CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
The dim emergency lights cast long shadows across the hidden chamber. Elena stood frozen between the console and the doorway, the override sequence still loading on the screen.
Two identical women faced her, both with Lila’s silver hair, both with the same gentle lines earned from decades of shared seasons, both bearing the exact small scar on the left palm from the childhood blood oath under the dock.
One held a gun, steady and calm. The other stood shield-like in front of Elena, empty-handed and pleading.
Both spoke at the same time, voices perfectly matched in warmth and urgency.
“Elena, it’s me,” said the one without the gun. “The real Lila. The echo is lying. I survived below. I waited for this moment to save you.”
“Elena, listen to me,” said the one with t
