CHAPTER 17 THE FATHER WHO NEVER DIED
The door sealed behind them.
For several seconds, Amelia couldn't move.
She simply stood in the darkness.
Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
"Dad?"
Nothing.
Then—
A light came on.
One small lamp.
A narrow room appeared.
A desk.
A radio.
Several monitors.
Maps covering the walls.
And at the center of the room—
a man sitting in a chair.
Gray hair.
Thin face.
Tired eyes.
Thomas Hayes.
Alive.
Amelia's knees nearly gave out.
She grabbed the edge of the desk.
"No."
Thomas slowly stood.
He looked older than the man she remembered.
Much older.
His shoulders were thinner.
His face was pale.
But it was him.
Her father.
The man who had taught her to ride a bicycle.
The man who had waited outside her school on rainy afternoons.
The man whose coffin she had watched disappear beneath an American flag.
The man she had buried in her heart.
Thomas opened his arms.
"Come here, kiddo."
Amelia didn't move.
"You died."
"I know."
"I watched them bury you."
"I know."
"I held your flag."
"I know."
"Your coffin was closed."
Thomas swallowed.
"There was no body."
Amelia's eyes filled.
"You let me believe you were dead."
Thomas lowered his head.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it was the only way I could protect you."
Amelia laughed through her tears.
"Everyone says that."
Thomas looked at her.
"I know."
"Daniel said it."
"Alexander."
"Elena said it."
"Your sister."
"Matthew said it."
"My brother."
"Samuel said it."
Thomas's expression darkened.
"He doesn't get to say it."
Amelia stepped forward.
"Then you say it."
Thomas looked directly into her eyes.
"I was dying."
Silence.
"What?"
"I didn't fake the illness."
"Poison?"
Thomas nodded.
"Samuel's people poisoned me."
"Then why fake your death?"
"Because the poisoning gave them exactly what they needed."
Amelia frowned.
"What?"
"An explanation."
He pointed toward the monitors.
"Heart failure."
"Everyone believed it."
"Exactly."
Thomas sat down.
"Samuel believed he had killed me."
"But he didn't."
"No."
"Who helped you?"
Thomas looked toward Matthew.
"Your uncle."
Matthew nodded weakly.
"And Jonathan."
Amelia's eyes narrowed.
"Jonathan is dead."
Thomas gave a faint smile.
"Jonathan has been dead for years."
Amelia froze.
"What?"
"The man we met was an operative using his identity."
Richard stepped forward.
"Then who was he?"
Thomas looked at him.
"Someone Samuel trusted."
Richard's face tightened.
"Another double."
"Yes."
Amelia shook her head.
"I can't keep doing this."
Thomas looked at her.
"Doing what?"
"Finding out everyone has another identity."
He smiled sadly.
"Welcome to my world."
Thomas looked at Sarah.
Their eyes met.
Sarah began crying.
"You knew."
Thomas nodded.
"I knew you were alive."
"You never came."
"I couldn't."
"You let me believe you were dead."
"I needed Samuel to believe it too."
Sarah walked toward him.
She slapped him.
The sound echoed through the room.
Thomas didn't move.
Sarah slapped him again.
"You promised me."
"I know."
"You promised you'd bring our children home."
"I tried."
"You failed."
Thomas's eyes filled with tears.
"Every day."
Sarah broke down.
Thomas stood.
For a moment, they simply looked at each other.
Then Sarah embraced him.
Thomas closed his eyes.
He held her like a man who had been waiting thirty years to do it.
Amelia watched silently.
For the first time, she saw how much her father had lost.
Not just his daughter.
His wife.
His identity.
His entire life.
He had buried himself while pretending to be alive.
Elena stepped forward.
Thomas looked at her.
His expression changed.
"Elena."
She didn't speak.
He opened his arms.
She hesitated.
Then walked into them.
Thomas held her tightly.
"I'm sorry."
Elena whispered:
"I know."
