The doctor’s office was small. Private. The kind of place where wealthy people went for discreet medical care. Where secrets stayed buried.Dr James Morrison was in his fifties. Grey hair. Kind eyes. The type of doctor who made you feel safe just by being in the room.But when Michael and Sarah sat down, his expression was serious. Concerned.“Thank you for coming,” Dr. Morrison said. “I have Emma’s results. And we need to discuss them carefully.”“Just tell us,” Sarah said. Her voice was shaking. “Is our daughter still modified? Does she have Marcus’s genetic alterations?”Dr. Morrison pulled out a file. Genetic sequencing reports. Charts. Data that meant nothing to Michael but everything to the doctor.“The answer is complicated,” Dr Morrison began. “Emma does have unusual genetic markers. Modifications that should not exist in natural human DNA. Your anonymous contact was correct about that.”Sarah grabbed Michael’s hand. Squeezed so hard it hurt.“But,” Dr Morrison continued, “the

Three weeks passed. Normal, peaceful weeks. Emma started a new art class. Sarah expanded the bookstore with a children’s section. Michael finally stopped checking locks obsessively.Life was good. Simple. Safe.Then the first letter arrived.Plain envelope. No return address. Michael’s name is written in typewritten letters. Not handwritten. Not personal. Clinical.He opened it at the kitchen table while Sarah made coffee. Inside was a single printed page.“Dear Michael,You made a mistake trusting Dr Chen. She is not who she claimed to be. The files you gave her are being used right now. Five people have already paid her for silence. Three more are being extorted. She is building wealth on Marcus’s legacy.You gave her the weapon. You armed the enemy. You have put your family at risk.This is your only warning. Stop her before she exposes you. Before she reveals that you had those files. Before she makes you a target for everyone Marcus ever blackmailed.Because that is her plan. Tak

Michael arrived in Vancouver alone. He told Sarah he was meeting a book distributor. Told Emma he would be home in two days. Told Maya to watch over them both while he was gone.The lies felt necessary. Protective. He was hunting someone dangerous. Someone who had fooled him once already. He would not risk his family being anywhere near this confrontation.Dr Sarah Winters lived in a quiet neighbourhood near the university. Expensive homes. Well-maintained yards. The kind of place where professors and doctors retired comfortably.Michael watched her house from a rental car parked two blocks away. Studying patterns. Looking for security. Planning his approach.On the second day, he saw her. A woman in her late forties. Grey hair pulled back. Casual clothes. She walked to her mailbox. Collected letters. Went back inside.She looked ordinary. Harmless. Like any other retired professional enjoying a quiet life.But Michael knew better. Knew that monsters often wore normal faces. That dang

Michael went alone. Left before dawn while Sarah and Emma slept. Left a note saying he had an early supplier meeting. Another lie to protect them. Another secret to carry.The warehouse district was exactly what he expected. Empty buildings. Broken windows. The kind of place where bad things happened and nobody noticed.He found the address. An old factory. Abandoned for years. The door was unlocked. An invitation. Or a trap.Michael entered carefully. Hand near his concealed weapon. Eyes scanning for threats. Every instinct screams danger.Inside, the factory was dark. Empty machinery cast strange shadows. Water dripped somewhere. The air smelled like rust and decay.“Hello, Michael.” A voice from the darkness. Female. Calm. Familiar somehow.A woman stepped into view. Late twenties. Athletic build. Dark hair pulled back. She wore tactical clothing. Moved like someone trained for violence.“Who are you?” Michael demanded.“My name is Dr Rachel Foster. I work for an organisation that

Emma noticed Catherine on Wednesday morning. The subtle finger wave near the school entrance. A small gesture that said *I’m here. You’re safe.*It should have felt creepy. Someone is watching her constantly. Following her movements. Tracking her every step.Instead, Emma felt relieved.She wasn’t alone anymore. Wasn’t carrying the secret of her differences by herself. Someone else knew. Someone else understood. Someone else was helping.During math class, Emma spotted Catherine through the window. Dressed as a maintenance worker, trimming hedges near the playground. Close enough to respond. Far enough to stay invisible.At lunch, Catherine was the new cafeteria volunteer. Serving food. Smiling at students. Perfectly normal. Except her eyes constantly scanned the room. Assessed threats. Monitored exits.Emma’s friend Lily noticed. “That new lunch lady keeps looking at you.”“Maybe she’s just friendly.”“Or maybe she thinks you’re going to steal extra cookies.”Emma laughed. Kept the s