Chapter 9: The Father She Never Knew
“Elena!””
My voice disappeared into the darkness.
For one second, there was nothing.
Then another scream.
Short.
Sharp.
Cut off halfway.
Tyler stumbled toward the sound.
“Mom?””
I grabbed his arm.
“That's not Mom.””
He looked at me.
“You heard her.””
“I heard her.””
A gunshot exploded somewhere below us.
Rourke immediately raised his weapon.
“Everybody stay together.””
Mercer was already moving.
“There's another level.””
“How many?”” Rourke asked.
“Two.””
“You said this place was abandoned.””
“It was.””
“Then who's down there?””
Mercer looked at me.
“Vale.””
We ran.
A narrow staircase descended beneath the tunnel floor.
The air became colder with every step.
At the bottom, a steel corridor stretched into darkness.
Red lights flickered overhead.
The scream came again.
“Help me!””
Elena.
I ran toward it.
Rourke caught my shoulder.
“Wait.””
“I can't.””
“You rush in, you die.””
I looked at him.
“She might die.””
“She might survive if you don't make us all stupid.””
Mercer pointed down the corridor.
“Door on the left.””
We moved together.
Rourke reached the corner first.
He leaned out.
Then pulled back.
“Two guards.””
Mercer nodded.
“I'll take the one on the right.””
Rourke looked at Tyler.
“You take left.””
Tyler nodded.
I looked at Mercer.
“And me?””
“You stay behind us.””
“No.””
He gave me a hard stare.
“You aren't trained for this.””
“I've survived eight years of people trying to erase me.””
“That isn't training.””
“It should count.””
Rourke almost smiled.
“Stay close.””
We moved.
Two shots.
Two bodies.
The corridor went silent.
I reached the door.
“Elena?””
A weak voice answered.
“Eleanor?””
I pushed the door open.
She was sitting on the floor.
Her wrists were tied.
Blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
But she was alive.
I dropped beside her.
“Mom.””
The word left my mouth before I could stop it.
She froze.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I've been waiting so long to hear you say that.””
I untied her.
“You knew.””
“Yes.””
“You knew I was your daughter.””
“Yes.””
“You let me believe I was someone else.””
“I thought it was the only way.””
“You were wrong.””
“I know.””
I helped her stand.
Tyler stayed near the doorway.
He couldn't look at her.
“Where's Lily?”” I asked.
Elena's expression changed.
“Below.””
“How far?””
“Two levels.””
Mercer cursed.
“Then we're out of time.””
Rourke looked at Elena.
“What did Vale want?””
She wiped the blood from her mouth.
“My blood.””
I froze.
“Why?””
“To unlock the final biometric file.””
“Where is it?””
“Here.””
She pointed toward a monitor.
I stepped closer.
A fingerprint scanner was connected to an old terminal.
Rourke looked at Mercer.
“You knew.””
“I suspected.””
Elena shook her head.
“You didn't suspect enough.””
She touched the scanner.
The screen lit up.
A file appeared.
PROJECT ECHO: FAMILY LINEAGE.
Below it were three names.
ELENA VOSS.
ELEANOR VOSS.
LILY VOSS.
I stared.
“Voss.””
Elena nodded.
“My real name.””
“Then why am I Eleanor Hayes?””
“Because after your father died, I gave you a new identity.””
“Why?””
“Because Vale believed you were dead.””
I looked at the screen.
“And Tyler?””
Elena turned toward my brother.
“He took the name Hayes because he was the only person willing to keep pretending to be your brother instead of searching for you.””
Tyler's eyes dropped.
“I thought it would protect her.””
“It did,” Elena said softly.
“For a while.””
I turned back toward the terminal.
A fourth field had appeared.
PATERNAL DNA: MATCH FOUND.
There was a name beneath it.
Daniel Mercer.
I stopped breathing.
I looked at Mercer.
He didn't move.
“You.””
He nodded.
“I am Lily's father.””
Tyler's face went blank.
“You knew.””
Mercer looked at him.
“No.””
Tyler shook his head.
“You're lying.””
“I'm not.””
“You were with Elena.””
“I was.””
“You knew the baby was hers.””
“Yes.””
“You knew the father.””
“No.””
Tyler stepped forward.
“Then how?””
Mercer looked at me.
“Because your father isn't Lily's biological father.””
I looked at Elena.
She closed her eyes.
“I was afraid of what would happen if Vale knew.””
Rourke stared at the screen.
“So the whole program…”
“Was built around her family,” Mercer said.
He pointed at the names.
“Eleanor carries the original marker.””
“Lily inherited it.””
“And Mercer?”” Tyler asked.
“The paternal sequence came from him.””
Tyler laughed bitterly.
“So that's why they wanted him dead.””
Mercer nodded.
“He knew too much.””
I looked at him.
“Why did you disappear?””
“To keep Lily alive.””
“And why did you let Tyler raise her?””
Mercer looked at my brother.
“Because Tyler was useful.””
Tyler flinched.
“Useful?””
“You were her shield.””
“I loved her.””
