THE TRAPPER'S GAME
1479 Words
The coordinates led to an abandoned factory on the riverfront.
Elliot stood outside the chain-link fence, watching the building through his binoculars. The windows were broken. The walls were covered in graffiti. But Adam's thermal scan showed movement inside—at least a dozen heat signatures, scattered across the upper floors.
Frank stood beside him, his rifle slung over his shoulder. "He said come alone."
"He also said he had the list."
"It's a trap."
"Everything is a trap."
Kael spoke through the earpiece. "My team is in position on the north side. David's team is on the south."
Elliot lowered the binoculars. "Wait for my signal."
---
The fence was rusted, easy to climb.
Elliot dropped onto the other side and walked toward the building. His footsteps crunched on the gravel. The air smelled like river water and decay.
The main entrance was a metal door, hanging from its hinges.
He stepped inside.
---
The factory was dark.
Elliot flicked on his flashlight. The beam cut through the shadows, illuminating broken machinery, shattered glass, piles of debris.
Damian's voice echoed from above. "You came."
"You knew I would."
"Follow the stairs."
Elliot climbed.
---
The upper floor was a maze of catwalks and rooms.
Damian stood in the center of a large open space, his hands behind his back. He was alone.
"You're brave," Damian said. "Or stupid."
"Probably both."
Damian gestured to a table beside him. On it, a tablet. "The list. Every child. Every location. Every detail."
Elliot stepped closer. "Why are you giving it to me?"
"Because I'm tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of being hunted."
"So you're surrendering?"
"I'm negotiating."
---
Elliot stopped a few feet away. "What do you want?"
"Safe passage. Out of the country. A new identity. Enough money to disappear."
"You experimented on children."
"I funded the experiments. There's a difference."
"Not to me."
Damian's eyes hardened. "Then we have nothing to talk about."
He reached for the tablet.
Elliot grabbed his wrist. "I didn't say I wouldn't give you what you want. I said I don't like it."
"Does it matter what you like?"
"Yes. It matters."
---
Frank's voice came through the earpiece. "We've got movement. Armed men. East side."
Elliot kept his eyes on Damian. "You brought backup."
"For protection."
"Against what?"
"Against you."
---
The doors burst open.
Guards poured into the room—at least a dozen, their weapons raised.
Frank's voice again. "We're coming in."
"No," Elliot said. "Wait."
Damian smiled. "Smart man."
Elliot released his wrist. "You have the list. I have the ability to let you walk out of here. Give me what I want, and you get what you want."
"The list for safe passage."
"And the children. All of them. No more experiments. No more facilities."
Damian nodded. "Agreed."
---
The tablet was real.
Elliot scrolled through the list—names, ages, locations. Over two hundred children. Emma and Leo were on it. Samuel was on it. Dozens of others.
"How do I know this is complete?"
Damian pulled out a second tablet. "This is the master list. Every copy created under Project Echo. Every child. Every adult. Every experiment."
Elliot took it. "Why did you do it?"
"Because I could. Because the money was good. Because I wanted to see if it was possible."
"And now?"
"Now I want to live."
---
Frank's team moved in.
The guards lowered their weapons. Damian raised his hands.
"I'm not going to resist."
Frank cuffed him. "You're coming with us."
"I know."
Elliot looked at Damian. "Where's the money? The backups? The hidden facilities?"
"On the tablet. All of it."
"If you're lying—"
"I'm not. I want this to be over."
---
The convoy drove back to the base.
Elliot sat in the lead vehicle, studying the tablets. The data was extensive—facility locations, financial records, contact names.
Adam's voice came through. "I'm cross-referencing the list with our existing files. It matches."
"So it's real."
"It appears so."
Frank drove. "What do we do with Damian?"
"Lock him up. For now."
---
The base was quiet when they returned.
Elliot handed the tablets to Adam. "Start verifying. Cross-reference everything."
"I'll need a week."
"You have three days."
---
Damian sat in a cell in the sub-basement.
Elliot visited him that night.
"You're not what I expected," Damian said.
"What did you expect?"
"Someone angry. Vengeful."
