Chapter 76: The Girl in the Frame

Susanna Croft screamed.

"ALLISON, RUN!"

The sound tore through the corridor.

Raw.

Terrified.

Close.

Too close.

Allison moved before anyone could stop her.

"Mom!"

She ran.

The pristine white hallway blurred around her.

Lucian swore and took off after her.

"Allison!"

Roman reacted a fraction of a second later.

"Move!"

The corridor exploded into motion.

Security surged forward.

Adrian ran beside Roman, abandoning every trace of the polished billionaire who usually entered rooms expecting everyone else to move first.

Now he was only a husband trying to reach his wife.

Behind them, Elias shouted something about active surveillance.

Theo cursed.

Simone yelled Allison’s name.

None of it mattered.

Not to Allison.

Only one thing mattered.

Her mother was alive.

Her mother was here.

Her mother had screamed for her to run.

And Allison was doing the exact opposite.

⸻

The hallway was far longer than it had appeared from the entrance.

White fluorescent lights flickered overhead one after another as though the facility were waking around them.

Doors lined both sides.

No labels.

No windows.

Just smooth steel panels with electronic locks.

Allison’s boots struck the polished floor hard enough to echo.

Her lungs burned.

She turned the first corner.

Nothing.

Another corridor.

"Mom!"

No answer.

She kept running.

Then Lucian caught her around the waist.

Allison twisted violently.

"Let me go!"

"No."

"She is here!"

"I know."

"Then let me GO!"

Lucian turned her toward him.

His breathing was hard, but his gaze remained steady.

"That’s exactly why you’re stopping."

Her eyes burned.

"Lucian—"

"Your mother told you to run."

"She was scared!"

"Your mother doesn’t panic."

That stopped her.

Not completely.

But enough.

Lucian tightened his grip just slightly.

"Think."

The word hit her.

Think.

Safe if you think.

Allison stared at him.

Lucian saw recognition flash across her face.

"Good."

He lowered his voice.

"Now look."

Roman, Adrian, and the others reached them seconds later.

Adrian looked ready to keep going.

"Why did you stop?"

Lucian answered.

"Because Susanna told her to run."

Adrian’s face twisted.

"Then she’s in danger!"

Roman’s gaze moved slowly around the corridor.

"No."

Adrian glared at him.

"What do you mean, no?"

Roman raised his flashlight even though the corridor was already brightly lit.

"Susanna wasn’t telling Allison to get away from her."

Allison looked toward him.

Roman continued.

"She was warning her about something ahead."

Silence.

Everyone looked down the hallway.

There were no guards.

No visible weapons.

No movement.

That made Allison’s stomach tighten more than if there had been twenty armed men waiting.

Theo caught up with Simone and Elias.

He bent forward, hands braced against his knees.

"I would like to file a formal complaint about all the running."

Simone shoved his shoulder.

"Not now."

"There’s never a good time for cardio."

Roman ignored them.

His eyes settled on Allison.

"What did your mother teach you?"

Allison swallowed.

"To look before reacting."

"Then look."

She turned.

Actually looked.

Not at the doors.

Not at the bright lights.

At everything.

The ceiling.

The floor.

The cameras.

The corners.

The vents.

The small black domes mounted above each doorway.

Her gaze stopped.

"There are too many cameras."

Elias frowned.

"Security facility."

"No."

She counted.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Six cameras covered a corridor barely forty feet long.

"They overlap."

Roman’s mouth curved.

"Meaning?"

"They aren’t watching the hallway."

Lucian followed her logic.

"They’re watching whoever walks through it."

Allison nodded.

"Every angle."

Dorian stared at the cameras.

"Facial recognition."

Elias pulled out his tablet.

"Possibly."

Adrian looked toward Allison.

"So Aaron wants to see us."

"No," Allison whispered.

She stared at the lens nearest her.

"Aaron already knows we’re here."

A chill moved down her spine.

"This is something else."

Roman slowly looked back toward the entrance.

Toward the wall of photographs.

The empty frame bearing Allison’s name.

