Chapter 72

Chapter 72 – Alex's POV

The nurse's voice cracked through the air like a whip.

"You need to come with me. Now."

My heart stopped. I didn’t ask questions. I followed her down the long hallway, my blood pounding in my ears. She didn’t turn to look at me, didn’t say a word. That scared me more than anything else.

We turned a corner, passed two closed doors, and then she paused in front of a room marked ICU 3. She hesitated only a second before pushing it open.

I stepped inside.

And there she was.

Nell.

Hooked to monitors. Oxygen tube in her nose. Her eyes closed. A bruise marked her temple, angry and red against her pale skin. My chest tightened.

"She stabilized," the nurse finally said. "She had a mild seizure. Could be trauma-induced. The neurologist is running tests."

I didn’t respond. I was already at her side.

I took her hand.

Warm.

Still breathing.

She was alive.

But this wasn't over. Not even close.

\---

I made my next move within the hour.

Rick was already in the hallway when I stepped out. He handed me a tablet. "Footage from the depot. We enhanced it. There was a second vehicle on standby two blocks down. Unmarked."

"Reed?"

"Not sure. But whoever it was, they were watching the whole thing. They pulled out the second the shots were fired."

I clenched my jaw. "I want facial recognition. I want a trace. I want to know who’s protecting him."

"We think it's tied to Langston's old network," Rick said. "We dug into archived files. Reed isn't just some rogue agent. He's being bankrolled by someone higher. Someone still inside."

I stared at him. "Langston knew?"

Rick hesitated. "He suspected."

"Where is he now?"

"Off-grid. Watching. Waiting. Maybe even protecting us in ways we don’t see."

I didn’t like games. But I played to win.

"Bring him in," I said. "One way or another."

\---

Back in Nell's room, the neurologist entered quietly.

"She may wake up soon," he said. "But there could be memory regression. The brain is trying to protect itself."

Protect her from what?

From the truth?

From what they did to us?

From the fact that I failed her?

I sat down beside her, elbows on my knees, my head in my hands. For a moment, I let the mask slip.

Then her fingers twitched.

I looked up.

Her eyes fluttered.

"Nell?"

She blinked slowly. Confused. Fragile.

"Alex?"

"I'm here," I said immediately, leaning close. "I'm right here."

Her brows furrowed. "Where…?"

"You're safe. You were in an accident. But you're okay. You’re going to be okay."

She stared at me for a long time.

Then whispered, "Chris?"

The knife twisted in my chest.

I didn’t lie.

"We're looking for him. I swear to you, Nell, we’re going to find him."

She closed her eyes again.

But I knew she remembered enough to feel the pain.

\---

Rick came in just as she drifted back to sleep.

"We got something," he said quietly. "Intercepted message. Reed was seen heading into a compound three hours outside the city. Heavy surveillance. Guarded entry."

"What kind of compound?"

"Private biotech. Shut down on paper. But still active underground. We’re trying to connect the paper trail."

"Then do it faster."

I looked back at Nell.

She had barely survived.

Chris was still missing.

And Reed was still out there.

Protected.

Connected.

Untouchable.

For now.

\---

Hours passed.

I didn’t leave her side.

But I worked.

I sent calls through encrypted channels. Assigned tasks to my private team. My top security lead tracked every known associate Reed had. We froze three of his dummy accounts. Shut down two safehouses.

I wasn’t just chasing him.

I was cornering him.

Piece by piece.

"Sir," Rick said, stepping back in. "Langston just sent word. He wants to meet. Tonight. He has information."

"Where?"

"The cliffs. Two hours out. He says come alone."

I glanced back at Nell.

She needed me.

But to protect her, I needed to know what Langston knew.

I stood.

"Tell the driver to prep the car."

Rick raised a brow. "You're really going alone?"

I met his gaze.

"No. But let Langston think I am."

\---

Two hours later, I stood on a cliffside under the moonlight.

Langston stepped out of the shadows like a ghost.

He looked older. Tired. But sharp.

"You shouldn’t have come alone," he said.

"I didn’t," I replied.

Two of my guards were already flanking the hill behind me.

Langston smirked. "Smart."

"Talk."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small black case. Inside it? A drive.

"This is everything," he said. "Reed, Cross, Phase Three."

"What’s Phase Three?"

He looked at me. "The final stage. The one that was never supposed to happen. Where implanted memories begin to replace real ones. Where identity fractures. Where control becomes permanent."

My blood ran cold.

"They were going to activate it in Nell. And in you. But the bond between you two disrupted the system. You were too connected. Too real."

"That’s why she remembers."

"And why Reed wants her gone."

"What does Evelyn want?"

Langston hesitated.

"To undo it. I think she regrets it. But she’s hiding too. They’ll kill her if she surfaces."

I clenched my fists.

Langston looked me dead in the eye.

"You’ve got power, Carter. But if you want to keep her safe, you’ll have to go public. Burn the program to the ground. Expose everything."

I closed the case.

"I’ll do it."

Then my phone buzzed.

Rick.

I answered immediately.

"Alex… you need to get back. Now."

"What happened?"

A pause.

"Nell's gone."