CHAPTER 8 – The Final Choice
The timer kept counting down.
29:58... 29:57...
Every second echoed through Ethan's mind.
Claire grabbed his arm.
"We have to save Lily!"
But Ethan couldn't move.
Jonathan's final recording was still playing inside his head.
Richard had forced him into an impossible choice.
Save his daughter...
...or uncover the truth about Project Phoenix forever.
Then Ethan looked at the brass key.
Something felt wrong.
He turned it over.
Hidden beneath the engraving was a tiny switch.
Click.
The key split into two pieces.
Inside was a miniature memory chip.
The investigator immediately inserted it into a laptop.
A single encrypted file appeared.
PHOENIX – FINAL PROTOCOL
The password box opened automatically.
The computer scanned Ethan's face.
ACCESS GRANTED.
Jonathan appeared one last time.
"Ethan..."
"If you're watching this, Richard has already made you believe Project Phoenix was about you."
"He lied."
Claire frowned.
"What?"
Jonathan continued.
"You were never the experiment."
"You were the guardian."
The screen changed to a list of names.
Hundreds of children.
Every one marked DECEASED.
Except one.
LILY HAWTHORNE.
Claire covered her mouth.
"No..."
Jonathan's voice trembled.
"Richard never wanted my fortune."
"He wanted the final surviving child from Project Phoenix."
"Lily is the last living subject."
The room fell silent.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
Richard hadn't kidnapped Lily to hurt him.
He kidnapped her because she was the true target all along.
Suddenly Ethan's phone rang.
Richard.
"I knew you'd figure it out."
His voice sounded calm.
"But you're already too late."
A live video appeared.
Lily sat alone inside the warehouse.
The countdown behind her reached...
00:00:30
Richard smiled into the camera.
"Goodbye."
The screen filled with white light.
Claire screamed.
"LILY!"
The connection was lost.
For several terrifying seconds...
No one spoke.
Then...
Ethan's phone vibrated again.
A single text message appeared from an unknown number.
Daddy... I'm okay. I escaped. Don't trust anyone standing beside you.
Ethan slowly looked up.
Claire was standing only a few feet away.
So was the lead federal investigator.
So were the remaining agents.
Every face suddenly looked different.
Every person in the room could be the traitor.
Ethan quietly slipped the phone into his pocket.
He forced himself to smile.
Because whoever had betrayed them...
...was still standing in the vault.
And they had no idea Ethan had just learned the truth.
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END OF SEASON ONE
Season Two: Coming Soon...
