Chapter 19 - The Brother Who Was Erased Twice
# Chapter 19 - The Brother Who Was Erased Twice
Richard Hale had spent most of his life believing he was an only child.
Now, standing outside Whitmore House, he was staring at a photograph of a boy he remembered loving.
A boy whose name had been taken from him.
And whose disappearance had been buried beneath thirty years of carefully constructed lies.
"Richard?" Victoria whispered.
He barely heard her.
His fingers trembled around the phone.
The photograph showed two boys standing beside Alexander Vance in a sunlit garden.
One was Richard, approximately ten years old.
The other looked slightly younger, with dark hair, pale skin, and piercing gray eyes.
The boys were holding hands.
Richard remembered those hands.
He remembered running through a garden.
Hiding beneath a staircase.
Sharing stolen biscuits after bedtime.
And a small voice calling him Richie.
He staggered backward.
Victoria caught his arm.
"Who is he?"
Richard closed his eyes.
A name surfaced.
Then vanished.
He pressed his fingers against his temples.
"I knew him."
Victoria's expression changed.
"Who?"
Richard shook his head.
"I can't remember."
Detective Elena Brooks approached.
"Mr. Hale, are you all right?"
Richard stared at the photograph.
"No."
He swallowed.
"I think I had a brother."
At the original research facility, Alexander Vance watched the security feed from Whitmore House.
The elderly billionaire sat behind a steel desk in a windowless room.
Three monitors displayed different locations.
The first showed Victoria standing beside Richard and Detective Brooks.
The second showed Emily, Sophia, and Edward inside the locked study.
The third showed Eleanor Bell lying in a hospital bed.
Alexander studied the first screen.
Richard had received the photograph.
Good.
The memory sequence was progressing.
A younger man stood beside the desk.
He wore a white medical coat and held a tablet.
"Sir, the subject's physiological response is elevated."
Alexander nodded.
"Expected."
"Should we continue?"
"Yes."
The man hesitated.
"Mr. Hale has been outside the program for years."
Alexander smiled faintly.
"No one is ever outside the program."
He leaned toward the monitor.
Richard was pressing his hands against his temples.
Alexander watched with clinical interest.
"He's beginning to remember."
The physician looked uncomfortable.
"Sir, the original procedure caused significant distress."
Alexander turned toward him.
"Are you questioning the protocol?"
"No, sir."
"Then continue."
The physician nodded and left.
Alexander looked back at the screen.
For thirty years, Richard had served the Vance family.
He had followed orders.
Protected secrets.
And believed Alexander was the man who saved him.
Now that loyalty was unraveling.
Alexander felt no regret.
Richard had always been useful.
But usefulness had limits.
And the final phase required something Richard had never been willing to give voluntarily.
His memories.
At Whitmore House, Victoria took Richard's phone.
She enlarged the photograph.
The younger boy's face was strangely familiar.
Not because she remembered him.
But because she had seen similar features elsewhere.
The gray eyes.
The narrow jaw.
The slight asymmetry of his smile.
"Richard," she whispered, "did Alexander raise both of you?"
He stared at the screen.
"I don't know."
Elena stepped closer.
"Can you remember anything about the boy?"
Richard closed his eyes.
A memory flickered.
A bedroom with blue curtains.
Two small beds.
A wooden toy train.
The younger boy sitting on the floor.
Then a man entering.
Alexander.
The boy immediately hiding behind Richard.
Richard opened his eyes.
"He was afraid of Alexander."
Victoria felt a chill.
"Why?"
Richard shook his head.
"I don't remember."
Elena studied him.
"Don't force it. We can investigate the photograph and the records."
Richard looked toward the mansion.
"Alexander knows."
Victoria nodded.
"Yes."
His expression hardened.
"Then I'll make him tell me."
Elena stepped in front of him.
"Not alone."
Richard looked at her.
For years, he had been the man responsible for protecting Charles Vance's secrets.
Now he was standing beside a detective who had every reason to distrust him.
"I know where some of the original records were stored," he said.
Elena's expression changed.
"Where?"
Richard hesitated.
"Alexander maintained a private archive separate from Charles's foundation."
"At the original facility?"
"Possibly."
Victoria stepped closer.
"Richard, can you help us find it?"
He looked at her.
His sister.
The woman he had unknowingly watched suffer for twelve years.
He swallowed.
"Yes."
Inside Whitmore House, Emily stood beside Edward's desk as another archived video began playing.
The screen showed a garden.
Two boys were running across the grass.
Richard.
And the younger child from the photograph.
