Chapter 15 - The Son Who Belonged to Another Father

# Chapter 15 - The Son Who Belonged to Another Father

"The other is Lucas's."

Adrian Cross's words struck Leo harder than any blow he had endured inside Blackwood Correctional Institution.

For several seconds, he couldn't speak.

He stared at the surveillance monitor, where federal agents were carrying a frightened little boy away from the lakeside boathouse.

The child had brown hair, pale cheeks, and a small scar above his left eyebrow.

The boy Leo had believed was Thomas.

The boy who had waited outside prison with a brown paper bag.

The boy who had called him Daddy.

And now Adrian was claiming that one of the children belonged to Lucas.

Leo's identical twin brother.

"You're lying," Leo whispered.

Adrian laughed softly through the phone.

"That's what you said when I told you about Thomas."

Leo tightened his grip on the device.

"You've lied about everything."

"Not everything."

"You forged birth certificates. You manipulated medical records. You made two little boys pretend to be each other."

"And yet," Adrian replied calmly, "you still believe you can distinguish truth from fiction."

Leo looked toward Agent Mara Collins.

She was already signaling for the communications team to trace the call.

"Where is Toby?" Leo demanded.

Adrian ignored him.

"Do you understand what identical twins are, Leo?"

"Don't."

"Two individuals with nearly identical genetic material. Remarkably useful when conducting certain kinds of research."

Leo felt sick.

"You used Lucas."

"Lucas was raised for a purpose."

"He was a child."

"He was an investment."

Leo closed his eyes.

The coldness in Adrian's voice was almost unbearable.

Lucas had spent decades being trained to imitate his brother, denied a family, and taught that his value depended on obedience.

And now Adrian spoke about him as though he were a piece of equipment.

"Is Lucas alive?" Leo asked.

A pause.

"That depends on whether your federal friends reach him in time."

Leo's heart tightened.

"Adrian—"

"Listen carefully. The boy your agents rescued may have Lucas's biological markers. But don't assume the records you found are sufficient to prove parentage."

Leo froze.

"Then why tell me?"

"Because I want you to understand how little you know."

Leo looked at the monitor.

A medic was kneeling beside a stretcher near the lakeshore.

Another agent held the rescued child beneath a thermal blanket.

The boy appeared frightened but unharmed.

Leo swallowed.

"He's still my family."

Adrian fell silent.

Then he laughed.

"How touching."

"I don't care whose DNA he has."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then perhaps the experiment has produced an unexpected result."

Leo's voice hardened.

"You're not getting another result from me."

Adrian paused.

Then spoke quietly.

"Come to the northern gate in twenty minutes. Bring the original hard drive."

"And Toby?"

"You'll see the child I'm holding."

"Both children come home."

Adrian's voice became cold.

"One more condition, Leo."

"What?"

"Tell Collins to withdraw her people from the underground passage."

Leo looked toward the agent.

She shook her head.

Adrian continued.

"If I see another federal officer, the boy disappears permanently."

The call ended.

At 12:19 a.m., Leo sat inside the command vehicle while Collins reviewed the latest information.

The rescue operation was still underway.

Thomas—or the boy they believed was Thomas—had been taken to a secure medical station for examination.

Lucas had been found near the lakeshore with two gunshot wounds.

He was alive.

Barely.

A medical team was attempting to stabilize him before evacuation.

Leo listened to the update without moving.

His brother was dying because he had tried to save a child.

A brother Leo had only just discovered existed.

"Can I see him?" Leo asked.

Collins looked up.

"Lucas?"

Leo nodded.

"Not yet. He's receiving emergency treatment."

"Will he survive?"

"I don't know."

Leo stared at the floor.

He remembered the childhood recording.

Lucas sitting in the examination room, begging to go home with him.

Because he gets to go home.

Leo had spent his childhood surrounded by people who loved him.

Lucas had spent his childhood being told he was replaceable.

And now, at the edge of death, he had finally chosen to protect someone else.

Leo swallowed.

"Don't let him die."

