Chapter 70 The Last Sister
Flora
The moment the lights went out, I knew we'd made a terrible mistake.
Strong hands grabbed me from behind. A cloth pressed over my mouth. My vision blurred.
Everything went dark.
When I woke, my head was pounding. I was tied to a chair.
Again.
The room was small. A single lightbulb hung from the ceiling.
"You're awake," a voice said.
Victor Kask was sitting across from me. Half of his face was covered in burn scars. His right eye was clouded.
"Where is Rafael?" I demanded.
"Nearby," Kask said. "Being entertained by my security team. Don't worry. I told them not to kill him. Yet."
My stomach twisted. "If you hurt him…"
"You'll what?" Kask interrupted. "You're tied to a chair. You have no power."
"I have something you want," I said. "Otherwise I'd be dead."
Kask smiled. "Smart. Yes. I want your genetic material. Your DNA."
"You already have seventeen embryos," I said. "Sixteen now. What more do you need?"
"Fresh samples," Kask said. "The embryos I have are degrading. I need new material to create better ones."
"I'll never help you," I said.
"You don't have to help," Kask said. "You just have to exist. My doctors will extract what they need. You'll be kept alive. But you'll never leave this facility."
"People know I'm here," I said.
"Let them try to rescue you," Kask said. "This facility has security you can't imagine. And if they try, I terminate all sixteen embryos. So really, you should hope they stay away."
"What about Rafael?" I asked.
Kask stood up and walked closer. "That depends on you. If you cooperate, Rafael lives. He'll be imprisoned, but alive. If you fight, I'll have him executed. Your choice."
"That's not a choice," I said.
"It's the only choice you have," Kask said. "I'll be back in an hour for your answer."
He left.
I tested the restraints. The zip ties were tight. But not impossible to loosen. If I could dislocate my thumb, I might slip free.
The door opened. A woman in white coat entered with a medical bag. Two guards were behind her.
"Hello, Flora," the woman said. "My name is Dr. Sharma. I'm going to be taking some samples."
"I haven't agreed to anything," I said.
"Mr. Kask was worried you might say that," Dr. Sharma said. She nodded to the guards. "Hold her."
The guards grabbed my arms.
"Don't do this," I said. "Please. You're a doctor. You took an oath."
"I'm helping advance human evolution," Dr. Sharma said, preparing a syringe.
The needle went in. I watched my blood fill the vial.
"Now we need tissue samples," Dr. Sharma said, pulling out a different instrument. "This is a bone marrow extraction tool. It goes into your hip bone. I recommend you don't move."
She positioned the tool against my hip.
That's when the explosion happened.
The building shook. Lights flickered. Dr. Sharma stumbled backward.
"What was that?" a guard shouted.
Another explosion hit.The lightbulb swung wildly.
The guards ran to the door. Shouting in the hallway. Alarms blared.
Dr. Sharma grabbed her bag. "I need to go."
She ran out. The guards followed. The door stayed open.
I dislocated my thumb. Pain shot through my hand. I slipped my hand through the zip tie. Then the other.
I was free.
I ran to the door. The hallway was in chaos. People were running. Smoke filled the air.
I turned left. Away from the smoke.
I ran faster. Around a corner. Down another hallway.
And stopped.
Victor Kask stood at the end, holding a gun.
"Going somewhere?" He asked.
Guards caught up behind me.
I was trapped.
"You fight so hard to save those embryos," Kask said, walking toward me. "But they're not really people yet, are they? So why do you care so much?"
"Because they deserve a chance," I said.
"And what about you?" Kask asked. "Do you deserve to live? After everything you've cost me?"
"Your daughter died because of you," I said. "You used her. She was a victim."
"Sophia understood the bigger picture," Kask said.
"She died for your ego," I said.
Kask's face twisted with rage. He raised the gun and pointed it at my head.
"I was going to keep you alive," he said. "But you know what? I think I have enough samples. Which means you're no longer necessary."
His finger tightened on the trigger.
"Any last words?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "Duck."
"What?" Kask asked.
The ceiling above him exploded.
Debris rained down. Kask dove to the side. The gun went off, but the bullet went wide.
Through the hole, a rope dropped.
Rafael slid down, landed between me and Kask and raised his gun.
"Get away from her," Rafael said.
Kask laughed. "You think you can just walk out? My entire security force is here."
"Actually," Rafael said, "most of your security is dealing with fires Catherine's team set. The rest are evacuating the embryos. Which we're stealing right now."
"You're bluffing," Kask said.
"Check your phone," Rafael said.
Kask tried to call someone. No answer.
"They abandoned you," Rafael said. "When the explosions started, your people ran."
"Then I'll kill you both myself," Kask said, raising his gun.
Rafael was faster. He fired first.
The bullet hit Kask's gun hand. The weapon flew across the floor.
Kask screamed.
"Flora, let's go," Rafael said.
I ran to him. He grabbed my hand.
We ran down the hallway. Reached a stairwell. Emerged on the ground floor.
Smoke was everywhere. Fire was burning.
"This way," Rafael said.
We burst through an emergency exit. Into the parking lot.
A van was waiting. Catherine was driving. Marco was in the passenger seat.
"Get in!" Catherine shouted.
We jumped in the back. The van was filled with sixteen portable incubators.
"You got them all?" I asked.
"Every single one," Marco said.
"Though two are critical. We need Dr. Rossi fast."
Catherine floored the accelerator.
"Is Kask dead?" Catherine asked.
"I shot him in the hand," Rafael said. "But he was alive."
"So this isn't over," I said.
"It's never over," Rafael said. He put his arm around me. "But we won this round."
I looked at the incubators.
Twenty-two children total now, saved from Kask's control.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
I opened the message. It was a video.
Kask appeared. His hand bandaged. His face was furious.
"You think you won?" he said. "You saved twenty-two embryos. Congratulations. But I have something you don't know about."
He turned the camera.
A woman appeared. Young and heavily pregnant.
"This is Subject L-03," Kask said. "Another genetic match. Thirty-six weeks along. Ready to be born any day."
My blood went cold.
"You can't save her," Kask said.
"She's already in labor. By the time you find her, your sister will be born. And she'll be mine. Raised by me. Trained by me."
The video ended.
"Oh God," I whispered.
"Another one?" Rafael asked.
"Not an embryo," I said. "A baby.
About to be born. And we have no idea where she is."
The van fell silent.
We'd saved twenty-two.
But there was still one more.