Chapter 11: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Chapter 11: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The black SUV rolled to a silent stop beneath the towering pine trees.
No headlights.
No engine noise.
Three figures stepped out, dressed in dark tactical clothing.
The tallest checked a tablet.
Target Confirmed.
Evelyn Cross.
Eliminate. Recover research. Burn the cabin.
He looked toward the small wooden house nestled against the mountainside.
"This ends tonight."
Inside the cabin...
Evelyn Cross calmly locked the metal case.
Her hands trembled only once.
Eight years.
She had survived eight years by assuming every knock on the door meant death.
Tonight was no different.
She walked to an old bookshelf.
Behind several worn medical journals rested a compact pistol.
William Thorne had insisted she keep it.
She had laughed at him back then.
"I'm a scientist."
William had smiled.
"And I'm hoping you never have to become anything else."
She understood now.
He had known this day would come.
New York...
Marcus stared at the photograph of the newborn labeled Subject Zero.
His father's handwriting covered the back.
Rachel Kane studied the image.
"Who is the baby?"
Arthur Sterling slowly shook his head.
"I don't know."
Marcus frowned.
"My father never mentioned another child."
Daniel Brooks enlarged the photograph.
"There might be something."
He increased the resolution.
A hospital identification bracelet became visible.
Most of the writing had faded.
Only three letters remained.
GEN...
Rachel narrowed her eyes.
"Genesis."
Arthur whispered,
"That photograph wasn't taken after the project."
"It was taken at the beginning."
Detective Laura Bennett entered the command room carrying a tablet.
"We found Evelyn."
Everyone turned.
Marcus stepped forward.
"Where?"
Laura displayed a satellite map.
"A remote cabin in the Adirondack Mountains."
Rachel immediately reached for her radio.
"We're leaving."
Laura raised a hand.
"There's a problem."
"What?"
She zoomed in on the satellite image.
Three heat signatures surrounded the cabin.
Marcus's heartbeat quickened.
"They found her first."
At the cabin...
The front door exploded inward.
The lead assassin entered with his rifle raised.
"Clear the living room."
The second man headed upstairs.
The third circled toward the rear exit.
Everything was silent.
Too silent.
The lead assassin frowned.
"She's gone."
A faint click echoed beneath his boots.
His eyes widened.
"Mine!"
The explosion ripped through the living room.
Wood splintered.
Glass shattered.
The blast threw two assassins through the doorway.
Evelyn hadn't become a soldier.
She had simply learned from one.
William had taught her how to buy time.
Hidden beneath the cabin...
A narrow emergency tunnel stretched through solid rock.
Evelyn hurried forward carrying the metal case.
She coughed as dust filled the passage.
Behind her, the explosion echoed again.
She looked back only once.
"Goodbye."
The cabin had been her home.
Now it was bait.
Meanwhile...
Rachel piloted the Sentinel helicopter through the storm.
Marcus sat beside her.
No one spoke.
The aircraft shook violently in the wind.
Daniel's voice came through the encrypted headset.
"I found another Genesis file."
Marcus pressed the earpiece closer.
"What does it say?"
Daniel hesitated.
"I think your father expected this."
"What do you mean?"
"He recorded another message."
Marcus closed his eyes.
"Play it."
William Thorne appeared on the screen.
Older.
More tired than before.
"If you've reached Evelyn..."
He paused.
"...then my first line of defense has already fallen."
Marcus whispered,
"Dad..."
William continued.
"Evelyn knows the truth."
"Listen to her."
"Not me."
His expression became painfully serious.
"And Marcus..."
"If Damien reaches her before you..."
"...our family will not survive."
The recording ended.
Rachel looked toward Marcus.
"He wasn't protecting a company."
Marcus nodded.
"He was protecting a secret."
The helicopter landed less than a mile from the cabin.
Smoke still rose through the trees.
Rachel jumped out first.
The Sentinel Team spread into the forest.
Marcus followed close behind.
The smell of burned wood hung in the cold mountain air.
Laura examined the blast site.
"Military explosives."
Rachel knelt beside fresh footprints.
"Three men."
She paused.
"No..."
She looked farther down the trail.
"Four."
Marcus frowned.
"The fourth?"
Rachel smiled slightly.
"She's alive."
Half a mile away...
Evelyn stumbled through the forest.
The metal case grew heavier with every step.
Her breathing became ragged.
She hadn't run like this in years.
Suddenly...
A voice echoed behind her.
"Dr. Cross."
She froze.
A man stepped from behind a tree.
Perfect suit.
Black umbrella.
No weapon visible.
Only a calm smile.
"You've been difficult to find."
Evelyn recognized him instantly.
Her blood ran cold.
"Damien..."
Damien Thorne smiled warmly.
"As always..."
"You remember me."
Back at the ruined cabin...
Rachel suddenly stopped.
She pointed toward a broken branch.
"Fresh."
Marcus looked ahead.
Then he saw something hanging from another tree.
A silver pendant.
Laura carefully removed it.
"What is it?"
Marcus recognized it immediately.
He had seen Evelyn wearing it years ago in an old family photograph.
Rachel looked deeper into the forest.
"They're close."
Just then...
A single gunshot echoed through the mountains.
Everyone froze.
Then came a woman's scream.
Marcus didn't wait.
He sprinted toward the sound.
Deep within the forest...
Damien calmly lowered his pistol.
The bullet had struck the ground beside Evelyn's foot.
She looked at him in shock.
"You missed."
Damien smiled.
"I wasn't aiming at you."
He stepped closer.
"I don't want you dead."
"I want the case."
Evelyn tightened her grip.
"You'll never have it."
Damien sighed.
"You always were loyal to William."
He glanced at the metal case.
"Tell me something."
Evelyn remained silent.
"Is the child really the key?"
Her expression changed.
Only for a fraction of a second.
But Damien noticed.
He smiled.
"So it's true."
Evelyn whispered,
"You have no idea what you're trying to unleash."
Damien laughed.
"No."
"I know exactly what Genesis can do."
"And once Marcus's son is born..."
His smile widened.
"...the world will belong to me."
Before Evelyn could respond—
CRACK!
A rifle shot echoed through the valley.
The bullet struck a tree inches from Damien's head.
He dove for cover.
Rachel's sniper had arrived.
Marcus burst through the trees seconds later.
"Get away from her!"
Damien looked up.
For a brief moment...
The two cousins locked eyes.
Neither spoke.
Neither needed to.
Years of family trust vanished in a single heartbeat.
Damien smiled coldly.
"You finally know."
Marcus raised his weapon.
"You're behind all of this."
Damien slowly stepped backward toward the edge of a cliff.
"No, Marcus."
His voice remained calm.
"I'm only the first betrayal."
Before anyone could react...
He stepped backward—
And disappeared over the cliff.
Marcus rushed to the edge.
Nothing.
Only a roaring river more than two hundred feet below.
No body.
No blood.
No sign of Damien Thorne.
Rachel looked down into the darkness.
"He planned the fall."
Marcus turned toward Evelyn.
She still clutched the metal case tightly.
Tears filled her eyes.
"You look so much like your father."
Marcus lowered his weapon.
"I need answers."
Evelyn nodded slowly.
"You'll have them."
She glanced at Khloe's ultrasound photo tucked inside Marcus's wallet.
"But not here."
She looked toward the dark forest behind them.
"Because we're already too late."
Marcus frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Evelyn whispered the words that made everyone fall silent.
"They're not hunting your wife anymore."
"They're hunting your son..."
May you like
"...before he's born."
End of Chapter 11