"I'm both. But anger doesn't help the children."
Damian nodded slowly. "The children. That's what this is about?"
"That's what it's always been about."
---
The verification took four days.
Adam worked around the clock, cross-referencing names, locations, dates. The list was accurate. The data was real.
"There are facilities in twenty countries," Adam said. "Over two hundred children. Some in stasis. Some awake. Some being experimented on."
Elliot studied the map. "We need to move fast."
"We need help."
"Then we get help."
---
The call went out to copy rights organizations, human rights groups, governments.
Some agreed to help. Others refused.
But enough said yes.
Elliot stood in the command center, watching the blue dots appear on the map—allies, volunteers, soldiers.
"We have a chance," Frank said.
"A small one."
"Sometimes that's enough."
---
The first rescue was in Canada.
Elliot flew to Toronto with a small team. The facility was hidden beneath a warehouse, accessible only by a freight elevator.
The guards were private security—hired by Damian's network.
Frank took them down silently.
The children were in the sub-basement. Twelve of them. All in stasis.
Elliot opened the first tank. A girl, maybe nine. Her eyes were closed. Her face was peaceful.
"We're taking you home," he whispered.
---
The rescues continued.
Week after week. Month after month.
Elliot traveled the world—Canada, Mexico, England, Germany, Japan. Each facility was different. Each rescue was different. But the goal was the same.
Frank stayed by his side. Marcus handled security. Adam coordinated from the base.
Daphne held down the home front, caring for the children, keeping the base running.
One night, Elliot called her from a hotel in Seoul.
"I miss you," he said.
"I miss you too."
"The children?"
"Happy. Healing. Emma is teaching them to draw."
Elliot smiled. "Good."
"When are you coming home?"
"Soon."
---
The final facility was in Australia.
Elliot stood on the beach, watching the sun rise. The facility was hidden beneath a lighthouse, accessible only by a tunnel.
Frank checked his equipment. "This is the last one on the list."
"If the list is accurate."
"It's accurate."
They descended.
---
The facility was small.
Three tanks. Three children. Two girls, one boy.
Elliot opened the first tank. The girl inside opened her eyes.
"Where am I?"
"You're safe. You're going home."
She looked at him. "Who are you?"
"My name is Elliot. I'm a copy. Like you."
She was silent for a moment. Then she said, "I thought I was alone."
"You're not alone. Not anymore."
---
The flight back was long.
Elliot sat in the cargo hold, watching the children sleep.
Frank sat beside him. "That's the last of them."
"According to the list."
"There could be more."
"There are always more."
Frank nodded. "But for now, we rest."
Elliot leaned back. "For now."
---
The base was crowded when they returned.
Over two hundred children, plus the adults who had been rescued from other facilities. The barracks were full. The medical wing was overflowing.
Charlotte looked exhausted but happy. "We need more space."
"We'll build more."
"How?"
"Together."
---
Damian was transferred to a federal prison.
Elliot watched the convoy drive away, his heart heavy.
Frank stood beside him. "You did the right thing."
"Did I?"
"He gave us the list. He helped us save the children."
"He also created them."
"The world isn't black and white."
Elliot shook his head. "No. It's not."
---
That night, Elliot dreamed of the garden.
Echo was there, sitting on the bench beneath the tree.
"You did it," Echo said.
"We did it."
"The children are safe."
"For now."
Echo smiled. "That's enough."
Elliot sat beside him. "I'm tired."
"I know."
"But I can't stop."
"Then don't. But let us help."
Elliot looked at the flowers. At the sky.
"I miss you."
"I'm not gone. I'm in the children you saved." Echo touched his shoulder. "I'm in you."
Elliot closed his eyes.
When he opened them, the garden was gone.
---
The next morning, a message arrived.
A young woman, her face pale, her hands shaking.
"Are you Elliot Reed?"
"Yes."
"I have a message. From someone who says she knows where the missing children are."
Elliot's heart pounded. "What missing children?"
The woman handed him a tablet.
The screen glowed with a single sentence.
"The list was incomplete. I have the rest. Meet me at the old church."
- Writer
