Chapter ten

The hospital had finally settled into an uneasy quiet.

The chaos of the night had faded into the soft beeping of monitors and the occasional footsteps of nurses moving through the pediatric ward. Most of the children were asleep now. Some had been given medication for their injuries, while others simply seemed exhausted from everything they had endured.

Emily, however, couldn’t sleep.

She remained beside Lily’s bed, her fingers loosely wrapped around the little girl’s hand. Lily had fallen asleep hours ago, but Emily still hadn’t moved. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the orphanage again—the smoke, the screaming children, the masked men, and that strange blue symbol burning beneath her skin.

And then there was the voice she’d heard inside her head.

Run.

They’re coming.

Emily shivered.

She looked down at her wrist.

The symbol was no longer glowing brightly. It had faded to a faint blue mark beneath her skin, almost as though it had never been there at all.

Almost.

“You’re going to make yourself sick if you keep staring at it.”

Emily looked up.

Adrian stood in the doorway.

She gave him a tired smile. “You’re still here?”

“So are you.”

“I promised Lily I’d stay.”

Adrian glanced at the sleeping child.

“I know.”

He stepped inside and pulled a chair beside her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Emily looked at him.

“You haven’t slept either.”

“I’ll sleep later.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“That’s exactly what you told me.”

Adrian smiled faintly.

“I suppose we’re both stubborn.”

Emily looked back at Lily.

“Adrian?”

“Yes?”

“Are you really my father?”

The question caught him off guard.

His expression changed.

Emily watched him carefully.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” she said quietly. “I just… I don’t know what I’m supposed to believe anymore.”

Adrian looked at her for a long moment.

“I am your father.”

Emily swallowed.

“And Dante?”

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

“That is something we need to understand ourselves.”

Emily frowned.

“But he said—”

“I know what he said.”

“Then why won’t anybody explain it?”

Adrian didn’t have an answer that could satisfy her.

Before he could speak, the door opened.

Dante walked in.

His expression was serious.

“Emily.”

She immediately knew something had happened.

“What?”

“The man we captured is awake.”

Emily stood.

“The attacker?”

Dante nodded.

“He’s being held in the security wing.”

“I want to talk to him.”

Adrian immediately shook his head.

“No.”

Emily turned toward him.

“Why?”

“Because he’s dangerous.”

“He’s already captured.”

“That doesn’t make him harmless.”

Emily folded her arms.

“He knows why they came for me.”

Dante remained silent.

Emily looked at him.

“You said he would give us answers.”

“I said we’d find out what he knows.”

“Then let me hear it.”

Adrian stepped closer.

“Emily, you don’t know what that man might say.”

She looked at him, her frustration rising.

“I don’t know anything!”

Her voice cracked.

“That’s the problem.”

Both men fell silent.

Emily wiped quickly at the corner of her eye.

“Everyone keeps telling me they’re protecting me, but nobody will tell me what I’m being protected from.”

Dante studied her expression.

Then he looked at Adrian.

Finally, he nodded.

“Fine.”

Adrian looked at him.

“Dante—”

“She deserves answers.”

Dante turned toward Emily.

“But you stay behind us.”

Emily nodded.

“Fine.”

⸻

The hospital’s security wing was nothing like the pediatric ward.

It was cold, heavily guarded, and almost completely silent.

Two armed men stood outside the interrogation room.

When Dante approached, they immediately opened the door.

The captured attacker sat in a chair with his hands secured behind his back. His clothes were torn and stained with blood, and one side of his face was badly bruised from the fight at the orphanage.

Yet there was still a strange calmness in his eyes.

The moment Emily entered, his attention went straight to her.

Then his gaze dropped to her wrist.

His expression changed.

“So it’s true.”

Emily stopped.

“What?”

The man smiled.

“Subject Zero is alive.”

Dante stepped forward.

“Don’t call her that.”

The attacker laughed softly.

“You still don’t understand.”

Dante grabbed the back of his chair.

“Who sent you?”

The man’s smile didn’t disappear.

“You think I’m afraid of you?”

Dante leaned closer.

“You should be.”

Emily stepped between them.

“Enough.”

Dante looked at her.

Emily turned toward the prisoner.

“Why did you attack the orphanage?”

The man stared at her.

“We weren’t there to attack the orphanage.”

“Then why were you there?”

“We were there for you.”

Emily’s stomach tightened.

“Why?”

The man said nothing.

“Who sent you?”

Still nothing.

Emily took another step forward.

“Why do you keep calling me Subject Zero?”

The man’s eyes moved toward her wrist.

“Because that’s what they call you.”

“Who?”

“The people who created you.”

The words hit her like a physical blow.

Emily stared at him.

“What did you say?”

Adrian’s expression changed.

The attacker smiled.

“You really don’t know.”

Emily’s voice became quieter.

“Know what?”

“You aren’t just some missing girl.”

She felt her heart begin to race.

“Then what am I?”

The man leaned back.

“You’re the reason they came back.”

Emily shook her head.

“I don’t understand.”

“You don’t remember.”

“Remember what?”

“You were born there.”

The room went silent.

Emily’s face went pale.

“No.”

The attacker watched her carefully.

“You don’t remember.”

