Episode 6
The city lights shimmered like stars fallen to earth as Iris stood at the edge of a rooftop across from the Langford Hotel, where the Black Rose Fundraiser Gala was in full swing.
Senator Helena Dorne was inside.
So was Alec Draven.
Iris adjusted the oversized black blazer Calder had left her with. Her hair was tied into a sleek bun, a pair of tinted glasses masking the bruises still fading from her face. She looked like an assistant, a publicist—someone forgettable.
The USB drive was taped to the inside of her thigh.
She exhaled slowly.
There was no backup. No allies. Just one chance.
---
Inside the Gala
Gold chandeliers. Velvet carpets. Laughter that dripped with influence. The elite of society sipped champagne while auctioning art pieces worth more than entire neighborhoods.
A string quartet played near the grand staircase.
Iris walked past them, shoulders squared, her eyes scanning for Senator Dorne. She spotted her near the central lounge—surrounded by donors and guarded by her team of discreetly armed aides.
Too exposed.
Just as she turned to plan a quieter approach, a cold shiver ran down her spine.
She didn't need to look.
She felt him.
Alec.
She turned and locked eyes with him across the ballroom.
His black tuxedo was flawless, his expression unreadable. But his eyes burned. Not with surprise.
With recognition.
And amusement.
He raised his glass to her.
He already knew she was coming.
Panic fluttered in her chest, but she forced herself to smile politely—like a stranger acknowledging another guest.
She turned on her heel and walked calmly to the hallway, her pulse pounding in her ears.
---
Service Corridor – Langford Hotel
The corridors were quieter, echoing with the clatter of kitchen trays and staff conversations. Iris slipped inside a utility closet and locked the door.
She pulled out her burner phone and typed:
> TO: C [Calder]
"He's here. He saw me. I don't know how. Trying to reach Dorne."
A reply came instantly.
> Calder:
"Get out now. That's not Alec. It's Phase Copy. They made a double of him. You're not dealing with one devil. You're dealing with two."
Her hands trembled.
They had cloned him?
She had heard whispers about NIGHTSHADE's Project Chimera, but Calder had said it had been terminated.
Apparently not.
A noise outside.
Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.
Iris killed the light and drew the small switchblade she had hidden in her pocket.
The doorknob turned.
Click.
She held her breath.
A whisper slid through the crack of the door.
> "Do you think you can ever leave me, Iris?"
Her blood turned to ice.
The voice was Alec's—but more mechanical, deeper.
She waited for the door to burst open.
But it didn't.
Instead, a piece of paper slid under the door.
She stared at it.
One sentence was written in neat, clinical handwriting:
> "Subject IV-2 has 72 hours to return voluntarily before Phase Retraction begins."
She backed away, eyes wide.
Retraction?
What the hell did that mean?
---
Ballroom – Senator Dorne's Location
Iris had no more time to waste. She pushed through the crowd and walked directly up to the Senator's assistant.
"I have an urgent message for Senator Dorne. It's about NIGHTSHADE."
The assistant's face tightened, but she nodded and whispered into her earpiece.
Seconds later, Iris was escorted to the back lounge.
Senator Helena Dorne stood waiting—stern, tall, with sharp gray eyes and a voice that demanded silence even when she whispered.
"I know who you are, Ms. Vale," she said. "But you need to convince me why I shouldn't have you arrested for trespassing."
Iris didn't flinch.
She pulled out the USB from beneath her skirt and placed it on the table.
"This drive contains the full logs of Project NIGHTSHADE, including human experimentation, forced memory erasure, and the use of cloned subjects for political gain. Names. Proof. Videos. Including Alec Draven's secret facilities."
Dorne's face paled.
"And the proof of your daughter," Iris added softly. "Room 309."
The Senator's composure cracked for a brief moment.
"I watched her die in that room," Iris whispered. "They used her to test a serum that left her brain dead for 72 hours. They revived her, but she didn't come back the same. She begged me to end it."
Senator Dorne looked away.
Tears rimmed her eyes—but she blinked them back.
She nodded to her guards. "Secure this drive and protect this woman. Until I go public, she is the most valuable target in this city."
---
Elsewhere — In a Hidden Lab
The real Alec Draven stood in front of a glass containment unit. Inside was a pale woman floating in a suspension tank.
Her features were identical to Iris.
A clone.
"Activate her," Alec said coldly.
"But sir," the tech hesitated, "She's unstable. The IV series reacts aggressively when—"
"She is Iris Vale's fallback. If I lose the real one… I'll just replace her. But this time, she'll be obedient."
The tank began to drain.
The clone's eyes fluttered open.
And she smiled.
---
Back in the City – Safehouse
Iris sat beside the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket. Senator Dorne's men had set her up in a private safehouse deep in the suburbs.
But she couldn't sleep.
Her mind kept replaying Alec's voice, the clone, the word retraction.
She stood, walked to the mirror, and stared at her reflection.
What if the Iris she saw wasn't even the real her anymore?
What if they had rewritten her so deeply that the original was already gone?
But then she remembered Nina's voice.
Isolde's journal.
Calder's faith.
She was not a puppet.
Not anymore.
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