Chapter 16 - THE ROOM BENEATH THE CAPITOLThey entered the underground passage.
The chief walked ahead.
The boss followed.
Ethan and Maya stayed behind.
The girl held the boss's hand.
Nobody trusted anyone.
The tunnel descended beneath Washington.
Old brick gave way to reinforced concrete.
Then steel.
A door appeared.
No handle.
The chief placed his palm against a scanner.
The door opened.
Inside was a circular room.
Maps covered the walls.
Washington.
New York.
Chicago.
Los Angeles.
Miami.
Dallas.
Every major city was connected by red lines.
The boss stared.
“How long?”
“Decades.”
“Why?”
“To predict everything.”
“Everything?”
“Markets.”
“Elections.”
“Wars.”
“Crises.”
“Public opinion.”
The boss looked at the screens.
“And people.”
The chief nodded.
“Yes.”
A voice came from the darkness.
“Enough.”
The boss froze.
A man stepped into the light.
Older.
Silver hair.
Straight posture.
Cold eyes.
The boss stared.
“You.”
The man smiled.
“Hello, son.”
The boss felt anger rise.
“You're not my father.”
“No.”
A pause.
“But I raised you.”
The girl stepped behind the boss.
The man looked at her.
“Your mother was careless.”
The boss moved forward.
“Don't talk about her.”
The man smiled.
“You still protect people who betrayed you.”
The boss clenched his fists.
“Why did you erase my memory?”
“Because you were becoming disobedient.”
“Why did you kill her?”
“I didn't.”
The girl whispered:
“You did.”
The man looked at her.
“You were three years old.”
“I remember.”
He smiled.
“Children remember things incorrectly.”
The boss stared.
“No.”
He turned toward the screens.
A video began playing.
The warehouse.
The mother.
Ethan.
The little girl.
The boss.
Then a sixth person entered.
The boss stared.
It was the security chief.
He handed the mother a file.
She refused.
The security chief raised a weapon.
The video ended.
The boss turned toward him.
“You said you didn't kill her.”
The chief remained silent.
The older man smiled.
“He didn't.”
“Then who did?”
The older man pointed at the screen.
A reflection appeared in the glass.
The boss looked.
His own younger self was holding the weapon.
The room became silent.
The boss shook his head.
“No.”
The older man whispered:
“You killed her.”
The girl stepped backward.
Ethan stared at the screen.
Maya covered her mouth.
The boss looked horrified.
“I would never.”
The older man smiled.
“You don't remember because we made sure you wouldn't.”
Then the girl said quietly:
“He didn't do it.”
Everyone turned.
“How do you know?”
She looked at the screen.
“Because Mommy told me who did.”
The boss crouched.
“Who?”
May you like
The girl looked directly at the security chief.
“Him.”
