Chapter 17 · Before the Lock

The knocking came again from inside the tank.

Three hard hits. Then two.

Celine froze with one hand hovering over the recovery key. The blue interface text shook across her vision.

MEMORY RESTORATION: 63%. IDENTITY KEY: AVAILABLE. LOCKOUT: 71:42:16.

Ethan grabbed her wrist. "Don't touch it."

"You just told me to take the key."

"I told you to take the identity key. This is the memory system. Different port. Different risk."

Another knock rolled through the tank glass. Slower this time.

Celine looked at the black water sealed behind the cracked observation panel. Nothing moved in it. No hand. No face. Just a thin line of bubbles crawling up from the bottom.

"There's someone in there," she said.

"There shouldn't be."

"That answer is getting old."

Ethan stepped in front of the tank. His shoulders were tight, but his eyes stayed on the water. "The chamber was drained after the trial. I saw the disposal logs."

"You saw Vault's logs."

"I know what I saw."

"You knew my mother was a subject. You knew Mira survived. You knew I signed the extension." Her voice scraped on the last word.