Chapter 6: The Brother Who Remembered
The speaker clicked off.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Ryan whispered, “That wasn't me.””
I looked at him.
“You said that already.””
“No.”” He shook his head.
“I mean the message. I didn't make that call.””
Mercer turned toward the ceiling speakers.
“Who has access to this system?””
My father answered from behind us.
“Three people.””
Mercer looked at him.
“Name them.””
George Whitaker hesitated.
“Me. Margaret. And Ryan.””
Ryan stared at his father.
“What?””
Dad's expression remained fixed.
“You were given access during your last assignment.””
Ryan took a step backward.
“I was never told about this room.””
“You weren't supposed to know about all of it.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Of course.””
Ryan looked at me.
“Claire—”
“No. Let him finish.””
I turned toward Dad.
“Who else knew?””
He looked at Mercer.
“Daniel.””
Mercer nodded.
“Anyone outside the family?””
Dad's silence returned.
I felt something cold settle in my stomach.
“Dad.””
Finally, he said, “One other.””
“Who?””
“Everett Sloan.””
Mercer’s face darkened.
“Sloan is dead.””
“So you keep saying,” Vale murmured.
Everyone turned.
Vale was staring at Ryan.
Not at my father.
At Ryan.
“Why are you looking at him?”” I asked.
Vale didn't answer.
Ryan's face had gone pale.
“Because I remember something.””
I stepped toward him.
“What?””
He rubbed his temple.
“It happened after the hotel.””
Mercer immediately focused on him.
“What hotel?””
Ryan swallowed.
“The Fairmont.””
Vale closed his eyes.
“That's where we found her.””
My pulse jumped.
“What happened?””
Ryan stared at the floor.
“I was sent there.””
“By who?””
“Sloan.””
“Why?””
“To retrieve a package.””
“What package?””
Ryan looked at me.
“You.””
Silence.
My fingers went numb.
“You were sent to retrieve me?””
He nodded.
“You were unconscious.””
I stared at him.
“And then?””
“I carried you out.””
“You brought me to the Whitaker house.””
“No.””
His voice was barely audible.
“I brought you to the first safe house.””
I turned toward my father.
“What safe house?””
Dad said nothing.
Ryan continued.
“It wasn't until later that they told me what you were.””
“What was I?””
“A witness.””
“Only a witness?””
Ryan shut his eyes.
“No.””
The word came slowly.
“You were bait.””
My stomach twisted.
“For who?””
Ryan opened his eyes.
“For David.””
Vale remained silent.
I looked at him.
“You?””
“Yes.””
“They used me to bring you back.””
“Yes.””
“Did it work?””
Vale nodded.
“I came back.””
“What happened?””
His eyes met mine.
“I walked into the trap.””
The underground room suddenly felt smaller.
Mercer crossed his arms.
“Tell her everything.””
Vale stared at him.
“You're sure?””
“Yes.””
Vale took a breath.
“After the hotel, I disappeared. I went underground. I thought the operation had been compromised by Sloan alone.””
He paused.
“It wasn't.””
I waited.
“Someone else had access to the program. Someone much higher.””
“Who?””
“I never got the name.””
“You're lying.””
Vale looked surprised.
“What?””
“You said you knew exactly why.””
He shook his head.
“I know why they wanted me dead. I don't know who ordered it.””
“Then why does the message say you know?””
“I don't know.””
I looked at Mercer.
“What aren't you telling me?””
Mercer stared at the floor.
Then he said, “The order came from inside your family.””
Ryan inhaled sharply.
My mother covered her mouth.
I stared at Dad.
“No.””
Dad closed his eyes.
“George,” Mom whispered.
He opened them.
“I never ordered a hit on anyone.””
Mercer looked at him.
“No.””
My father seemed relieved.
Then Mercer continued.
“You simply provided the authorization.””
Dad's face went blank.
I felt my knees weaken.
“What authorization?””
Mercer pulled out another document.
He unfolded it.
“This was signed eleven years ago.””
He held it toward me.
At the bottom was my father's signature.
*GEORGE WHITAKER*
Underneath:
*OPERATIONAL CONTAINMENT APPROVED*
My hands trembled.
I stared at the ink.
“Containment.””
Mercer nodded.
“That's what they called it.””
“What did containment mean?””
Vale answered.
“Anyone who had information about Black Lantern was to be removed.””
My breath caught.
“And I was one of them.””
“Yes.””
“Did Dad sign an order to kill me?””
“No.””
My father spoke quietly.
“I signed an order to protect you.””
I looked at him.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“I was told you could be extracted safely.””
“By who?””
“Sloan.””
Vale laughed bitterly.
“Of course.””
Dad glared at him.
“I didn't know he intended to eliminate her.””
“You knew he had already eliminated others.””
Dad had no answer.
I looked at Mercer.
“How many?””
“Seven confirmed.””
My throat tightened.
“People?””
“Yes.””
“Because of Black Lantern?””
“Yes.””