"Identification."

Harold went still.

Nobody noticed at first.

Allison did.

She turned toward him.

"What?"

Harold’s expression had changed.

Again.

That same recognition.

That same fear.

Roman noticed next.

"Harold."

The older man didn’t answer.

Roman stepped toward him.

"What is this place?"

"I told you."

"No. You told us what it resembles."

Roman’s voice sharpened.

"I asked what it is."

Harold stared down the corridor.

And for the first time, Allison saw shame on his face.

"I don’t know the official name."

Dorian laughed bitterly.

"That’s convenient."

Harold ignored him.

"But I know what these corridors were designed for."

Adrian’s patience snapped.

"What?"

Harold looked at Allison.

"Selection."

The word fell strangely.

Allison frowned.

"Selection for what?"

He hesitated.

Roman grabbed the front of Harold’s jacket.

"For once in your miserable life, stop deciding which truths the rest of us can handle."

Harold’s jaw tightened.

"Behavioral profiling."

Silence.

Elias slowly lowered his tablet.

Theo stopped breathing hard.

Even Simone became completely still.

Allison’s skin prickled.

"What does that mean?"

Harold looked at the cameras.

"They would bring people through controlled environments."

"Observe reactions."

"Fear responses."

"Decision-making."

"Stress tolerance."

"Attachment."

Adrian stared at him.

"Human experiments?"

"Not medical."

Harold’s voice cracked.

"Psychological."

Roman released him like touching him had suddenly become disgusting.

"You knew."

"I knew programs existed."

"You were part of them."

Harold didn’t answer.

Roman stepped forward again.

Dorian moved between them.

"Not now."

Roman’s eyes flashed.

"Move."

Dorian didn’t.

"If you kill him, he can’t tell you anything."

Roman smiled without humor.

"You’re assuming I need him alive to make myself feel better."

Allison’s voice cut through them.

"Enough."

Everyone stopped.

She hated that the word came out shaky.

She hated even more that it worked.

Allison looked at Harold.

"Why is my name on the wall?"

Harold’s expression softened.

"I don’t know."

"Wrong answer."

"I swear."

"Then guess."

He inhaled slowly.

"The date..."

Allison waited.

"2007."

She flinched.

Her birth year.

Harold continued.

"Files like these weren’t always opened when subjects arrived."

Roman looked at him sharply.

"What?"

"Sometimes they were opened when subjects were identified."

The corridor seemed to tilt.

Allison heard Lucian swear quietly beside her.

Adrian’s face became stone.

"Are you saying someone created a file on my daughter when she was born?"

Harold looked toward the frame behind them.

"Possibly."

Adrian stepped forward.

"If you knew—"

"I didn’t!"

Harold’s voice finally rose.

"I didn’t know Allison was involved."

Roman scoffed.

"Convenient again."

"I thought the program ended."

"When?"

"Twenty years ago."

Roman’s expression turned murderous.

"That’s the year Elena disappeared."

Harold closed his eyes.

Nobody needed confirmation.

Allison felt something settle inside her.

Cold.

Heavy.

The five hadn’t simply uncovered financial crimes.

They had uncovered this.

People tracked.

Selected.

Moved.

Controlled.

Perhaps disappeared.

And twenty years later...

Her name was waiting inside the same facility.

Before she could speak—

A speaker crackled overhead.

Everyone looked up.

Static filled the corridor.

Then Aaron’s voice.

Calm.

Controlled.

Almost weary.

"Harold."

Harold went pale.

Aaron laughed softly.

"You always did talk too much when cornered."

Roman raised his weapon toward the nearest camera.

"Show yourself."

"No."

"Aaron."

"No."

Roman’s voice became dangerous.

"If Susanna is hurt—"

"Susanna is alive."

Adrian surged forward.

"Where is my wife?"

A pause.

Then Aaron answered.

"Exactly where she chose to be."

Adrian stared at the speaker.

"What does that mean?"

Aaron ignored him.

"Allison."

Lucian immediately shifted closer to her.