"I promised I'd come back."
"You did."
"And I didn't."
"You came back."
Thomas closed his eyes.
"Too late."
Elena shook her head.
"Not anymore."
Thomas pulled away.
He touched the birthmark beneath her eye.
Then Amelia's.
"The same."
Elena smiled through tears.
"Apparently."
Thomas looked at Noah.
His face became serious.
"And you."
Noah stared at him.
"I thought you were dead."
"I was supposed to be."
"Why did you leave me?"
Thomas looked devastated.
"Because Samuel was watching you."
"You could have taken me."
"I tried."
"You left me there."
"I know."
Noah looked away.
"I hated you."
Thomas nodded.
"You had every right."
Noah finally looked at him.
"Do you know what they called me?"
Thomas shook his head.
"17-C."
Thomas's eyes filled.
"I know."
"Not Noah."
"I know."
"Not your grandson."
Thomas stepped closer.
"You were never a subject to me."
Noah's voice broke.
"Then why didn't you come?"
Thomas whispered:
"Because I was trying to keep you alive."
Noah looked down.
Then, slowly, he embraced Thomas.
Thomas held all three children.
Amelia watched them.
Three children.
Three lives.
Three decades stolen.
And suddenly she understood.
Thomas had never chosen one child over the others.
He had spent thirty years trying to save all of them.
Richard stood apart.
Thomas looked at him.
"Richard."
Richard nodded.
"Colonel."
"Don't call me that."
Richard almost smiled.
"Old habits."
Thomas stepped closer.
"I owe you an apology."
Richard frowned.
"For what?"
"For asking you to carry secrets that should have been mine."
Richard shook his head.
"You saved Amelia."
"You carried her out of that hospital."
"Because you ordered me to."
"I ordered you because Samuel was coming."
Richard looked down.
"I thought I was doing the right thing."
"You were."
"But I lied to her."
Thomas looked toward Amelia.
"So did I."
Richard sighed.
"Then I guess we both owe her."
Amelia looked at them.
"You do."
Both men nodded.
Thomas walked toward the central table.
A large metal box sat on it.
He opened it.
Inside were documents.
Photographs.
Hard drives.
Military seals.
Bank records.
Medical files.
Everything.
"Project Seventeen ends today."
Amelia looked at him.
"How?"
"With evidence."
He handed her a file.
She opened it.
Names.
Generals.
Judges.
Executives.
Scientists.
Politicians.
Private contractors.
Amelia's eyes widened.
"This is everyone."
"Not everyone."
Thomas handed her another folder.
"The ones who remain."
The final page had three names.
SAMUEL CROSS
MARCUS HALE
UNKNOWN — DIRECTOR
Amelia stared.
"Unknown?"
Thomas nodded.
"The person who funded Project Seventeen."
"Samuel?"
"No."
"Then who?"
Thomas looked at her.
"I've spent thirty years trying to find out."
Richard frowned.
"You still don't know?"
Thomas shook his head.
"Not completely."
Amelia stared at the document.
"Then what's the point?"
Thomas smiled.
"Because we finally know where to look."
He pointed to a line beneath the names.
PRIMARY AUTHORIZATION: WHITE HOUSE — 1996
Amelia froze.
"Wait."
Thomas nodded.
"That's why this is bigger than Samuel."
Richard's expression hardened.
"Someone at the highest level authorized the original program."
"Yes."
"Do we know who?"
Thomas looked at Amelia.
"Not yet."
She closed the file.
"Then we'll find them."
Thomas smiled.
"That's my girl."
Suddenly, every monitor turned red.
An alarm sounded.
Thomas's expression changed.
"What's happening?"
Matthew looked at the console.
"The archive."
Richard rushed over.
"The purge reached the main server."
Thomas stared.
"How much?"
"Seventy-nine percent."
Amelia frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Matthew answered:
"The evidence is being released."
"That's good."
"No."
He shook his head.
