened.
Laura stumbled forward.
Ethan caught her.
He held his mother for the first time in seven years.
She buried her face against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Ethan closed his eyes.
"I thought I had lost you."
"I never stopped looking for you."
Daniel approached slowly.
Laura finally turned toward him.
They stared at each other.
Then she reached for his hand.
But before they could speak, the laboratory speakers activated.
Edward Voss's voice returned.
"Such a beautiful reunion."
The doors locked.
A group of armed guards entered the corridor.
Samuel appeared behind them.
He was holding a small remote control.
"Give me the recording."
Ethan stepped forward.
"No."
Samuel sighed.
"I was hoping we could avoid this."
He pointed the remote toward the central reactor.
A red warning light appeared.
Daniel immediately recognized the signal.
"Samuel, don't!"
Samuel smiled.
"Then give me what I want."
Sophia looked at the control panel.
She whispered:
"The reactor is already overheating."
Daniel rushed toward the emergency controls.
But Samuel pressed the remote.
A deep mechanical sound shook the building.
The reactor began vibrating.
Ethan grabbed his mother.
Sophia pulled Daniel away from the control panel.
Samuel stepped backward.
"Goodbye, family."
He turned toward the exit.
Then something unexpected happened.
A gunshot rang out.
One of the guards fell.
Another dropped his weapon.
The remaining men turned toward the corridor.
A figure emerged from the smoke.
He wore an old police jacket.
His hair was gray.
His face was marked by a long scar.
Sophia froze.
"Dad?"
The man looked toward her.
"Hello, sweetheart."
Michael Bennett was alive.
Sophia rushed toward him.
She threw her arms around him.
"You're alive!"
Michael held her tightly.
"I am now."
Ethan stared in disbelief.
"You were supposed to be dead."
Michael nodded.
"That's what they wanted you to believe."
He turned toward Daniel.
"We don't have much time."
Daniel looked at him.
"You knew Laura was alive?"
Michael nodded.
"I helped hide her."
Laura approached.
"Michael, where is the master recording?"
Michael removed a small device from his jacket.
"Right here."
Ethan looked at it.
"That's it?"
Michael nodded.
"The complete footage from the night of the explosion. Every camera. Every angle. Including the room where Edward Voss gave the final order."
Samuel turned pale.
"You stole it?"
Michael smiled.
"Seven years ago."
Then he pointed his weapon toward Samuel.
"Now it's over."
But Samuel laughed.
"You still don't understand."
He pressed another button.
The building shook.
The reactor's warning lights turned bright red.
A countdown appeared.
CRITICAL FAILURE: 05:00.
Michael looked at Daniel.
"Can you shut it down?"
Daniel nodded.
"Maybe."
"Then do it."
Daniel ran toward the control panel.
Ethan helped Sophia move Laura toward the exit.
But as they reached the corridor, Edward Voss appeared.
He stood calmly behind the guards.
"Nobody is leaving."
He raised a small pistol.
Then he looked at Ethan.
"Your family has caused enough trouble."
Ethan stepped in front of his mother.
Voss smiled.
"Move, boy."
Ethan didn't move.
Behind him, Daniel continued working on the reactor.
The countdown reached three minutes.
Then two.
And finally, the central system shut down.
The warning lights disappeared.
For the first time in seven years, Project Nightfall went silent.
Daniel turned around.
He was smiling.
"It's over."
But Edward Voss was still holding his gun.
And he was not ready to surrender.
Edward Voss stood in the middle of the laboratory.
His gun remained pointed toward Ethan.
Around him, the remaining security guards waited for orders.
But something had changed.
The reactor was silent.
The emergency systems were functioning.
And Michael Bennett had the original master recording.
Voss looked toward Daniel.
"You always were a disappointment."
Daniel stepped forward.
"No. I was simply the only person who understood what you were building."
Voss laughed.
"You helped design it."