CHAPTER 8 – The Woman in the White Coat
Gunfire erupted.
Smoke grenades crashed through the cabin windows.
Soldiers shouted in confusion.
Someone outside screamed,
"Ambush!"
Nathan spun toward the door.
"What now?"
A convoy of black SUVs burst through the military blockade.
Men in tactical gear exchanged fire with Nathan's forces.
Emma grabbed Michael.
"This is our chance!"
But Michael didn't move.
He was staring at one of the vehicles.
"No..."
"It can't be..."
The SUV door opened.
A woman stepped out.
White laboratory coat beneath a black tactical vest.
Long dark hair.
A silver necklace.
Emma's knees nearly gave out.
It was the woman from the videotape.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
Thirty years older...
But unmistakably her.
"My..."
Emma whispered.
"...Mom?"
The woman looked directly at her.
Tears filled her eyes.
"I finally found you."
Emma ran toward her.
Michael suddenly screamed,
"STOP!"
Too late.
The woman pulled Emma into a tight embrace.
For one perfect second...
Everything felt real.
Then Emma felt something sharp press against her neck.
A tiny needle.
She stumbled backward.
"What..."
The woman calmly removed the syringe.
"I'm sorry."
Emma stared at her in disbelief.
"You drugged me?"
The woman's tears kept falling.
"I never wanted this."
"But if they capture you..."
"...they'll kill us all."
Nathan laughed from across the battlefield.
"I told you she'd come back."
The woman slowly turned toward him.
Her expression changed completely.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"No."
"I came back to finish what Alexander started."
She reached into Emma's pocket...
And removed the silver ring.
Nathan smiled.
"At last."
But the woman crushed the ring beneath her boot.
The tiny microchip shattered into dozens of pieces.
Nathan's face drained of color.
"What have you done?"
The woman looked at Emma one final time.
"The chip was a fake."
"The real secret..."
She gently touched the scar behind Emma's left ear.
"...has been inside you since the day you were born."
At that exact moment...
Emma heard a strange electronic voice inside her head.
Identity confirmed.
Genesis Protocol Activated.
Emma collapsed.
Then...
Every soldier on the battlefield suddenly lowered their weapons and turned toward her.
Not because they were ordered to.
Because every military drone flying overhead...
May you like
Had just recognized Emma Hayes as its highest-ranking commander.
To be continued...
