Chapter 46 Public Claim

Chapter 46 Public Claim
The bunkers central room felt really small. The thick concrete walls seemed to be closing in on the family. They were all huddled together under the lights. Iris was kneeling on the floor. She had her arms around as many of her kids as she could reach. They were shaking like birds in a storm. Elias was standing in front of Lila and Noah. He looked brave. It was also really sad. He was trying to protect them. Theo was holding onto Iriss leg. He had his face buried in her thigh. He was whispering "Mommy don't let the bad men take me again."

Hope, Aurora and Dawn were standing around the kids. They were protecting them. The three babies. Rose, Lily and Violet. Were crying in the carrier on Claires chest. Their tiny cries were really loud. Grace was sitting quietly beside them. She was watching everything with eyes.

Lucien was standing guard at the door. He had a gun in his hand. He was looking around the room all the time. He was counting the kids looking at each of their faces. It was like he was scared they would disappear if he looked away. He was really tired. None of them had slept in days. You could see it on his face.. When he looked at Iris his eyes were full of love.

"We can't stay here " Lucien said quietly. "The bad guys are coming. The government is sending people to catch us. The Continuums immortals are waking up their clones. Adams team is fighting,. Its only a matter of time before they get in."

Iris looked up at Lucien. Her eyes were heavy with tiredness and love. "We have eleven kids, Lucien. Eleven.. Every single one of them is in danger. I keep counting them. I keep wondering which one is the copy. Which one is already gone."

The words just hung in the air. The kids had been having dreams again. They were dreaming about the accident. The scalpel, the clinical hands, the darkness. Lila was whimpering in her sleep. Noah was twitching. The babies were crying. The family was really scared.

Grace spoke softly. "The original template. The one inside the clone that attacked us. Is trying harder. She wants to merge with one of the babies. She says they're 'pure vessels without scars.. I can feel her getting weaker. The master key is fighting back. We have until dawn before the hive wakes up again."

Sophia and Serena were watching the screens. They looked really pale. Sophia glanced at the kids with a mix of longing and guilt. Serena was pacing near the door gun in hand. She looked ready to fight. Claire was rocking one of the babies gently. She was singing a lullaby.

Captain Reyes came into the room. She was limping,. She had her rifle steady. "The perimeter is holding for now. We have new people coming. Not the government. Not Victors people. These are contractors. Someone with a lot of money is bidding on the kids. The dark web is full of offers. Ten million for any one of them. Alive."

The room was really tense. Iris felt the old pain coming back. The hands, the scalpel, the loss of her unborn kids. She pressed her hand to her stomach. The old scar was hurting. "How do we fight an enemy that keeps coming ? Clones, immortals, governments... It never ends."

Lucien pulled her up. Into his arms. "It ends when we make it end. We fight back. We tell the world everything. The tech, the harvesting, the clones. We go to the media. The boardroom. The world. They can't hide if everyone is watching."

They made a plan quickly. Adams team would create a diversion. Sophia and Serena would upload the files to every news outlet. Captain Reyes would lead a team to get Claires location data. Iris, Lucien and the kids would go to the surface for a press conference.

Then something big happened. The bunkers main screen turned on. It was Victor Lang again. This time he was with a woman who looked just like Iris. She was pregnant with twins. "Meet Elara " Victor said. "Your sister, Iris. Shes carrying my kids. The generation.. There's another kid. A girl. Growing inside another surrogate."

Iris felt the room spinning. Luciens hand was tight on her waist. The kids were crying. Elias asked, "How brothers and sisters do we have, Daddy?"

Lucien got down on his knees. He pulled the kids into his arms. He was crying. "As many as it takes for us to be a family. You are all mine. All of you. No matter how many they make or steal. I will love every one."

Then they heard gunfire. The southern ridge had been breached. The family moved quickly. They fought their way to the surface. They came out into the clearing. Adams team was there with snowcats.. There was a new horror waiting for them.

A line of figures stood in the snow. They were clones of every kid, adult and even the babies. Victor Lang stepped out from, behind them. He was smiling. "Choose which originals live. The rest will be replaced tonight.. Surrender and I'll let you keep the clones."

Iris looked at Lucien. They were both bleeding, exhausted and scared.. They were also really determined. Lucien pulled her close. "We fight publicly. We claim them all. No more hiding."