Collins's expression softened.

"The medical team is doing everything they can."

Samuel Reed approached with the laptop.

"Leo, I found something."

Leo looked up wearily.

"Another secret?"

Samuel hesitated.

"Possibly an explanation."

He placed the computer on the table.

A genetic comparison report appeared.

Three names.

LEO VALE

LUCAS CROSS

SUBJECT SL-002

Leo stared.

Samuel continued.

"This file was hidden inside a secondary archive. It appears to compare the two adult brothers with one of the children."

Leo leaned closer.

"What does it say?"

Samuel pointed toward the results.

"Leo and Lucas are listed as genetically consistent with identical twins."

"I know."

"But the child has markers that don't align cleanly with the original records."

Leo frowned.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning someone may have deliberately mislabeled the samples."

Collins studied the report.

"Can we verify the laboratory?"

Samuel nodded.

"The facility still exists."

"Then request the original data."

Leo looked at the screen.

"Can you tell me which boy is mine?"

Samuel shook his head.

"Not reliably."

Leo leaned back.

He was tired of records.

Tired of documents.

Tired of strangers telling him who his children were.

He remembered the boy outside Blackwood.

The way he had clung to him.

The way he had whispered that he had waited every day.

Whatever name that boy carried, whatever secrets surrounded his birth, Leo had held him when he was frightened.

And that mattered.

"Stop trying to decide which child belongs to me," Leo said quietly.

Samuel looked at him.

"Leo—"

"I want both boys safe. We can sort out the records afterward."

Collins nodded.

"Agreed."

At 12:31 a.m., a federal medic brought the rescued child to the command vehicle.

Leo stood so quickly that his chair struck the wall.

The boy entered wrapped in a gray blanket.

His eyes were red from crying.

A small bandage covered the scar above his eyebrow.

He looked around uncertainly.

Then he saw Leo.

"Daddy?"

Leo felt his chest break open.

He dropped to his knees.

"Hey, buddy."

The child ran toward him.

Leo caught him and held him tightly.

The boy buried his face against his neck.

"I was scared."

"I know."

"They said you wouldn't come."

Leo closed his eyes.

"I'm here now."

The child began crying harder.

Leo rocked him gently.

For a moment, the command vehicle disappeared.

There was no Project Second Life.

No Adrian Cross.

No forged records.

Only a frightened child and the man he called Daddy.

Leo pulled back slightly.

"Are you hurt?"

The boy shook his head.

"Just my arm."

Leo looked down.

A faint bruise marked the child's wrist.

His stomach tightened.

"Did someone do that?"

The boy hesitated.

Then nodded.

Leo swallowed his anger.

"You're safe now."

The child looked toward the door.

"Where's my brother?"

Leo felt his throat tighten.

"We're looking for him."

The boy's eyes filled with tears.

"Please don't leave him."

Leo held him close.

"I won't."

The child looked at him.

"Promise?"

Leo kissed his forehead.

"I promise."

Then the boy whispered something unexpected.

"Uncle Lucas said you'd come."

Leo froze.

He pulled back.

"What?"

The child wiped his eyes.

"Uncle Lucas."

Leo stared at him.

"He told you who he was?"

The boy nodded.

"He said he was your brother."

Leo felt a strange ache in his chest.

"What else did he say?"

The child looked down.

"He said he was sorry."

Leo swallowed.

"Sorry for what?"

"For pretending."

Leo went still.

The boy continued.

"He said he pretended to be you once."

Leo felt cold.

"When?"

The child shrugged.

"I don't know."

Leo looked toward Samuel.

The older man had gone pale.

The boy continued.

"Uncle Lucas said he did something bad a long time ago."

Leo gently took his hands.

"What did he say?"

The child hesitated.

Then whispered, "He said he made Mommy cry."

Leo felt a terrible chill.

"Which Mommy?"

The boy looked confused.

"Rebecca."

Leo stopped breathing.

Rebecca Mercer.

Lucas.

The child who might be Lucas's biological son.

