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Farther in, the middle of the building was not as heavily weathered but had caved in. The air became cooler and thicker, making it harder to breathe. I entered what I guessed to be a supply room.

From the opened cabinets, Ozzie and Reyna had searched the room while waiting for Rhett and me. Syringes, IV bags, Band-Aids of all sizes, clamps, and other tools for surgery rested on a broken dusty table. Rhett packed supplies into his backpack and so did Ozzie and Reyna. Then, we wound back through the eerie halls.

“How about that one?” I pointed and mentally slapped myself for acting like I was part of their group.

“We need to hurry. This way.” Rhett’s long strides took us down a slope. “Watch your step. It’s slippery here.” He bored his eyes to mine, making sure I’d heard.

I nodded and followed behind him as usual. Rhett’s eyes were always on me. I felt the weight of his stare, and I didn’t know if he thought I would try to escape or he just wanted to protect me. Resting my hand on whatever I could grip, I let my leg muscles do all the work as I skidded down.

“Where’re we going?” Reyna sounded annoyed, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. “We went down this way last time. We need to try another route.”

Reyna’s nostrils flared as she placed a hand on her hip. “It’s not going to bring her memories back, Rhett. We need to hurry. The sun’s going down.”

Rhett took a step back. “This has nothing to do with that. She might be able to tell us something. I think reading the files will help her understand.”

Weak sunlight streamed in from the cracks, but it wasn’t bright enough until three flashlights beamed, lighting up the surrounding dark areas.

Rhett placed his flashlight down and handed me a black folder. “You need to see this, Ava.”

“I believe this was the last hiding place of the doctor who created the Helix serum. I also believe ISAN is holding him captive. They obviously didn’t know he had been here, or this place would’ve been destroyed. I also found some recordings. Go ahead.” He gestured with a tilt of his chin.

Project HelixB77—Day 1: I injected HB77 into a woman pregnant with twins today without her consent. The mother is my special test subject. The ultrasound shows the special subject’s twenty-week fetuses are more active, with no sleep during the hour I observed them with Helix in their systems. Though this study is top secret, conducted by a network known as ISAN, it is taking place in my office at a local hospital in the East. ISAN is not aware of the special subject.

Project HelixB77—Day 30: I injected 10 milligrams into the thirteenth subject, and the same amount to twenty new pregnant moms. All are from low income families, except the special subject. The serum binds with testosterone and stays in the male babies longer. Injecting them earlier in their pregnancies changed the DNA to adapt to Helix easier and faster I assumed. For this reason, I named the first part of the serum Helix, the shape of a DNA strand, and the second part, Batch 77. It took me 77 batches to finally get it right. Testing of the special subject, the fetuses appeared alert on ultrasound; furthermore, their sense of hearing was heightened. When played a recording of their mother’s voice from the next room, something that would’ve been impossible for normal human ears to hear, the fetuses reacted. Great success.

Project HelixB77—Day 60: I injected 20 milligrams into the special subject. Babies’ reflexes were impressively faster and stronger. Mother was in great pain from the kicks. I had to inject another serum to counteract Helix. Fifty new moms were injected with Helix today. ISAN will send me more.

Project HelixB77—Day 90: The special subject gave birth to twins early, as expected. Though I’m a proud father today, I’m also devastated. ISAN: International Sensory Assassin Network. I’m not sure what they are planning, but training the young to kill is wrong. How many lab-created killers will they create around the world? In order to keep my children safe, I had to separate us. The first child will be going to trusted foster parents. My wife will think her first child is dead. The second child will stay with us, for now. I will inject my children with the last dose of the enhanced serum I have been injecting them with since I began. ISAN is not aware of the enhanced serum. My children will be special. I will not know what their special abilities will be. Their bodies will determine that. I only hope this will work.

Project HelixB77—Month 48: Today will be the day I will lose my wife and my second child. When my wife learns what I’ve been doing, she will want nothing to do with me. But I have to tell her. They are watching our child too closely. A trusted friend is waiting for their arrival at a safe house with new identities. To my peers and ISAN, I will make it look like my wife and I are separating. And my second child will think her father is dead.

Project HelixB77—Month 60: My family has been gone for so long. I have no choice but to keep enhancing the formula to its full potential. ISAN isn’t aware it’s as perfect as it can be, for now. I will have to continue to delay and try to find a way to escape from the East territory. The Abandoned City is my only safe haven. There is no one around, except for drifters, but they don’t bother me because I bring them food. Maybe someday, someone trustworthy will find my folder. It will be the only evidence I existed. I don’t know how long ISAN will allow me to live. Once they think the formula has been perfected, they won’t need me anymore.

Project HelixB77—Month 72: It gives me joy to see both of my children, even if from a distance and for a very brief moment. I know I should stay away, but I can’t. Those moments give me enough happiness to last for months. My second child is healthy and doing well. My wife sees me from a distance. She knows I’m watching, but she turns away, crying. This is our life now. She despises me. She will hate me even more if she finds out I lied about our first child.

