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Chapter 22: The Name Beneath the Signature
The service passage smelled of damp concrete and old paint.Ethan kept the folded paper in one hand and the pistol in the other. Victor led them down the narrow stairs, moving fast but quietly. Behind them, the apartment door remained shut. No footsteps followed.That worried Ethan more than a chase would have.“Stop,” he whispered.Victor halted on the landing. The stranger turned, his silver ring catching the weak emergency light.“Who is Sophia Vale?” Ethan demanded.The man glanced at the paper. “A name on a form.”“She was at the door.”“I heard her.”“And my father was inside.”The stranger said nothing.Ethan stepped closer. “You knew they’d come.”“I knew someone would.”“That isn’t an answer.”“It’s the only one I can give you here.”Victor pointed down the stairs. “Then we keep moving. If Richard’s inside that apartment, we don’t know how many people are outside it.”Ethan hated that Victor was right. He folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his jacket. The name Soph
Chapter 21: The Man at the Door
The man stood in the doorway as if he had been expected.Ethan’s first instinct was to reach for the cassette. His second was to put himself between the stranger and Victor.The man wore a dark coat and gloves. A silver ring glinted on his right hand—the same ring Ethan had seen in the warehouse footage, and on the figure Martin had called the second Richard Carter.“Don’t move,” Ethan said.The stranger glanced at the pistol in Ethan’s hand. “You’re holding it wrong.”“Then you won’t mind if I keep holding it.”Victor shifted beside the table, blocking the narrow path to the hall. His eyes stayed on the stranger’s hands. “Who are you?”The man closed the door behind him. “Someone who came to stop you from making a mistake.”“People keep saying that,” Ethan replied. “They never explain what the mistake is.”The man’s gaze moved to the cassette recorder. “You played it.”“I did.”“Then you heard a woman refuse the second authorization.”Ethan felt his grip tighten. “Was that Elena Vale
Chapter 20: The Voice That Wasn't Elena's
The message remained on Ethan's screen.DON'T LISTEN TO ELENA'S RECORDING.SHE WASN'T THE ONE WHO MADE IT.He read it again, then checked the number. It was hidden behind an unknown caller ID, just like the messages that had led him toward Blackridge.The sender knew about the cassette.That meant someone had followed him from the storage facility—or Martin had told someone what he was carrying.Ethan slipped the cassette into his jacket and left the narrow corridor. He didn't call Victor. Not yet. He needed to know whether the address Martin had given him was safe, and whether the recording could be played without connecting to a network.The address led to a small apartment above a closed medical supply shop.Ethan stopped across the street and studied the building. The curtains were drawn. A dim light glowed behind one of the windows.He checked the paper again.The name beneath the address was still there.SOPHIA.He felt an old anger rise, but forced it down. This Sophia was not
Chapter 19: The Man Who Came Before Richard
The room went dark.Ethan heard Martin shout his name, followed by the sound of something heavy striking the floor. A second later, the emergency lights flickered, casting brief red shadows across the walls."Stay behind me!" Martin shouted.Ethan couldn't see the man in the doorway anymore.But he could hear him."Still protecting other people's secrets, Martin?"The voice was calm. Almost amused.Ethan moved toward the table, searching for the metal device Martin had used to interrupt the memory purge.His System activated.[Memory purge resumed.][Warning: Unauthorized access detected.][Primary connection unstable.][Secondary system connection active.]"System, shut down the purge!"[Request denied.]"Then disconnect the secondary system!"[Insufficient authority.]Ethan clenched his jaw.The stranger stepped farther into the room."You're wasting your time, Ethan. That interface doesn't belong to you.""Then who does it belong to?"The stranger laughed softly."That's the questi
Chapter 18: The Memory They Tried to Erase
The darkness swallowed everything.Ethan felt Martin's fingers tighten around his wrist."Don't move," the old man whispered.A mechanical sound echoed through the room. Somewhere behind the walls, locks were engaging one after another.Then Ethan's System appeared.[Emergency protocol activated.][Memory purge initiated.][Please remain still while the process completes.]Ethan's head began to hurt."What is this?" he demanded.Martin pulled him away from the monitor. "It's trying to erase what you know.""How can a System erase my memories?""Because those memories aren't entirely yours anymore."Before Ethan could question him, a new notification appeared.[Instruction: Confirm memory synchronization.]A bright button appeared beneath the message.[CONFIRM]Martin grabbed Ethan's hand before he could touch it."Don't!"The pain behind Ethan's eyes intensified. Images flashed through his mind—his childhood bedroom, his father's office, the rooftop where he had died, and the face of
Chapter 17: The Witness Behind the Locked Door
The door was real.So was the crooked number seven scratched beside its handle.Ethan stood in front of Blackridge Storage, studying the photograph on his phone before comparing it with the building itself. The place stood at the end of a narrow service road, surrounded by rusted fencing and abandoned industrial units. There were no company signs, no security office, and no indication that anyone had used the property in years.Yet the lock on the door looked new.Someone had maintained this place.Someone had expected a visitor.Ethan checked the street behind him. A delivery truck passed the main road, but the service lane remained empty."System, scan the location."[Environmental scan initiated.][Restricted facility detected.][Historical connection: Meridian Project.][Access level insufficient for complete analysis.]"Of course it is."He examined the keypad beside the door. Four digits. No visible fingerprint reader, no camera that he could identify.He entered 2714.The keypa
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