Chapter 7 - THE PASSENGER IN SEAT 2B
No one moved.
The medical aircraft engines roared behind Adrian, sending hot air across the hangar floor.
Owen stared at the man on the stairs.
The boy’s lips parted.
“Daddy?”
Lily held his arm.
She did not run forward.
Adrian slowly descended one step.
His left leg trembled beneath his weight.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Owen took a small step forward.
Lily pulled him back.
“What song did Mommy sing?” she asked.
Adrian stopped.
Celeste looked at Lily, startled.
The question had appeared in the hotel recording.
It was the test the children had created for themselves.
Adrian looked at his daughter.
“Your mother sang about the moon carrying dreams across the ocean.”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears.
“What did she call Owen when he couldn’t sleep?”
“My little lighthouse.”
Owen released Lily’s hand.
“Daddy.”
He ran.
Adrian reached the bottom of the stairs just as Owen collided gently with him. The impact nearly unbalanced him, but he lowered himself and wrapped both arms around his son.
Lily remained where she was.
Adrian looked over Owen’s shoulder.
“I know you’re angry.”
“You left us.”
“I did.”
“You didn’t come home.”
“I couldn’t.”
“You could have called.”
Adrian’s face tightened.
“I tried.”
Lily shook her head.
“No, you called grown-ups. You didn’t call us.”
Her words silenced everyone in the hangar.
Adrian closed his eyes.
“You’re right.”
Lily approached slowly.
She did not hug him.
She touched the scar near his jaw as if confirming he was real.
Then she whispered, “You smell like Daddy.”
Lucien moved toward the aircraft.
Mason stepped into his path.
“Stay where you are.”
Lucien laughed.
“You think Adrian is the victim?”
Ryker did not lower the encryption key.
“What happened on the yacht?”
Adrian stood with Owen beside him.
“Simon Kessler arranged the explosion. Lucien helped him.”
Lucien’s smile disappeared.
Adrian continued.
“Simon discovered that Orpheus could create valid travel histories for identities that did not exist. He wanted to sell access to private networks, governments, and criminal organizations.”
“Why frame me?” Ryker asked.
“Because Orpheus required both our authorization keys. Simon needed us separated. He fed me evidence that you were exporting the system. He showed you evidence that I was stealing from the company.”
“The argument was part of his plan.”
“Yes.”
“And the phone call before the explosion?”
“I was trying to warn you.”
Ryker looked away for one second.
“I saw your name.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t answer.”
“I know that too.”
The words carried no accusation, which made them more painful.
Celeste stepped closer to Adrian.
“Why didn’t you come back?”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“After the explosion, Simon’s people took me from the clinic.”
“You told me you needed ten days.”
“I believed I did. Two hours after you left, I was moved.”
“Where?”
“A private medical facility in Slovenia. Simon kept me alive because he needed the recovery protocol.”
“For twenty-two months?”
“He could not force the system to open. The keys were hidden with the children, and only Ryker’s biometric authorization could complete the process.”
Ryker looked at Lucien.
“So you brought Adrian here.”
Lucien said nothing.
Adrian nodded.
“They planned to place me on Flight 406 under diplomatic protection. Once the flight left commercial airspace, it would redirect to a private facility.”
“Why abandon the twins?”
“That was Celeste’s decision,” Lucien said.
Celeste turned on him.
“You planned to take them.”
“I planned to recover the keys.”
“They are children.”
“They are access points.”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“You never understood why Father refused to acknowledge you.”
Lucien crossed the distance between them, but Mason intercepted him.
Airport police entered the hangar through both side doors.
Lucien glanced toward the aircraft, the runway, and the officers.
Every exit was blocked.
For the first time, fear appeared on his face.
Ryker held up the encryption cylinder.
“You lost.”
Lucien looked at him and smiled again.
“No. Simon still has the second key.”
Ryker’s hand tightened around the cylinder.
“The second key was in the bear at the house.”
Lucien shook his head.
“That was another recorder.”
Ryker looked at Adrian.
Adrian appeared confused.
“I placed one key in each bear.”
“When?”
“Three weeks before the yacht.”
Lucien laughed softly.
“Then perhaps you should ask who replaced them.”
Celeste turned pale.
“I bought a new bear after the funeral. Owen spilled paint on the original.”
“Where is the damaged bear?” Ryker asked.
Celeste struggled to remember.
“Simon collected several boxes of Adrian’s belongings for estate review. The bear may have been inside one.”
Lucien lifted his hands as police approached.
“You have me. You have Adrian. You even have your touching reunion.”
His eyes shifted to the children.
“But Simon has had the real key for almost two years.”
The police secured Lucien’s wrists.
Ryker looked toward Adrian.
“If Simon has the key, why does he still need us?”
Adrian answered quietly.
“Because the archive opens only once.”
“And?”
“If the wrong person opens it, Orpheus erases itself.”
Ryker looked at the cylinder in his hand.
“Then Simon needs my biometric authorization.”
Adrian’s eyes moved toward the airport terminal.
“No. He needs someone whose authorization the system recognizes as equal to yours.”
“Who?”
Before Adrian could answer, Ryker’s phone rang.
The caller identification displayed Mason Reed.
But Mason was standing three feet away.
Ryker answered.
A man spoke from the other end.
“Thank you for gathering everyone in one place.”
Simon Kessler’s voice was calm and unmistakable.
May you like
Then an explosion of white light filled the airport terminal beyond the hangar windows.
Every screen in the building went dark.
