Chapter 13 - Rachel Mercer, 2008
Rachel was seventeen in 2008.
She had never been part of Project Haven.
Or so she believed.
R-02 looked like proof someone had been using her identity.
But archive contained explanation.
After Elizabeth’s death, David Mercer worried daughter might be targeted because Elizabeth had worked protected-family cases.
No specific threat materialized.
Evelyn Cross nevertheless created precautionary continuity file for Rachel.
R-02.
Not relocation.
Not fake identity.
A dormant emergency plan.
David consented.
Rachel was minor.
She was never activated.
Why did no one tell her after adulthood?
File should have expired.
Administrative failure.
Then why Voss said shouldn't exist?
Because all dormant minor-protection plans were supposed be purged at age eighteen.
R-02 remained.
Worse, it was accessed six years later.
By Gregory Shaw.
Why?
Shaw was auditing old Family 6 expenses.
He discovered Elizabeth’s daughter.
He used R-02 as test case for modernizing Haven.
Without Rachel consent, her profile became template for decoy simulations.
Photographs.
Height.
Movement patterns.
Emergency contacts.
That was why program had disguise materials approximating Rachel years before her employment.
Rachel felt violated.
Sarah looked horrified.
“You mean when I wore Mercer decoy kit—”
“It was based on Rachel.”
Voss hadn't known source? He knew kit identifier R-02 but assumed synthetic training profile.
Shaw had converted real dormant minor file into training template.
Another privacy violation.
Then Rachel’s later employment at Fort Brennan brought real Rachel into same system that had been using her as template.
Nobody noticed.
Except Shaw.
When Rachel began auditing him, he realized R-02 misuse could surface.
Thus motive broadened.
He wasn't only hiding money.
He was hiding that he had used real protected identities for training.
Again echoes Project Lily? Similar theme but distinct story.
Rachel asked why scar included in R-02 kit if her real scar didn't exist until 2019.
It wasn't.
Original kit had no wrist scar.
After 2019 training injury, Shaw updated R-02 profile with new identifying feature.
That was why Sarah’s prosthetic scar existed.
So canteen double explained completely.
Then what about Natalie’s similar natural scar?
Shaw chose Natalie partly because resemblance plus scar made her convincing emergency decoy.
He exploited coincidence.
Vanessa had seen Rachel scar and accepted body.
A cruel convergence.
Then Rachel asked hardest:
“Did Shaw choose Natalie knowing she might be mistaken for me if she died?”
No evidence.
Recording suggested no. He expected safe route.
After accidental crash, he exploited resemblance.
That distinction mattered legally, not morally enough to absolve.
Then federal review located Shaw’s complete confession draft.
He intended send before death but didn't.
It named everyone.
Marcus assault.
Unauthorized decoy.
Natalie.
False identification.
Rachel protection hold.
R-02 misuse.
It also said:
Vanessa Hale did not know plan before crash.
Adrian Voss did not authorize Natalie substitution.
Daniel Bennett did not participate.
Rachel read twice.
Vanessa cried.
Then final paragraph:
I am responsible for beginning this. But someone else kept Rachel Mercer legally dead after I tried to end it.
Rachel looked up.
Shaw claimed after six weeks he wanted Rachel identity restored.
He sent correction.
It was blocked.
By whom?
Authorization code:
May you like
EC-1.
Evelyn Cross.
