Beyond the Mirror

Chapter Four

The next midnight, Gabriel arrived at the Neues Museum earlier to explore the museum for entrances, exits and hiding spots just in case the worse would strike again. It was the dead of the night. The museum was eerily empty. As the clock struck midnight, the woman appeared out of the shadows. She donned a long leather coat, her eyes sparkling in the dim light.

“Follow me,” she said, leading him to a secluded area of the museum. She seemed to know the layout of the museum perfectly. As they walked, Gabriel noticed that the museum had a few artefacts within it. They were old and dusty artefact but were certainly not exhibiting. The artefacts sprawled around. Most were broken. The museum looked like a war zone. Its walls were disfigured with graffities and fire burns.

“Where are we going?” Gabriel asked, his voice barely different from a whisper.

“You’ll see,” she replied, her eyes fixed on some direction ahead.

They suddenly came to a halt in front of a small door that was fixed on the floor. Without an insider’s knowledge, one might not know that a door was there. The woman pulled out a key and unlocked it, revealing a narrow staircase that descended into darkness.

“Down here,” she said, gesturing towards Gabriel to go down the staircase before her.

Gabriel hesitated at first, but his curiosity got the better of him. He began to descend the stairs. The woman followed closely behind with a large torch.

At the bottom, they found themselves in a cramped, dimly lit room. The air was stuffed up with dust, and cobwebs hung from the ceiling.

The woman stepped forward; her eyes gleaming with a fierce intensity. "This is where you'll find the truth," she said, her voice low and husky.

Gabriel noticed a series of old photographs on the walls. The photographs portrayed people in Lab coats and masks operating strange equipment

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face. It was Ethan’s, smiling and excited. But this was him during his childhood. He was barely a 5-year-old. He had always had the semblance from way back as a child.

"Ethan?" Gabriel whispered, his heart thumping.

The woman nodded. "Yes, that's him. But look closer."

Gabriel stared closely at the photograph, and as he did, he noticed strange details. Ethan was standing next to a large machine, and on the machine was a label that read "Kentaur Programme -1957 ". This photograph was also snapped in 1957? He had heard about the Kentaur programme before now, but the odder of the two details was the date the photograph was snapped. Ethan was just still in his early 20’s. Just about the same age as him. Both of them were born in 2004 with few months apart.

"Kentaur Programme in 1957?" Gabriel repeated, his mind racing, his brows raised with curiosity. “Are you sure this was Ethan in 1957 or his grandfather?” Gabriel asked even further, longing to sate his curiosity.

The woman nodded. "That's Ethan and nobody else.” She affirmed. “You and Ethan were first conceived in 1957 through the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) launched by the German government.”

Gabriel's eyes widened in horror. "Wait, what? I was born in Germany and I’m as old as over 100 years? How’s this genetically possible?"

The woman's expression was grim. "The Kentaur programme was president Theodor Heuss’s initiative to recoup the heavy human loss Germany had suffered in the world war II. To grow the human capital, President Theodor brought together a group of scientists who understood the reproduction dynamics under the Deutsches Genetisches Institut (DGI)”

As Gabriel listened, he felt a sense of unease growing inside him. He didn't know what to believe or who to trust. He had lived all his life in West Africa – at least the portion of his life he knew about. It was odd now to learn that he was German by birth. And he was born in 1957. That was impossible. “Is this some fairytale now?” Gabriel asked.

The woman’s looked stern at Gabriel. “This is for your own sake, Gabe. Your gene is renewed and your memory reset every 24 years. But you failed renewal three times now.” She warned. “The Kentaur programme was a success. The program was outlawed after a while. But a secret faction of scientists extended the project to other part of Europe for commercial profits. Rumors have it that they had the backing of key political figures.”

Impatient to hear the truth about himself, Gabriel just wanted to get to the truth faster. “What role do I play in all this? Why are some people after me then if this program had been outlawed?”

Hastily, the woman snapped back at Gabriel, “because your mother sold you to Africa! And it’s for your own safety.”

“Uh? My mother sold me?” Gabriel remarked.

“Yes, your mother breached the laws of the Nexus and sold you to Africa to protect you. The Nexus are after you.” She warned Gabriel, her expression looking all gloomy now.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the stairs. Gabriel’s mind raced with fear. The woman's eyes flicked towards the sound, and she nodded.

"It's time for you to go," she whispered. "But remember, you're not alone. There are others who are fighting against the Nexus. You just have to find them."

Gabriel nodded. “But why have you invited me to Germany if it’s not safe for me?” He asked defiantly, his voice barely above a whisper. But his question was met with silence.

Instead, the woman rumpled a small device in his fist. "This is a memory stick," she whispered. "It contains all the information you'll need to know about the Kentaur Programme. But you must be very careful. Don’t tell anyone you have this information. They will stop at nothing to get it back."