Chapter 9: Ethan Was Never the Prisoner
I couldn’t breathe.
Ethan’s name was engraved beside the glass chamber.
Not handwritten.
Not temporary.
Permanent.
Official.
“Why is his name here?”” I whispered.
Daniel stepped into the room.
“He was here.””
“When?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Hayes moved toward the chamber.
“Was this a holding cell?””
“No.””
“What then?””
Daniel looked at me.
“A treatment room.””
My stomach turned.
“For what?””
“For the neurological condition your father discovered.””
I stared at him.
“You’re telling me Ethan was sick?””
“No.””
Daniel’s eyes shifted toward Ghost.
“He was infected.””
The word landed like a bullet.
Hayes turned.
“Infected with what?””
Daniel walked to a terminal.
“A neurological agent.””
I felt cold all over.
“Chemical?””
“Partly.””
“Biological?””
“Not exactly.””
Daniel opened a file.
A diagram appeared.
Human brain.
Canine brain.
Connected by a network of highlighted pathways.
“The experiments were designed to create enhanced communication between handlers and military dogs.””
I stared at the screen.
“That’s insane.””
“Yes.””
“Who would do this?””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“People who believe war can be optimized.””
Hayes looked furious.
“Who funded it?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
The silence told me the answer was dangerous.
I looked around the room.
“This was done to Ethan.””
“Yes.””
“To Ghost.””
“Yes.””
“And me?””
Daniel nodded.
“You were exposed indirectly.””
My hands curled into fists.
“How?””
“Ethan tried to stop the program.””
Daniel paused.
“He succeeded in getting you out.””
I looked at Ghost.
The dog watched me.
“He protected me.””
“He protected all three of you.””
“What happened to Ethan?””
Daniel looked at the chamber.
“He volunteered.””
“No.””
“He did.””
“For what?””
“To test whether the treatment could be reversed.””
My eyes burned.
“He knew?””
“Yes.””
“He knew what they were doing to him?””
“He learned too late.””
I stepped toward Daniel.
“Why didn’t he come back?””
“He tried.””
“Then why isn’t he here?””
Daniel looked at me.
“He is.””
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
“What?””
Hayes slowly turned.
“Reed…”
Daniel raised a hand.
“Before you ask, no. I’m not saying he’s hiding nearby.””
He pointed to the chamber.
“I’m saying Ethan never left this facility.””
A cold wave moved through me.
“You said he disappeared seven years ago.””
“He did.””
“You said he was recovered.””
“He was.””
“Then where is he?””
Daniel walked toward another door.
“Come.””
Hayes blocked him.
“No.””
Daniel stopped.
“You want the truth or not?””
Hayes hesitated.
I stepped around him.
“Yes.””
Daniel opened the door.
Beyond it was another corridor.
At the end was a secure medical room.
A bed.
Monitoring equipment.
A stack of sealed files.
And a photograph taped to the wall.
Ethan.
Alive.
The date on the photograph was six years old.
I covered my mouth.
“He survived.””
Daniel nodded.
“For eleven months.””
I looked at him.
“What happened after that?””
“He disappeared again.””
“Why?””
“Because somebody inside the facility released him.””
I glanced at Hayes.
“Who?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Instead, he walked to the bed and lifted a blanket.
There were scratches carved into the metal frame.
Words.
Four words.
MADISON IS THE KEY.
My heart stopped.
“No.””
Daniel stepped back.
“Ethan wrote that.””
I touched the carved letters.
My fingers trembled.
He had known.
All along.
He had known I was connected to this.
But another question hit me.
“Why would I be the key?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Because your father didn’t just discover the treatment.””
He pointed toward the monitor.
“He helped design it.””
I recoiled.
“My father would never.””
“He did.””
“No.””
Daniel opened a file and placed it in my hands.
Inside was a photograph of my father standing with General Marcus Vale.
My father was younger.
Vale was beside him.
And between them was a much younger Ethan.
I stared at the image.
There was something else.
A fourth person.
A woman with her back to the camera.
Her face was mostly hidden.
But I recognized the necklace around her neck.
I had seen it my entire childhood.
I whispered her name.
“My mother.””
Hayes looked at me.
“Madison…”
My mother had died when I was twelve.
At least, that was what I had always been told.
Daniel’s voice was almost a whisper.
“Your mother didn’t die.””
The lights suddenly went out.
A security alarm screamed.
Then every monitor in the room flashed red.
One message appeared across every screen.
SUBJECT MADISON COLE HAS BEEN LOCATED.
A second line appeared beneath it.
INITIATE RECOVERY.
And somewhere above us, heavy footsteps began running toward the room.
Someone had found us.
May you like
But this time, they weren't coming for Ghost.
They were coming for me.
