CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 13
THE LAST WAR
The rain swallowed the sound of our footsteps.
We ran through the forest behind St. Agnes without looking back.
Daniel was carrying Lily.
Luka was beside me.
Eva followed.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody dared.
The message from Maria was still burning on my phone.
THE MAN CARRYING LILY IS NOT HER FATHER.
I stared at Daniel.
He looked down at the baby in his arms.
"I didn't hurt her."
"I know."
"Elena, I swear—"
"I know."
But I didn't know anything anymore.
Not really.
Every truth I'd discovered had turned into another lie.
Every person I'd trusted had hidden something.
And now even Lily's father was a mystery.
We reached an abandoned railway station.
Luka locked the door behind us.
"Everyone stay down."
He checked the windows.
"Are we safe?"
"For now."
"For how long?"
He looked at me.
"Not long."
Daniel placed Lily in my arms.
She was asleep.
Peaceful.
As if the world wasn't collapsing around her.
I kissed her forehead.
"Why is everyone afraid of you?"
She didn't answer.
Of course she didn't.
She was only a baby.
But somehow I felt she understood more than any of us.
Eva sat against the wall.
Her face was pale.
"Maria knew."
I looked at her.
"Knew what?"
"She knew the real identity of Lily's father."
"Then why didn't she tell me?"
"Because she was afraid."
"Of whom?"
Eva looked at Luka.
"Of him."
Luka turned.
"Me?"
"No."
She looked toward the darkness outside.
"Of the man who created you."
I frowned.
"Marcus?"
Eva shook her head.
"No."
She whispered:
"Robert."
My blood froze.
"My father is dead."
"Yes."
"Then how?"
Eva looked at me.
"Because Robert was never the man you thought he was."
I felt anger rising.
"Stop."
"He created the entire identity system."
"He controlled the memories."
"He controlled the records."
"He controlled the DNA samples."
"Why?"
"Because he was the only person who knew what Marcus was building."
I stared at her.
"Then why did he fight him?"
"Because Marcus wanted power."
"Robert wanted control."
I laughed bitterly.
"So they were both monsters."
Eva didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Luka returned from the window.
"Someone is coming."
My heart jumped.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"How many?"
"At least six."
Daniel stood.
"We need another exit."
"There isn't one."
"Then we fight."
Luka looked at him.
"You're injured."
"I can still shoot."
I stared at them.
"Nobody is shooting."
Luka looked at me.
"They will."
"Then we run."
He shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because they aren't here for us."
I looked at Lily.
"They're here for her."
The station lights suddenly turned on.
A voice echoed through the speakers.
"Correct."
My blood froze.
Victor.
"Bring me the child."
Luka raised his weapon.
"Go to hell."
Victor laughed.
"You don't understand, Luka."
"What?"
"You were never her protector."
Luka's expression hardened.
"You were her jailer."
The speakers went silent.
Then the doors exploded inward.
Men in black entered.
Gunfire erupted.
Luka pulled me behind a concrete pillar.
Daniel covered Eva.
I held Lily against my chest.
"Stay down!"
The shooting continued.
One man came around the corner.
Luka fired.
The man fell.
Another appeared.
Daniel shot him.
I stared at Daniel.
"You can shoot?"
He looked at me.
"I was trained."
"By Victor?"
"Yes."
Another gunshot.
Eva screamed.
She had been hit.
Luka dragged her behind cover.
"Where?"
"My shoulder."
"Can you move?"
"Yes."
"Then move."
We ran toward the old railway tunnel.
The men followed.
Victor's voice echoed behind us.
"Elena!"
I kept running.
"You're wasting your time!"
"Your daughter belongs to me!"
I shouted back:
"She's not yours!"
Victor laughed.
"You still don't understand!"
The tunnel swallowed his voice.
We reached the end.
Blocked.
A wall.
No exit.
Luka looked around.
Nothing.
Daniel checked his gun.
Two bullets.
Eva was bleeding.
I held Lily.
Then I saw something.
A small metal panel.
Behind it—
a door.
I opened it.
A staircase descended.
"Down."
Luka stared.
"That's an old M-17 access tunnel."
"Then that's where we're going."
We descended.
The air became colder.
The walls were covered with old markings.
M-01.
M-02.
M-03.
All the way down.
M-16.
Then—
M-17.
I stopped.
Below it was another symbol.
M-18.
Lily.
I touched it.
The wall opened.
