Episode 17 — Gabriel’s First Command
1743 Words
Gabriel stood in the doorway.
His gun was pointed directly at us.
Nobody moved.
Lily was beside me.
Ethan stood on my other side.
Adrian was near the machine.
Jason and Maya were behind us.
Gabriel looked around the room as if he owned it.
Then his eyes settled on me.
“Daniel.”
I stared at him.
“You killed my father.”
Gabriel smiled.
“That is what you remember.”
“You told me I did.”
“I told you what you needed to hear.”
My hands tightened into fists.
“Did I kill him?”
Gabriel’s smile disappeared.
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
“Then what’s the right question?”
“Who made you pull the trigger?”
The room fell silent.
I looked at Ethan.
He lowered his head.
Then I looked at Lily.
She was crying.
“Who?” I demanded.
Gabriel slowly raised his gun.
“Ask your mother.”
My heart stopped.
“My mother?”
“She knows.”
“She disappeared because of you.”
“No.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“She disappeared because she betrayed me.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“You’re not taking anyone.”
Gabriel turned toward him.
“You still think you’re the hero.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t know what I did.”
“I know exactly what you did.”
Gabriel smiled.
“You helped erase Daniel.”
Adrian froze.
I looked at him.
“What?”
Gabriel continued.
“You helped remove the memory of the shooting.”
Adrian didn’t deny it.
“You promised him he would never remember.”
Adrian’s voice was quiet.
“I was trying to save him.”
Gabriel laughed.
“You were trying to save yourself.”
I stepped toward Adrian.
“Did you erase the memory of me shooting my father?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you couldn’t survive knowing the truth.”
“What truth?”
Adrian looked at Ethan.
“Your brother pulled the trigger.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
“I didn’t know Dad was behind Gabriel.”
Gabriel smiled.
“You were aiming at me.”
Ethan raised his eyes.
“You moved.”
“I moved because you fired.”
“You killed him.”
Gabriel’s expression became cold.
“No.”
He pointed toward me.
“Your father was already dying.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He had been poisoned.”
Nobody spoke.
Gabriel continued.
“The bullet didn’t kill him.”
I looked at Ethan.
“Then what did?”
“Your father’s body was already failing.”
I felt dizzy.
“Who poisoned him?”
Gabriel smiled.
“Your mother.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“She wanted to stop him from exposing the program.”
“That isn’t true.”
“Ask her.”
“My mother told me she was trying to protect us.”
“She was.”
Gabriel lowered his gun slightly.
“From your father.”
My mind raced.
Nothing made sense anymore.
My father.
My mother.
Ethan.
Adrian.
Gabriel.
Everyone had lied.
Everyone had a reason.
And every memory I trusted was falling apart.
Lily suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Daniel.”
I looked at her.
“Don’t listen to him.”
Gabriel turned toward her.
“You’ve always been difficult.”
Lily stepped behind me.
“You’re afraid of what I remember.”
Gabriel smiled.
“I already know what you remember.”
“No.”
Lily shook her head.
“You don’t.”
Gabriel’s expression changed.
For the first time, I saw fear in his eyes.
Lily whispered:
“I remember the first experiment.”
Gabriel raised his gun.
“Lily, don’t.”
She smiled.
“You’re afraid.”
Gabriel fired.
I pulled Lily down.
The bullet struck the wall.
“RUN!”
Jason immediately fired toward Gabriel.
Gabriel disappeared behind the doorway.
Maya grabbed Lily.
“Move!”
Everyone rushed through the hidden passage.
Gunshots echoed behind us.
We ran deeper into the house.
“Where are we going?” I shouted.
Ethan answered.
“Basement!”
I stopped.
“Why?”
“There’s another exit.”
We reached the basement door.
Ethan pulled it open.
We rushed downstairs.
Jason slammed the door behind us.
“Hold it!”
Maya pushed a metal cabinet against it.
A gunshot hit the other side.
Everyone froze.
Gabriel’s voice came through the door.
“You can’t hide from me.”
Ethan looked at me.
“We need to move.”
I stared at him.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“You said my father was poisoned.”
Ethan looked away.
“It’s true.”
“Who poisoned him?”
He hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
Gabriel’s voice came through the door again.
“Your mother.”
I covered my ears.
“Stop!”
The door shook.
“We need to get out.”
Ethan grabbed my arm.
“Daniel, there’s no time.”
I pulled away.