Emily leaned closer.
"Who is that?"
Edward Whitmore looked up.
His face drained.
"Where did you get that recording?"
The woman in the green coat stood near the computer.
"It appeared in the final archive."
Edward gripped his wheelchair.
"Turn it off."
Sophia crossed her arms.
"No."
Emily stared at the screen.
The younger boy stumbled.
Richard helped him stand.
They laughed.
Then Alexander entered the garden.
Both boys immediately stopped smiling.
Emily felt a chill.
The recording continued.
Alexander approached them.
"Richard."
The older boy straightened.
"Yes, sir."
"Come here."
Richard hesitated.
The younger boy grabbed his hand.
Alexander's expression hardened.
"Richard."
The boy stepped forward.
Alexander looked toward the younger child.
"And you."
The child lowered his eyes.
"Yes, Father."
Emily froze.
"Father?"
Sophia leaned closer.
The younger boy had called Alexander his father.
Edward closed his eyes.
On the recording, Alexander placed a hand on the child's shoulder.
"Do you remember what we discussed?"
The boy nodded.
"Yes."
"Then say it."
The child hesitated.
Alexander's grip tightened.
The boy whispered:
"My name is Nathan."
Emily stared at the screen.
Nathan.
The name Richard had forgotten.
Alexander smiled.
"Good."
Then he turned toward Richard.
"And who is Nathan?"
Richard looked frightened.
"My brother."
Alexander nodded.
"Very good."
The recording ended.
Emily turned toward Edward.
"Nathan Vance?"
The old man looked away.
Sophia stepped closer.
"Was he Alexander's biological son?"
Edward hesitated.
"Yes."
Emily felt sick.
"Then Richard wasn't simply raised alongside Charles."
Edward shook his head.
"No."
Sophia stared at him.
"Alexander had another son."
Edward closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Emily looked toward the screen.
"And Charles had a brother."
Edward nodded.
The room fell silent.
Then Sophia whispered:
"Is Nathan the child Victoria saw die?"
Edward's hands began trembling.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then answered:
"Yes."
At St. Catherine's Medical Center, Rebecca Reed sat beside Daniel while Thomas and Noah played a quiet card game.
Daniel watched the cards carefully.
Thomas smiled.
"Your turn."
Daniel selected one.
Noah laughed.
"That's the wrong one."
Daniel frowned.
"How do you know?"
"Because you always pick the same card."
Thomas giggled.
For a brief moment, the three boys looked happy.
Rebecca watched them with aching relief.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message from Daniel Mercer.
I found Nathan Vance.
Rebecca froze.
She opened the attachment.
A scanned medical record appeared.
Patient: Nathan Alexander Vance.
Date of Birth: Classified.
Status: Deceased.
Rebecca stared at the document.
Then she noticed the date of death.
Thirty years earlier.
The same period during which Richard's childhood memories became fragmented.
She typed:
What happened to him?
Daniel replied:
Officially, cardiac arrest following an experimental procedure.
Rebecca felt sick.
Another message appeared.
But the death certificate was signed by Edward Whitmore.
She closed her eyes.
Edward.
Again.
The same man who had signed records for children who later turned out to be alive.
Rebecca typed:
Do you believe Nathan died?
The response came quickly.
I don't know.
A pause.
Then another message.
There's something else.
Rebecca stared at the screen.
The hospital identification number was reused.
Her heart pounded.
For whom?
Daniel's reply appeared.
One of the Gemini children.
Rebecca stopped breathing.
She looked toward the three boys.
Thomas.
Noah.
Daniel.
Then she looked back at the phone.
Which child?
The answer arrived.
Daniel.
At the Vance estate, Catherine Bell watched Charles examine a photograph of Nathan.
His face had turned pale.
"Your brother?" she asked.
Charles nodded.
"Yes."
Catherine studied the photograph.
"Why didn't you tell me about him?"
Charles looked away.
"Because he died when we were children."
She frowned.
"How?"
Charles hesitated.
"An illness."
Catherine stared at him.
"What illness?"
He said nothing.
She crossed her arms.
"Charles."
He exhaled.
"Nathan had a congenital condition."
"Was he treated?"
"Yes."
"By Edward?"
Charles nodded.
Catherine felt a chill.
"And Alexander?"
"He authorized the procedures."
She stared at him.
"How old was Nathan?"
Charles looked down.
"Nine."
Catherine closed her eyes.
Another child.
Another experimental treatment.
Another death.
"Did you see him die?" she asked.
Charles hesitated.
"No."
Her eyes opened.
"What?"