“I know.””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because if you knew she was mine, you would've looked for her.””
“And Vale would've followed me.””
“Yes.””
Tyler covered his face.
For years, he'd believed he had failed a daughter.
Now he had to live with knowing he'd never been her father at all.
A deep mechanical hum started beneath the floor.
Rourke looked up.
“What is that?””
Elena's face went pale.
“The lower chamber.””
“What happens there?””
“Vale activates the Echo system.””
“To do what?””
“Extract the genetic sample.””
My stomach turned.
“From Lily.””
Elena nodded.
“Where?””
“Below us.””
We ran.
The staircase spiraled downward.
The hum grew louder.
At the bottom was a massive chamber.
Glass walls.
Medical equipment.
Bright white lights.
And a little girl sitting in a chair.
Lily.
My daughter.
She looked exactly like the photograph.
Except now her face was wet with tears.
A man stood behind her.
One hand on her shoulder.
I recognized him immediately.
Adrian Vale.
But he wasn't the person holding the weapon.
The weapon was in Lily's other father's hands.
My father's former aide.
Colonel Hayes.
Tyler's real father.
He stood beside a control panel.
“Stop!””
Everyone froze.
Colonel Hayes looked at Tyler.
“You shouldn't be here.””
Tyler raised his weapon.
“Let her go.””
Hayes smiled.
“You still don't understand.””
Mercer stepped forward.
“You're alive.””
“So are you.””
“I thought Vale killed you.””
“He tried.””
Vale looked irritated.
“We don't have time for this.””
I stepped forward.
“Let Lily go.””
Vale turned toward me.
“Come closer.””
Rourke stopped me.
Vale shook his head.
“She wants her daughter.””
I looked at Lily.
She was staring at me.
Something familiar flashed through her expression.
“Aunt Ellie?””
I broke.
“My baby.””
Vale smiled.
“You see? She remembers you.””
Lily whispered,
“Are you my mommy?””
The room went silent.
I felt tears run down my face.
“Yes.””
Vale's smile disappeared.
“Eleanor.””
I stepped forward.
“I'm your mother.””
Lily started crying.
“I knew you'd come.””
Tyler lowered his weapon.
“You won't touch her.””
Colonel Hayes lifted his gun.
“Drop yours.””
Rourke shook his head.
“No.””
Hayes's weapon moved toward Lily.
“You have three seconds.””
Mercer raised his rifle.
Vale shouted,
“Don't!””
Everything happened at once.
The lights went out.
Rourke fired.
Mercer tackled Hayes.
Tyler ran toward Lily.
Elena pulled me behind a console.
Gunfire exploded across the chamber.
Glass shattered.
I crawled toward Lily.
“Mommy!””
“I've got you!””
I reached the chair.
Her restraints were locked.
I pulled at them.
Nothing.
A red warning light flashed.
SYSTEM PURGE INITIATED.
Vale's voice rose above the chaos.
“You don't understand what you're destroying!””
I looked at him.
“You destroyed my life.””
“I saved it.””
“You stole my daughter.””
“I protected her from people who wanted her blood.””
“You are one of those people.””
His expression changed.
“No.””
He looked toward the control panel.
“I'm the only one who can stop Echo.””
Elena shouted,
“Liar!””
Vale fired at her.
Rourke knocked the weapon aside.
They struggled.
Mercer fought Hayes near the main console.
Tyler reached me.
“Can you get her out?””
“I need thirty seconds.””
“You have ten.””
Lily was crying.
I grabbed her hand.
“Look at me.””
She looked at me.
“Don't be scared.””
“I'm not.””
She was trembling.
“You came.””
“Yes.””
“I knew you would.””
I felt something crack inside my chest.
I worked the restraint.
Then I noticed something.
A small metal key hanging from Lily's necklace.
I recognized it.
The brass key from the radio case.
“Where did you get this?””
Lily whispered,
“Daddy gave it to me.””
I looked at Tyler.
He shook his head.
“Not me.””
My eyes moved toward Mercer.
He was fighting Hayes.
Not him.
Then I looked at Elena.
She was staring at the necklace.
Her face went white.
“Eleanor…”
“What?””
“That key opens the original Black Ridge evidence vault.””
My pulse stopped.
“And what's inside?””
She looked toward Vale.
His face had gone pale.
“The proof of who ordered the operation.””
I stared at him.
For the first time, Adrian Vale looked afraid.
The restraints clicked open.
I lifted Lily into my arms.
Rourke shouted,
“Move!””
We ran for the exit.
Behind us, the chamber filled with alarms.
Then Vale's voice followed us.
“Eleanor!””
I turned.
He was standing beside the ruined console.
Blood ran down his face.
“You think you've won?””
I held Lily tighter.
“What else could you possibly have?””
Vale looked at the necklace around her neck.
Then smiled.
“You still don't know who your father really was.””
My feet stopped.
Elena's face collapsed.
Mercer whispered,
“No.””
Vale laughed.
“He isn't dead.””
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The alarm became deafening.
And somewhere behind the walls, a locked door began to open.
