CHAPTER 9 — THE WOMAN WE TRUSTED
The darkness lasted only three seconds.
But in those three seconds, Alessandro heard his daughter's scream.
“Daddy!”
He moved toward the sound.
“Livia!”
A gunshot exploded somewhere in the room.
Everyone froze.
Then the emergency lights flickered on.
Livia was no longer beside the woman.
She was in Daniel's arms.
He had pulled her behind a concrete pillar just before the shot.
Rosalie stood several feet away.
Her face was pale.
A pistol was on the floor beside her.
And the woman wearing Rosalie's face was smiling.
Alessandro stared at her.
“Eleanor.”
She tilted her head.
“Not exactly.”
Clara stepped forward.
“Where is Rosalie?”
The woman smiled.
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere you'll never find her.”
Alessandro's voice became dangerously quiet.
“You took my daughter.”
“No.”
She looked toward Livia.
“She came willingly.”
Livia shook her head violently.
“She lied!”
The woman smiled.
“Children always say that when they're frightened.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Don't come closer.”
The woman looked at him.
For the first time, her smile disappeared.
“You.”
Daniel stared back.
“You know me.”
“I created you.”
“No.”
Daniel's voice was calm.
“You created the experiment.”
He stepped forward.
“My mother created me.”
Clara's eyes filled with tears.
The woman looked at her.
“You still believe that?”
“Yes.”
“Then you are still weaker than I remember.”
Clara didn't move.
“I survived you.”
The woman smiled.
“Barely.”
THE FACE OF ROSALIE
Alessandro kept his eyes on her.
“Take off the disguise.”
The woman laughed.
“You already know what I look like.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“I want to know who you really are.”
She touched her face.
“This body belonged to a woman named Rosalie.”
Clara's expression hardened.
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing permanent.”
“Where is she?”
“Alive.”
“Prove it.”
The woman looked toward the ceiling.
A screen suddenly turned on.
Rosalie appeared.
She was tied to a chair.
Her face was bruised.
Her mouth was taped.
Alessandro's fists tightened.
The woman whispered:
“She betrayed me.”
Rosalie struggled against the restraints.
The woman continued:
“So I borrowed her face.”
Clara looked horrified.
“How?”
The woman smiled.
“You wouldn't understand.”
Olivia stepped toward the computer.
“I might.”
She began typing.
The woman turned toward her.
“You've always been clever.”
Olivia didn't look up.
“I'm about to find out how clever you really are.”
THE HOST
Olivia opened a biometric database.
She scanned the woman.
The screen flashed.
IDENTITY MATCH: 2%
Olivia frowned.
“What?”
She scanned again.
IDENTITY MATCH: 4%.
Alessandro looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
“She isn't Rosalie.”
“I know that.”
“No.”
Olivia looked up.
“She isn't genetically related to Rosalie.”
Clara stepped closer.
“Then who is she?”
Olivia's fingers froze.
The system produced another result.
PARTIAL MATCH FOUND.
She stared at the screen.
“Dad…”
“What?”
“This DNA belongs to…”
She stopped.
“Say it.”
“Eleanor Moretti.”
Silence.
Alessandro stared at the woman.
“How?”
Olivia shook her head.
“I don't know.”
The woman smiled.
“Because DNA is only one layer.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Memory is another.”
She nodded.
“Exactly.”
He whispered:
“You transferred yourself.”
“Yes.”
“How many times?”
She smiled.
“Twenty-seven.”
Clara stepped backward.
“Twenty-seven?”
“I've lived twenty-seven lives.”
Alessandro stared.
“And Rosalie?”
“Twenty-eight.”
THE FIRST HOST
Daniel walked toward the screen.
“Who was the first?”
The woman's expression changed.
“You already know.”
“My great-grandfather.”
She nodded.
“He discovered the process.”
“And you perfected it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because death is inefficient.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“Death is natural.”
“And nature is imperfect.”
“You've destroyed children to escape it.”
“I improved them.”
“You destroyed them.”
She smiled.
“Yet you survived.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“I survived you.”
The woman looked at Clara.
“Do you know why?”
Clara didn't answer.
“Because your son inherited something I never expected.”
“What?”
