## CHAPTER 16 — THE ARCHIVIST’S OFFER
Dr. Evelyn Shaw contacted Harrison through the courthouse emergency system.
Every screen in his law firm went black at the same time.
Her face appeared.
“You have spent your life demanding truth,” she said. “Now that you have found it, you look disappointed.”
“Tell me who Nora’s father is.”
“Meet me alone.”
“Where?”
“Courtroom 4B. Midnight.”
“That courtroom was sealed after the fire.”
“That is why no one will interrupt us.”
Harrison informed Dana and Leo despite Dr. Shaw’s instructions. They positioned themselves in nearby corridors while he entered the abandoned courtroom.
Dr. Shaw sat at the witness table.
She appeared unarmed.
A metal case rested in front of her.
“You raised the reassigned children,” Harrison said.
“I supervised their placement.”
“You experimented on them.”
“I preserved exceptional genetic lines.”
“You are describing human beings as property.”
“Courts have done the same thing for centuries. I merely removed the hypocrisy.”
Harrison remained near the door.
“Who is Subject Zero?”
Dr. Shaw opened the case.
Inside were old photographs, blood samples, and a reel of film.
“Subject Zero was the first child successfully removed from one family and placed into another without leaving a legal trace.”
“Who?”
“Daniel Cole.”
Harrison said nothing.
Dr. Shaw explained that Daniel had discovered the truth about his identity as an adult. Instead of exposing the network immediately, he joined it to learn who had taken him.
He later tried to dismantle the program from within.
“Is Daniel alive?” Harrison asked.
“He was three months ago.”
“Where?”
“He stole the master archive and vanished.”
“What does that have to do with Nora?”
“Daniel’s genetic material was used to create the next generation of subjects.”
Harrison fought to keep his voice steady.
“You’re saying my father is Nora’s biological father.”
“Possibly.”
“Possibly?”
“Daniel was not the only Subject Zero sample.”
A door opened behind the judge’s bench.
Officer Cal Rourke stepped into the courtroom.
He held Mara Ellis at gunpoint.
Mara’s face was bruised, but she was conscious.
Dr. Shaw closed the metal case.
“Here is my offer. Return the trust funds to the Initiative. End your investigation. Your sister and Nora will be left alone.”
“You expect me to trust you?”
“No. I expect you to understand leverage.”
Rourke pressed the gun against Mara’s head.
Harrison looked toward the security camera.
Leo and Dana were supposed to be watching.
The red light was off.
Dr. Shaw smiled.
“Your friends are currently being arrested for entering a restricted courthouse area.”
Sirens sounded outside.
“You control the police?” Harrison asked.
“I control records. Records control what people believe.”
She pushed a document across the table.
It was a confession stating that Harrison had fabricated evidence to overturn the Mercer convictions and steal Nora’s inheritance.
“Sign it.”
“No.”
Rourke pulled back the hammer of the gun.
Mara suddenly drove her elbow into his ribs.
A shot struck the ceiling.
Harrison lunged across the table.
Dr. Shaw grabbed the metal case and escaped through the hidden door.
Rourke fled in the opposite direction.
Harrison helped Mara stand.
Before losing consciousness, she whispered:
“Dr. Shaw isn’t the Archivist.”
“Then who is?”
Mara looked toward the judge’s entrance.
“The Archivist is the person who gave her orders.”
Judge Adrian Vale stepped through the door.
May you like
He was holding a gun.
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