Marcus's expression hardened.
"What did you do?"
Raymond took a moment before answering.
"I tried to find him."
"And?"
"I was told to stop."
"By whom?"
"The deputy commissioner."
Marcus shook his head.
"So you stopped?"
Raymond looked directly at him.
"No."
"Then what happened?"
"I went to David Morgan."
Marcus frowned.
"Why?"
"Because David was the only investigator who had seen the original evidence."
Raymond paused.
"He told me something I couldn't believe."
"What?"
"That your father had discovered a second archive."
Marcus looked at the open locker.
"Another archive?"
Raymond nodded.
"One that wasn't listed in any municipal inventory."
"Where?"
"Inside a private property owned by Northbridge."
"Did you find it?"
Raymond nodded.
"We found the entrance."
"What happened?"
Raymond's face became grim.
"Someone was waiting for us."
Marcus leaned forward.
"Who?"
Raymond looked at him.
"Your father."
Marcus stared.
"What?"
"He was standing outside the building. He told us not to go inside."
"Why?"
"Because he believed the archive had been compromised."
Raymond took another breath.
"Then he told me something I have never forgotten."
Marcus waited.
"He said, 'If you ever meet my son again, tell him I didn't run.'"
Marcus's eyes became glassy.
Raymond continued.
"Then he walked away."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"Did you follow him?"
Raymond shook his head.
"David tried. But your father disappeared before we reached the street."
Marcus looked down.
"All these years..."
Raymond nodded.
"I know."
Marcus picked up the photograph.
He studied his father's face.
Then he noticed something.
There was a fourth person in the background.
A woman standing behind a parked vehicle.
Her face was partially visible.
Marcus pointed.
"Who is that?"
Raymond leaned closer.
His expression changed.
"I don't know."
Marcus examined the photograph.
The woman wore a dark coat.
Her hair was tied back.
And she was holding a small envelope.
He turned the photograph over.
A handwritten note appeared.
SHE HAS THE ORIGINAL.
Marcus looked at Raymond.
"Who is she?"
Raymond didn't answer.
He was staring at the flash drive.
Then he noticed a label attached to it.
PROPERTY OF THE REED FAMILY.
Marcus took a step back.
"That's my father's."
Raymond looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
Marcus nodded.
"He used to label everything like that."
Sarah approached.
"Chief, we should preserve the device before connecting it to anything."
Raymond nodded.
"Agreed."
Marcus looked at the flash drive.
Then at the document.
He carefully unfolded it.
At the top was a title:
NORTHBRIDGE — SUBJECT TRANSFER REGISTER
Below it were several names.
Michael Reed.
David Morgan.
Raymond Brooks.
And one name that made Marcus's blood run cold.
MARCUS REED.
Beside his name was a date.
Eleven years earlier.
And a status:
SUBJECT FOUR — TRANSFERRED.
Marcus looked up.
"What does this mean?"
Raymond's face had gone pale.
He stared at the document.
Then he said:
"It means they were planning to erase you before you were old enough to understand what they were doing."
6. THE FIRST MESSAGE
A sound came from the far end of the archive.
A faint electronic beep.
Sarah turned.
"Did anyone touch the security panel?"
Lewis shook his head.
Raymond looked toward the door.
"Everyone stay where you are."
Another beep.
Then a small monitor mounted above the lockers flickered on.
The screen displayed a black background.
White text appeared.
WELCOME BACK, SUBJECT FOUR.
Marcus stared at it.
A second line appeared.
YOUR FATHER WAS RIGHT TO HIDE YOU.
Then a third.
BUT HE SHOULD HAVE FINISHED THE JOB.
Sarah immediately reached for her equipment.
"Chief, this system isn't supposed to be connected."
Raymond looked at Lewis.
"Can you disconnect it?"
Lewis approached the panel.
"I'll try."
The screen changed.
A live video appeared.
A man sat in a dark room.
His face was hidden.
He wore a plain white shirt.
His hands rested on a table.
He leaned forward.
"Marcus."
Marcus froze.
The voice was distorted.
But there was something familiar about it.
The man continued.
"You've spent your entire life believing your father abandoned you."
Marcus stepped closer to the screen.
"Who are you?"
The man ignored the question.
"You were supposed to remain outside this investigation."
Marcus's jaw tightened.
"Where is my father?"
A short laugh came through the speaker.
"Still asking the wrong question."
"Where is he?"
The man leaned closer.
"Your father didn't disappear because he discovered Northbridge."
Marcus stared.
"He disappeared because he discovered what Northbridge was protecting."
The screen flickered.
A photograph appeared.
It showed a young boy standing beside an older man.
Marcus recognized himself.
He was about eight years old.
His father stood beside him.
But there was something unusual about the photograph.
The background showed the interior of a building.
A metal door.
And a sign.
RESTRICTED FEDERAL RECORDS — ROOM 417.
Marcus felt his heart pounding.
The man spoke again.
"You were there, Marcus."
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
"You were there the night your father disappeared."
"No."
"You were eight years old. You remember more than you think."
Marcus looked toward Raymond.
The chief's expression was troubled.
The screen changed again.
A second photograph appeared.
This one showed Marcus sitting at a table.
His father stood behind him.
And next to them was a woman.
The same woman from the old photograph.
The woman holding the envelope.