Chapter 12 - Marrow House)
Marrow House stood in the mountains three hours north.
Official records described it as a psychiatric hospital abandoned after a fire.
Satellite images showed forest.
Nothing else.
Samuel obtained archived property maps.
A service road continued beneath the trees.
Arthur wanted federal agents.
Caroline refused.
"If Vale knows government systems, official movement alerts him."
Helen agreed reluctantly.
They compromised again.
A small federal tactical unit approached without standard electronic dispatch.
Arthur stayed behind at first.
Then an agent found a room with Daniel's name.
Nobody could stop him from going.
The underground facility was colder than any hospital Arthur had ever entered.
White walls.
No windows.
Steel doors.
Most rooms were empty.
In one office they found hundreds of identity files.
Birth certificates.
Death certificates.
Passports.
Medical histories.
Photographs.
Project Orphan was larger than anyone imagined.
Not just Blackwood heirs.
Politicians.
Executives.
Witnesses.
Children.
People could be erased.
Others could be created.
Caroline stood beside a wall of files.
"My God."
Samuel opened a drawer.
Inside were folders labeled CONTINUITY.
D-1.
D-2.
D-3.
Arthur reached for D-1.
Daniel's photograph was inside.
Medical notes began after the crash.
SUBJECT SUFFERED CRANIAL TRAUMA.
MEMORY INSTABILITY.
RESISTANCE HIGH.
IDENTITY RECONSTRUCTION UNSUCCESSFUL.
Arthur felt sick.
"Reconstruction?"
Caroline read over his shoulder.
"They tried to manipulate his memory."
Samuel opened D-2.
A different man.
Facial surgery notes.
Dental reconstruction.
Behavioral training.
Caroline whispered, "The Prague man."
Arthur looked at the photograph.
Before surgery, D-2 looked nothing like Daniel.
After eighteen months of procedures, he looked terrifyingly similar.
Arthur gripped the desk.
"They built another Daniel."
Samuel nodded.
"So they could use his identity when necessary."
Arthur looked at D-1.
"What happened to the real one?"
The final page was dated four years earlier.
SUBJECT D-1 TRANSFERRED.
LOCATION: HARBOR.
Arthur stared.
"Harbor where?"
No explanation.
A federal agent called from the hall.
"We found someone."
Arthur ran.
An elderly man sat in a locked medical room.
Thin.
Disoriented.
Caroline gasped.
"Dr. Lewis."
Arthur recognized the name.
The physician who had signed Daniel's death certificate.
Dr. Lewis looked at Arthur.
His eyes widened.
"Daniel?"
"No."
Arthur knelt.
"I'm Arthur."
The doctor began crying.
"I told them you were dead."
Arthur froze.
"Who?"
"The wrong brother."
"What does that mean?"
Lewis grabbed Arthur's sleeve.
"They brought Daniel here. He wouldn't tell Vale the password."
"What password?"
"To the Wexler archive."
Caroline leaned closer.
"What archive?"
Lewis looked at her.
"Caroline?"
She nodded.
He began trembling.
"You survived."
"So did Daniel?"
Lewis closed his eyes.
"For a while."
Arthur's chest tightened.
"What happened?"
"The Architect came."
"Who is that?"
Lewis shook his head violently.
"No names."
"Doctor."
"No names."
Arthur forced himself to remain calm.
"Where is Daniel?"
Lewis whispered, "Harbor."
"What is Harbor?"
Lewis looked toward the ceiling.
"A place for people who cannot be allowed to exist."
Samuel asked, "Location?"
Lewis's eyes moved toward Arthur.
"Your father knew."
Arthur clenched his jaw.
"Charles?"
Lewis nodded.
"Charles visited Daniel."
"When?"
"Three years after the crash."
Arthur stared.
His father had known Daniel was alive for at least three years.
And had still allowed Arthur to mourn.
"Why?"
Lewis began crying.
"He tried to get him out."
Arthur felt a strange pain.
Not forgiveness.
Something more complicated.
"What happened?"
"Vale discovered it."
"Did Vale kill my father?"
Lewis shook his head.
"No."
Arthur leaned closer.
"Who did?"
Lewis looked directly into his eyes.
"Your wife."
Arthur froze.
"Victoria?"
"No."
Everyone went still.
Arthur stared.
"I'm married to Victoria."
Lewis looked confused.
Then terrified.
"No."
He whispered.
"Daniel's wife."
Caroline stepped backward.
Arthur slowly turned toward her.
Caroline's face was white.
Lewis pointed at her.
"She came here."
Caroline shook her head.
"No."
"She came with the Architect."
"No."
"Three years ago."
Caroline backed away.
"That's impossible."
Arthur watched her.
"Where were you three years ago?"
Caroline stared at him.
"I don't know."
Silence.
"What?"
Caroline touched the scar at her temple.
"I lost four months."
Arthur felt cold.
Caroline whispered, "I woke up in Montreal."
Samuel stepped closer.
"Caroline, were you ever treated at Marrow House?"
"I don't remember."
Arthur looked at the files.
Identity reconstruction.
Memory manipulation.
Versions.
Maybe Daniel wasn't the only person they had tried to rewrite.
An alarm sounded.
The facility lights flashed red.
A federal agent shouted.
"Fire in the lower archive."
Samuel cursed.
They ran toward the exit.
Arthur looked back once.
On a security monitor, a live camera feed flickered.
A man stood in a corridor two floors below.
Bearded.
Scarred.
Left shoulder slightly lower than the right.
Arthur stopped.
"Daniel."
The man looked directly toward the camera.
May you like
As if he could see Arthur.
Then the feed went black.
