The next morning dawned quiet — too quiet. The kind of silence that warns you something's coming.
Riven and Kael were already at the old wooden table in the safehouse's war room, laptop open, wires snaking across the floor. Ryker was still asleep, bruises dark across his cheekbone, a silent reminder of what we were now entangled in.
I hadn't slept at all.
My thoughts swirled like a storm. About what Ryker had said. About what we were.
I wasn't just a girl who married the wrong twin.
I was part of something engineered, built — and betrayed.
I walked over to them, folding my arms.
"Tell me everything you know."
Kael glanced at Riven, then turned the laptop toward me. On the screen was a digital file marked Project G.E.M. — Genetic Emotional Mapping.
I stared.
"That's us?" I whispered.
Riven nodded. "Our mom led the research. She believed that bonding a pair of twins through opposing strengths — logic and emotion — would create the perfect human harmony."
Kael scrolled down. "There were others. Trial subjects. But most failed. You two… didn't."
I swallowed. "So we're successful lab rats."
"No," Riven said firmly. "We're survivors."
Kael clicked again, revealing a new folder. This one labeled LOCKED.
"This is what Ryker's captors wanted. The access key to the rest of the files."
"How do we unlock it?" I asked.
Kael hesitated, then pulled out a small, silver pen.
"It's biometric. Needs your skin."
I recoiled. "You want my fingerprint?"
"No." Riven stepped forward, gently brushing hair behind my ear. "The mark. The one behind your ear. It's not just a birthmark. It's a key."
My breath caught.
"You knew?"
He nodded. "I have one, too."
Slowly, I reached up, fingers trembling. Kael carefully tapped the scanner to the spot.
A small green light blinked. Then—
ACCESS GRANTED.
Files opened like a floodgate. Hundreds of reports, charts, logs. Videos. One started playing automatically.
It was our mother. Younger, with sharp eyes and a chilling smile.
"If you're watching this, the twins have reunited."
Riven stiffened beside me.
"By now, you've discovered your bond. What you are. But there's one last thing you must know—"
The screen glitched. Cut to black.
"No!" I shouted. "Play the rest!"
Kael frantically tried to recover it, but it was gone.
"Someone remotely wiped it," he muttered.
Riven cursed under his breath.
I felt dizzy. "What did she mean? One last thing?"
Kael looked grim. "There may be a final protocol. Something… dangerous. And they'll do anything to keep it from being activated."
"What happens if it is?" I asked.
His silence said everything.
---
Later that afternoon, Ryker woke with a start, eyes wide.
"She's coming," he rasped.
"Who?" I asked.
He looked at me like I already knew.
"Our mother."
A chill passed over my spine.
"She's not dead?" Riven asked.
"No. She faked her death years ago and went underground. But she never stopped watching. Never stopped… controlling."
Kael moved to the window. "Then we need to disappear. Tonight."
"I'm not running," I said.
Riven turned to me. "Elara—"
"No. I've been running from everything my whole life. From the truth. From love. From myself. But not anymore."
There was silence.
Then Riven smiled faintly. "I guess we're burning the truth down after all."
---
That night, we drove.
Kael behind the wheel, Ryker beside him, Riven and I in the backseat. The sky outside bled red and gold — like the world itself was on fire.
"We're heading to the last facility she used," Kael said. "It's underground. Abandoned. If we're lucky, it still holds the original server."
"And if we're not lucky?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
As we neared the forest road, something glinted across the pavement.
"Trap!" Ryker shouted.
Too late.
Spikes tore into the tires. The car spun. Crashed into a ditch. I screamed as my head hit the seat.
Smoke filled the air. Metal groaned. Alarms blared.
And then — silence again.
I opened my eyes to find Riven bleeding beside me, unconscious.
Footsteps approached.
Black boots. Long coat. Sunglasses at night.
She stepped into view.
Our mother.
And she was smiling.
"Hello, my children," she said softly. "It's time we finish what I started."