“Resistance.”
THE RESISTANCE
The woman stepped closer.
“Every memory transfer causes deterioration.”
Daniel stared.
“What kind?”
“Fragments disappear.”
She touched her temple.
“Names.”
“Faces.”
“Emotions.”
“Eventually, even identity.”
Clara looked at her.
“So you've been losing yourself.”
The woman smiled.
“Not anymore.”
She looked at Zero.
“Because of him.”
The little boy moved closer to Clara.
Alessandro immediately shielded him.
“What does he have?”
“The original neural pattern.”
“Meaning?”
“He can stabilize memory.”
Daniel looked at Zero.
“That's why they kept him.”
“Yes.”
The woman smiled.
“He is the missing piece.”
Alessandro's voice became cold.
“You'll never have him.”
“Oh, I don't need to take him.”
She pointed toward the computer.
“He'll come to me.”
Zero suddenly grabbed his head.
“Stop!”
Clara rushed toward him.
“What's wrong?”
“She's inside.”
Everyone froze.
“Who?”
“Her.”
The woman smiled.
Zero screamed.
Clara held him tightly.
“Look at me.”
His eyes opened.
“Mom…”
“I'm here.”
“She knows how to get inside my memories.”
The woman's smile widened.
“Exactly.”
THE MEMORY WAR
Zero collapsed.
The laboratory lights flickered.
Every screen turned white.
Then the room disappeared.
Clara saw a hospital.
A baby crying.
A young Eleanor standing beside a machine.
Then another scene.
A teenage Zero.
Then another.
Zero as a child.
Zero being tortured.
Zero alone.
Zero waiting.
Clara cried out.
“No!”
Alessandro grabbed her.
“What do you see?”
“My son's memories.”
The woman stood motionless.
“She is trying to erase him.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Then we'll stop her.”
“How?”
Daniel looked at Zero.
“He needs someone to anchor him.”
Clara understood.
“Me.”
The woman laughed.
“You can't enter his memories.”
Clara walked toward the machine.
“Watch me.”
She placed her hand on Zero's.
The machine activated.
A wave of light passed through the room.
And Clara disappeared.
INSIDE ZERO'S MEMORY
She opened her eyes.
She was standing in a hallway.
A child was sitting on the floor.
Zero.
Six years old.
He looked at her.
“Mom?”
Clara dropped to her knees.
“Yes.”
“You came.”
“I always come.”
He smiled.
Then the hallway changed.
A door appeared.
Behind it was Eleanor.
“You shouldn't be here.”
Clara stood.
“Leave my son alone.”
Eleanor smiled.
“He doesn't belong to you.”
“He is my child.”
“He belongs to the Circle.”
“No.”
“He was designed for us.”
“He was born for me.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“You still don't understand.”
“What?”
“I don't need to kill him.”
She pointed at Zero.
“I only need him to forget you.”
Clara's face went pale.
“No.”
The woman raised her hand.
The memories began disappearing.
Zero looked confused.
“Mom?”
Clara ran toward him.
“Don't forget me!”
“What is your name?”
“Clara.”
“Who are you?”
“Your mother.”
“Are you sure?”
Clara grabbed his face.
“Look at me.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I don't remember.”
Clara began crying.
“Then remember this.”
She hugged him.
“I love you.”
Zero froze.
“Why?”
“Because you're my son.”
“But I don't remember.”
“You don't need to.”
She whispered into his ear:
“Love isn't a memory.”
The room shook.
Eleanor screamed.
“No!”
Zero's eyes suddenly changed.
He remembered.
Everything.
The hospital.
The laboratory.
The years of isolation.
His mother's face.
His father's voice.
And the moment he was taken.
He looked at Eleanor.
“You can't erase love.”
Eleanor stepped backward.
“No.”
“You can erase memories.”
Zero stood.
“But not the feeling.”
The entire memory shattered.
THE WOMAN BEHIND THE FACE
Clara opened her eyes.
She was back in the laboratory.
Zero was breathing.
Daniel stood beside him.
Alessandro held Clara.
The woman wearing Rosalie's face was on her knees.
Blood ran from her nose.
She looked terrified.
“What did you do?”
Clara stared at her.