A memory surfaced.

Six years earlier, Daniel had become strangely distant from Rebecca during the final months of her pregnancy.

Leo remembered visiting their house one evening.

Rebecca had been crying in the kitchen.

Daniel had stood outside, smoking.

When Leo asked what was wrong, Daniel had said they were having marital problems.

Leo had never pressed him.

Now he wondered whether Lucas had been involved.

And whether Daniel had known.

At 12:44 a.m., Collins received another call.

She listened carefully.

Then turned toward Leo.

"Lucas is being transferred to a hospital."

Leo looked up.

"Alive?"

"Yes."

He exhaled shakily.

"Thank God."

"But his condition is critical."

Leo looked down at the boy in his arms.

The child had fallen asleep against his chest.

He seemed so small.

So vulnerable.

Leo gently brushed the hair from his forehead.

Collins continued.

"We also recovered something from Lucas's clothing."

Leo looked up.

"What?"

"A folded photograph."

She handed it to him.

Leo unfolded the paper.

The image showed Rebecca Mercer standing beside a young man.

Lucas.

They were outside a small house.

Rebecca was visibly pregnant.

Lucas had one arm around her shoulders.

Both were smiling.

Leo stared.

The photograph was dated six years earlier.

Several months before the children were born.

He turned it over.

A handwritten sentence appeared.

For our little boy. Someday he'll know the truth.

Leo's hands began trembling.

"Our little boy."

Lucas and Rebecca.

He looked toward Samuel.

The older man closed his eyes.

"You knew," Leo whispered.

Samuel shook his head.

"I suspected."

Leo felt anger rise.

"How many times are you going to say that?"

Samuel looked ashamed.

"Rebecca and Lucas were involved before the birth."

Leo stared at the photograph.

"An affair?"

Samuel hesitated.

"Possibly. But I don't know whether their relationship was voluntary at every stage. The project controlled much of Lucas's life."

Leo looked down at the sleeping child.

If Lucas and Rebecca had conceived a son, the boy might have been taken from both parents.

Daniel might have helped conceal the truth.

And Adrian might have used the child as another subject in the program.

Leo felt sick.

"Does Daniel know?"

Samuel looked away.

"I think so."

Leo stared at him.

"Then why did he help raise the lie?"

Samuel sighed.

"Because Daniel loved Rebecca."

Leo looked back at the photograph.

A woman who had supposedly died.

A man who had been raised as a weapon.

A child who had been given another identity.

And a family destroyed by secrets.

He folded the photograph carefully.

Then placed it inside his jacket.

At 1:02 a.m., Collins received confirmation that Adrian had escaped the main compound through a northern service road.

Leo felt panic rise.

"Toby?"

"Still unaccounted for."

He stood.

"Then we go after him."

Collins shook her head.

"We have units pursuing the vehicle."

"He has my son."

"I know."

Leo looked at the sleeping boy.

He couldn't leave him alone.

But he couldn't abandon the other child either.

Collins seemed to understand.

"Stay with him. We'll bring the other boy back."

Leo wanted to believe her.

Then his phone vibrated.

A message appeared.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

You chose the wrong child.

Leo stared.

Another message followed.

The one in your arms was never the one I wanted you to save.

His stomach tightened.

He typed a response.

Where is Toby?

The reply arrived immediately.

Ask the boy what happened in the white room.

Leo looked down.

The child stirred.

He opened his eyes.

"Daddy?"

Leo swallowed.

"Hey, buddy."

The boy looked frightened.

"What's wrong?"

Leo hesitated.

Then asked gently, "Do you remember the white room?"

The child's face changed.

His small hands began trembling.

Leo felt cold.

"What happened there?"

The boy shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You're safe."

"No."

The word came out sharply.

Leo stared.

The boy's eyes filled with tears.

"They said I wasn't supposed to remember."

Leo's chest tightened.

"Remember what?"

The child looked toward the door.

Then whispered, "The other boy."

Leo felt a chill.

"Your brother?"

The child shook his head.