I looked at the photographs on the wall.
Then at the date beneath one of them.
July 14, 2015.
“Who was the first?””
Mercer hesitated.
“Sloan.””
“That's not what I asked.””
He looked toward Vale.
“Dr. Hannah Reed.””
A memory surfaced.
A woman's hands.
Blue gloves.
A silver pendant.
She had been crying.
I gasped.
“I know her.””
Everyone turned.
Vale stepped closer.
“You do?””
“She was in the hotel.””
“What was she doing?””
“Talking to Sloan.””
“About what?””
I closed my eyes.
The memory came faster now.
A hallway.
A red emergency light.
Dr. Reed holding a folder.
Sloan shouting.
Ryan standing near the elevator.
Dad talking on a phone.
And me hiding behind a half-open door.
I opened my eyes.
“I heard them.””
“What did you hear?”” Mercer asked.
I struggled to breathe.
“Sloan said the names were already transferred.””
“What names?””
“I don't know.””
Vale grabbed my attention.
“Claire.””
I looked at him.
“What else?””
“He said…” I squeezed my eyes shut.
“He said, ‘The Whitakers will take care of the girl.’”
My father went pale.
My mother sat down.
Ryan whispered, “No.””
I turned to him.
“You were there.””
“Yes.””
“You heard him.””
“Yes.””
“Why did you lie?””
“I didn't remember.””
“Not even after seeing the photograph?””
“No.””
“Why?””
Ryan shook his head.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
I stared at him.
“Everybody keeps saying that.””
He stepped closer.
“I was told you were dangerous.””
I froze.
“What?””
“They said you'd become unstable.””
My father whispered, “Ryan.””
“No,” Ryan said.
“She deserves to hear it.””
He looked directly at me.
“They told me you had information in your head that couldn't be trusted.””
I touched my temple.
“They said you might try to kill someone.””
The room went silent.
I remembered the blood.
The gunshot.
My hands shaking.
But something about that memory felt wrong.
“What if I did?””
Ryan shook his head.
“You didn't.””
“How do you know?””
“Because I was there.””
He reached inside his jacket.
Pulled out a small envelope.
And handed it to me.
“This was given to me the night I left the hotel.””
I opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed me sitting on a motel bed.
A recorder rested in my lap.
David stood beside the window.
Ryan was kneeling in front of me.
On the bed between us was a thick folder.
I turned the photograph over.
There were words written on the back.
*CLAIRE REMEMBERS EVERYTHING.*
I looked at Ryan.
“Who wrote this?””
“You.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“How do you know?””
“Because I watched you write it.””
Vale suddenly stepped forward.
“What did she say?””
Ryan looked at him.
“She said she had copied the files.””
Vale went still.
“What files?””
Ryan's eyes shifted to the metal disc on the table.
“The names.””
Mercer looked toward the disc.
“That's impossible.””
Ryan shook his head.
“No.””
He pointed at the tattoo on my wrist.
“She didn't hide the names in the tattoo.””
He looked at me.
“She hid them somewhere else.””
A deep mechanical click sounded from the table.
Everyone froze.
The metal disc moved.
A tiny compartment opened beneath it.
Inside was a micro-SD card.
I stared.
“Was that there before?””
Mercer shook his head.
“No.””
Vale looked at me.
“You activated it.””
“How?””
He pointed toward my wrist.
“The tattoo isn't just a locator.””
I slowly pulled back my sleeve.
The raven's silver blade seemed darker under the red emergency lights.
Mercer leaned over the disc.
“It's responding to the tattoo's encryption pattern.””
Ryan whispered, “Claire, don't touch it.””
I reached for it anyway.
My fingertip brushed the card.
Every monitor in the room came alive.
A file opened.
No photographs this time.
No encrypted codes.
Just a video.
Recorded in a dim room.
A nineteen-year-old version of me sat in front of the camera.
My hair was wet.
There was blood on my cheek.
David Vale stood behind me.
Ryan was beside him.
My younger self looked directly into the camera.
“I'm recording this because there's a chance they will erase my memory.””
I covered my mouth.
The video continued.
“If you're watching this, they succeeded.””
Nineteen-year-old me took a shaky breath.
“Claire, listen carefully.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Your father is not the person you need to fear.””
She looked toward someone off camera.
Then back at me.
“The person who ordered Black Lantern isn't Sloan.””
My father stepped closer to the screen.
“Who is it?”” I whispered.
The younger me answered.
“A Whitaker.””
Ryan went completely still.
My mother began crying.
Then the recording distorted.
Before it ended, my younger self whispered four words.
“It's not Dad.””
The screen went black.
Nobody moved.
Then Ryan’s phone began vibrating.
He looked down.
A new message had arrived.
One line.
*ASK YOUR MOTHER WHO THE OTHER WHITAKER IS.*
Ryan slowly raised his eyes.
My mother was staring at him.
May you like
And she whispered a name I had never heard before.
“Jonathan.””
