CHAPTER 3: THE WOMAN BEHIND THE GLASS
The room was dark except for the glow of monitors.
My father stood still as streams of data rolled across the screen.
“No one should have been able to bypass that firewall,” one of the analysts said.
“But someone did,” my father replied.
A pause.
“Show me the source.”
Coordinates appeared.
Not local.
Not national.
Offshore.
A private biomedical trust.
My father narrowed his eyes.
“I’ve seen this before,” he said slowly.
The analyst hesitated. “Sir… this isn’t just financial fraud.”
“What is it?”
The man swallowed.
“It’s a continuation program.”
My father’s expression changed slightly.
“Continue.”
The analyst turned the screen toward us.
And I saw it.
A name.
Project Lazarus.
My stomach tightened instinctively.
“What is that?” I asked.
My father didn’t answer immediately.
Because for the first time since he arrived at the house—
he looked uncertain.
“It’s supposed to be impossible,” he said finally.
Another screen appeared.
Medical archives.
Experimental reproductive trials.
And then—
my name.
Emily Carter.
Not as a patient.
Not as a victim.
But as a specimen marker.
My breath caught.
“No,” I whispered. “I was just married. I was just—”
My father turned to me sharply.
“Emily,” he said. “When did you meet Daniel Carter?”
I hesitated.
“Three years ago,” I said.
The analyst went pale.
“That’s not when the file begins,” he said.
He clicked again.
A timeline appeared.
Five years earlier.
Images.
Surveillance.
Me.
Walking outside cafés.
Entering hospitals.
Meeting unknown consultants.
All before I ever remembered knowing Daniel.
My hands went numb.
“That’s not me,” I whispered.
My father stepped closer.
“It is you,” he said gently.
“But it’s not your awareness.”
A pause.
“You were observed before you were approached.”
My stomach dropped.
Daniel hadn’t chosen me.
He had accessed me.
Like data.
Like inventory.
My father straightened.
“And now,” he said, “whoever built this system knows we’ve seen it.”
A red notification appeared on the screen.
ONE ACTIVE CONNECTION DETECTED.
My father’s voice dropped.
“Lock the facility.”
But it was too late.
The monitors flickered.
And a new window opened.
A woman appeared on screen.
Beautiful.
Calm.
Smiling.
She looked directly at me.
And said:
“Hello, Emily.”
My blood ran cold.
The analyst stepped back. “That’s impossible… the system is air-gapped—”
The woman tilted her head.
“I see you’ve met Victor Hale.”
My father didn’t move.
“Identify yourself,” he said.
The woman smiled wider.
“I’m the person who selected your daughter,” she said.
A pause.
“And the person who still owns the program Daniel tried to misuse.”
My father’s expression darkened.
“You’re going to regret contacting me.”
She laughed softly.
“No,” she said.
“I’m going to collect what belongs to me.”
Her gaze shifted to my stomach.
“And the baby too.”
The screen went black.
Silence exploded across the room.
My father turned to his team immediately.
“Find her,” he said. “Now.”
But I couldn’t move.
Because for the first time since everything began…
I realized Daniel was never the real danger.
He was just the doorway.
May you like
And whatever stood on the other side—
knew my name before I was born.
