Chapter 20 - THE FAMILY TESTHarper pressed her sleeve over her mouth.
Nolan searched for ventilation controls.
The gas was not fatal, Evelyn said. It was designed to confuse memory and emotional recognition.
Daniel wanted Harper unable to rely on instinct.
Behind the glass, both men wore identical clothes.
Both had Bennett’s face.
Daniel removed the gun and placed it on a table between them.
A speaker activated.
“Laura designed this test,” he said. “She believed Harper could identify the real Bennett.”
Adrian shouted through the glass.
“Laura designed it to expose conditioning, not entertain you.”
Daniel ignored him.
He asked the two men identical questions.
What did Harper call the moon when she was four?
Both answered, “The night balloon.”
What song did Laura sing while baking?
Both named the same song.
Where did Bennett hide Harper’s first lost tooth?
Both said the blue jewelry box.
Harper’s breathing became harder.
Laura’s recording had warned her not to test memories.
Test guilt.
Harper approached the glass.
“Dad, what happened the night Mom fell down the stairs?”
The real Bennett looked confused.
Daniel answered first.
“She slipped while carrying documents.”
Harper remembered hearing that story for years.
But Laura had not fallen.
Not that night.
Harper shook her head.
“I made that up.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
The other Bennett closed his eyes.
“I do not know which night you mean.”
Harper pointed at him.
“That one.”
Daniel grabbed the weapon.
The real Bennett attacked him.
They crashed against the table.
Evelyn activated the emergency vents.
Nolan fired through the glass lock.
Adrian pulled Bennett through the opening.
Harper ran to him.
He held her tightly.
His body felt thinner than she remembered.
He whispered, “I am sorry I took so long.”
Daniel escaped through a rear door.
Bennett tried to follow but collapsed.
Inside his wrist, Harper saw a small metal port.
Evelyn examined it.
“Victor implanted a remote medication system.”
Bennett looked at her with hatred.
“You maintained it.”
“I kept the dosage low enough to keep you alive.”
“You trained Daniel.”
“I also taught him the wrong details.”
Bennett’s face changed.
That explained why Daniel failed Harper’s question.
Evelyn had planted errors.
Nolan opened Laura’s cartridge again.
The next segment unlocked after Bennett’s retinal scan.
Laura appeared.
“Bennett, if Harper found you, Daniel has already learned the truth about his birth.”
Adrian stiffened.
Laura continued.
“He is not my half brother.”
“He is yours.”
Bennett stared at the screen.
Harper looked at her father.
May you like
Daniel Crest was not merely his replacement.
Daniel was Bennett’s biological brother.
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