Chapter 5 - The Mother Who Lied Twice
Adelaide stared at the screen until the image blurred.
"No."
The video continued.
Evelyn stood behind Maya.
Not threatening her.
But not freeing her.
"I know what this looks like," Evelyn said. "Come to the maternity wing. Alone."
The recording ended.
Adelaide turned toward Grant.
"You knew."
Grant's expression gave nothing away.
"I suspected."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Would you have believed me?"
Serena stepped toward him.
"You let everyone think Thomas was the whistleblower and Evelyn was the frightened widow."
"Thomas was the whistleblower."
Grant looked at Adelaide.
"But he wasn't working alone when Meridian began."
Adelaide's stomach tightened again.
Harder.
She braced one hand against the locker.
Elias immediately noticed.
"Another contraction?"
"I'm fine."
"That's the third one."
She stared at him.
"How are you counting?"
"Because I'm paying attention."
The words landed deeper than he intended.
Seven months ago, she had needed him to pay attention.
Now, in the basement of the hospital where she had been born into a secret experiment, he finally was.
Detective Hale ordered units toward the maternity wing.
Grant shook his head.
"She'll see them coming."
"You seem to know a lot."
"I built half this facility."
"Then help us."
Grant looked at Elias.
For the first time, the arrogance vanished.
"I owe him that much."
Elias's face remained hard.
"You owe me a lifetime."
"Yes."
They moved.
The old maternity wing smelled of dust and antiseptic residue.
Emergency generators had been activated somewhere inside.
One corridor glowed.
Adelaide recognized the room number from her birth certificate.
Her mother was waiting there.
So was Maya.
Unbound.
Alive.
Adelaide rushed to her.
"Maya."
Her friend grabbed her.
"I'm okay."
"What happened?"
"They took me from your apartment."
"Who?"
"Two men."
"Where are they?"
"Gone."
Evelyn stood near the window.
Adelaide turned.
"Explain."
Evelyn looked at her daughter as though searching for the child she'd once protected inside the woman now confronting her.
"I helped create Meridian."
Adelaide said nothing.
"I was a genetic researcher before you were born."
"You told me you were a lab technician."
"I was."
"You left out the doctorate."
Evelyn almost smiled.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't want you searching my publications."
"Publications about what?"
"Heritable resistance patterns."
Adelaide's medical curiosity fought with fury.
"Resistance to what?"
"Certain autoimmune diseases. Some cancers. Viral infections."
"And you experimented on babies."
"No."
Grant entered behind Hale.
Evelyn stiffened.
Grant said, "Tell her the whole truth."
Evelyn's eyes flashed.
"You don't get to demand honesty."
"No. But she does."
Adelaide crossed her arms.
"Start talking."
Evelyn did.
Meridian had begun with an idealistic goal.
Identify genetic combinations that might help researchers understand rare natural disease resistance.
No engineered babies.
No forced pairings.
At least not initially.
Then funding arrived.
Grant Carter.
Ambition grew.
Data became prediction.
Prediction became selection.
And selection became surveillance.
"When Thomas discovered Grant was tracking children after birth, he wanted out."
Grant interrupted.
"I wanted the same thing later."
Evelyn laughed bitterly.
"After investors threatened you."
"After I realized what we'd created."
Adelaide looked between them.
"You were both responsible."
Neither denied it.
"What happened to Dad?"
Evelyn closed her eyes.
"He stole the files."
"And someone killed him."
"Yes."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I've spent twenty-one years trying to find out."
Adelaide pointed toward Maya.
"By kidnapping my best friend?"
"I didn't kidnap her."
Maya spoke.
"She's telling the truth."
Adelaide turned.
"The men brought me here. Your mom showed up afterward."
"Why didn't you leave?"
"Because she said they'd kill me if we walked outside."
Evelyn nodded toward a security monitor.
Four vehicles surrounded the property.
None police.
Hale cursed.
"Those weren't there when we arrived."
Grant looked grim.
"Meridian security."
"Controlled by whom?"
Evelyn met his gaze.
"Your successor."
Elias stepped forward.
"Name."
Evelyn hesitated.
Grant answered for her.
"Dr. Nathan Voss."
Adelaide knew the name.
Everyone in maternal-fetal medicine did.
Brilliant geneticist.
Public philanthropist.
Chair of Carter Biomedical's medical ethics council.
"He's on my hospital board."
"Exactly," Evelyn said.
Adelaide felt sick.
"He has access to my records."
"Yes."
"He knew my baby's sex."