"Something else is being released with it."
Thomas stepped toward the screen.
A message appeared.
PROJECT SEVENTEEN: FINAL PROTOCOL
ACTIVATED
Thomas's face went pale.
"No."
Amelia had never seen him frightened.
Not like this.
"What?"
Thomas whispered:
"They found the original protocol."
"What is it?"
Thomas looked at her.
"The part of Project Seventeen I never told you about."
"What part?"
He stared at the screen.
"The children weren't the final experiment."
Amelia's blood ran cold.
"Then what was?"
Thomas looked at the three siblings.
"You."
Amelia froze.
"Me?"
"All three of you."
"No."
"Your bloodlines."
"Why?"
"Because Project Seventeen was never about controlling individuals."
Thomas stepped closer.
"It was about controlling the future."
The screen flashed.
FINAL PROTOCOL: GENERATIONAL CONTROL
Amelia stared.
"How?"
Thomas pointed toward the documents.
"Every family in the program was monitored."
He pointed toward the siblings.
"Every child was tracked."
He pointed toward Sarah.
"Every marriage was recorded."
Then toward Alexander.
"Every bloodline was mapped."
Amelia whispered:
"And us?"
Thomas nodded.
"You three were the final proof."
"Proof of what?"
"That the system worked."
Silence.
Then another message appeared.
SUBJECT 17-A — LOCATED
SUBJECT 17-B — LOCATED
SUBJECT 17-C — LOCATED
ALL THREE SUBJECTS REQUIRED FOR FINAL ACTIVATION
Thomas looked at Amelia.
"That's why Samuel wanted all three of you together."
Elena whispered:
"So he could activate it."
"No."
Thomas shook his head.
"So someone else could."
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
Thomas picked it up.
He listened.
His face changed.
"Who is it?"
Amelia asked.
Thomas slowly handed her the phone.
She put it to her ear.
Static.
Then a woman's voice.
Calm.
Elegant.
Familiar.
"Hello, Amelia."
Amelia froze.
She knew that voice.
She had heard it in the memory.
At the hospital.
3:17 a.m.
The woman who had stood beside Samuel.
The woman who had asked Thomas:
Which one will you save?
Amelia whispered:
"Evelyn."
The woman laughed softly.
"Good."
Amelia's blood ran cold.
"You're alive."
"Of course."
"Where are you?"
A pause.
Then:
"Right where I have always been."
Amelia looked at Thomas.
His face was white.
Evelyn continued:
"With the people who truly run Project Seventeen."
Amelia tightened her grip on the phone.
"Why did you take my brother?"
Evelyn laughed.
"We didn't take him."
She paused.
"We created him."
Amelia's heart stopped.
"What?"
"The three of you were never three separate experiments."
"What were we?"
Evelyn answered:
"Three parts of the same design."
The call ended.
Thomas immediately moved toward the console.
"Lock everything."
Matthew shook his head.
"Too late."
The screen changed.
A countdown appeared.
17:00
16:59
16:58
Thomas stared at it.
Amelia looked at him.
"What happens at zero?"
Thomas didn't answer.
"Dad."
He finally looked at her.
His voice was barely audible.
"At zero..."
"...every identity connected to Project Seventeen will be rewritten."
Amelia felt the blood leave her face.
"Everyone?"
Thomas nodded.
"Everyone."
"And us?"
He looked at the three siblings.
"Especially you."
The countdown continued.
16:42
16:41
Thomas grabbed Amelia's hand.
For the first time since she was a child, she saw fear in her father's eyes.
"Kiddo."
"Yes?"
"If we fail..."
He paused.
"...you won't remember me."
Amelia's eyes filled with tears.
"Then I'll remember you now."
She hugged him.
Thomas held her tightly.
The countdown continued.
16:21
May you like
And somewhere far beyond Fort Belmont, Evelyn Cross smiled.
Because the final phase of Project Seventeen had finally begun.
