Chapter eight “No one touch my daughter

They had really hoped Emily would never develop it.

Adrian’s face had gone completely pale.

For several seconds, he simply stared at the glowing symbol on Emily’s wrist as though the sight of it had confirmed his worst nightmare. Beside him, Dante had gone unusually still. The confidence that had filled his expression only moments ago was gone, replaced by something Emily had never expected to see from him.

Fear.

Real, unmistakable fear.

Emily noticed.

Even through the dizziness clouding her mind, she noticed the way both men were looking at her.

“Why…”

Her voice trembled as she pressed her hand against the wall.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Neither man answered.

The blue symbol pulsed beneath her skin again.

Once.

Twice.

Then a sharp wave of pain shot through her arm.

Emily gasped and grabbed her wrist.

“Ah!”

Adrian immediately moved toward her.

“Emily!”

Dante caught his arm before he could reach her.

“Don’t.”

Adrian turned sharply.

“Let go of me.”

“You don’t know what will happen if you touch her.”

“She needs help.”

“And so do we if that thing reacts.”

Emily stared at them, confused and increasingly frightened.

“What thing?”

Both men stopped.

She looked from Adrian to Dante.

“What are you talking about?”

Dante’s jaw tightened.

“Emily…”

“No.”

She shook her head, tears beginning to gather in her eyes.

“I am seriously tired of people saying my name like they’re about to tell me I’m dying.”

Adrian swallowed.

“You’re not dying.”

“Then explain this!”

Emily held up her wrist.

The strange blue symbol cast an eerie glow across her face.

“What is it?”

Silence.

The masked men were watching her.

The bodyguards were watching her.

Even the children had gone quiet.

Emily’s frustration finally broke through her fear.

“You said you were my father.”

She pointed toward Adrian.

“You said you’ve been searching for me for fifteen years.”

Then she turned toward Dante.

“And you apparently think I’m your daughter too.”

Her voice cracked.

“Now armed men are calling me Subject Zero, and suddenly everyone knows something except me!”

Nobody moved.

Emily’s eyes filled with tears.

“I deserve to know what happened to me.”

Adrian’s expression softened.

“You do.”

“Then tell me!”

He hesitated.

For the first time, the powerful man who always seemed to have an answer didn’t know what to say.

Dante glanced toward the masked leader.

The man was still smiling beneath his mask.

“You really should tell her,” he said.

Dante’s eyes narrowed.

“Shut up.”

The man chuckled.

“She deserves to know who she really is.”

Emily slowly turned toward him.

“What do you mean?”

The masked man tilted his head.

“Ask your fathers.”

Emily froze.

“My…”

She looked at Adrian.

Then Dante.

“Fathers?”

Neither man corrected him.

Her face went blank.

“…Plural?”

Dante cursed quietly under his breath.

Adrian closed his eyes for a moment.

Emily stared at them in disbelief.

“Wait.”

She pointed toward Adrian.

“You’re saying you’re my father.”

Then she pointed toward Dante.

“And you’re saying you’re my father.”

She looked between them.

“But there can only be one biological father.”

Dante and Adrian exchanged a look.

Emily narrowed her eyes.

“Right?”

Neither answered.

“Oh my God.”

She took a step backward.

“How many of you are there?”

The hallway became completely silent.

Then Dante answered quietly.

“Five.”

Emily stared at him.

For a moment, she genuinely thought she had heard him wrong.

“Five?”

Adrian looked away.

Emily blinked several times.

“Five fathers?”

Dante nodded.

Emily pressed both hands against her temples.

“Okay.”

She took a slow breath, trying desperately to make sense of everything that had happened in the last few minutes.

“I think I finally understand why nobody wanted to explain this.”

A tiny sound came from one of the bodyguards.

It sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Dante slowly turned his head toward him.

The man’s smile disappeared immediately.

“Sorry, Boss.”

Emily looked at him.

Under any other circumstances, she might have laughed.

But then she glanced down at her wrist.

The symbol had become brighter.

Her breath caught.

A strange sensation suddenly moved through her mind.

It wasn’t a sound coming from the hallway.

It wasn’t one of the men speaking.

It was a voice inside her head.

Run.

Emily froze.

Another whisper followed.

They’re coming.

Her eyes widened.

“Who’s coming?”

Everyone stared at her.

Adrian stepped forward.

“What?”

Emily looked around frantically.

“I heard someone.”

Dante’s expression changed.

“Heard what?”

Emily opened her mouth.

Before she could answer, every light in the orphanage went out.

Darkness swallowed the hallway.

The children screamed.

Someone cried for Mrs. Martha.

Emily felt a hand reach for her, and Adrian immediately stepped in front of her.

“Stay behind me.”

Dante raised his weapon.

“Everyone stay where you are!”

Then a deep mechanical voice echoed from somewhere outside the building.

“Subject Zero has awakened.”

A pause followed.

Then the voice continued.

“Initiate extraction protocol.”

Emily’s blood ran cold.

Outside, the sound of engines grew louder.

One.

Then another.

Then several more.

Dante moved toward the nearest window.

His men followed.

Emily looked up.

Through the darkness, she could see the silhouettes of helicopters approaching beyond the orphanage gates.

Five black helicopters appeared in the night sky.

Their powerful searchlights swept across the grounds.

Emily stared upward.

Her glowing wrist burned brighter.

Then something strange happened.

A symbol appeared across the window.

Emily stared at it.

It was the same symbol glowing beneath her skin.

But this time, there was something different.

Five circles surrounded it.

Adrian’s face drained of color.

Dante stared at the symbol in disbelief.

He whispered one word.

“Impossible.”

Emily turned toward them.

“What?”

Neither man answered.

Adrian’s eyes remained fixed on the symbol.

Dante slowly lowered his weapon.

Because they finally understood.

The symbol wasn’t simply identifying Emily.

It was identifying all five of them.