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Episode 24: Blood Knows Blood
Location: Luna Estate – Elio's Bedroom
A soft wind rustled through the open balcony as Elio sat cross-legged on his bed, his coloring book forgotten. He stared ahead, as if listening to something invisible.
Zane stepped in, cautious. "You okay, buddy?"
Elio nodded slowly. "I think… I heard someone."
"Someone?"
"A boy. Like me. But he doesn't talk with words. Just pictures."
Zane knelt down beside him. "What kind of pictures?"
Elio picked up a red crayon and drew a rabbit. Mechanical. Precise. The exact one Kai had.
Zane's smile faded.
"…Where did you see that?"
"I didn't," Elio replied, his voice distant. "He showed me."
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Elsewhere – Abandoned Virelli Safehouse
Kai stared at a flickering hologram projection of Elio. Their DNA signatures danced across a screen behind him.
Matched: 87.5% genetic similarity.
He tapped a finger against the side of the rabbit's metal ear.
"She's not just your mother," Kai said softly. "She was mine first."
---
Meanwhile – Luna Corp Private Vault
Evan stood shoulder to shoulder with Abel, unlocking the final biometric chamber.
"I can't believe we're doing this together," she muttered.
Abel glanced sideways. "I can. We're stronger as a team."
They entered the vault. Floor-to-ceiling data towers hummed quietly, cold with secrets.
Emrys's voice crackled through the earpiece. "You've got fifteen minutes before their internal system detects the breach."
"Plenty," Evan said.
They moved quickly, pulling up files under:
PHOENIX // PROJECT KAI // CLONE-ENGINEERED BONDING THEORY
"What is this?" Evan whispered.
Abel scanned the screen, jaw tightening.
"It's not just that they made Kai and Elio. Cassandra… she linked them."
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Flashback – Cassandra's Lab, 4 Years Ago
Cassandra stood over two synthetic cradles. Infants slept inside—one of them, Elio. The other, still unnamed.
"Let's see what happens when you design children who can feel each other."
A scientist frowned. "You're saying they'll… communicate? How?"
"Through resonance, darling," Cassandra said, smiling. "Through blood. Through pain. Through instinct."
---
Back to Present – Vault
"Cassandra didn't just make them brothers," Abel said. "She made them weapons."
Evan turned slowly. "What if Elio starts to feel what Kai feels?"
"He already is," Zane's voice broke in urgently. "We need to talk—Elio just described Kai's face down to the scar."
Evan froze.
"They're syncing," she whispered. "And if one of them gets hurt…"
Abel's expression darkened. "The other will feel it."
---
Meanwhile – Nathaniel's Apartment
He stared at a weathered envelope in his hand.
A note inside, in Evan's handwriting from years ago:
"If you're ever alive, come find me."
He lit a match.
Watched it burn.
But the emotion on his face wasn't hate.
It was heartbreak.
"I'm sorry, little sister," he whispered. "But I can't protect you if you don't understand what you're up against."
---
Back to Evan's Apartment – Night
Evan sat on her bed, scrolling through the files she stole with Abel.
Her hands trembled.
There were medical logs… dated after she escaped.
One file:
> Subject KAI: Accelerated Cognitive Function. Emotional Null Training in progress. Operative viable for Phase IV.
Her chest tightened. "Emotional null training?"
She clicked the audio log.
> "He doesn't cry anymore. He doesn't laugh either. But when we showed him Elio's photo, he blinked twice. That's more than he's reacted to in weeks."
A beat of silence.
> "It's like he knows."
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Final Scene – Kai's Hiding Place
Kai stood near the edge of the city, overlooking the glowing lights of the Luna Estate.
In his hand? A small, rusted compass—belonging to Evan. The one she'd lost during her escape years ago.
He clutched it to his chest.
"Mom…"
And then he turned.
Behind him—two dark-suited figures approached.
Operatives.
One aimed a dart gun at his back.
"You're not supposed to be out here, Subject K."
Kai didn't flinch.
"I'm going to meet her," he whispered.
They didn't give him a chance.
The dart hit his neck.
Kai collapsed.
---
💥 End of Episode 24
> Coming in Episode 25:
Evan and Abel follow the trail to a hidden biofacility where Kai was trained.
Elio collapses without warning—and his brain scans mirror Kai's.
And the war Cassandra started is about to cross into blood, fire, and choices no parent should ever have to make