Allison lifted her chin.

"What?"

"You found the message."

Not a question.

"Yes."

"And the passage."

"Yes."

A faint exhale came through the speakers.

"Good."

Roman’s jaw tightened.

"Stop testing her."

Aaron’s voice cooled.

"This has never been a test."

Allison looked toward the cameras.

"Then what is it?"

Silence.

Long enough to become uncomfortable.

Then—

"An introduction."

The hair on Allison’s arms rose.

"To what?"

Aaron answered quietly.

"The truth."

⸻

The fluorescent lights suddenly dimmed.

Adrian swore.

Security weapons came up.

A red strip of emergency lighting activated along the floor.

Then—

CLICK.

A door halfway down the corridor unlocked.

Everyone turned.

The steel panel slowly slid open.

Darkness waited beyond it.

Theo stared.

"I hate when doors do that."

Simone whispered, "For once, I agree."

Aaron’s voice returned.

"She’s inside."

Adrian started forward.

Roman caught his shoulder.

"No."

Adrian rounded on him.

"Get your hand off me."

"It could be a trap."

"My wife is in there."

"And Susanna specifically screamed for Allison to run."

Adrian looked like he wanted to punch him.

Instead, Allison stepped between them.

"We go together."

Lucian looked at her.

"Allison—"

"Together."

Her voice steadied.

"No more splitting up."

Roman nodded.

"Agreed."

Security moved first.

Two men approached the doorway.

Checked corners.

Weapons raised.

One looked back.

"Clear."

They entered.

Allison followed.

Lucian never released her hand.

⸻

The room beyond wasn’t a cell.

That somehow made it worse.

It looked like an office.

An old one.

Wood-paneled walls.

Shelves.

A large desk.

Filing cabinets.

A leather sofa.

Everything preserved with unnatural care.

One lamp glowed in the corner.

And sitting in a chair near the desk—

"Mom."

Susanna Croft lifted her head.

Allison forgot how to breathe.

Her mother looked exhausted.

Her hair was tangled.

A bruise darkened one side of her face.

Her wrists were red and raw.

There was dried blood along one sleeve.

But she was upright.

Conscious.

Alive.

"Allison."

This time her voice broke.

Allison crossed the room.

Roman shouted something.

Lucian said her name.

She ignored both.

Susanna stood just in time for Allison to crash into her.

The impact nearly knocked them both backward.

Susanna wrapped both arms around her daughter.

Allison broke.

Not elegantly.

Not quietly.

A sob tore out of her so violently her entire body shook.

"Mom."

Susanna held her tighter.

"My baby."

Allison buried her face against her shoulder.

"You scared me."

"I know."

"I thought—"

"I know."

"Don’t ever do that again."

A broken laugh escaped Susanna.

"I’ll add kidnapping to my list of things to avoid."

Allison laughed through her tears.

It sounded awful.

Perfect.

Real.

Adrian stopped several feet away.

He didn’t move.

Susanna looked past Allison.

Saw him.

And everything in her face changed.

"Adrian."

His composure shattered.

He crossed the room in three strides.

Susanna barely had time to release Allison before Adrian pulled her into his arms.

He didn’t say anything at first.

He just held her.

One hand buried in her hair.

The other locked around her waist.

His face pressed against her temple.

Susanna’s eyes closed.

"I’m sorry."

Adrian’s grip tightened.

"Don’t."

"I—"

"Don’t apologize to me."

His voice broke.

Everyone looked away.

Even Roman.

Adrian pulled back just enough to cup her face.

His eyes were red.

"You come home."

Susanna gave him the faintest smile.

"Bossy."

"Yes."

"I missed you too."

He kissed her forehead.

Then her cheek.

Then finally her mouth.

Not dramatic.

Not passionate.

Desperate.

The kind of kiss people shared after believing they might never get another.

Allison turned slightly.

Lucian was already looking away.

Giving them privacy they couldn’t actually have.

She loved him a little for that.

The realization came softly.

Unexpectedly.

She didn’t examine it.

