Chapter Fifty Seven: The Other Signal
405 Words
Xavier’s POV
Wind roared through the open lighthouse doorway as Xavier stared at the flickering screen, heart hammering in his chest. Two signals pulsed on the laptop map—one inland, one somewhere far out to sea.
Both labeled “M.M.”
He shoved the flash drive into his pocket and started down the cliff path, the rain lashing against his face. His comm unit was still connected to the encrypted network from his father’s office—he hadn’t told anyone he’d found it. Not yet.
But now, as he replayed that distorted voice, a cold realization crawled down his spine.
Whoever was sending these signals… wasn’t just monitoring Mila.
They were mimicking her.
He reached the car, slammed the door, and powered up the built-in surveillance interface. The system began analyzing both signals, tracing their patterns.
Two lines appeared on the screen, heartbeat-shaped waves of data.
Identical in rhythm.
Identical in tone.
But slightly—slightly—out of sync.
That was impossible. Unless one was an echo.
Or a copy.
> “Project Mnemosyne,” he muttered. “What the hell did they do to you, Mila?”
Before he could run the next diagnostic, his comm lit up.
An unfamiliar channel.
Encrypted.
> Unknown: “Step away from the system, Xavier Reed.”
Xavier: “Who the hell is this?”
Unknown: “You’re trespassing on a classified frequency. We’ve been tracking your coordinates since you left the city. This is your only warning.”
He froze.
A black SUV appeared in his rearview mirror, headlights cutting through the storm.
They’d found him.
Without thinking, he gunned the engine. The car tore down the narrow coastal road, tires skidding on the slick asphalt. Static screamed through his earpiece, and then—through the chaos—a faint, fractured voice cut through:
> “…Xavier… run…”
His hands clenched the wheel.
“Mila?”
No answer. Just white noise.
Then, out of nowhere, the second signal—the one offshore—spiked violently, blinding his screen for half a second before resolving into a new location marker.
Latitude 39.774° N, Longitude 10.821° E.
An island.
Uncharted.
The SUV was closing in, fast.
He swerved down a side road and disappeared into the fog.
If that island held the real Mila…
then whoever was behind Project Mnemosyne had just made a fatal mistake—
because Xavier Reed was coming for her.
- Writer
