Chapter 9 - THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK TWICE
Evelyn Shaw entered Sublevel C smiling.
That disturbed Daniel more than a weapon would have.
He remembered Evelyn from Claire’s birthdays.
Christmas dinners.
Summer cookouts.
She had known their family for fifteen years.
She had hugged Daniel at Samuel’s funeral.
She had cried beside Claire after Margaret died.
Or supposedly died.
Now she stood beside Marcus with no surprise on her face.
“Daniel.”
Daniel moved between her and Margaret’s room.
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
“So are half the people in this building.”
Marcus held a silver medical case.
Daniel looked at it.
“The stabilization dose?”
Marcus smiled.
“Your father always did understand the science.”
Samuel tried sitting up.
“Evelyn.”
She looked through the glass.
“Hello, Samuel.”
“You won.”
“No.”
Evelyn’s expression hardened.
“I survived.”
Daniel did not understand.
Samuel did.
“Tell him.”
Evelyn looked at Daniel.
“I was Participant Nine.”
“But Julian said—”
“Julian knew only part of it.”
She lifted her sleeve.
A network of scars covered her arm.
“Your father’s research damaged more people than your family ever admitted.”
Samuel shook his head.
“The unauthorized dosing happened after I withdrew.”
“And you still built the drug.”
Marcus stepped forward.
Daniel ignored him.
“What do you want?”
Evelyn looked toward Margaret.
“The original response data.”
Samuel said, “Destroyed.”
“No.”
Evelyn smiled.
“You encoded it into Margaret’s treatment profile.”
Daniel looked at his father.
Samuel said nothing.
Evelyn continued.
“Twenty-four years of adaptation data.”
“Enough to perfect Orpheus.”
“For what?”
Marcus answered.
“Emergency medicine.”
Daniel laughed.
“You tried to bury Claire.”
Marcus’s smile vanished.
“Claire stole proprietary material.”
“You drugged her.”
“I contained a security breach.”
Daniel lunged.
Noah caught his arm.
Evelyn watched calmly.
“Violence won’t save your mother.”
The monitor beside Margaret’s pod beeped.
Seventeen minutes.
Daniel looked at the medical case.
“What do you want?”
“The black archive.”
“It isn’t here.”
“Then tell me where.”
Daniel realized they did not know Julian still had access.
They did not know where the case was.
Good.
“Give my mother the dose first.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Archive first.”
Daniel looked toward Noah.
Noah understood.
He moved slowly toward the terminal.
“I can access it remotely.”
Marcus frowned.
“You said it wasn’t here.”
“It isn’t.”
Noah sat at the computer.
He pretended to type.
The tattooed man moved closer.
Noah glanced at the security display.
Nine minutes.
Then he whispered.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
Noah pointed at Camera B12.
A woman was entering the facility above them.
Claire.
Daniel’s heart stopped.
She was supposed to be at Lakeshore Hospital.
Claire wore scrubs beneath a coat.
She carried a handgun.
Evelyn saw the monitor.
For the first time, her composure disappeared.
“How did she find us?”
Samuel smiled weakly.
“She’s my daughter.”
The lights went out.
Claire had cut power.
Emergency lamps activated.
Noah slammed his elbow into the tattooed man.
Daniel tackled Marcus.
The silver medical case fell.
Evelyn screamed.
Daniel grabbed the case.
Marcus struck him.
The case slid across the floor.
Samuel rolled from the bed.
Noah fought the tattooed man.
Claire entered from the corridor.
“DOWN!”
A gunshot cracked.
The tattooed man collapsed with a bullet through his shoulder.
Claire kicked his weapon away.
Daniel seized the silver case.
Marcus ran.
Evelyn disappeared through another door.
“Noah!”
Daniel threw him the case.
“Mom!”
Noah ran toward Margaret’s room.
The monitor showed three minutes.
Samuel called out dosage instructions.
Claire held the door.
Daniel opened the case.
Six vials.
Which one?
Samuel shouted.
“Blue label!”
Noah found it.
He loaded the syringe.
Two minutes.
Daniel entered the pod room.
He opened the access panel.
Margaret’s eyes suddenly opened.
Daniel froze.
His mother looked directly at him.
Confusion.
Fear.
Then recognition.
“Danny?”
He almost dropped the syringe.
No one had called him Danny since childhood.
“I’m here.”
Her eyes filled.
“My baby.”
The monitor alarm screamed.
Samuel shouted.
“NOW!”
Daniel injected the drug into the IV port.
Margaret convulsed.
Then went still.
Daniel stared at the monitor.
Heartbeat dropping.
Forty.
Thirty-two.
Twenty-six.
“Dad!”
Samuel appeared beside him.
“Wait.”
Twenty.
Fifteen.
Daniel grabbed his mother’s hand.
Then the rhythm changed.
Twenty-two.
Thirty.
Forty-eight.
Sixty-one.
Margaret inhaled deeply.
Daniel began crying.
Behind them, an automated voice sounded throughout the facility.
DEMOLITION SEQUENCE ARMED.
Samuel looked toward the ceiling.
“No.”
Claire entered.
“What?”
Samuel stared at the display.
“They activated the charges early.”
The countdown appeared.
08:00.
May you like
Eight minutes.
And Evelyn had locked every elevator.