Not now.

⸻

Roman approached Susanna last.

For several seconds, brother and sister stared at each other.

Then Roman opened his arms.

Susanna laughed weakly.

"You look terrible."

Roman hugged her.

"So do you."

She closed her eyes.

"I missed you."

Roman held her tighter.

"Twenty years and you still wait until someone’s kidnapping you to admit that."

"You’re emotionally exhausting."

"Family trait."

Susanna pulled back.

Her expression softened.

Then hardened suddenly.

"Why are you all here?"

Roman blinked.

"Because you were kidnapped."

"No."

She looked around the room.

At Allison.

At Adrian.

Lucian.

Harold.

Dorian.

Elias.

Her face lost color.

"You shouldn’t have come this far."

Allison frowned.

"Mom?"

Susanna walked toward her.

"Tell me you didn’t see the wall."

Nobody answered.

Her eyes closed.

"Oh God."

Adrian moved closer.

"What wall?"

"You saw it?"

Allison nodded.

"The photographs."

Susanna’s gaze settled on her.

"And yours?"

Allison swallowed.

"Yes."

Susanna stumbled backward.

Adrian caught her.

"No."

Her voice became barely audible.

"No, no, no."

Allison’s stomach dropped.

"Mom."

Susanna looked at Roman.

"You told me it was gone."

Roman’s expression changed.

"What?"

"The file."

"What file?"

Susanna stared at him in disbelief.

Then slowly looked toward Harold.

Harold wouldn’t meet her eyes.

That was enough.

Susanna’s expression hardened.

"You."

Harold whispered, "Susanna—"

"You knew."

"No."

"Don’t you dare."

She moved toward him so quickly Adrian barely caught her arm.

"You told Roman the project had been dismantled."

"I thought it had."

"You lied then or you’re lying now."

Harold looked wrecked.

"I didn’t know Allison had a file."

Susanna laughed once.

There was nothing humorous in it.

"Of course she had a file."

Allison froze.

"What?"

Everyone turned.

Susanna realized too late what she’d said.

Allison stepped closer.

"Mom."

Susanna closed her eyes.

"Allison—"

"You knew."

Silence.

Her chest tightened.

"You knew my name was in here?"

"Not here."

"That’s not what I asked."

Susanna looked at her daughter.

Pain filled her expression.

"I knew there was a file."

Lucian went very still.

Adrian stared at his wife.

"You knew someone had a file on Allison?"

Susanna looked at him.

"Before she was born."

No one moved.

Allison felt suddenly disconnected from the room.

"What?"

Susanna swallowed.

"The file wasn’t about you at first."

Allison’s voice became distant.

"Then who?"

Susanna’s eyes filled.

"Me."

Roman whispered a curse.

The pieces started shifting.

Allison shook her head.

"I don’t understand."

Susanna walked toward her carefully.

"Twenty years ago, after Elena disappeared, I found evidence that the group we’d been investigating wasn’t only tracking witnesses."

"They were tracking families."

"Bloodlines."

"Children."

"Potential successors."

Allison’s mouth went dry.

"Successors to what?"

"We didn’t know."

Susanna’s eyes shifted toward the shelves.

"That was the problem."

Roman stepped closer.

"You never told me this."

"You were gone."

"I came back."

"Not before I found the second ledger."

Roman froze.

"The second what?"

Even Aaron’s voice did not interrupt.

Perhaps he was listening.

Susanna continued.

"The black leather ledger everyone knows about contained money."

"Companies."

"Politicians."

"Payments."

"But there was another record."

She looked toward Allison.

"It contained people."

Adrian’s face hardened.

"Names?"

"Profiles."

"Families."

"Predictions."

Allison barely heard herself.

"And mine?"

Susanna nodded.

"My name was there."

"Roman’s."

"Elena’s."

"Aaron’s."

"Several others."

Then her voice cracked.

"And beneath mine..."

She looked at Allison.

"...was a blank line."

The room went silent.

Susanna’s eyes filled with tears.

