Chapter 10 - The Genetic Code
The blue light swept across Lily's iris.
The pendant immediately emitted a soft beep.
Then a miniature holographic display flickered to life above Ethan's palm, revealing a string of encrypted numbers and a set of GPS coordinates.
Ethan stared at the glowing message.
40.7128° N, 74.0060° W — PROJECT: JANUS
His eyes widened.
"So that's why they've been hunting you and your daughter..."
He stopped himself.
"I mean, you and the baby."
Claire struggled to catch her breath.
"I only pretended to be her mother so I could get her out of that facility. They were planning to eliminate Lily as soon as they obtained the data from her iris."
Her voice cracked.
"I had no choice but to leave her in that box tonight. I knew you walked down that street every night at midnight. I left her there because I wanted YOU to find her!"
Ethan's expression hardened.
"You used a baby as bait?"
"I did it to protect her!" Claire cried, tears streaming down her face. "I knew you were the only person strong enough to protect her from Vanguard!"
Before Ethan could respond, police sirens erupted from the street above.
But these weren't ordinary police officers.
Four black SUVs carrying heavily armed tactical personnel had surrounded every exit of the parking garage.
Then a voice crackled through a loudspeaker.
Cold.
Commanding.
And horrifyingly familiar.
"Ethan... put the baby down and come outside. It's time you returned what belongs to our family."
Ethan stopped breathing.
He knew that voice.
May you like
It belonged to his mother.
The same woman he believed had been recovering from a serious illness in the countryside for the past five years.
