Chapter 87

Talis Station

Hidden beneath a long-abandoned industrial zone in southern London, Talis Station was rumored to be one of the Cartwright Group's earliest underground archives—pre-Eden. Lex arrived just after midnight, wearing dark gear and carrying only a flashlight, a concealed handgun, and the key marked 4B.

The entrance was buried behind a rusted panel near the edge of an old substation. Lex forced it open. Cold air spilled out—too cold. Artificial.

He descended metal stairs into what felt like a sealed tomb. Walls were lined with filing cabinets, locked drawers, and blinking servers caged behind glass. Each level had a number painted in fading stencil. Level 3 was silent… and almost too clean.

Unit 4B was at the far end, behind a reinforced glass door. Lex inserted the key. The lock clicked.

Inside was a single chair, a terminal with a biometric scanner, and one sealed envelope.

He picked up the envelope. Typed on it:

> For Variant-R only. Retrieval requires dual-pattern verification. Subject: Muri & Lineal Descendant.

Lex froze.

The baby.

He turned to the terminal and inserted the flash drive he'd recovered earlier.

A series of corrupted files decrypted instantly.

> Video logs.

Audio files.

Brain scan fragments.

And one live file, tagged only: "Project Lazarus: Rebirth Asset (Rhea/Ashna)"

He opened it.

A video began to play—grainy footage of Rhea, much younger, sitting in a sterile room, her eyes covered with a blindfold.

A voice off-screen asked:

> "Do you accept memory fracture as protection?"

She nodded.

> "Do you consent to implant your conscious trigger into your firstborn, in the event of asset breach?"

Lex's chest tightened. She knew. She chose this.

The screen glitched—then a final message flashed across:

> Find the girl.

Before they activate the mirror.

Then the room lights flickered—and Lex heard it.

A voice, not from the screen.

From the intercom.

> "You shouldn't be here, Mr. Vale. The child is already awakening."