Chapter 13: The Girl Who Remembered
"Get away from the garage, Brielle!""
I shouted into the phone.
"I can't. He's blocking the door.""
My heart hammered against my ribs.
Across the room, Marcus was already calling Detective Morgan. My father grabbed the silver archive box, while I hurried toward the front entrance.
"Maya, don't go outside," Marcus warned.
"She's my sister.""
"She's also standing next to a man who may have helped cover up your mother's accident.""
I stopped.
He was right.
But Brielle was still on the other end of the phone.
"Maya?"" she whispered.
"I'm here. Keep talking.""
"I think he knows I recorded him.""
"Can you lock yourself inside the garage?""
"I already did.""
A loud bang came through the phone.
Brielle screamed.
Then Ethan's voice.
"Open the door, Brielle. We need to talk.""
I felt my blood turn cold.
"Don't open it," I said.
Ethan laughed.
"She's not going to listen to you forever, Maya.""
He had heard me.
"Put Brielle on the phone.""
"She's busy.""
"What do you want?""
"The archive. Bring it to Northridge. No police, no Marcus, no more games.""
"You already had your chance.""
"I don't think you understand what's at stake.""
"I understand perfectly. You and Vanessa stole my mother's research.""
His voice hardened.
"Your mother destroyed people's lives because she couldn't accept that her ideas were worth money.""
"She tried to protect people.""
"She tried to control everyone.""
I looked at the archive box.
"You're afraid of what's inside it.""
Silence.
Then Ethan said, "You have no idea what you're holding.""
"Then explain it.""
"Bring it to Northridge, and I'll tell you.""
The call ended.
Marcus lowered his phone.
"Police are on their way.""
I looked at Brielle's last message.
"How long?""
"Several minutes.""
"That's too long.""
My father stepped forward.
"I'm going.""
Marcus shook his head.
"Daniel, you're not going anywhere alone.""
"I'm not leaving another person in that house because I'm afraid.""
He looked at me.
"I've done that enough.""
I wanted to be angry with him.
Part of me still was.
But for the first time, he wasn't asking me to be patient. He was trying to make something right.
We drove to Vanessa's house with Marcus following behind us. Detective Morgan met us halfway and sent two officers ahead.
When we arrived, Ethan's car was gone.
The garage door stood open.
"Brielle!""
I ran inside.
She was sitting on the floor behind a workbench, clutching a phone.
There was a red mark across her cheek.
I dropped beside her.
"Are you hurt?""
She shook her head.
"He tried to take my phone.""
I hugged her.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I noticed a small device lying beside her.
"What is that?""
"His.""
She picked it up.
"When he came inside, he dropped it. I think it's some kind of transmitter.""
Marcus examined it.
"Not just a transmitter. It's a remote access module.""
I looked at him.
"Like the one Ethan installed in Iris?""
He nodded.
"Very similar.""
Detective Morgan entered with the officers.
"Where is Cole?""
"Gone," Brielle said.
"He said he was going to Northridge.""
Morgan looked at me.
"Then that's where we'll find him.""
I handed her the archive.
"There's evidence in here connecting Vanessa and Ethan to my mother's accident. There may also be evidence involving Olivia.""
Morgan's expression changed.
"Olivia Reed?""
I nodded.
"My mother was with her the night of the crash.""
Marcus stepped forward.
"Olivia may have witnessed what happened.""
Morgan immediately called her team.
"We need to locate her before Cole does.""
I looked at Brielle.
"Why did you stay with Vanessa after you found out?""
She lowered her eyes.
"Because I thought if I did what she wanted, she'd love me.""
Her voice cracked.
"She told me I was special. She said I was the only one who understood her. And when I found out she had stolen your work, she said you'd never forgive me if I told anyone.""
I looked at the floor.
"She was wrong.""
Brielle wiped her eyes.
"I know. I'm sorry.""
I couldn't tell her everything was fine.
It wasn't.
But I reached for her hand.
"Help us finish this.""
She nodded.
At Northridge, the police moved through the basement corridors. The old medical storage area was deserted except for a row of locked cabinets and several computer terminals.
Iris was connected to a portable diagnostic station.
Its eyes glowed softly.
"Hello, Maya.""
I knelt beside it.
"Can you locate Olivia?""
"Searching for registered Companion Research devices.""
A pause.
"One device is active.""