"No."

Leo stared at him.

"What other boy?"

The child began crying.

"The one who looked like us."

Leo stopped breathing.

Another boy?

He looked toward Collins.

She had heard everything.

The child continued.

"He was in the white room. He cried all the time."

Leo felt sick.

"Where is he now?"

The boy shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Did they tell you his name?"

The child nodded.

Leo leaned closer.

"What was it?"

The boy whispered, "Michael."

Leo froze.

Michael.

The name of the man Daniel had claimed was Leo's biological father.

The name of Subject Zero.

The man whose genetic material had supposedly formed the foundation of Project Second Life.

Leo stared at the child.

"Michael what?"

The boy looked at him with frightened eyes.

"Michael Vale."

Leo felt the air leave his lungs.

Then the child said something that made every person in the command vehicle fall silent.

"Daddy, they said Michael was the real one."

Leo stared.

"The real what?"

The boy began trembling.

"The real son."

Collins immediately contacted the agents searching Site Echo.

"Check every medical room. Every basement. Every locked compartment. We may have a third child."

Leo looked down at the boy.

The child's face was pale.

He seemed exhausted.

Leo pulled him close.

"You're safe," he whispered.

But the boy shook his head.

"No, Daddy."

Leo felt cold.

"Why not?"

The child looked toward the window.

"Because they said if I told you about Michael, they'd take me away."

Leo's hands tightened.

"Nobody's taking you."

The boy began crying.

"They said Michael was special."

Leo swallowed.

"Why?"

The child looked up.

"Because he doesn't have a mommy."

Leo felt a chill.

"What do you mean?"

The boy hesitated.

Then whispered, "They said he was made."

Leo stared at him.

Made.

Not born.

The word echoed through his mind.

He looked toward Samuel.

The older man was staring at the laptop.

His face had gone white.

"Samuel?"

No answer.

"Samuel!"

The accountant slowly turned the screen toward him.

A newly recovered file had appeared inside the project archive.

SUBJECT M-003 — EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT RECORD

Leo stared.

Below the heading was a photograph.

A small boy.

Brown hair.

Pale cheeks.

The same eyes.

The same face.

But unlike Thomas and Toby, the child had a distinctive birthmark beneath his right ear.

Leo leaned closer.

The photograph was dated only three months earlier.

The boy appeared to be six years old.

Leo felt sick.

"Who is he?"

Samuel's voice trembled.

"I don't know."

Collins studied the file.

"Open the birth record."

Samuel clicked.

A medical document appeared.

The heading read:

EXTERNAL GESTATIONAL DEVELOPMENT — SUBJECT M-003

Leo frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Samuel looked horrified.

"It may refer to an experimental reproductive procedure, but we need to verify what actually happened."

Leo stared at the screen.

Three boys.

Three identical faces.

Three children whose identities had been manipulated by the same organization.

Then another message arrived on Leo's phone.

This one contained a video.

He opened it.

A dark room appeared.

A little boy sat on a narrow bed.

He wore a white hospital shirt.

A small birthmark was visible beneath his right ear.

The boy looked directly into the camera.

Then whispered, "Daddy?"

Leo stopped breathing.

The child continued.

"They told me you'd come when the other boys were gone."

Leo's hands trembled.

"Who told you that?" he whispered.

The boy on the screen began crying.

Then a familiar voice spoke from behind the camera.

Adrian Cross.

"Now you understand, Leo."

The camera shifted.

Adrian stood beside the child.

His expression was cold.

"Thomas and Tobias were never the final objective."

Leo stared at the screen.

Adrian placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"This one was."

The child looked frightened.

Adrian continued.

"His name is Michael."

Leo's stomach tightened.

"And he is the only successful result of Project Second Life."

The video ended.

Leo stared at the dark screen.

Then one final message appeared.

If you want Michael to live, bring me Lucas Cross.

Leo felt his blood run cold.

Adrian didn't want the hard drive anymore.

He wanted his wounded brother.

And somewhere, a third child was waiting.