CHAPTER 52 — THE BLACK WATER
Claire refused to release Lily.
Her double held Lily’s other arm.
The current dragged them beneath the broken house.
Mason jumped into the water.
He reached Lily first.
“Let her go!”
Claire released Lily so Mason could lift her onto a floating section of floor.
The other woman refused.
Mason struck her wrist until her grip broke.
Lily was pulled to safety.
Claire sank beneath the surface.
Metal debris trapped her coat.
She struggled to remove it.
A hand reached down.
It belonged to her double.
Claire hesitated.
The woman pulled her free.
They surfaced together.
“Why did you save me?” Claire gasped.
“I want you alive when I take my name back.”
They climbed onto the platform.
Sarah had caught Miriam near the submarine dock.
Margaret aimed at Miriam from the ruined doorway.
“Drop the registry.”
Miriam held it above the water.
“If this is destroyed, no stolen child will ever know where they came from.”
“And if you keep it,” Sarah said, “you control them.”
The station shook.
Elias shouted, “The Origin Core is overloading!”
Olivia’s monitor went silent.
Rebecca checked her.
“The heartbeat is gone.”
Olivia screamed.
Rose placed her hands over Olivia’s stomach.
“Come back.”
The station lights pulsed.
A single heartbeat sounded through every speaker.
Then another.
The baby’s heartbeat returned.
At the same moment, every gray bracelet fell from the children’s wrists.
Four-B looked around as though waking from a dream.
Miriam stared at Olivia.
“The Anchor rejected the command.”
Rose collapsed beside her.
Blood ran from Rose’s nose.
Sarah reached Miriam and seized the registry.
Miriam whispered something into Sarah’s ear.
Sarah froze.
Miriam stepped backward into the water and disappeared.
Margaret rushed toward Sarah.
“What did she say?”
Sarah looked at Claire.
“She said Lily was never the final heir.”
Claire held her daughter.
“Then who is?”
Sarah looked at Olivia’s stomach.
May you like
“The child just chose its own network.”
Far beneath them, thousands of machines began turning on.
