Chapter 5: The Betrayal Was Only the Beginning
The photograph slipped from Evelyn's trembling fingers.
It landed face-up on the cold steel floor.
Dr. Adrian Ross.
Victor Kane.
Standing side by side.
Smiling.
Partners.
The man she had trusted...
The man she had called "Dad"...
Had helped create the nightmare that destroyed thousands of children.
Tears streamed down Evelyn's face.
"You lied to me..."
Dr. Ross didn't even try to defend himself.
"Yes."
The single word cut deeper than any knife.
Victor Kane laughed softly.
"Finally..."
"The truth."
He slowly walked toward Evelyn, hands in his pockets, completely unafraid.
"You've spent your whole life believing Adrian Ross saved you."
"He didn't."
"He selected you."
Silence.
Dr. Ross clenched his fists.
"Don't listen to him."
Victor smiled wider.
"Then tell her."
"Tell her how you chose Candidate E-999."
"Tell her why every other child had to die."
Dr. Ross remained silent.
That silence became his confession.
Evelyn stepped backward.
"No..."
"No..."
"You promised you loved me."
Dr. Ross looked into her tear-filled eyes.
"I do."
"More than my own life."
"Then why?"
His voice broke.
"Because I had to choose."
He pressed a shaking hand against an old computer terminal.
Hundreds of holographic files suddenly filled the chamber.
Thousands of children's faces.
Every one of them smiling.
Every one of them now dead.
Victor Kane slowly applauded.
"Go on."
"Show her."
Dr. Ross opened a classified report.
PROJECT EVE – FINAL SURVIVAL TRIAL
Requirement:
One child must survive.
Failure:
All candidates terminated.
Evelyn's breathing became uneven.
"There were..."
"...a thousand of us?"
Dr. Ross nodded.
"There were exactly one thousand."
"And you..."
"...were number 999."
Victor's voice echoed through the room.
"The last successful prototype."
"The perfect child."
"The one worth sacrificing everyone else for."
Evelyn screamed.
"STOP!"
The lights exploded.
Every screen shattered.
Glass rained from the ceiling.
Without touching anything...
The entire chamber shook violently.
Soldiers outside lost their balance.
Helicopters hovering above the mountain suddenly spun out of control.
Victor Kane's smile faded.
"So..."
"It really is happening."
One of his officers rushed toward him.
"Sir!"
"Energy levels are increasing!"
"They're beyond every prediction!"
Victor looked almost...
Excited.
"Excellent."
He stared directly at Evelyn.
"She's finally waking up."
Dr. Ross's face filled with horror.
"No."
"She's losing control."
He ran toward Evelyn.
"Evelyn!"
"Listen to my voice!"
But she couldn't hear him.
Every painful memory exploded inside her mind.
A thousand birthdays.
A thousand mothers.
A thousand different names.
A thousand children laughing.
A thousand children screaming.
They weren't dreams.
They were memories.
Not hers.
Theirs.
She fell to her knees, clutching her head.
"They're calling me..."
"They're all calling me..."
Then...
Every light inside the underground city went completely dark.
Only Evelyn remained illuminated.
A faint blue glow surrounded her body.
One by one...
The sleeping children inside every remaining capsule opened their eyes.
Not because they had awakened.
Because something inside them was responding.
Their voices echoed together.
Not one.
Not ten.
Hundreds.
All speaking the exact same sentence.
"We remember."
Victor Kane slowly whispered,
"Beautiful..."
"The network still exists."
Dr. Ross turned toward him in shock.
"You knew?"
Victor chuckled.
"Of course."
"You never created one perfect child, Adrian."
"You accidentally created one perfect mind..."
"...shared by a thousand bodies."
The chamber fell silent.
Dr. Ross stared at Evelyn.
His face lost all color.
He whispered only three words.
"My God..."
Victor finished the sentence for him.
"She isn't E-999."
He looked directly into Evelyn's glowing eyes.
"She's..."
"...all one thousand children."
At that exact moment...
Every television, phone, computer, and digital billboard across the world switched on again.
This time, no video appeared.
Only the face of an eight-year-old girl.
Millions watched in stunned silence as Evelyn looked into the camera.
Then she smiled.
And spoke one sentence that sent governments into instant panic.
"You thought you buried us... but tomorrow, every child you stole will remember who they really are."
Within seconds...
Emergency alerts were declared across three continents.
Military satellites changed orbit.
World leaders were rushed into underground bunkers.
Because intelligence agencies had just confirmed something impossible.
Across the world...
Nine hundred and ninety-nine children...
May you like
All opened their eyes at exactly the same second.
TO BE CONTINUED
