Chapter 8 - The Sister Who Was Supposed to Die
Claire couldn't move.
The woman at the end of the corridor looked exactly like her.
Same blonde hair.
Same pale eyes.
Same small scar beneath the left eyebrow.
Even the way she stood was familiar.
Claire had seen that posture in mirrors her entire life.
But this woman was older.
Harder.
There was something wounded in her expression that Claire couldn't understand.
Jacob raised his weapon.
“Stay where you are.”
The woman smiled.
“You still protect her.”
Jacob's eyes narrowed.
“Who are you?”
The woman looked at Claire.
“You really don't remember me?”
Claire's lips parted.
“Anna.”
The name came out like a whisper.
The woman's smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
Claire took one step forward.
Then another.
Her hands trembled.
“I thought you were dead.”
Anna's eyes filled with tears.
“I was.”
Claire stopped.
“What?”
Anna looked at their father.
“He made sure I was.”
The older man remained silent.
Jacob turned toward him.
“You told us she died.”
“She did.”
Anna laughed bitterly.
“For three minutes.”
Claire stared at her.
Anna slowly walked forward.
“Three minutes was enough.”
“For what?”
“To make everyone believe I was gone.”
Claire looked at their father.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew she survived.”
“Yes.”
“And you hid her from me.”
“Yes.”
Claire's face hardened.
“Why?”
Their father answered calmly.
“Because you would have followed her.”
“That was my sister.”
“She was a liability.”
Anna's expression changed.
“A liability?”
Their father looked at her.
“You were going to expose everything.”
Anna stepped closer.
“I was going to expose you.”
Jacob kept his weapon raised.
“What exactly did you discover?”
Anna looked at him.
“The truth about your brother.”
Jacob's expression tightened.
“Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“He's dead.”
Anna nodded.
“I know.”
“You were there?”
“I watched him die.”
Claire's stomach turned.
“Who killed him?”
Anna's eyes moved toward their father.
“He did.”
Jacob's weapon shifted.
“You're saying my father killed Daniel?”
Anna shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at Claire.
“Your father ordered it.”
Claire swallowed.
“Then who pulled the trigger?”
Anna's eyes hardened.
“You.”
Jacob froze.
“No.”
Anna looked directly at him.
“Jacob, you were holding the gun.”
“I didn't shoot him.”
“You did.”
“I remember nothing.”
“That was the point.”
Claire stepped forward.
“What happened that night?”
Anna's face softened.
“You need to remember together.”
Claire shook her head.
“I remember the explosion.”
“You remember the wrong part.”
“What do you mean?”
Anna pointed toward Jacob.
“Your memory was altered.”
Then she pointed toward herself.
“Mine was altered too.”
“And his?”
Anna looked at Jacob.
“His was never altered.”
Jacob frowned.
“Then why don't I remember?”
“Because you were unconscious.”
Anna took another step.
“You woke up after the explosion.”
Jacob stared at her.
“Where?”
“In the basement.”
Claire's eyes widened.
“This basement?”
Anna nodded.
“You were brought here.”
“By whom?”
“Daniel.”
Jacob's face changed.
“My brother saved me?”
“Yes.”
“Then what happened?”
Anna looked toward Emily.
“The baby happened.”
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
“My daughter.”
Anna nodded.
“You were carrying her.”
“I remember.”
“You gave birth here.”
Claire's hand went to her stomach.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Anna pointed toward the glass room.
“Inside that room.”
Claire stared at the small bed.
The stuffed rabbit.
The cold walls.
She could suddenly smell antiseptic.
Hear a baby's cry.
Feel blood on her hands.
Her knees weakened.
Jacob caught her.
“Claire.”
She closed her eyes.
A memory came rushing forward.
Daniel standing over her.
A newborn crying.
Anna beside the bed.
Someone shouting in the hallway.
Then Jacob's voice.
“Take her.”
Claire gasped.
Jacob looked at her.
“What did you see?”
She whispered,
“You were there.”
“I was?”
“You were holding the baby.”
Jacob's eyes filled with disbelief.
“What else?”
Claire pressed her fingers against her temples.
“You said something.”
“What?”
“You said…”
She stopped.
“What?”
Claire looked at him.
“You said, ‘If they find her, they will kill her.’”
Jacob stared.
He had no memory of saying it.
Anna nodded.
“That's why Daniel took the baby.”
Claire looked toward her.
“Where?”
“Somewhere your father couldn't reach.”
Their father finally spoke.
“Enough.”
Everyone turned.
His voice had lost its calmness.
“Anna.”
She smiled.
“You're afraid.”
“I have nothing to fear.”
“You're lying.”
Jacob looked at his father.
For the first time, he saw fear in the man's eyes.
Not anger.
Not authority.
Fear.
Jacob lowered his weapon slightly.
“Who are you afraid of?”
His father said nothing.
Anna answered.
“Not who.”
She looked toward the ceiling.
“What.”
Claire frowned.
“What?”
Anna walked toward the wall.
She placed her palm against a section of concrete.
“There is something underneath this facility.”
Jacob moved closer.
“What?”
Anna looked at him.
“The archive isn't the deepest level.”
Elias suddenly stepped forward.
“Anna.”
She turned.
“You knew?”
Elias shook his head.
“I knew there were four levels.”
“There are five.”
Elias went pale.
“No.”
Anna nodded.
“Level Five.”
Jacob stared.
“What is there?”
Anna looked at Emily.
