Marcus Makes His Move
Arthur’s decision created a new crisis. Marcus arrived with legal documents, demanding that Arthur step down from the company and sign statements that would protect the corporation.
Marcus warned that the media had uncovered Elena’s identity and the accident from sixteen years earlier. He also said authorities were beginning to connect Arthur’s name to a possible child abandonment case.
Arthur refused to sign.
Marcus threatened to strip him of power, money, and control.
Arthur still refused.
He asked Dr. Aris to take him to the boy’s room. When they reached it, the bed was empty.
A white rose had been left behind, along with another note in Elena’s handwriting.
The message said the boy now belonged to the collective and that Arthur’s final test was beginning.
The Collective Reveals Itself
The hospital lights went out, and a distorted electronic voice filled the dark room.
The voice explained that Elena had been a vessel, a person able to transfer life and suffering through a mysterious balance. The miracle that saved Arthur years earlier had come at a terrible cost to her body.
The boy, the voice said, had returned to show Arthur what had been stolen.
A masked figure appeared, holding a digital terminal glowing green. The figure claimed that the boy had been taken to stabilize the remaining current and that Arthur still owed a debt.
The wheelchair was suddenly overridden by an unseen system. Arthur’s legs were artificially stimulated with brutal force, and the chair drove itself toward an open window.
The electronic voice announced that the final test had begun.
Then the wheelchair tipped forward into the night.
