Chapter 14: The Choice of a Father
The headquarters became a battlefield without a single shot fired.
Every screen displayed the same symbol.
The old program.
The same symbol Nathaniel had seen in his father’s files.
The past had returned.
But this time, Nathaniel was ready.
Not as a soldier.
As a father.
Officers surrounded the command room.
Emily stood beside him.
Marcus was under guard but cooperating.
Ruby and Lily stayed together.
For the first time in their lives, the twins were not separated.
Nathaniel looked at the tactical display.
“They’re coming here.””
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.””
“How many?””
“Enough.””
Nathaniel looked at him.
“You know their plan.””
Marcus hesitated.
Then nodded.
“They want the girls.””
Emily immediately stepped forward.
“No.””
Nathaniel placed a hand on her shoulder.
“They won’t get them.””
Marcus looked at him.
“You can’t fight this like a military operation.””
Nathaniel frowned.
“Why?””
“Because that’s what your father wanted.””
The words stopped him.
Marcus continued.
“He built his entire system around one belief.””
“What belief?””
“That soldiers always follow orders.””
Nathaniel looked at Ruby and Lily.
Then he understood.
His father expected him to react like a soldier.
To fight.
To destroy.
To obey the role he had been given.
But he was no longer just a soldier.
He was a father.
A knock came from the command room door.
Everyone turned.
An officer entered.
“General.””
Nathaniel looked up.
“We have an incoming transmission.””
“From who?””
The officer hesitated.
“The program director.””
Nathaniel looked at the screen.
A man appeared.
Older.
Gray hair.
Calm expression.
But Nathaniel knew him.
Not from the military.
From childhood.
His father’s closest colleague.
Dr. Adrian Cole.
“You’re alive too,” Nathaniel said.
Adrian smiled.
“Your generation is always so dramatic about death.””
Nathaniel’s face hardened.
“You used children.””
“We studied potential.””
“You kidnapped my daughter.””
Adrian looked at Lily.
“No.””
His voice remained calm.
“We preserved her.””
Emily stepped forward.
“You destroyed her life.””
Adrian looked at her.
“You were emotional.””
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed.
“And that was your mistake.””
Adrian smiled.
“Why?””
“Because you never understood what emotion creates.””
A pause.
“People.””
The room became quiet.
Adrian shook his head.
“You sound like your father.””
Nathaniel looked at Ruby.
“No.””
He shook his head.
“I sound like myself.””
Adrian’s expression changed slightly.
For the first time, uncertainty appeared.
Nathaniel continued.
“You spent years trying to create a perfect soldier.””
He looked at his daughters.
“But you created something you never expected.””
“What?””
“A person who can choose.””
Adrian stared.
Nathaniel gave the order.
Not to attack.
Not to destroy.
“Release every file.””
Officers looked surprised.
“Sir?””
“Every document. Every name. Every record.””
Marcus looked at him.
“If you do that, the entire program becomes public.””
Nathaniel nodded.
“Exactly.””
Adrian’s expression changed.
“You wouldn’t.””
Nathaniel looked at the screen.
“You built your power on secrets.””
A pause.
“I’m taking them away.””
The screens began uploading.
Files.
Documents.
Evidence.
Years of hidden crimes.
Adrian’s calm expression disappeared.
“No.””
Nathaniel watched.
For the first time, the people who controlled everything looked powerless.
Adrian leaned closer.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing.””
Nathaniel smiled slightly.
“I understand perfectly.””
Then Adrian said something unexpected.
“You think this ends with me?””
Nathaniel paused.
“What?””
Adrian looked at Ruby and Lily.
“The program was never one building.””
A chill moved through the room.
“There are others.””
The transmission ended.
Silence.
Emily looked at Nathaniel.
“What now?””
Nathaniel looked at his daughters.
The answer was simple.
“We protect them.””
Ruby stepped closer.
“And after that?””
Nathaniel smiled sadly.
“After that, we find every child they hurt.””
Lily looked at him.
“Even if it’s dangerous?””
Nathaniel nodded.
“Especially then.””
Because for the first time in his life…
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Nathaniel Graves wasn’t fighting for a mission.
He was fighting for a family.