Project HelixB77—Month 96: My second child looks more like my wife every day. When I watch her play in the park, she is full of life. She is brave and thinks fast on her feet, but she is afraid of heights. It didn’t cross my mind to alter that gene. The first child is doing well and has moved to the South with the foster parents.

Project HelixB77—Month 144: ISAN has found the first child. I don’t know how, but my child will remain in juvie until they are ready to start training the first round of kids. I’m not worried. My child is special. I don’t know in what way, but my child will stand out from the others.

Project HelixB77—Month 156: My heart has been ripped to shreds. I have nothing left. My wife died today, supposedly from a new virus. A lie. We have found cures for almost all illnesses. My second child was sent to a foster home. The motions have been set in place. They will bring her in. It’s time for me to contact the only person I trust in ISAN. I spoke briefly with my second child today and filmed her without her knowledge. I needed to have this. I can’t continue to observe my children secretly anymore.

Project HelixB77—Month 168: My source reported my first child was sent to the West territory. I assume they are planning to organize an ISAN network there. At least I know my child is safe.

Project HelixB77—Month 192: They brought the first batch of kids to ISAN headquarters and started the mental training I designed with another scientist. It makes me proud to see the serum is successful, but I hate what they will be using it for. The serum is flawed. When binding with testosterone, depending on the dosage, it will make the males aggressive, some more so than others. It will turn them into monsters. This will require more testing on male subjects. If I don’t find a solution, what will happen to them?

Project HelixB77—Month 204: My second child was brought to ISAN. It had been years since I saw her last. She is as beautiful as her mom. Seeing her brings joy and sadness, mostly sadness, because she doesn’t know me. I’m so proud of her. She’s doing well in the mental missions, and my trusted contact is looking after her. I hope I live to see her take down ISAN.

As tears streamed down my face, I flipped through the pages as fast as my fingers allowed. My adrenaline pumped rapidly I couldn’t keep up with the intensity of the rush. My breath cut short, and it took every ounce of me not to collapse on the floor.

“Where’s the rest?” I turned to the beginning and flipped through it again and again. When I saw an envelope on the back, I opened it, but it was empty.

I didn’t want to believe my dad would experiment on his own children, that he’d been the one to create such a powerful serum. The serum that molded killers. The serum that had ruined my life. I had no right to judge him, but how could he?

All my life Mom had told me Dad was an engineer who’d died in a traffic accident. She’d never shown me pictures of him since she claimed to have none. My stomach roiled and I fought nausea. If the doctor was my dad, Mom had to lie to me to keep me safe. Knowing that didn’t make it easier to accept.

“I’m not this second child. You didn’t come here to get more supplies. You came here to see if I was her, didn’t you?”

I didn’t realize I was shouting until Ozzie and Reyna returned, looking at me with pity.

I crossed my arms over the folder and staggered back, almost tripping over the stupid cement piece I had stepped on. Rhett tried to catch my fall.

“Don’t.” I shot out a hand to stop him and glared. “I’ve got myself.”

“Ava, I know this is a lot to handle. Please, let me help you. How do you think I felt when I found this?” Rhett’s tender voice did nothing to soothe me.

I shook my head fervently and scoffed. “You don’t know me. Everything is a lie. For all I know”—I jabbed a finger at each of them—“you’re all ISAN. Or maybe ISAN is the good guy, and you made this folder to make ISAN look bad. Lies.”

Rhett extended his arms, reaching ever so slowly for me. “There’s no good ISAN, but we can change it. That’s what we are trying to do. You’re such a skeptic. You’d never believe me without evidence, so I didn’t want to reach out to you until I had something solid. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. It took me six freakin’ torturous months to find something. You’re special, Ava, and you know that. Don’t deny it. Embrace it and use it for good. Just don’t tell anyone. You can’t trust anyone but us. We can change what ISAN stands for. Your twin and your father might still be alive.”

Hearing they might still be alive should’ve helped to calm me, but I shook with rage. I didn’t want to believe any of it and make a liar out of my mom. Yet something tugged in my gut, and the rational part of me knew Rhett was right.

“That’s it. I swear. But here’s more proof the second child he wrote about is you.” Rhett reached into his backpack and handed me a phone. “When I found this, it was connected to a charger. Smart move. That type of phone doesn’t exist anymore, and you can’t find a charger like that since everything is done by solar power. Ozzie rigged up a power source for it.”

I didn’t waste a second. Touching the screen to activate, I pressed the picture icon. There were baby pictures of a female child and my mom, but there were none of my dad or the first child. I scrolled again and recognized the younger version of me. The more I saw, the harder it became to contain my emotions, especially when it came to the pictures of my mom.

I ran my finger down the screen as if I could touch her. Uncontrollable tears streamed down my face. Seeing a photo of her, even after all those years, reopened old wounds.

It didn’t matter how much time had passed, and it didn’t matter how hard I had shut out the ache, I lost my mother again with every photo. Hating the vulnerability, I wiped my tears and clicked on the video.