Chapter 24: Echoes of the Past
The news broke within hours.
Global headlines screamed: "Underground Human Experiments Exposed"… "Elite Corporation Tied to Genetic Manipulation"… "Whistleblower Identified as Elara Voss."
Elara watched it all unfold from a safehouse rooftop, her name etched into every headline.
"They know now," Declan said, standing beside her. "The world knows."
Elara nodded slowly, but her gaze stayed fixed on the horizon. "Knowing isn't the same as justice."
Down below, survivors of Damon's experiments—those who were still stable—had begun arriving. Killian helped coordinate shelter, medical care, and identity protection.
Among them was a little girl. She couldn't have been older than ten, but her eyes held the same haunted depth Elara remembered in her own.
"I know her file," Declan murmured. "She was one of the last test subjects. They called her Subject Eleven."
Elara knelt down in front of the girl and offered her hand.
"What's your name?" she asked gently.
The girl blinked. Then whispered, "I don't know."
Elara gave a soft smile. "Then let's help you find one."
Later that night, as the others slept, Killian found Elara scribbling in a worn notebook.
"Writing your story?" he asked.
She looked up, eyes tired but alive. "No. Theirs. All of them deserve to be remembered."
"You're not done fighting, are you?"
She
shook her head. "Not even close."