"Marked ’female issue.’"

Allison’s stomach twisted.

"Female..."

She couldn’t finish.

Susanna nodded.

"My future daughter."

Lucian cursed under his breath.

Adrian looked like someone had struck him.

"You knew before Allison was born that these people were watching our future child?"

"I didn’t know if they were still watching."

"That’s not an answer!"

"Adrian—"

"You didn’t tell me!"

"I was trying to protect her!"

"And I wasn’t?"

Susanna flinched.

Allison stepped between them.

"Stop."

Both parents fell silent.

She looked at her mother.

"Why me?"

Susanna stared at her for a long time.

Then looked at Roman.

Roman seemed to know the answer before Susanna said it.

His face went pale.

"No."

Susanna whispered—

"Because of Elena."

Roman’s breathing stopped.

Allison frowned.

"What does Elena have to do with me?"

Susanna walked toward the old desk.

Her hands trembled as she opened one drawer.

It was empty.

Second.

Empty.

Third—

She stopped.

Something remained inside.

A yellowed folder.

Thin.

Dusty.

Her fingers hovered over it.

"No."

Allison came closer.

"What is it?"

Susanna didn’t answer.

She lifted the folder.

A black symbol had been stamped across the front.

A circle split into five equal sections.

Roman stared.

"I haven’t seen that symbol in twenty years."

Harold whispered—

"Genesis."

Everyone turned.

Susanna glared at him.

"Don’t call it that."

Allison’s pulse jumped.

"Genesis?"

Harold looked toward the floor.

"That was the internal program designation."

Aaron’s voice crackled from the speaker.

"Not quite."

Everyone looked upward.

For the first time, irritation entered Aaron’s tone.

"Genesis was the name they gave the outcome."

Allison stared at the speaker.

"What outcome?"

Aaron didn’t answer.

Susanna did.

Her voice shook.

"Us."

Roman looked at his sister.

"What?"

"The five of you weren’t random."

Roman went completely still.

Aaron.

Roman.

Harold.

Dorian.

Elena.

Susanna continued.

"You thought you found each other."

"You didn’t."

Dorian stepped forward.

"That’s impossible."

"No."

Her eyes filled.

"You were selected."

The room dropped into absolute silence.

Roman stared at her.

"Selected for what?"

Susanna looked at the folder.

Then at Allison.

And slowly handed it to her.

Allison opened it.

The first page contained five photographs.

Aaron.

Roman.

Harold.

Dorian.

Elena.

Young.

Teenagers in some.

Children in others.

Records stretched beneath each photograph.

IQ scores.

Family histories.

Behavioral assessments.

Medical notes.

Psychological traits.

And at the bottom—

A section titled:

SECOND GENERATION PROJECTIONS

Allison’s hands began trembling.

She turned the page.

Three names were crossed out.

Two were marked deceased.

Then—

Her name.

ALLISON CROFT

Underneath:

Projected viability: Exceptional.

Lucian stepped closer.

"What the hell does that mean?"

Allison couldn’t answer.

There was another line.

Smaller.

Typed in faded black ink.

She read it twice.

Then a third time.

Her body went cold.

Roman looked over her shoulder.

He saw it.

And swore.

Adrian grabbed the folder.

"What?"

Allison whispered the line aloud.

"’Maternal lineage suitable.’"

Her voice shook.

"’Paternal acquisition successful.’"

Adrian froze.

Susanna looked sick.

Allison turned slowly toward her father.

"What does paternal acquisition mean?"

Nobody answered.

Then another voice came from the open doorway.

Not through the speakers.

Not distorted.

Real.

Close.

"That..."

Everyone turned.

Aaron Mercer stood in the doorway.

No weapon in his hands.

No guards beside him.

His hair had grayed more than Allison remembered.

His face looked exhausted.

Human.

His eyes moved toward Adrian.

"...is the question your father should have asked twenty-three years ago."

Adrian took one step forward.

Aaron looked at Allison instead.

"And it’s time you finally learned why Adrian Croft was chosen to be your father."