“I’ve never been there.”

“You were too young.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“That’s enough.”

Emily turned toward him.

“No.”

Her voice trembled.

“I want to know.”

She looked back at the prisoner.

“What is this place?”

The man smiled.

“Helix.”

Adrian froze.

Dante noticed immediately.

“You know that name?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

Emily looked between them.

“What is Helix?”

Dante’s expression hardened.

“An organization.”

“What kind of organization?”

Adrian finally spoke.

“One that was supposed to have disappeared years ago.”

The prisoner laughed.

“But it didn’t.”

Emily looked at him.

“Why do they want me?”

The man’s smile slowly faded.

“We were ordered to bring you back alive.”

“Back?”

Emily’s voice shook.

“I’ve never been there.”

“They don’t care whether you remember.”

“Why?”

The attacker looked at the blue symbol on her wrist.

“Because they need you.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then what do you know?”

The man hesitated.

“We were given one instruction.”

Emily stared at him.

“What?”

“Don’t damage the girl.”

Her blood ran cold.

“Why?”

“Because they need you alive.”

Dante’s expression became deadly.

“Who gave the order?”

“I never saw his face.”

“How did you receive the order?”

“Phone.”

“Who called?”

“I don’t know.”

Dante stepped closer.

“Think carefully.”

The attacker suddenly gasped.

His entire body stiffened.

Emily’s eyes widened.

“What happened?”

The man’s hand flew toward his chest.

He began coughing violently.

Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Get a doctor!” Dante shouted.

One of the guards rushed out.

Adrian moved toward the prisoner.

“What’s happening?”

The man’s breathing became shallow.

Then his body went limp.

Emily stared in horror.

“Is he dead?”

The guard checked his pulse.

“No.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed.

“Then somebody tried to kill him.”

⸻

Alexander arrived within minutes.

He entered the room carrying a medical bag and immediately moved toward the prisoner.

“What happened?”

“Sudden collapse,” Dante said.

Alexander checked the man’s pulse and examined his pupils.

“Poison.”

Adrian’s expression hardened.

“Can you save him?”

Alexander didn’t look up.

“I’ll try.”

He began working quickly.

Emily stood outside the room, watching through the glass.

The strange sense of helplessness returned.

She had spent her entire life wondering why she had no memories of her earliest years.

Now she was beginning to understand that someone had deliberately taken them from her.

Helix.

Subject Zero.

They need me alive.

She wrapped her fingers around her wrist.

“What happened to me?” she whispered.

Someone spoke quietly beside her.

“You don’t have to figure it out tonight.”

Emily turned.

Alexander stood beside her.

She looked through the glass.

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

Alexander was quiet for a moment.

“I don’t know.”

Emily looked at him.

“Everyone knows something about me except me.”

Alexander studied her face.

“Sometimes the truth doesn’t arrive all at once.”

She frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“It means you don’t have to understand everything tonight.”

Emily gave him a tired smile.

“You sound like someone who gives very annoying advice.”

Alexander smiled.

“I’ve been told that before.”

For a moment, the fear inside Emily eased.

Then Alexander glanced at her wrist.

“You should really let me treat that.”

Emily looked down.

“I forgot about it.”

“That concerns me more than the injury.”

She laughed softly.

“I’m fine.”

“Stubborn.”

“You said that already.”

“And I’ll probably say it again.”

For some reason, Emily smiled.

Alexander looked at her for another second before returning to the room.

Emily watched him go.

She didn’t understand why she trusted him.

She had only met him that night.

But somehow, being around him made the hospital feel a little less frightening.

⸻

After nearly twenty minutes, Alexander finally stepped out of the room.

Dante immediately approached him.

“Is he alive?”

“For now.”

“Can he talk?”

“Not tonight.”

Dante’s jaw tightened.

“He knows something.”

“I figured.”

Alexander removed his gloves.

“If you want answers, you’re going to have to keep him alive first.”

Dante nodded.

“We will.”

Alexander glanced toward Emily.

She was sitting beside Lily again.

Her head had fallen against the side of the bed, exhaustion finally catching up with her.

Alexander stared at her for a moment.

There was something about that girl.

Something he couldn’t explain.

He didn’t know why he felt protective of her.

He didn’t know why her sadness bothered him.

And he certainly didn’t know why he had the strange feeling that meeting her wasn’t an accident.

He forced himself to look away.

Not everything needed an explanation.

At least, not yet.

⸻

Later that night, Dante found Adrian standing alone in the hallway.

“The prisoner?”

“Alive,” Dante replied.

“Talking?”

“Not yet.”

Adrian looked toward the pediatric ward.

Emily was still beside Lily.

“She doesn’t know what she’s involved in.”

Dante followed his gaze.

“No.”

For several seconds, neither man spoke.

Then Dante’s voice became quiet.

“We need to protect her.”

Adrian nodded.

“For now.”

Neither man noticed the figure standing farther down the hallway.

Alexander.

He was looking toward Emily again.

And somewhere deep inside him, a feeling he couldn’t name had begun to take root.

He had no idea why.

He had no idea where it would lead.

And he certainly had no idea that the girl sleeping beside that hospital bed was the daughter he had spent years believing he had lost.