The silence in the warehouse was like a blade pressed to the skin—cool, steady, and sharp enough to draw blood if either of them flinched.
Henri didn't sit. Neither did Elena.
The man in the beige lab coat leaned back casually, like he was the host of some dark dinner party. His lips curled into a slow, calculating smile.
"No seat? Suit yourselves. I can't imagine it's easy to sit when the ghosts you thought were buried are suddenly very, very alive."
Elena's voice cut through the tension like ice."You're the one behind the Target Program?"
He adjusted his glasses.
"I prefer the term visionary. 'Architect' feels so impersonal. But yes, I was there at its inception. The serum, the memory manipulation, the loyalty reprogramming, the conditioning. It was all part of my equation."
Henri's fists clenched.
"You turned us into weapons."
"I gave you purpose." The man stood, revealing a slight limp as he walked toward a wall covered with documents, photos, and old blueprints. Strings of red thread connected certain pieces—people, locations, code numbers.
One thread led straight to a faded photo of a young Elena.
"And you," he said, turning toward her, "were always the anomaly."
"Why me?" Elena's voice was tight.
"Because while others forgot who they were, you remembered. Because they couldn't rewire you. Your mind rejected the programming—and the serum. That made you dangerous. That made you... Target Number One."
Henri stepped forward.
"If you think we're just going to stand here while you explain your sick legacy, you're wrong."
The man raised an eyebrow."Oh Henri. You think this is just a story about you and Elena? You think you've broken free? You've barely scratched the surface."
He walked over to a filing cabinet and pulled out a folder. He tossed it on the desk.
It slid open—revealing pages upon pages of photographs. Surveillance shots. Field notes. Medical records. Some of Henri. Some of Elena.
And others… of Ivy.
"What is this?" Elena snapped.
"Your network is compromised. Ivy isn't who you think she is. At least, not anymore."
Elena's blood ran cold."What are you saying?"
The man tapped one of the documents."She came to us three months ago. We offered her a deal. Immunity… in exchange for compliance. She refused at first. But everyone breaks eventually. We just have to find the right… pressure point."
Henri stepped forward, nostrils flaring."You're lying."
"Am I?" The man's eyes gleamed."Why don't you ask Ivy who she gave up first? It wasn't Elena. It wasn't the resistance. It was you, Henri. She said you were broken. That your memories made you unstable."
Elena felt something crumble in her chest.
"No…"
The man smiled."Yes. And now that you're here, I'll give you the same offer. Tell me where the encrypted flash drives are—the ones you stole from Sector Six. The ones with the override codes. Give me those… and I'll let you both walk out of here."
Henri laughed bitterly.
"You think we're that stupid?"
"I think," the man said, his voice now low and venomous, "that you don't have the luxury of stupid. You've got two enemies: the government that created you... and the truth that's coming for you both."
A loud bang echoed from deeper inside the warehouse.
Henri immediately drew the pistol tucked in his waistband and Elena followed suit, stepping back toward the door. But then another figure emerged from the shadows behind the desk.
A woman.
Dark suit. Confident walk. Cold eyes.
"Hello, Elena."
Elena's mouth fell open.
"...Mother?"
The floor dropped from beneath her. It felt like her breath had been stolen, her heart squeezed in disbelief.
"No," she whispered. "You're dead. You died in the riots."
Her mother smirked."I let you believe that. It was... necessary. For the mission."
Henri turned to Elena, shocked."You said she worked for the resistance."
"She did."
Her mother laughed."No, darling. I ran the resistance. Or rather, the version you knew. That's the beauty of infiltration—we create the enemy, then lead it. Control it. Shape it."
"You lied to me," Elena said, her voice shaking. "My whole life was a lie?"
Her mother's expression hardened."Not a lie. A training ground. You were built to survive this world. And now, you're ready to take your place beside me."
Henri stepped in front of Elena.
"She's not going anywhere with you."
Her mother drew a small pistol and aimed it directly at Henri's chest.
"She'll go where I say she goes."
The architect stepped forward."Enough. If you kill him now, we lose our leverage. Let the girl choose."
All eyes fell on Elena.
Her fingers trembled against her weapon. Her pulse was deafening in her ears.
"If I go with you... will you let him live?"
"Yes," her mother said simply.
Henri's voice was strained."Don't you dare."
She turned to him, eyes shimmering.
"I need to find out what they did to me. To us. If I don't go… we lose everything."
Henri shook his head."We lose each other."
Her voice cracked."Maybe not forever."
Then, before anyone could move, Elena dropped her gun—then flicked the small detonator hidden in her back pocket.
The room exploded into smoke and chaos.
Henri grabbed her and dove for cover as smoke grenades filled the room with thick gray fog. Gunshots rang out. A scream. A sharp clang as someone dropped their weapon.
Elena pulled Henri toward the emergency stairs at the back.
"There's a tunnel under the east wing!"
"You planned this?"
"I planned for betrayal. Always."
They bolted into the tunnel just as the fire alarms began blaring through the warehouse.
Behind them, Elena's mother called her name once. Just once.
But Elena didn't look back.