"I was told he died."
Catherine stared at him.
"By whom?"
"Edward."
She felt anger rise.
"Charles, how many times are you going to believe a death certificate signed by that man?"
He looked away.
Catherine stepped closer.
"What if Nathan survived?"
Charles shook his head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because Alexander buried him."
Catherine stared at him.
"Alexander also buried himself."
Charles froze.
The words struck harder than she expected.
For years, he had accepted Nathan's death as an unquestionable fact.
He remembered the funeral.
The small coffin.
The flowers.
His father standing rigidly beside the grave.
But he had never seen Nathan's body.
Catherine watched his expression change.
"Charles?"
He whispered:
"Oh, God."
At the original facility, Alexander received a call from an unknown number.
He answered calmly.
"Yes?"
A man's voice spoke.
"Father."
Alexander went still.
For the first time that day, his expression changed.
He slowly stood.
"Nathan?"
A long silence followed.
Then the voice answered.
"Hello."
Alexander gripped the phone.
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere you can't reach."
His jaw tightened.
"That's unlikely."
The man laughed softly.
"You haven't changed."
Alexander's expression hardened.
"What do you want?"
"The truth."
"About what?"
"About what you did to Richard."
Alexander looked toward the security monitor.
Richard stood beside Victoria.
The man continued.
"You made him believe I died."
Alexander said nothing.
"You made Charles believe it too."
His jaw tightened.
"That was necessary."
The voice became colder.
"Necessary for whom?"
Alexander looked toward the door.
"Nathan, listen carefully."
"No."
The man interrupted him.
"You've spent thirty years telling people what they remember."
Alexander's expression darkened.
The voice continued.
"Now it's my turn."
The call disconnected.
Alexander stood motionless.
Then he slowly lowered the phone.
For the first time in decades, he felt something unfamiliar.
Fear.
At Whitmore House, Emily watched the security monitor display a new message.
SUBJECT N-01 ACTIVE.
Sophia frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Edward looked up.
His face drained.
"No."
The woman in green stepped closer.
"Who is N-01?"
Edward's hands trembled.
Emily stared at him.
"Nathan?"
He closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Sophia looked toward the screen.
"Then he's alive."
Edward nodded.
Emily felt a chill.
"Where?"
The old man hesitated.
Then whispered:
"I don't know."
Sophia laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
Emily stepped closer.
"Grandfather—"
She stopped herself.
The word no longer felt right.
"Edward."
He looked up.
"Tell us what happened to Nathan."
Edward's eyes filled.
"He was the first child Alexander used in the experimental program."
Emily stared at him.
"Before Victoria?"
"Yes."
"What did they do?"
Edward looked toward the screen.
"Memory conditioning. Identity substitution. Experimental neurological procedures."
Sophia felt sick.
"And Nathan survived?"
Edward nodded.
"Yes."
"Then why did you declare him dead?"
Edward closed his eyes.
"Because Alexander wanted to continue the research without public scrutiny."
Emily stared at him.
"So you erased Nathan."
Edward whispered:
"Yes."
A long silence followed.
Then the woman in green asked:
"What happened to him afterward?"
Edward looked toward the monitor.
"He was transferred to the original facility."
Emily frowned.
"And?"
Edward hesitated.
"Alexander continued working with him."
Sophia felt a chill.
"For thirty years?"
Edward nodded.
The room fell silent.
Then Emily whispered:
"What did Nathan become?"
Edward looked up.
His expression was one of pure dread.
"Someone who knows how to use the system better than Alexander."
At 3:18 p.m., Victoria received a call from Richard.
He had stepped away to speak with an officer.
Now his voice sounded shaken.
"Victoria."
She turned.
"Richard?"
"I remember his name."
Her heart quickened.
"Your brother?"
"Yes."
"What was it?"
Richard swallowed.
"Nathan."
Victoria felt a chill.
"Nathan Vance?"
"Yes."
She looked toward Elena.
The detective was already taking notes.
Richard continued.
"Alexander told me Nathan died."
Victoria closed her eyes.
"But he didn't."
"No."
"How do you know?"
Richard hesitated.
"Because someone just sent me a recording."
Victoria's pulse quickened.
"What recording?"
"From the original facility."
"What does it show?"
Richard's voice broke.
"Me."
Victoria frowned.
"You?"
"As a child."
"And?"
He swallowed.
"Nathan was there."
Victoria felt a chill.
"What happened?"
Richard closed his eyes.
"The recording shows Alexander telling me Nathan had died."
A pause.
"Then they gave me medication."
