Chapter 17: The Archive of the Dead
The countdown continued.
*00:08:41.*
Victoria looked at Daniel.
"You're going to poison yourself too.""
Daniel shrugged.
"Not if I leave.""
He reached into his jacket and removed a small access card.
"Only one person can open the archive. The original founder.""
Margaret stepped forward.
"I am not helping you.""
Daniel smiled.
"You already helped me. You created the system.""
Margaret's face hardened.
"I created it to treat disease.""
"And then you abandoned it.""
"I tried to destroy it.""
"You tried to destroy your own work because you couldn't live with what you'd done.""
Daniel looked at Victoria.
"That's the problem with this family. Everyone wants to pretend they're innocent after collecting the benefits.""
Victoria moved toward him.
"You murdered people.""
Daniel's expression changed.
"I did what was necessary.""
"You poisoned my wedding dress.""
"Yes.""
"You tried to kill me.""
"Yes.""
"And you used Veronica.""
Daniel glanced at her.
"I married her because I needed access to the trust.""
Veronica's eyes filled.
"You told me you loved me.""
"I told you what you needed to hear.""
She raised her weapon.
Daniel smiled.
"Go on. Shoot me. Then the countdown continues, and every piece of evidence disappears.""
Victoria looked at the wall.
*00:07:58.*
Samuel approached the control panel.
"There must be another way.""
Anna shook her head.
"There's a manual override in the archive.""
"How do we get there?""
"Through the door behind him.""
Daniel placed the access card against the reader.
The door opened.
Beyond it, a narrow staircase descended into darkness.
"After you," he said.
Victoria stared at him.
"You're coming with us.""
Daniel laughed.
"Of course.""
He stepped aside, revealing a second corridor.
A small security camera rotated toward them.
Then a voice came through the speakers.
"Daniel.""
Everyone froze.
Richard.
Daniel's smile disappeared.
"Father?""
Richard's voice sounded weak.
"Don't do this.""
Daniel looked around.
"Where are you?""
"Somewhere you should have visited more often.""
A door opened at the far end of the corridor.
Richard stood there, leaning heavily on a cane.
Victoria stared.
"Richard?""
He nodded.
"I came as soon as I could.""
Daniel's expression turned furious.
"You were supposed to be dead.""
Richard looked at him.
"So were you, according to the paperwork.""
Daniel lunged forward.
Veronica raised her gun.
"Stop!""
Richard stepped between them.
"Daniel, listen to me. Robert lied to you.""
Daniel laughed.
"About what? My father?""
"About everything.""
Daniel's face twisted.
"You're the man who raised me.""
"Yes.""
"Then why did you let him take me?""
Richard looked at Elena.
His voice broke.
"Because I was weak.""
Elena's eyes filled.
"You knew he wasn't your biological son.""
"I learned the truth years later.""
Daniel shook his head.
"No. You knew.""
Richard lowered his head.
"I suspected.""
Daniel stepped closer.
"All those years, you called me your son. You let me believe I was going to inherit everything.""
"You were my son.""
"Not by blood.""
"Blood never made you my son.""
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"Then why did you let Robert turn me into this?""
Richard had no answer.
The countdown reached six minutes.
Anna shouted from behind the glass.
"Stop talking! The purge system is connected to the archive!""
Victoria turned toward her.
"Can you open it?""
Anna shook her head.
"Not without the founder's biometric key.""
Margaret approached the scanner.
"Then use mine.""
Anna stared at her.
"It won't work.""
"Why?""
"Because the founder is not you.""
Margaret looked confused.
Anna raised a medical file against the glass.
"The original charter identifies the founder as Subject 000.""
Samuel opened the Genesis records.
"Matthew?""
Anna shook her head.
"No.""
She looked directly at Daniel.
"Daniel.""
Silence filled the corridor.
Daniel stared at her.
"That's impossible.""
Anna continued.
"Your biological material was used to create the original archive key. The program was designed around you.""
Margaret looked at Daniel.
