Chapter 5: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The hidden hatch groaned open.
A flashlight beam cut through the darkness.
Mason pulled Emma behind a shelf, gripping the shotgun so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the staircase.
One.
Two.
Three.
The stranger stopped halfway down.
Then a familiar female voice whispered,
"Mason... if that's really you... don't shoot."
His heart stopped.
That voice...
Impossible.
Slowly, a woman stepped into the dim light.
She wore a black hooded jacket, her face marked by a thin scar that stretched from her temple to her cheek.
Her blonde hair was shorter now.
Older.
More tired.
But those blue eyes...
Mason knew them instantly.
"Claire?"
The shotgun slipped from his hands.
Emma stared at the woman in complete disbelief.
"My..."
"...Mom?"
The woman burst into tears.
For twelve years she had imagined this moment.
But now that it had finally arrived...
None of them knew what to do.
Emma ran first.
She crashed into the woman's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"I watched you die..."
"I buried you..."
Claire held her daughter so tightly it looked as if she would never let go.
"I know, sweetheart."
"I'm so sorry."
"I'm so, so sorry."
Mason stood frozen.
"You died."
"I saw your funeral."
Claire slowly looked at him.
"No."
"You saw an empty coffin."
Silence filled the room.
"I had no choice," Claire continued.
"The night before my funeral, Agent Ross helped me disappear."
"He said Project Ghost had marked Emma for elimination."
"The only way to save her..."
"...was to convince the entire world I was dead."
Emma pulled away, tears streaming down her face.
"You left me..."
Claire collapsed to her knees.
"I never wanted to."
"Every birthday..."
"Every Christmas..."
"I watched you from a distance."
"I saw your school plays."
"I saw you learn to ride a bike."
"I saw you cry when you thought I'd abandoned you."
Emma couldn't speak.
Her entire childhood had been a lie.
Mason finally found his voice.
"So Ross saved you?"
Claire's expression changed instantly.
Fear replaced relief.
"No."
"He saved me..."
"...until he betrayed everyone."
She pulled a flash drive from inside her jacket.
"I stole this from him three nights ago."
"It's everything."
"Every fake death."
"Every kidnapped witness."
"Every politician they blackmailed."
"And one recording."
"The recording that proves who really runs Project Ghost."
Before anyone could ask another question...
The lights suddenly went out.
Pitch black.
Emma screamed.
Then...
A slow clap echoed through the underground room.
One.
Two.
Three.
A man's calm voice emerged from the darkness.
"Beautiful reunion."
"I almost hate interrupting it."
Emergency lights flickered on.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs was Agent Daniel Ross.
Perfect suit.
Federal badge.
A pistol fitted with a suppressor.
Behind him stood a dozen armed operatives.
Ross smiled.
"I've spent twelve years protecting all of you."
He paused...
Then aimed the pistol directly at Claire.
"But now..."
"...you're becoming a problem."
Mason stepped in front of Claire and Emma.
Ross laughed.
"You still think you're the hero."
"You still haven't figured it out."
He tossed a thick file onto the floor.
Across the cover were two words that made Mason's blood freeze.
PROJECT ADAM
Ross looked him straight in the eyes.
Then delivered the one sentence that shattered Mason's entire identity.
"You were never hunting Project Ghost, Mason..."
May you like
"...you were its very first successful experiment."
To Be Continued...