“Where is my mother?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why does Gabriel keep mentioning her?”
Ethan stared at me.
“Because he knows where she is.”
My heart stopped.
“Where?”
Ethan looked toward Lily.
She slowly nodded.
“Under the house.”
I frowned.
“Under this house?”
“Yes.”
“There is another level.”
Jason looked around.
“Where?”
Lily pointed toward the floor.
“Below us.”
Maya looked confused.
“How do we get there?”
Lily walked toward an old wooden shelf.
She moved three boxes aside.
Behind them was a small metal panel.
She opened it.
A staircase appeared.
I stared into the darkness.
“How did you know about that?”
Lily looked at me.
“Your father showed me.”
My heart tightened.
“When?”
“Before he died.”
I followed her down.
The stairs led into a narrow underground room.
A single light hung from the ceiling.
There was a table.
Two chairs.
And a large glass wall.
Behind the glass was another room.
Someone was sitting inside.
I stopped.
“Mom.”
My mother lifted her head.
She was alive.
She rushed toward the glass.
“Daniel!”
I ran to her.
“Mom!”
She pressed her hands against the glass.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“We came for you.”
“You need to leave.”
“Not without you.”
She looked behind me.
Her eyes widened.
“Lily.”
Lily stepped forward.
My mother covered her mouth.
“You’re alive.”
Lily nodded.
“Because of you.”
My mother started crying.
“I thought Gabriel killed you.”
“He tried.”
I looked between them.
“You know each other.”
My mother nodded.
“She was the first child I tried to save.”
I stared at her.
“Then why did you let them take her?”
“I didn’t.”
She looked toward Lily.
“I helped her escape.”
“Then why did Adrian say he took her?”
“He did.”
I looked at Adrian.
He had followed us into the room.
“Why?”
Adrian’s voice was quiet.
“To protect her.”
My mother shook her head.
“You took her because Gabriel ordered you to.”
Adrian didn’t answer.
I stared at him.
“You worked for Gabriel.”
Adrian looked at me.
“Yes.”
My chest tightened.
“For how long?”
“Three years.”
“Three years?”
“After your father’s death.”
“So everything you told me…”
“Was partly true.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Partly?”
My mother looked at me.
“Daniel, listen.”
“What?”
“Your father wasn’t murdered three years ago.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He died twelve years ago.”
The room became silent.
I stared at her.
“Twelve years?”
She nodded.
“The man who died three years ago was the copy.”
My blood ran cold.
“Then why did I remember his death?”
“Because Gabriel wanted you to believe your father had only recently died.”
“Why?”
“To hide what happened twelve years ago.”
I felt dizzy.
“What happened twelve years ago?”
My mother looked at Ethan.
Then Lily.
Then me.
“Your father discovered the truth about Gabriel.”
“What truth?”
She swallowed.
“Gabriel wasn’t his partner.”
I waited.
“He was his experiment.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“Gabriel was the first successful memory-transfer subject.”
Adrian stepped backward.
“That can’t be.”
My mother looked at him.
“You were never told.”
Gabriel’s voice suddenly came through the speakers.
“You weren’t supposed to find this room.”
Everyone froze.
My mother looked terrified.
The speakers crackled.
Then Gabriel laughed.
“Daniel…”
I stared at the ceiling.
“You said my father created you.”
Gabriel answered:
“He did.”
“But Mom says you’re the experiment.”
“She is telling you only half the truth.”
I clenched my fists.
“Then tell me the whole truth!”
Silence.
Then Gabriel said:
“Your father didn’t transfer my memories into me.”
A pause.
“He transferred himself.”
My heart stopped.
“What does that mean?”
Gabriel’s voice became colder.
“It means the man you call Gabriel…”
The lights suddenly went out.
“…is your father.”
I couldn’t breathe.
My mother screamed.
“No!”
Then the lights came back on.
The glass room was empty.
My mother was gone.
I stared at the chair where she had been sitting.
“Mom?”
Nothing.
Then my black phone vibrated.
One message appeared.
NOW YOU KNOW WHO YOUR FATHER REALLY IS.
Another message appeared.
BUT ASK YOUR BROTHER WHO HE REALLY IS.
I slowly turned toward Ethan.
He looked terrified.
“Daniel…”
I stared at him.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Ethan took a step backward.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
He looked at Lily.
Then at Adrian.
Finally, he whispered:
“Because I’m not your brother.”
My heart stopped.
To Be Continued…
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