“My son remembered.”
The woman looked at Zero.
“He shouldn't be able to.”
Daniel smiled.
“He's not your creation.”
The woman whispered:
“He was supposed to be.”
Zero stepped forward.
“You forgot something.”
“What?”
“You taught me how memories work.”
He pointed toward the machine.
“And I learned how to break them.”
The woman looked at the computer.
The screen suddenly displayed hundreds of files.
Every memory transfer.
Every host.
Every identity.
Every crime.
Olivia smiled.
“I copied everything.”
The woman stared at her.
“You little—”
“You're done.”
“No.”
The woman tried to reach the machine.
Alessandro blocked her.
“It's over.”
She looked at him.
“You think arresting this body will stop me?”
Alessandro said nothing.
She smiled.
“I can transfer again.”
Olivia shook her head.
“Not anymore.”
The woman looked at her.
“What did you do?”
“I isolated your neural signature.”
“What?”
“You can't transfer.”
The woman's face went pale.
“You don't understand what you've done.”
Olivia smiled.
“I understand perfectly.”
ROSALIE
The police stormed the building.
The woman was arrested.
Alessandro immediately demanded to know where Rosalie was.
She was found two rooms away.
Alive.
Weak.
Terrified.
Livia ran to her.
“Rosalie!”
Rosalie cried as she hugged her.
“I thought I would never see you again.”
Alessandro knelt beside them.
“You're safe.”
Rosalie looked at him.
“I tried to warn you.”
“I know.”
“I knew she wasn't Eleanor.”
“How?”
“She said something.”
“What?”
“She called Livia by another name.”
Alessandro frowned.
“What name?”
Rosalie whispered:
“Subject Seven.”
Clara's expression changed.
“Seven?”
Rosalie nodded.
“She said Livia wasn't supposed to survive.”
Alessandro's blood ran cold.
“Why?”
“Because Livia was different.”
“How?”
Rosalie looked toward Zero.
“She was the only child who could resist the memory transfer without training.”
Everyone turned toward Livia.
The little girl looked confused.
“Daddy?”
Alessandro pulled her into his arms.
“I'm here.”
She whispered:
“Am I bad?”
“No.”
He held her tighter.
“Never.”
THE FINAL FILE
Later that night, Olivia accessed the recovered database.
She found a folder labeled:
FINAL HOST
Inside was a photograph.
A woman.
Not Eleanor.
Not Margaret.
Not Rosalie.
Someone else.
Olivia stared.
“Dad.”
Alessandro walked over.
“What?”
“I found her.”
“Who?”
“The original.”
Clara came closer.
“Original what?”
Olivia opened the file.
The photograph showed a young woman standing beside Eleanor.
The date was thirty-two years earlier.
The woman looked familiar.
Alessandro stared.
Then he recognized her.
His mother.
Eleanor.
But she looked younger.
And beside her stood another woman.
Clara whispered:
“Who is that?”
Olivia read the name.
“Isabella Moretti.”
Alessandro froze.
“My grandmother?”
“No.”
Olivia shook her head.
“Her sister.”
Alessandro stared.
“My grandmother had a sister?”
“Apparently.”
Clara looked at the photograph.
“Where is she now?”
Olivia opened the final record.
The screen displayed:
CURRENT STATUS: ALIVE
CURRENT LOCATION: UNKNOWN
Then another line appeared.
HOST TRANSFER STATUS: ACTIVE
Alessandro felt a chill.
“The woman we arrested…”
Olivia shook her head.
“Wasn't Eleanor.”
“Then who?”
Olivia looked at the photograph.
“I think she was just another host.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Then Eleanor is still out there.”
Zero looked toward the window.
“She isn't alone.”
Everyone turned.
“Who is she with?”
Zero's face became pale.
“Someone who knows us.”
Alessandro asked:
“Who?”
Zero whispered:
“Someone in this house.”
The room went silent.
Every person looked at one another.
Then the lights went out.
A phone rang upstairs.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And when Alessandro finally answered—
a woman's voice whispered:
“You've been looking for me.”
He recognized the voice immediately.
It was Eleanor.
May you like
But she wasn't calling from outside.
She was calling from inside the house.
