Chapter 8 - THE LAST RECORDING
Dominic wanted to kill her.
I could see it in his face.
But he didn't.
Instead, he asked the only question that mattered.
“Why?”
His mother looked at Marcus.
“Because Rachel discovered what we were doing.”
I felt my chest tighten.
“What did you do to my sister?”
She looked at me.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
She sighed.
“Rachel disappeared because she tried to expose us.”
Dominic's voice became dangerously quiet.
“Who is us?”
His mother looked at Victor.
Victor was gone.
Dominic realized immediately.
“Where is he?”
His mother smiled.
“Already gone.”
Gabriel rushed to the control room.
Claire followed.
Minutes later, they found the last recording.
It had been stored inside the device Dominic removed from his ear.
The recording began.
Rachel's voice.
“If anyone finds this, please understand that Dominic wasn't the target.”
Dominic closed his eyes.
“He was the test.”
The recording continued.
The operation had begun decades earlier.
Dominic's father had secretly funded research into surveillance technology.
Not science fiction.
Nothing supernatural.
Just increasingly sophisticated ways to monitor people without their knowledge.
The ear device was one experiment.
The goal was simple.
Control information.
Control decisions.
Control people.
Dominic's father had eventually used the system to manipulate criminal competitors.
Victor expanded it.
Dominic's mother protected it.
Gabriel tried to destroy it.
Rachel discovered it.
And Marcus had accidentally become important because his early medical records had exposed something unusual.
He had excellent auditory localization.
He could identify tiny changes in sound and direction.
That's why he noticed the devices.
Not because he was magical.
Because he paid attention.
Dominic looked at my son.
“You saved me because you noticed something no adult was looking for.”
Marcus nodded.
Then he asked:
“Is Mommy safe?”
Dominic looked at me.
“Yes.”
But his mother laughed.
“No, she's not.”
She pulled out a photograph.
Rachel.
Alive.
The photograph had been taken that morning.
I couldn't breathe.
“Where is she?”
His mother smiled.
“Victor has her.”
Dominic's expression became terrifying.
“Where?”
His mother leaned closer.
“Somewhere you won't find her.”
Then the building shook.
An explosion rocked the mansion.
Glass shattered.
Fire alarms screamed.
Dominic grabbed me.
“Move!”
We ran.
The mansion began filling with smoke.
Dominic carried Marcus.
Gabriel dragged Claire.
We reached the courtyard.
The entire east wing was burning.
Then Dominic looked back.
His mother was gone.
So was Victor.
But on the ground was a phone.
Dominic picked it up.
A video was playing.
Rachel sat in a chair.
She looked frightened.
But alive.
A voice spoke behind her.
“Bring Marcus.”
The screen went black.
Dominic's hand tightened around the phone.
I grabbed his arm.
“You can't give them my son.”
“I won't.”
“Then what will you do?”
He looked at me.
“Something I should have done three years ago.”
May you like
“What?”
“End it.”