A laboratory appeared beneath the station.
Machines.
Monitors.
Medical beds.
And dozens of glass chambers.
Most were empty.
One wasn't.
A small child stood inside.
A boy.
Maybe ten years old.
He looked directly at me.
My heart stopped.
"Luka."
He came closer.
"Who is that?"
The boy lifted his hand.
A small scar was visible beneath his eye.
The same scar as mine.
The same scar as Lily.
I whispered:
"Adrian."
The boy smiled.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"My name is Noah."
Daniel stared.
"That's impossible."
Noah looked at him.
"You remember me."
Daniel's face went pale.
"What?"
"I was there when you met Elena."
I looked at Daniel.
"What is he talking about?"
Daniel couldn't answer.
Noah continued.
"Victor told you Elena was dangerous."
Daniel whispered:
"Stop."
"You believed him."
"Stop."
"You married her."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Stop."
"You were supposed to kill her."
My blood froze.
I looked at Daniel.
"Is that true?"
He couldn't look at me.
I stepped closer.
"Daniel."
He whispered:
"Yes."
I felt something break inside me.
"You were supposed to kill me?"
"At first."
"But you didn't."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I loved you."
I stepped backward.
Then the lights came on.
A man appeared on the upper platform.
Victor.
Beside him stood Marcus.
And behind them—
Robert.
I stopped breathing.
My father.
Alive.
Not a recording.
Not a voice.
Standing there.
Watching me.
"Hello, Elena."
I couldn't move.
Luka raised his weapon.
Robert smiled.
"Still protecting her?"
Luka aimed at him.
"Put the gun down."
"No."
Robert looked at me.
"You finally remember."
I felt tears burning my eyes.
"You died."
"I had to."
"You let me believe you were dead."
"Because Marcus would have killed you."
"You erased my memories."
"Yes."
"You replaced them."
"Yes."
"You created M-17."
"No."
He looked at Lily.
"I created M-18."
My blood froze.
"What?"
Robert stepped forward.
"Marcus wanted to recreate Adrian."
"Victor wanted to control the sequence."
"I wanted something else."
"What?"
"Freedom."
I laughed bitterly.
"You call this freedom?"
"No."
He looked at me.
"I call it revenge."
"Against whom?"
"Everyone."
He pointed toward Marcus.
"He betrayed me."
Then Victor.
"He betrayed Marcus."
Then Luka.
"He betrayed everyone."
Luka's expression hardened.
Robert looked at Daniel.
"And Daniel betrayed Victor."
Finally, he looked at me.
"And you betrayed me."
I shook my head.
"I was a child."
"You were my greatest mistake."
The words cut deeper than any bullet.
"Why?"
"Because you survived."
"That was my crime?"
"No."
He looked at Lily.
"Your survival created her."
I held Lily tighter.
"Then why do you want her?"
"I don't."
Robert smiled.
"I want what she carries."
"What?"
"The sequence."
I looked at the laboratory.
"The M-18 sequence."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it can do what M-17 never could."
"What?"
"Reverse the damage."
My heart stopped.
"Reverse what?"
"The genetic degradation."
Eva stepped forward.
"You want immortality."
Robert looked at her.
"No."
He smiled.
"I want to resurrect the dead."
Silence.
He pointed toward the glass chamber.
The boy inside stepped forward.
"Noah."
I stared.
"He's alive."
Robert nodded.
"Adrian's genetic template."
"Not Adrian."
"No."
He smiled.
"But close."
I looked at the boy.
"Why does he look like Lily?"
"Because they share the same sequence."
"He's her brother?"
"No."
"Then what?"
Robert's expression became cold.
"He's her first prototype."
I looked at Lily.
My stomach turned.
"You created her to resurrect Adrian."
"No."
He shook his head.
"We created Lily because Adrian's body was failing."
"What does that mean?"
"She contains the missing repair sequence."
"So you need her blood."
"Yes."
"You'll kill her."
Robert looked almost offended.
"No."
He smiled.
"I'll use her."
I raised my gun.
"Stay away from my daughter."
Robert laughed.
"You still think you have a choice."
Then Victor stepped forward.
"Robert."
Robert turned.
Victor raised his gun.
"I've had enough."
Robert smiled.
"You always were impatient."
Victor fired.
The bullet struck Robert in the chest.
I screamed.
Robert stumbled backward.
Marcus stared.
"Fool."
Victor fired again.
Robert fell.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Marcus raised his gun toward Victor.
