Chapter 7 - Project Harbor
Jonathan was taken into custody for questioning.
He did not resist.
That frightened Alex.
Powerful men fought when they believed they were losing.
Jonathan behaved like a man who still thought everything was proceeding according to plan.
At the station, he agreed to speak only with Alex and Detective Grant present.
The interview room was small.
Jonathan sat opposite them without a lawyer.
Grant turned on the recorder.
“Explain Project Harbor.”
Jonathan folded his hands.
“It began in 1989.”
“With children?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Originally? Forty-three.”
Alex stared at him.
“Forty-three children were assigned to families?”
“Not exactly.”
“What exactly?”
Jonathan looked at him.
“Project Harbor was designed to study adaptive development in children with specific neurological and cognitive traits.”
Alex’s disgust grew.
“You experimented on kids.”
“I didn’t create the project.”
“William Vale did.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Vale believed extraordinary decision-makers could be identified early.”
Grant frowned.
“For what purpose?”
“Government contracting. Corporate leadership. Intelligence analysis. Crisis management.”
Alex laughed bitterly.
“You’re telling me some billionaire tried to manufacture executives?”
“No. He tried to identify resilience.”
“In children.”
“Children whose families had already abandoned them.”
Alex slammed his palm against the table.
“Don’t make this sound charitable.”
Jonathan’s jaw tightened.
“It wasn’t charitable.”
“Were you one of the children?”
Jonathan looked surprised.
Then smiled faintly.
“No.”
“Then why were you involved?”
“My father funded part of it.”
Alex leaned back.
“And Teresa?”
“She and Arthur were approved host parents.”
“Host?”
“The placements were not permanent at first.”
Alex felt sick.
“How old was I?”
“Nine when you entered Harbor.”
“My memories start before nine.”
“Of course.”
“What happened to my real family?”
Jonathan’s eyes shifted.
Alex caught it.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
“Lie.”
“I know your mother was named Rachel Reed.”
Alex gripped the table.
“My biological mother.”
“Yes.”
“And my father?”
“Unknown in the primary file.”
“Where is Rachel?”
Jonathan stayed silent.
“Dead?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why the pause?”
“Because her file was restricted.”
“By who?”
“Vale.”
Grant asked, “Why was Alexander reassigned?”
Jonathan looked at Alex.
“Because you escaped.”
Silence.
“What?”
“You escaped Harbor House twice.”
Alex stared at him.
“I don’t remember that.”
“You weren’t supposed to.”
Grant frowned.
“Medication?”
Jonathan nodded.
“Among other methods.”
Alex felt heat rise into his face.
“What did they do to me?”
“Memory suppression protocols.”
“Drugs?”
“Yes.”
“Electric shock?”
Jonathan looked away.
Alex stood.
Grant said, “Sit down.”
He did not.
“Did they shock children?”
Jonathan’s silence answered.
Alex walked toward the wall.
His hands trembled.
Not fear.
Something beneath memory.
White rooms.
Rubber smell.
Water dripping.
A voice asking him to repeat numbers.
He shut his eyes.
Jonathan spoke softly.
“You were considered difficult because punishment increased your resistance rather than compliance.”
Alex turned.
“So Teresa chose me because I was difficult?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Jonathan hesitated.
“Arthur chose you.”
“But the video shows Teresa saying she wanted me.”
“She changed her mind later.”
“Why?”
“Because Vale offered compensation.”
Alex went still.
“The payments.”
“Yes.”
“You paid my parents to keep me.”
“Vale did.”
“For thirty years?”
“For monitoring.”
Grant said, “Monitoring what?”
“Career development. Relationships. Stress responses. Decision patterns.”
Alex stared at Jonathan.
“My entire life was a laboratory.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Jonathan shook his head.
“The active research stopped years ago.”
“Then why was Clara nearly killed?”
“Because she found the continuation files.”
“Continuation?”
Jonathan closed his eyes.
“What?”
When he spoke again, his voice had changed.
Lower.
Defeated.
“Vale never ended Harbor.”
Alex sat slowly.
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I haven’t seen him in twelve years.”
“But he’s alive.”
Jonathan said nothing.
Grant leaned forward.
“Who runs the continuation?”
Jonathan looked toward the mirrored observation window.
“You should remove Lily from the hospital.”
Alex’s heart stopped.
“Why?”
“Because once Clara survived, the next pressure point became obvious.”
Alex lunged across the table.
Grant caught him.
“Where is my daughter?”
Jonathan remained seated.
“Alex, listen carefully.”
“Where is she?”
“If Lily is still with your father, move them.”
Alex pulled out his phone.
Three missed calls.
All from Dr. Patel.
He called.
The doctor answered immediately.
“Alex, where are you?”
“What happened?”
“Lily is gone.”
Everything inside him became silent.
“What?”
“Your father too.”
Alex slowly looked at Jonathan.
Dr. Patel continued.
“A nurse came with transport papers. Security assumed the transfer was authorized.”
“Where did they take them?”
“We don’t know.”
Alex ended the call.
Jonathan closed his eyes.
Alex grabbed him by the throat.
“You knew.”
Grant dragged Alex away.
Jonathan coughed.
“I warned you.”
“You helped them.”
“No.”
“Then tell me where they are.”
Jonathan looked at him.
“There is only one place they would take both of them.”
May you like
“Where?”
Jonathan whispered, “Back to Harbor House.”
