Chapter 10: The Son of a Monster
The darkness lasted three seconds.
Then emergency lights flooded the archive with a sickly red glow.
Victoria stood frozen, staring at the DNA report in her hands.
Daniel was her half-brother.
Robert Hale, the man she had spent her childhood calling Father, had fathered Daniel with Elena.
But Richard Vance had raised him.
And Margaret had known enough to hide the truth.
"That's not possible," Victoria whispered.
Veronica kept her pistol raised toward the entrance.
"I checked the results twice.""
"Daniel knows?""
"He's known for years.""
Victoria looked at her.
"Then why did he marry you?""
Veronica's expression crumpled.
"Because he wanted access to Mother's trust. He believed that marrying me would give him a legal claim over the shares if something happened to you.""
"But he's our brother.""
"Half-brother.""
"That doesn't make it better!""
Veronica flinched.
A metallic bang echoed through the corridor.
Samuel hurried toward the archive door.
"We need to move. Daniel has activated the lockdown, and the elevator is descending.""
Victoria grabbed the DNA report.
"Where is my mother?""
"Level Four," Veronica answered.
James Miller shook his head.
"There's no Level Four.""
Veronica turned toward him.
"There is now.""
She explained that the hospital had been expanded underground after its official closure. The lowest level contained the original Project Genesis laboratories, the medical observation rooms, and a secure archive.
Only three people had access.
Daniel.
Margaret.
And the chief medical officer.
Victoria looked at Samuel.
"Can you open it?""
He examined the security panel.
"Not without a valid authorization code.""
Veronica removed a small silver key from her pocket.
"Try this.""
Samuel inserted it.
The panel flashed.
*IDENTITY CONFIRMED: VERONICA HALE.*
A second message appeared.
*SECONDARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.*
Veronica looked at Victoria.
"Your turn.""
Victoria placed her palm against the scanner.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then the screen changed.
<text color="success" weight="semibold" inline>GENETIC MATCH CONFIRMED.</text>
*WELCOME, SUBJECT 001.*
The door unlocked.
Victoria stared at the words.
"Subject 001.""
Veronica gave a bitter laugh.
"Welcome to our family.""
They entered a narrow elevator.
Samuel pressed the lowest button.
The doors closed.
As the elevator descended, Victoria looked at Veronica.
"Tell me everything.""
Her sister leaned against the wall.
"I was raised in a private residential facility in Connecticut. They told me my parents had died. I believed it until I was eighteen.""
"What happened then?""
"Daniel found me.""
"Why?""
"Because I was the only person who could authenticate the original trust documents.""
Veronica rubbed the scar on her chin.
"He told me I was adopted. He showed me photographs of Margaret. He said she had abandoned me to protect the family.""
Victoria swallowed.
"And you believed him?""
"At first.""
"What changed?""
Veronica looked at the elevator floor.
"I met Elena.""
Victoria turned sharply.
"When?""
"Six months ago. She came to the facility pretending to be a cleaner. She showed me a photograph of Daniel as a baby.""
Veronica's voice trembled.
"She told me everything. She said I had a sister. She said Daniel had been lying.""
Victoria studied her.
"Why did you stay with him?""
"Because he threatened to kill Elena.""
The elevator slowed.
Veronica continued.
"I agreed to marry him because I thought I could get close enough to steal the company records. I thought if I controlled the evidence, I could protect everyone.""
"And the gown?""
"I arranged for the fabric to be treated with a controlled amount of VX-17. The symptoms were supposed to appear during the wedding ceremony, forcing Daniel to explain why the dress was contaminated.""
Victoria's expression hardened.
"You could have killed me.""
"I know.""
Veronica looked directly at her.
"I have hated myself every day since.""
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened onto a white corridor.
At the far end stood a glass observation room.
Inside, Margaret was strapped to a hospital bed.
Two medical technicians stood beside her.
Daniel watched through the glass.
He turned when the elevator doors opened.
"Well," he said, smiling, "the family reunion is complete.""
Samuel raised his weapon.
Daniel's guards appeared from side corridors.
They were already pointing rifles.
"Drop it," Daniel ordered.
Samuel hesitated.
Daniel nodded toward Margaret.
A technician lifted a syringe.
"One more second, Samuel.""
Samuel lowered his pistol.
Daniel smiled.
"Excellent.""
Victoria stepped forward.
"Let her go.""
"Give me the trust documents.""
"No.""
Daniel sighed.
"You're making this unnecessarily difficult.""
Veronica raised her gun.
"You're finished, Daniel.""
He looked at her.
For the first time, genuine hatred crossed his face.
"You ungrateful little fraud.""
"You married me.""
"Because you were useful.""
"You told me you loved me.""
Daniel laughed.
"Did you honestly believe that?""
Veronica's eyes filled with tears.
Daniel turned toward Victoria.
"Do you know what Father used to tell me?""
Victoria said nothing.
"He said I was born to inherit everything. He said I was the perfect combination of the Hale and Vance bloodlines.""
Daniel took a step forward.
"But when he discovered the truth about Robert, he changed the trust. Suddenly, I was no longer the chosen heir.""
He pointed toward Victoria.
"You were.""
Victoria raised her chin.
"Because my mother wanted me to have the company.""
"Your mother wanted to punish me.""
"No. She wanted to stop you.""
Daniel's expression twisted.
He reached for a control panel.
A red warning light appeared above Margaret's bed.
*VX-17 DELIVERY SYSTEM ARMED.*
Victoria's blood ran cold.
"What are you doing?""
Daniel smiled.
"Finishing the experiment.""
Margaret struggled against her restraints.
"Daniel, don't!""
He ignored her.
"Project Genesis was never about creating an heir. It was about creating a family that could be controlled.""
He pressed a button.
A mechanical hiss came from the ventilation system.
Samuel lunged toward the control panel.
One of the guards struck him with a rifle butt.
He fell.
Veronica fired.
The bullet shattered the glass beside Daniel's head.
The guards returned fire.
Victoria dropped behind a medical trolley.
Elena's voice suddenly came through Samuel's fallen radio.
"Victoria! Can you hear me?""
Victoria grabbed it.
"Elena?""
"Listen carefully. I found the original laboratory controls.""
"Where are you?""
"Outside the east entrance. I have the emergency shutdown key.""
Victoria looked at the red warning light.
"How do we stop it?""
Elena's voice broke.
"You have to activate the original family authorization.""
Victoria looked toward the scanner.
"How?""
"Both sisters. Together.""
Victoria turned toward Veronica.
"Come here!""
Her sister crawled toward her through the smoke.
Daniel saw them.
His face changed.
"No!""
He rushed toward the control panel.
Victoria and Veronica reached the scanner simultaneously.
They placed their palms against the glass.
The machine beeped.
*GENETIC PAIR CONFIRMED.*
*EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN AVAILABLE.*
Daniel screamed.
"GET AWAY FROM THAT!""
A guard grabbed Veronica's shoulder.
Victoria slammed her elbow into his face.
The screen began counting down.
Thirty seconds.
Twenty-nine.
Twenty-eight.
Then a second message appeared.
*FINAL AUTHORIZATION: BIOLOGICAL FOUNDER REQUIRED.*
Victoria stared at it.
"Who is the biological founder?""
Daniel stopped moving.
For a moment, his expression changed from rage to terror.
Then the observation room door opened.
Margaret, still attached to an IV stand, pulled herself upright.
She looked directly at the scanner.
May you like
And whispered:
"Me.""
