Daniel looked toward the airport.
Sixteen years of his life suddenly rearranged themselves.
His father’s disappearance.
The duplicate.
The identity records.
Project Mirror.
Everything.
But one question remained.
“If they thought I was dead…”
Thomas looked at him.
“Then why did they bring me back?”
Thomas didn’t answer.
Elena did.
“Because they needed the original.”
Daniel turned.
“For what?”
Elena looked at the airport.
“To activate the final system.”
Daniel frowned.
“I already activated the safeguard.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You activated the part your father wanted.”
Daniel’s expression changed.
“What did Richard want?”
Elena looked at him.
“The other half.”
Suddenly, Daniel’s phone vibrated.
He looked down.
There was no network.
No SIM.
No digital identity.
Yet a message appeared.
PHASE FOUR HAS BEGUN.
Then another.
CLAIRE DONOVAN HAS BEEN SELECTED.
Daniel looked up.
Claire was standing several feet away.
Her face had gone pale.
A black vehicle had just stopped outside the building.
Daniel stood immediately.
“Claire.”
She turned.
“What?”
Daniel looked toward the window.
The doors of the vehicle opened.
Men stepped out.
One of them held a photograph.
Claire’s photograph.
Daniel’s voice became urgent.
“Run.”
Claire froze.
The men entered the building.
And somewhere behind them, hidden inside the crowd of ordinary people, a man wearing Daniel Cross’s face smiled.
Gabriel had found them.
And this time, he wasn’t coming for Daniel.
He was coming for the woman who had torn his ticket.
Claire Donovan didn’t run.
For one terrible second, she simply stood there, staring at the men entering the maintenance building.
Then Daniel grabbed her arm.
“Move!”
She finally reacted.
The four of them ran through the rear corridor as the first gunshot cracked behind them.
Robert pushed a metal door shut.
“Keep going!”
They rushed down a narrow stairwell.
Thomas stumbled.
Daniel caught him.
“Can you walk?”
“I’m not dead yet.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Thomas gave him a tired smile.
“I can walk.”
Another shot echoed above them.
Claire was breathing hard.
“Who are they?”
Daniel didn’t slow down.
“The people who built Mirror.”
“Why do they want me?”
“Because they know I care whether you live.”
Claire looked at him.
“I barely know you.”
Daniel glanced back.
“That’s not the point.”
“What is?”
“They selected you because of what happened at Counter 17.”
Claire frowned.
“Me tearing your ticket?”
“No.”
Daniel’s expression hardened.
“You refusing to treat me like a person.”
Claire stopped for half a second.
“What?”
Daniel turned.
“They need people who are willing to follow a system even when the system is wrong.”
Claire’s face changed.
“They’re testing obedience.”
“Exactly.”
Robert opened another door.
“Enough talking.”
They entered a dark storage room.
Robert locked the door.
Everyone became silent.
Footsteps passed outside.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then stopped.
Claire covered her mouth.
Daniel raised a finger.
Don’t move.
A shadow appeared beneath the door.
Someone stood outside.
Then a voice came through.
“Claire.”
She froze.
It was her supervisor.
The voice continued.
“You don’t need to be afraid.”
Claire looked at Daniel.
“That’s Robert’s supervisor.”
Robert shook his head.
“No.”
The voice said:
“Claire, come out.”
She whispered:
“How do you know it’s not him?”
Robert stared at the door.
“Because he’s supposed to be at the airport.”
The voice outside laughed.
“Good.”
Silence.
Then:
“You’re learning.”
The footsteps moved away.
Daniel waited.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Then thirty.
Robert whispered:
“We can’t stay here.”
Daniel nodded.
“There should be another exit.”
Thomas pointed toward the wall.
“Behind the shelving.”
They moved the shelves aside.
A narrow tunnel appeared.
Claire stared.
“Another secret passage?”
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