The sound of the storm outside faded until all Emma could hear was her heartbeat.
Daniel stood in the middle of the warehouse, rain dripping from his coat, eyes glowing faintly with that unnatural blue light. He looked almost human almost.
"Daniel…" her voice trembled. "You were supposed to be dead."
He smiled not cruelly, but sadly. "I was. For three minutes. That's all it took to become something else."
Adrian raised his gun. "Stay where you are."
Daniel didn't flinch. "Relax, Knight. If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
The screens around them flickered to life, showing lines of code, Emma's name repeated over and over. Subject E Phase Two.
Emma's breath caught. "What did you do to me?"
Daniel looked at her, his expression breaking for a moment. "I saved you."
She took a step back. "You burned me alive, Daniel."
"You were already dying!" he shouted, voice echoing off the steel walls. "You think Adrian was the only one who betrayed you that night? Everyone in that house wanted you gone. The Lazarus Project was the only way to bring you back."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "You used her. Experimented on her like a lab rat."
Daniel's voice softened. "No, Adrian. I brought her back because I loved her."
Emma froze. "Loved?"
He took a slow step closer, his eyes filled with pain. "You never saw it, did you? You were too blinded by your perfect fiancé the cold billionaire who treated you like a trophy. You didn't see the man who watched you fall apart every day."
Her throat tightened. "So you decided to play god?"
"I decided to give you a second chance."
Lightning flashed outside, casting long shadows across the floor. Adrian stepped between them. "You're insane."
Daniel ignored him. "When the fire consumed you, I couldn't accept it. I found the Lazarus files your father's research. He believed memory could be preserved through regenerative sequencing. I used it. I brought you back."
Emma's mind reeled. "So everything that's happened the visions, the strength, the way I remember things I shouldn't—"
"All side effects," Daniel said quietly. "You're not supposed to exist, Emma. But you do. Because of me."
Her breath hitched. "Then why send me that message? Why tell me I shouldn't have survived?"
Daniel's eyes darkened. "Because Phase Two isn't about saving. It's about replacing."
A chill spread through the room. Adrian's finger tightened on the trigger. "Explain."
Daniel glanced at the glowing chip on the console. "The Lazarus System learns. Every rebirth makes it smarter, stronger. Emma was the prototype the perfect balance of human emotion and regenerative intelligence. But Phase Two… it doesn't need emotion."
Emma's pulse raced. "You're saying—"
"They're going to create others," Daniel said. "Without pain. Without fear. Without heart."
She shook her head. "That's not rebirth. That's erasing humanity."
Daniel looked torn a man fighting two truths. "I know. That's why I need you. You're the key to stopping it."
Adrian stepped forward. "You're lying."
"No," Daniel said. "My father's still alive. And he's already begun Phase Two using my DNA and Emma's code."
Emma felt the world tilt beneath her. "He used us?"
Daniel nodded. "You think he wanted to kill you in that mansion? He wanted data how far you'd go to survive, how the brain preserves memory under trauma. He needed your resurrection to perfect the formula."
Adrian's face hardened. "So all this… was planned."
"Not by me," Daniel said quietly. "But I finished what he started. I couldn't let them have you again. That's why I faked the explosion to stop Phase Two before it began."
Emma stared at him, torn between rage and pity. "You destroyed lives, Daniel. You played with death. You think saving me excuses that?"
Daniel's voice broke. "No. But maybe helping you stop him will."
A silence fell heavy, loaded with the weight of truth.
Emma looked between the two men one who had broken her heart, and one who had rewritten her life. Both haunted by guilt.
She said quietly, "If what you're saying is true, we end this together. No more lies."
Daniel gave a bitter smile. "You haven't changed."
"I have," she said. "That's why I won't run anymore."
Adrian lowered his gun but didn't relax. "Then we start with your father. Where is he?"
Daniel's eyes flickered. "You won't like the answer."
Emma crossed her arms. "Try me."
He took a deep breath. "He's not in hiding. He's in control of the Knight Corporation."
Adrian froze. "That's impossible."
Daniel shook his head slowly. "Your company, your fortune it's the funding arm for Project Lazarus."
The room went silent, except for the hum of the screens.
Emma whispered, "You mean this was never about me."
Daniel's gaze softened. "It was always about you. You just didn't see how far the darkness went."
Before Adrian could respond, the screens flickered again. A new message appeared.
PHASE TWO: ACTIVE SUBJECTS 01 CONFIRMED, 02 AWAKE.
Emma's blood ran cold. "There's another one."
Daniel's face drained of color. "No… it's too soon."
"Who is it?" Adrian demanded.
Daniel whispered, "You."