Chapter 8
1151 Words
Rain continued to fall softly over the city, turning the streets into rivers of reflected lights. Sirens wailed somewhere in the distance as fire trucks rushed toward the burning building Elena had just escaped from.
But she didn’t stay to watch.
She ran.
Her shoes splashed through puddles as she turned down one street after another, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the explosion. Her heart still pounded violently, adrenaline keeping her legs moving even though exhaustion threatened to slow her down.
Daniel’s voice was still in her ear through the phone.
“Keep moving,” he said calmly.
Elena finally slowed when she reached a small public park several blocks away. The trees swayed gently in the wind, their leaves dripping from the rain.
She leaned against a bench, breathing heavily.
“I think… I lost them.”
Daniel didn’t respond immediately.
“Good,” he finally said. “But we can’t assume you’re safe.”
Elena wiped wet hair from her face.
“My whole life just exploded tonight,” she said bitterly. “I don’t even know what’s real anymore.”
“That’s about to get worse.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What do you mean?”
“The drive,” Daniel said.
Elena slowly pulled the small flash drive from the bag Marcus had given her. Even in the dim light of the park, the metal surface seemed to gleam ominously.
“This thing?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You said the files were about me.”
“They are.”
Elena stared at it.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You need to see it.”
“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?” she asked. “I don’t have a computer with me.”
Daniel paused.
“There’s a place nearby.”
Elena frowned.
“What kind of place?”
“A safe location,” he replied.
She laughed nervously.
“You blew up a building tonight. Your definition of safe might be different from mine.”
“It’s the best option we have.”
Elena sighed.
“Fine. Where?”
Daniel gave her directions.
“There’s a small internet café about five blocks from where you are,” he said. “It stays open late.”
Elena glanced around the dark park.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“No,” Daniel said honestly.
“But we don’t have time to wait.”
Elena hesitated.
The network was hunting her.
Marcus might still be alive.
And the drive apparently contained secrets about her own life.
She slipped the drive back into her bag.
“Alright,” she said. “Let’s do it.”
Fifteen minutes later, Elena pushed open the door of the internet café.
The bell above the door chimed softly.
Inside, the place was nearly empty.
Rows of old computers sat along the walls, their screens glowing faintly. The smell of coffee and dust hung in the air.
A tired-looking employee sat behind the counter, barely glancing up from his phone.
Perfect.
Elena walked to one of the computers in the back corner.
Her hands trembled slightly as she sat down.
“You ready?” Daniel asked through the phone.
“No,” she admitted.
“But I guess that doesn’t matter.”
She plugged the flash drive into the computer.
The screen flickered for a moment.
Then a single folder appeared.
PROJECT E.C.
Elena frowned.
“Daniel…”
“Yes?”
“The folder is called Project E.C.”
Silence filled the line.
“That’s not good,” he said.
Her fingers hovered over the mouse.
“What does it mean?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Open it.”
Elena clicked the folder.
Several files appeared instantly.
Documents.
Photos.
Videos.
But one file stood out.
SUBJECT: ELENA CARTER
Her breath caught in her throat.
“This can’t be real,” she whispered.
“Open it,” Daniel said.
Elena clicked the file.
A document filled the screen.
At the top was a photograph.
Her photograph.
But it wasn’t recent.
She looked younger.
Much younger.
A child.
“What…” she whispered.
Below the photo were lines of text.
She began reading.
Name: Elena Carter
Age at acquisition: 6
Status: Primary Subject
Project Classification: Genetic Enhancement Program
Elena felt the room spin.
“Daniel…” she whispered.
“What does it say?”
Her voice shook as she read.
“It says… I was part of some kind of experiment.”
Silence filled the phone line.
“That’s impossible,” she said. “I had a normal childhood.”
“Keep reading,” Daniel said quietly.
Her eyes scanned the document.
Subject shows high adaptability to neurological stimulation. Memory suppression protocol successful. Subject released back into civilian population.
Elena’s chest tightened.
“Memory suppression?” she whispered.
“Daniel… what does that mean?”
But he already knew.
“It means,” he said slowly, “your memories might not be real.”
Her heart felt like it stopped.
“You’re saying my childhood was fake?”
“I’m saying someone altered it.”
Elena leaned back in the chair, stunned.
“This can’t be happening.”
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Daniel said.
She looked back at the screen.
“Yes.”
“What does it say?”
Her eyes moved to the bottom of the document.
Then she froze.
“Daniel…”
“What?”
“There’s another name listed here.”
“Whose?”
She swallowed.
“The project director.”
“Who?”
Her voice came out as a whisper.
“The man who chased me tonight.”
Daniel went silent.
Elena stared at the screen in horror.
“That means…”
“Yes,” Daniel said grimly.
“He didn’t just start watching you.”
“He created you.”
Her blood ran cold.
“But that’s not possible,” she said.
“I’m just a normal person.”
“No,” Daniel said quietly.
“You’re not.”
Her eyes moved to another file.
A video file.
“Daniel…”
“Yes?”
“There’s a video labeled Phase Two Activation.”
Daniel’s voice suddenly turned urgent.
“Don’t open it.”
“Why not?”
“Because if the network set this up…”
His voice trailed off.
Elena felt dread creeping into her chest.
“Daniel… what happens if I open it?”
There was a long silence.
Then he answered.
“If this is what I think it is…”
“It might activate something inside you.”
Elena stared at the screen.
Her reflection stared back at her from the dark monitor.
A stranger.
“Then maybe it’s time I find out who I really am.”
Her finger hovered over the mouse.
“Elena”
Click.
The video started playing.
And within seconds, everything changed.
- Writer