Victoria's stomach tightened.
Richard continued.
"And afterward, I stopped asking about him."
She covered her mouth.
"Oh, Richard."
His voice trembled.
"Victoria, I think they made me forget him."
She closed her eyes.
Then Richard said something that made her blood turn cold.
"And I think they're trying to do the same thing to Daniel."
At St. Catherine's, Rebecca received another message from Daniel Mercer.
The reused identification number isn't a clerical error.
She stared at the screen.
A second message appeared.
Daniel was assigned Nathan's original subject code.
Rebecca felt sick.
She typed:
Why?
The response came after a pause.
The records describe a continuation protocol.
Rebecca's heart pounded.
Continuation of what?
Daniel replied:
The Nathan experiment.
Rebecca looked toward the boy.
He was laughing softly as Thomas showed him a card trick.
She felt a cold wave of dread.
Then another message arrived.
Rebecca, there's something else.
She stared at the screen.
The original subject's genetic profile is listed as a match for Daniel.
Rebecca stopped breathing.
She looked toward the boy.
His dark hair.
His pale skin.
His serious eyes.
Then she remembered the anonymous DNA report.
Daniel was not Victoria's biological son.
She had assumed the report was another manipulation.
But now she wondered whether it was true.
Her phone vibrated again.
Daniel may be Nathan's biological son.
Rebecca covered her mouth.
The boy looked up.
"Rebecca?"
She forced herself to smile.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
He frowned.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded.
But her hands were shaking.
Because if Daniel was Nathan's son, then the child she had rescued was not simply another victim of Project Gemini.
He was the next generation of Alexander's original experiment.
At the original facility, Alexander stood before a locked medical room.
Inside, an elderly woman lay in bed.
Auburn hair.
Pale green eyes.
Eleanor Bell.
She turned her head when he entered.
"Alexander."
He smiled.
"Hello, Eleanor."
She looked away.
"Where's Victoria?"
"On her way."
Eleanor's expression changed.
"No."
Alexander stepped closer.
"She's finally ready."
Eleanor began trembling.
"Don't bring her here."
"Why not?"
"Because you know what happened last time."
Alexander smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Eleanor stared at him.
Then whispered:
"Nathan called you."
His smile disappeared.
She noticed.
"He remembers."
Alexander said nothing.
Eleanor continued.
"He remembers everything."
Alexander's jaw tightened.
"That's impossible."
She laughed bitterly.
"You spent thirty years trying to control him."
He looked away.
"And now he's coming for you."
Alexander stepped closer.
"Eleanor, be careful."
She stared at him.
"Why?"
His expression hardened.
"Because you still have something I need."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
"My daughter."
Alexander smiled.
"Yes."
She looked up.
"And what happens when you get her?"
He hesitated.
Then whispered:
"The final experiment."
Eleanor began crying.
"Please."
Alexander turned toward the door.
But before he could leave, she spoke again.
"Alexander."
He stopped.
She looked directly at him.
"You never understood why Nathan survived."
His expression changed.
"What?"
Eleanor smiled sadly.
"You thought your procedures worked."
Alexander stared at her.
She continued.
"But Nathan survived because someone changed the protocol."
His face drained.
"Who?"
Eleanor's voice was barely audible.
"Victoria."
Alexander stopped breathing.
"That's impossible."
Eleanor shook her head.
"She was seven years old."
Alexander stared at her.
"And she remembered more than you ever knew."
At 3:46 p.m., Victoria received another anonymous message.
This time, it contained a photograph of a young girl standing beside a hospital bed.
The girl was seven.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
Victoria.
On the bed lay a boy.
Approximately nine years old.
Nathan.
Victoria stared at the image.
A memory surfaced.
A green room.
A boy lying still.
A machine beeping.
And her own small hands pressing buttons on a medical console.
She gasped.
Elena turned.
"Victoria?"
She began trembling.
"I remember him."
"Who?"
"Nathan."
Her voice broke.
"I remember the night they said he died."
Elena stepped closer.
"What happened?"
Victoria closed her eyes.
The memory sharpened.
Alexander shouting.
Edward reaching for her.
Eleanor crying.
And Nathan lying motionless.
Then the seven-year-old Victoria pressing a button.
A monitor lighting up.
A nurse screaming.
Victoria opened her eyes.
"Oh, God."
Elena caught her.
"What?"
Victoria stared toward the mansion.
"I didn't watch Nathan die."
Her hands trembled.
"I saved him."
Elena froze.
"What?"
Victoria looked at her.
"And I think Alexander has been trying to find