"Robert never told me.""
Daniel slowly approached the scanner.
"Then open it.""
Anna shook her head.
"You need to understand what you're opening.""
Daniel ignored her.
He placed his hand against the scanner.
A green light appeared.
*IDENTITY CONFIRMED.*
The archive door unlocked.
Samuel looked at the countdown.
*00:04:31.*
Victoria entered first.
Inside was a circular room lined with refrigerated storage units.
Each contained a sealed metal case.
Numbers were printed on the doors.
001.
002.
003.
And so on.
At the center stood a black cabinet marked:
*SUBJECT 000 — ORIGINAL GENETIC ARCHIVE.*
Daniel approached it.
"This is what I've been looking for.""
Victoria stepped in front of him.
"You're not taking anything.""
Daniel pulled a small pistol from his jacket.
Veronica raised her weapon.
"Put it down.""
He looked at her.
"You still don't understand. This is our family.""
"No," Veronica replied.
"It's your crime scene.""
Daniel aimed at the cabinet.
"If I can't have the archive, nobody will.""
Richard moved toward him.
"Daniel, don't!""
The gun fired.
Richard fell.
Elena screamed.
Victoria dropped beside him.
Blood spread across his shirt.
"Richard!""
He grabbed her wrist.
"Don't let him open the cabinet.""
Daniel moved toward the control panel.
Anna began pounding on the glass.
"He's activating the release!""
Samuel rushed to the panel.
He examined the switches.
"Victoria! There's a manual shutdown!""
"Where?""
"Behind the central cabinet!""
Victoria looked at the countdown.
*00:02:48.*
She ran.
Daniel turned and aimed at her.
Veronica fired.
The bullet struck his shoulder.
He stumbled backward, dropping the pistol.
Victoria reached the panel.
A scanner displayed three empty fields.
*FOUNDER IDENTIFICATION.*
*BIOLOGICAL AUTHORIZATION.*
*FINAL CONSENT.*
Margaret entered behind her.
"Victoria, don't touch it.""
"Why?""
"Because the system will release the archive if you complete the sequence.""
Samuel looked over her shoulder.
"Can we shut it down without opening the archive?""
Margaret shook her head.
"No. The original archive controls the entire facility.""
Daniel struggled to his feet.
"She's lying!""
Margaret turned toward him.
"Daniel, I am trying to stop the thing I helped create.""
He laughed.
"Then stop it!""
Margaret placed her hand on the scanner.
The first field turned green.
*FOUNDER IDENTIFICATION: CONFIRMED.*
The second field remained red.
Samuel looked at the screen.
"It needs a biological authorization from Subject 000.""
Daniel wiped blood from his shoulder.
"Use me.""
Victoria stared at him.
"Why would we trust you?""
"Because I'm the only one who can stop it.""
Anna spoke through the glass.
"He's telling the truth.""
Daniel placed his hand on the scanner.
The second field turned green.
*BIOLOGICAL AUTHORIZATION: CONFIRMED.*
Only the final field remained.
*FINAL CONSENT.*
A warning appeared.
Completing this sequence will permanently destroy all stored genetic material and research records.
Margaret looked at Victoria.
"This is the only way.""
Victoria thought of the fourteen children.
The people who had disappeared.
The families who had never received answers.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"You're going to lose everything.""
He smiled weakly.
"I already have.""
Victoria pressed the final confirmation.
The countdown stopped.
For three seconds, nothing happened.
Then every storage unit opened.
A deep mechanical roar shook the room.
Cold vapor poured across the floor.
The central cabinet began to glow red.
Samuel shouted.
"Get out!""
Victoria grabbed Margaret.
Veronica pulled Richard toward the door.
Elena rushed to Daniel.
He was still standing beside the cabinet.
"Daniel!""
He looked at her.
For the first time, his face showed genuine fear.
Then the archive began to collapse.
May you like
Daniel disappeared behind a cloud of white vapor.
And the doors slammed shut.