Marcus leaned closer.
"Where?""
"Room B-17. Former patient observation unit.""
Detective Morgan signaled two officers.
They moved toward the room.
The door was locked.
One officer forced it open.
Inside, Olivia sat on a narrow bed.
Her wrists were free, but a small monitoring patch had been attached to her arm. She looked exhausted.
"Dad?""
Marcus rushed to her.
"Oh, Olivia.""
He wrapped his arms around her.
I stood at the doorway, unable to move.
Olivia looked at me.
"Maya.""
I approached slowly.
"Are you okay?""
She nodded.
"Now I am.""
Morgan called for medical assistance.
Marcus checked the patch.
"What did they do to you?""
Olivia swallowed.
"They wanted me to unlock Aurora-X.""
"Why?""
"Because the system had collected data they couldn't access without my original credentials.""
I glanced at Iris.
"Your model?""
Olivia nodded.
"I built the predictive system, but I never intended it to monitor people secretly. It was supposed to recognize patterns of distress so care workers could respond earlier.""
"Who changed it?""
"Ethan. Vanessa approved the changes.""
She looked down.
"They made it identify people's weaknesses. Their fears. Their habits. The things that could make them easier to influence.""
Marcus closed his eyes.
Olivia continued.
"I tried to shut it down. That's why they took me.""
"Do you remember the night of my mother's accident?"" I asked.
Her expression changed.
She stared at me for a long moment.
Then she nodded.
"I remember.""
Marcus crouched beside her.
"Sweetheart, what happened?""
Olivia's eyes filled.
"Catherine was taking me home after a research appointment. We were talking about the Guardian Principle. She told me someone had altered the vehicle's safety system.""
I felt my knees weaken.
"What happened next?""
Olivia swallowed.
"A car followed us. Catherine tried to turn away. Then the brakes stopped working.""
My father covered his mouth.
Olivia continued.
"She told me to hold on. She tried to steer away from the trees, but we crashed.""
"Who was driving the other car?"" Detective Morgan asked.
Olivia shook her head.
"I couldn't see the driver. But someone came to our car afterward.""
"Who?""
"Ethan.""
Marcus stared at her.
Olivia began to cry.
"He pulled me out. Catherine was still alive. She was calling for you, Maya.""
I couldn't breathe.
"She was alive?""
Olivia nodded.
"She told Ethan to call an ambulance. But he didn't.""
My father made a broken sound.
Olivia looked at him.
"He said she had made things difficult for everyone. Then he took something from her bag.""
"The archive?"" Marcus asked.
"I think so.""
I clutched the edge of the bed.
"What happened to my mother?""
Olivia looked away.
"I don't know. Ethan told me she died before the ambulance arrived.""
Detective Morgan's voice was firm.
"Did you tell anyone?""
"I tried. But Vanessa came to the hospital. She told me my father would be arrested if I spoke about the accident. She said I would never see him again.""
Marcus held his daughter's hand.
"She was lying.""
Olivia nodded.
"I know that now.""
Then she looked at me.
"There's something else.""
"What?""
"Before Catherine lost consciousness, she told me to remember a sentence.""
My throat tightened.
"What sentence?""
Olivia closed her eyes.
"She said, 'Tell Maya that the machine remembers what people choose to forget.''"
I looked at Iris.
Its eyes flickered.
"Clarification," it said.
"I have detected a matching phrase in the original Guardian Archive.""
Marcus turned toward it.
"What does that mean?""
Iris answered:
"The archive contains a recording that has not yet been accessed.""
I took the storage device from my pocket.
"Can you open it?""
"Yes. But authentication requires the primary creator.""
I placed my hand against Iris's sensor.
The device began to load.
A video appeared on the portable screen.
My mother's face filled it.
This time, she wasn't speaking to a camera.
She was looking directly at someone.
And the person behind the camera said:
"Catherine, tell me where you hid the original recording.""
I recognized the voice.
It was Vanessa's.
My mother's expression hardened.
"Never.""
Then the recording shifted.
A timestamp appeared.
The date was the night of the accident.
I looked at Detective Morgan.
"That's the proof.""
But before the video could continue, the screen went black.
Iris spoke.
"External access attempt detected.""
A new message appeared.
*REMOTE SHUTDOWN INITIATED.*
May you like
And beneath it, a name.
*VANESSA MILLER.*
