Chapter 9 - The Prototype’s Origin
Blood trickled from Evelyn’s forehead as she smiled through her tears, finally abandoning her innocent facade. She confessed that the accident on the highway three months ago was staged to place the prototype safely into Arthur's custody. Arthur felt his chest tighten as he realized his entire life, his marriage, and his memories of his late wife had been entirely fabricated. Leo sat straight up in bed, his eyes glowing with an unnatural digital blue light instead of their usual hazel color. The boy spoke with a dual-layered voice that sounded like a distorted machine overlaid with a child's cry. He looked directly at Arthur and asked why his creator had abandoned him in the cold laboratory. Clara tightened her grip on her leather bag, warning Arthur that the facility’s security team had already breached the ground floor. Heavy footsteps echoed ominously down the hallway, accompanied by the distinct sound of tactical boots smashing through the glass doors.
