Chapter 3: The Breaking of the Chains
The security team was rounding the corner, their boots thundering against the tile.
"Run," she said, her voice steady now.
Leo didn't think. He didn't analyze. He moved. The first step was agonizing, like walking on needles, but the second was easier. The third was a sprint. He was running—running toward the freedom he had been denied since he was a boy.
They burst into the main atrium, a massive glass dome that housed the facility's lobby. Dr. Aris stood there, flanked by guards.
"Evelyn," Aris said, adjusting his glasses, a smirk playing on his lips. "I wondered when you’d reveal yourself. And Leo… look at you. Standing. It’s a medical miracle."
"It’s not a miracle, Aris," Evelyn said, standing between her son and the guards. "It’s a prison break."
"A prison break implies you’re leaving," Aris laughed. "You’re in the middle of a high-security complex. You have nowhere to go."
"We don't need to go anywhere," Leo said, his voice finally finding its baritone depth. He pulled a small, silver device from his pocket—the one he had swiped from Aris’s office desk months ago, believing it was just a keepsake. "I didn't know what this was until a minute ago. The memories… they came back. This is the master key to the building's server. And I’ve already uploaded the files to the public cloud."
Aris’s smirk vanished. "What did you do?"
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"I broadcasted the Institute’s financial records," Leo said, his posture straightening. "The illegal human testing, the false death certificates, the embezzlement of the Vane estate. It’s all trending on every news site in the country right now. Your guards? They aren't going to arrest us. They’re going to be out of a job in five minutes when the police arrive."
The guards hesitated. Their earpieces were buzzing with chaos. The world was watching.