Luka fired first.
Marcus dropped.
Everything exploded into chaos.
Victor ran.
Daniel chased him.
Eva ran toward the control panel.
Luka came to me.
"We have to go."
"No."
I looked at Robert.
He was still alive.
Barely.
I knelt beside him.
"Why?"
He coughed blood.
"Because..."
He looked at Lily.
"...she's not what you think."
"What?"
He grabbed my wrist.
"She's not the final experiment."
"Then what is she?"
His eyes filled with tears.
For the first time in my life, I saw fear in my father's face.
"She's the cure."
"For what?"
"For you."
I froze.
"What?"
He whispered:
"You're dying."
I stared.
"No."
"Your body..."
He struggled to breathe.
"...is rejecting the sequence."
I looked at Lily.
"The sequence inside me."
"Yes."
"And Lily can cure me."
"Yes."
"Then why did you hide her?"
"Because if you knew..."
He coughed.
"...you'd never let them take her."
Tears filled my eyes.
"You could have told me."
"I tried."
"When?"
"Every time you remembered..."
His eyes closed.
"...I erased it."
I stared at him.
My own father had erased my memories to save me.
And destroyed my life doing it.
"How long do I have?"
He didn't answer.
"How long?"
"Months."
My heart stopped.
"Months?"
He nodded.
"Maybe less."
I looked at Lily.
My baby.
My cure.
The child everyone wanted.
The child I would never sacrifice.
I stood.
"No."
Robert looked at me.
"I won't use her."
"Then you'll die."
"Maybe."
He smiled sadly.
"But she'll live."
I turned away.
Then Victor appeared at the end of the laboratory.
He was holding Daniel at gunpoint.
Daniel's hands were raised.
Victor pointed his weapon at Lily.
"Then perhaps we should make this simple."
Luka raised his gun.
"Let him go."
Victor laughed.
"Give me the child."
"No."
"Then Daniel dies."
Daniel looked at me.
"Don't."
I stared at him.
Victor cocked the gun.
Then Daniel smiled.
"Elena."
"What?"
"Run."
He threw himself backward.
Victor fired.
Luka fired.
The lights exploded.
I grabbed Lily.
Eva pulled the emergency lever.
The entire laboratory began shaking.
Alarms screamed.
Glass chambers shattered.
Steam filled the room.
Victor disappeared.
Marcus was gone.
Robert lay motionless.
Daniel was on the floor.
I ran to him.
He was bleeding.
"Daniel."
He opened his eyes.
"You're safe."
"You're bleeding."
"I know."
"Don't die."
He smiled.
"Not planning to."
Luka helped him up.
"We have to leave."
The building began collapsing.
We ran.
Behind us, the M-17 laboratory disappeared beneath tons of concrete.
Outside, the sun was rising.
For the first time in twenty-five years, the Moretti laboratory was silent.
But I knew it wasn't over.
Because as we reached the road, my phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
A photograph appeared.
It showed Victor.
Alive.
Standing beside someone.
My breath stopped.
The person beside him was wearing a hospital gown.
A familiar face.
A face I had believed dead.
Maria.
Another message appeared.
YOU SAVED THE WRONG WOMAN.
Then another.
THE REAL MARIA IS STILL WITH ME.
I stared at the screen.
Luka looked over my shoulder.
His face went pale.
"That's impossible."
I shook my head.
"No."
"What?"
I looked toward the burning hospital in the distance.
"It's not impossible."
I remembered Maria's final words.
Don't trust the father.
And suddenly I understood.
She hadn't been warning me about Daniel.
Or Luka.
Or Victor.
She had been warning me about someone else.
The man who had called himself my father.
Robert.
I looked down at Lily.
She opened her eyes.
And for the first time—
I saw the tiny scar behind her ear.
Three numbers.
M-18.
But beneath them was something else.
A second marking.
M-00.
I stared.
Luka whispered:
"What does that mean?"
I didn't know.
Then Lily's fingers closed around mine.
And somewhere behind us, a phone began ringing.
It was Robert's phone.
I picked it up.
One message.
From his own number.
THE WAR HAS JUST BEGUN.
I looked at the ruined laboratory.
At Daniel.
At Luka.
At Eva.
At my daughter.
The Moretti family had lied to me.
The Hayes family had used me.
M-17 had destroyed my life.
But now I knew the truth.
And for the first time—
May you like
I wasn't running.
I was going to war.
