Chapter 14: The Price of Being a Mother
"Don't touch him!""
I rushed toward the glass.
The nurse raised the syringe.
Alexander backed away.
"Mom!""
My heart broke.
I slammed my palm against the door.
"Open it!""
Edward watched me calmly.
"You should be grateful. Alexander has received the best care money can buy.""
"He's a baby!""
"He is a Hayes heir.""
Daniel aimed his weapon at Edward.
"Open the doors. Now.""
Edward laughed.
"You don't understand. The entire building is locked down. The security system will remain active until the activation sequence is complete.""
The federal agent approached the control panel.
"We can override it.""
Edward shook his head.
"Not without triggering the emergency protocol.""
I looked at the monitor.
A countdown had appeared.
*PROJECT ECHO ACTIVATION: 18 MINUTES.*
My mother appeared on the screen again.
"Claire, listen to me!""
The image flickered.
"Your father built a manual shutdown switch beneath the central console. You have to find it.""
Edward's face darkened.
"Elizabeth!""
My mother leaned toward the camera.
"Don't let him use the children!""
The screen went black.
Daniel looked beneath the console.
"There.""
A small metal panel was secured with a biometric lock.
I stepped forward.
"Use my hand.""
Daniel shook his head.
"It may trigger another alarm.""
"Then let it.""
I placed my palm against the scanner.
The screen flashed.
*DNA MATCH CONFIRMED.*
A second message appeared.
*SECONDARY AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED: ROBERT HAYES.*
I stared at it.
"My father.""
Edward smiled.
"Robert is not available.""
I turned toward him.
"Then you'll have to open the room.""
He laughed.
"Why would I do that?""
"Because if you don't, the system will never activate.""
His expression tightened.
He had spent years trying to control the research.
But he still needed my father's authorization.
And now he needed mine.
I looked at the countdown.
Fourteen minutes.
Daniel whispered, "Claire, stall him.""
I turned back to Edward.
"You want the research. You want the company. You want the children.""
"I want what your father stole from me.""
"He didn't steal anything. He built it.""
Edward stepped closer.
"Your father was a brilliant man. But he was weak. He let Elizabeth dictate everything. He let you grow up believing you were ordinary.""
I felt my hands trembling.
"Why did you take my embryos?""
"Because you were the only viable source.""
"Why did you let me suffer through failed treatments?""
He shrugged.
"Your suffering was irrelevant.""
The words landed like a physical blow.
I stared at him.
"You watched me cry.""
"I watched you become desperate enough to sign anything.""
I thought about the divorce agreement.
The fifty million dollars.
The ring.
Madison.
The lies.
All of it had been designed to make me disappear before I could discover the truth.
Then I noticed something on the screen.
A small green indicator beside the manual shutdown panel.
*REMOTE OVERRIDE AVAILABLE.*
Daniel saw it, too.
He gave me the smallest nod.
I turned toward Edward.
"Tell me about the twins.""
He looked irritated.
"What about them?""
"Why did you choose Madison?""
"She was convenient.""
"Did you know she was carrying a dangerous inherited condition?""
Edward's expression changed.
I realized I had found something.
"Tell me.""
He glanced toward the monitor.
"The twins were never intended to be born naturally.""
My stomach dropped.
"What does that mean?""
"Their genetic profiles were supposed to be monitored from the beginning. The medical complications were expected.""
I felt sick.
"You knew they could die?""
"They were an acceptable risk.""
I stared at him.
"You're a monster.""
Edward's face hardened.
"Be careful, Claire. You're standing in a building that belongs to me.""
Daniel suddenly moved.
He struck the control panel with the butt of his weapon.
The remote override indicator turned red.
The security doors began unlocking.
Edward shouted.
The nurse inside Alexander's room dropped the syringe and ran toward the exit.
I rushed through the opening.
Alexander stumbled toward me.
I picked him up.
"Mommy's here.""
He clung to my neck.
For a moment, the entire world disappeared.
Then a gunshot rang out.
Daniel fell against the wall.
"Daniel!""
He pressed one hand to his shoulder.
"Keep going!""
The federal agents entered the corridor.
Edward tried to escape through a side passage.
One agent tackled him.
The silver cane clattered across the floor.
But Edward was still smiling.
"You're too late.""
The countdown reached three minutes.
The main monitor changed.
*REMOTE ACTIVATION INITIATED.*
Daniel struggled to stand.
"Claire, the shutdown switch!""
I ran back to the console.
The panel was open.
Inside were two controls.
One red.
One black.
A warning label read:
*EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN WILL TERMINATE ALL ACTIVE SYSTEMS AND DESTROY UNBACKED RESEARCH DATA.*
I looked at the screen.
My father's authorization was still required.
Then I noticed a small handwritten note beneath the panel.
My mother's handwriting.
The children are the password. The mother is the key. Love is the override.
I stared at the words.
Three children.
Three genetic profiles.
My own authorization.
I placed my hand against the scanner again.
Then I entered the children's birth dates.
Alexander's.
Sophia's.
Nicholas's.
The system paused.
A new message appeared.
*FAMILY CONSENT VERIFIED.*
The countdown stopped.
Then another message appeared.
*PROJECT ECHO DEACTIVATED.*
The laboratory went dark.
Emergency lights flickered on.
The glass doors unlocked.
The nurse helped Alexander into my arms.
Daniel lowered himself to the floor.
"Did it work?""
I nodded.
He smiled weakly.
"Good.""
Federal agents secured Edward.
For the first time, he looked frightened.
"You don't understand what you've destroyed!""
I turned toward him.
"I destroyed nothing that belonged to you.""
Then a voice came from the corridor.
"Claire?""
My mother stood there.
An agent supported her.
My father walked beside her, one arm around her shoulders.
I ran to them.
My mother held my face.
"Oh, sweetheart.""
I buried my head against her shoulder.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then my father looked toward Edward.
"You lost.""
Edward laughed bitterly.
"No, Robert. You still don't know what happened to the original research.""
My father frowned.
"What are you talking about?""
Edward looked at me.
"Ask your daughter what she did when she entered those birth dates.""
I turned toward the monitor.
A final message was flashing.
*BACKUP ARCHIVE TRANSFERRED.*
Daniel looked up.
"Where?""
The screen displayed a location.
*REMOTE SERVER: MERCER HOLDINGS.*
Everyone turned toward Daniel.
He went pale.
"That's impossible.""
Edward smiled.
"Is it?""
Daniel stared at the screen.
Then he whispered:
"I never knew that server existed.""
Edward leaned toward him.
"You should have checked your own company, Daniel.""
The federal agents moved closer.
Daniel slowly raised his hands.
I looked between them.
"What's happening?""
Edward's smile widened.
"Ask him who paid him to protect you.""
Daniel looked at me.
His eyes were full of something I had never seen before.
May you like
Fear.
And guilt.