"Yes."
"He arranged the crash?"
"I believe so."
Serena moved toward Evelyn.
"And Claire?"
Evelyn's eyes filled with sorrow.
"Nathan ordered her killed."
Serena slapped her.
The sound cracked through the room.
No one stopped her.
Evelyn accepted it.
"She trusted me," Serena whispered.
"I tried to save her."
"You failed."
"Yes."
Serena stepped back, shaking.
Adelaide looked at Grant.
"Why would Voss target Lily?"
"Because Serena's survival threatened him."
"And my son?"
Grant's jaw tightened.
"Because Meridian's old predictive model considers your child unusually significant."
"He's a baby."
"I know."
"Do you?"
Grant looked away.
That was answer enough.
A siren began outside.
Hale touched his radio.
Nothing.
Static.
Evelyn crossed to a cabinet.
"We have a service tunnel."
"Of course you do," Maya muttered.
They moved toward it.
Halfway there, Adelaide stopped.
Pain gripped her abdomen.
Not a mild tightening.
Sharp.
Deep.
She bent forward.
Elias caught her.
"Adelaide."
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not."
She breathed through it.
Then felt warmth.
Her eyes widened.
Elias saw her expression.
"What?"
Adelaide looked down.
Fluid.
No.
Not now.
"My water just broke."
Every face changed.
Serena immediately became practical.
"How early?"
"Twenty-nine weeks."
Elias went white.
"Is that dangerous?"
"Yes."
The honesty terrified him.
"We need a hospital."
"We're in one," Maya said.
Adelaide shook her head.
"This wing hasn't functioned in years."
Evelyn moved quickly.
"The surgical suite was renovated secretly five years ago."
Adelaide stared.
"For Meridian?"
"Yes."
"Then I am not giving birth in their laboratory."
"You might not have a choice."
Another contraction hit.
Stronger.
Elias held her.
"Tell me what to do."
She looked into his frightened eyes.
"Don't panic."
"Great."
"I'm serious."
"I'm trying."
"Stay with me."
His expression changed.
"I will."
They reached the hidden surgical level.
To Adelaide's horror, it was fully functional.
Clean.
Powered.
Stocked.
A modern operating room buried beneath an abandoned maternity hospital.
And beside it—
A neonatal intensive care unit.
Ten incubators.
Waiting.
Adelaide stared.
"They expected babies."
Evelyn whispered, "Yes."
Elias looked as though he might kill someone.
Grant stepped into the room.
"I never authorized this."
Evelyn turned on him.
"Your name built it."
A screen suddenly illuminated.
Nathan Voss appeared.
Silver-framed glasses.
Calm face.
Perfect suit.
"Good evening."
Hale drew his weapon despite the fact the man was on a monitor.
Voss smiled.
"Dr. Morgan, I apologize for the inconvenience."
Adelaide was breathing through another contraction.
"Go to hell."
"I've always admired your temperament."
Elias stepped in front of her.
"You stay away from her."
Voss studied him.
"The father."
"Touch my family and I'll destroy you."
"Your family is the reason we're here."
Adelaide gripped Elias's hand.
Family.
The word scared her.
And somehow steadied her.
Voss continued.
"The child you're carrying represents something our research has waited decades to understand."
"He's not your research."
"No."
Voss smiled.
"He's yours."
A pause.
"But the data belongs to history."
Adelaide straightened despite the pain.
"No child belongs to science."
"Spoken like your father."
The doors behind them locked.
Red lights activated.
Hale ran toward the control panel.
"System override."
Evelyn stared at the screen.
"What did you do?"
Voss answered calmly.
"I sealed the wing."
A ventilation alarm started.
Adelaide smelled something faint.
Sweet.
Chemical.
Evelyn's face changed.
"He's flooding the corridor."
"With what?" Elias asked.
"Sedative gas."
Hale shouted.
"Everyone into the operating room!"
They rushed inside.
Grant slammed the door.
The seal engaged.
Adelaide leaned against the operating table.
Another contraction.
Closer.
Too close.
Elias took her face gently between his hands.
"Look at me."
She did.
"We're getting you and our son out."
For once, she didn't correct the word our.
Maya checked the emergency supplies.
Serena searched cabinets.
Hale tried communications.
Grant stared through the glass.
Then froze.
Someone was walking through the gas-filled corridor wearing a respirator.
Slowly.
Confidently.
May you like
Nathan Voss had arrived in person.
And in his hand was a neonatal identification bracelet already printed with Adelaide's unborn son's name.