“The reason your father built all of this.”
Claire looked at the little girl.
Emily was standing silently behind the glass.
Her eyes were fixed on Anna.
Anna walked toward the child.
“Come here.”
Emily didn't move.
“It's okay.”
Emily looked at Claire.
“Mommy?”
Claire stepped toward the glass.
“It's okay, sweetheart.”
The door opened.
Emily slowly walked out.
She crossed the room.
Then stopped beside Anna.
Anna knelt.
“You remember me?”
Emily nodded.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“You sang to me.”
Anna smiled.
“I did.”
Claire stared.
“You knew her.”
Anna looked up.
“I helped raise her.”
Claire's heart broke.
“For how long?”
“Six years.”
Claire covered her mouth.
“Six years?”
Anna nodded.
“Your father wanted her hidden.”
“Why did you protect her?”
“Because she was yours.”
Claire began crying.
Anna reached for her hand.
“You don't have to be afraid anymore.”
Claire stared at her sister.
“You were the one who sent the letter.”
“Yes.”
“You brought me here.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Jacob would come.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Anna looked at Jacob.
“Because he was the only person who could open Level Five.”
Jacob frowned.
“I don't have a key.”
Anna looked at his hand.
“Yes, you do.”
Jacob followed her gaze.
The old identification tag.
The one Claire had found at the grave.
R-17.
Anna pointed toward it.
“Turn it over.”
Jacob did.
There was another engraving beneath the coordinates.
He had never noticed it.
A small sequence of numbers.
Claire stared.
“What is that?”
Anna whispered,
“Your father's birth date.”
Jacob looked at his father.
“Why would that be on my military tag?”
His father remained silent.
Anna answered.
“Because the tag was never yours.”
Jacob froze.
“What?”
“It belonged to Daniel.”
Claire stared at the metal.
Anna continued.
“Daniel gave it to you before the convoy.”
Jacob shook his head.
“No.”
“He told you to keep it.”
“I don't remember.”
“You weren't supposed to.”
Jacob's expression hardened.
“Why?”
“Because the tag contains the access code.”
“To Level Five?”
“Yes.”
Jacob looked at his father.
“You built a system that only Daniel could open.”
His father nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel was the only one I trusted.”
Anna laughed bitterly.
“And then he stopped trusting you.”
Jacob looked at the floor.
“That's why he gave me the tag.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he knew you would refuse.”
“Refuse what?”
Anna looked at Claire.
“To become the next Ghost.”
Jacob's eyes widened.
Claire whispered,
“What?”
Anna looked at him.
“Daniel wanted you to take his place.”
Jacob shook his head.
“I never wanted this.”
“I know.”
“Then why did he choose me?”
“Because you were the only person he believed could destroy it.”
Jacob looked toward the dark corridor.
“Destroy what?”
Anna's expression became serious.
“The entire organization.”
Silence.
Claire looked at their father.
“You knew Daniel wanted to destroy everything.”
“Yes.”
“You killed him.”
“I stopped him.”
Anna's voice sharpened.
“You ordered his execution.”
“I protected the family.”
“You destroyed it.”
Their father stepped forward.
“I kept this family alive.”
Anna shook her head.
“You kept it powerful.”
Jacob rolled between them.
“Enough.”
Everyone stopped.
Jacob looked at his father.
“I want the truth.”
“You can't handle it.”
“I've spent six years in a wheelchair because of your lies.”
His father's eyes narrowed.
“You think your injury was an accident?”
Claire froze.
Jacob's face went blank.
“What did you say?”
His father continued.
“The explosion wasn't meant to kill you.”
Jacob stared.
“It was meant to change you.”
Claire stepped closer.
“Change him into what?”
His father looked directly at Jacob.
“Someone who would inherit everything.”
Jacob's voice dropped.
“You did this to me.”
“No.”
His father shook his head.
“Daniel did.”
Jacob stopped breathing.
“What?”
“He changed the explosives.”
Claire stared.
“No.”
“Daniel altered the blast.”
His father continued.
“He wanted you alive.”
Jacob's hands began shaking.
“He crippled me?”
“He saved you.”
Jacob looked toward Anna.
“Is that true?”
Anna's eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
Jacob stared at her.
“Why?”
“Because Daniel knew your father would kill you if you remained useful.”
Jacob's voice cracked.
“So he destroyed my life to save it.”
Anna nodded.
“He thought you'd understand someday.”
Jacob looked away.
Claire moved beside him.
She placed her hand gently over his.
He didn't pull away.
For the first time, he looked exhausted rather than angry.
Then Emily suddenly screamed.
“NO!”
Everyone turned.
The little girl pointed toward the far end of the corridor.
A red light was flashing.
Anna's face changed.
“Run.”
Jacob looked at her.
“What?”
“Run.”
A heavy mechanical sound echoed beneath the floor.
One.
Two.
Three times.
The concrete wall behind them began sliding open.
Elias raised his weapon.
Their father stepped backward.
Claire pulled Emily close.
Jacob stared at the opening.
Beyond it was a narrow staircase descending into complete darkness.
Anna whispered,
“Level Five.”
Then a voice came from below.
A man's voice.
Calm.
Familiar.
And impossible.
“Jacob.”
Jacob froze.
The voice continued.
“It's time you met the man who gave the order to destroy your convoy.”
A figure slowly appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
May you like
Jacob's face went white.
Because the man walking toward them was wearing Daniel Ryan's military uniform...
