Chapter 47 - The Children Jonathan CreatedThe laboratory fell silent.
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
The words remained on the screen.
THE EXPERIMENT WAS WHAT THEY WOULD BECOME TOGETHER.
I stared at the image of myself as a baby.
Then at Rose.
My little sister.
My twin.
All my life, I thought I understood my story.
A broken family.
A missing mother.
A powerful father.
A lost sister.
But I was wrong.
The truth was much worse.
"Jonathan didn't want an heir."
Claire whispered.
"He wanted a weapon."
Michael slowly nodded.
"He believed the perfect successor couldn't be born naturally."
"He thought intelligence, loyalty, emotional control..."
"Could be engineered."
Elizabeth looked sick.
"He tested us."
"He tested our children."
I turned toward her.
"You knew?"
Her eyes filled with shame.
"I knew pieces."
"Not everything."
She touched Rose's face gently.
"When I discovered what he was doing..."
"I tried to destroy the project."
"But Jonathan had already taken precautions."
The screens changed.
Hundreds of videos appeared.
Children.
Interviews.
Tests.
Medical records.
Not just us.
Dozens of families.
My stomach turned.
"How many?"
Michael answered quietly.
"Twenty-three."
Claire covered her mouth.
"Twenty-three children?"
"No."
Michael looked at the files.
"Twenty-three attempts."
"Only two survived."
The room became cold.
Rose looked at me.
"Us."
I nodded slowly.
"Us."
Then another file opened.
FINAL EVALUATION
My name appeared.
Then Rose's.
Below it:
PRIMARY SUBJECT: EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
SECONDARY SUBJECT: EMPATHIC RESPONSE
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Michael looked at Jonathan's old notes.
Then his expression changed.
"He wasn't trying to remove emotions."
"He was measuring them."
Elizabeth looked confused.
"Why?"
Michael stared at the screen.
"Because Jonathan believed the greatest leader needed both."
"The ability to make impossible decisions..."
"And the ability to still care afterward."
I laughed bitterly.
"So he destroyed our lives..."
"To prove a theory?"
Nobody answered.
Because the answer was yes.
A sudden sound interrupted.
A door unlocking.
Everyone turned.
The laboratory entrance opened.
Jonathan walked in.
Alive.
Calm.
No guards.
No fear.
He looked older than I remembered.
But his eyes were exactly the same.
Cold.
Calculating.
"Congratulations."
His voice echoed.
"You finally found the truth."
Elizabeth stepped forward.
"Stay away from them."
Jonathan looked at Rose.
Then me.
"My greatest achievement."
I clenched my fists.
"We're not your achievement."
He smiled.
"You still don't understand."
"You think family is about love."
"It isn't."
"It's about legacy."
Michael stepped in front of us.
"You're done, Jonathan."
My father looked at him.
"You were always my biggest disappointment."
Michael's expression hardened.
"I was your biggest mistake."
Jonathan tilted his head.
"Why?"
"Because I taught you compassion."
"And you became weak."
Michael answered quietly:
"No."
"You taught me exactly what happens when someone has none."
Jonathan looked at the countdown.
00:30
Then smiled.
"You think stopping the system saves you?"
He pressed a button.
May you like
The entire building shook.
"You're too late."
