In the city of Elmira-where cobbled streets met sleek storefronts and cafés buzzed with student chatter-Dr. Joshua Bennett lived a life of quiet order. At just twenty-five, freshly graduated from medical school, he had returned to Almira University...
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Felix drove them quickly through the darkened streets to the airport, taking random turns to ensure they weren't being followed. In the back seat, Aina huddled against the window, her mind reeling from the confrontation and the image of Joshua's anguished face burned into her memory.
"We need to move fast," Sooho said, constantly scanning the mirrors. "I can get us through security without too many questions, but we have maybe an hour before Nordstrom's people figure out our destination."
At the airport, Sooho's police credentials worked like magic. He flashed his badge and spoke in hushed, urgent tones to the security personnel, explaining they were pursuing an international case that required immediate travel to Finland. Within thirty minutes, they were boarding a red-eye flight to Helsinki.
As the plane lifted off, Aina pressed her face to the small window, watching the city lights fade below them. Somewhere down there, Joshua was probably still dealing with the aftermath of their confrontation, maybe answering questions from authorities, protecting her even now without knowing the full truth of what she was running toward.
The flight was quiet, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Felix kept checking his phone for any signs they'd been tracked, while Sooho dozed fitfully in the aisle seat. Aina couldn't sleep—every time she closed her eyes, she saw Joshua's face, heard his broken voice: "Stay safe, Aina. Come back to me if you can."
Hours later, as the plane began its descent into Helsinki, the Finnish winter landscape spread out beneath them like a stark reminder of everything that had gone wrong eighteen months ago. The car ride from the airport was tense, Felix navigating the familiar streets with grim determination.
"Safe house is twenty minutes out," Sooho said quietly, breaking the tension. "It's clean—I've been monitoring it for weeks."
Felix nodded, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "We need to assume Chen had backup. They'll be looking for us within the hour."
Aina found her voice, though it came out smaller than she intended. "The research files. Marcus mentioned my father's research belongs to Nordstrom now." She paused, fragments of memory flickering like dying embers. "But that's not true, is it?"
Felix's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror, and she saw a flicker of something—hope mixed with uncertainty. "What do you remember?"
"Pieces. Fragments." She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to coax the memories forward. "My father... he was afraid. Terrified of what Nordstrom might do with his work. The memory manipulation technology—it wasn't meant to be a weapon."
"Your father was a brilliant man," Felix said softly. "He created something revolutionary. A way to help trauma victims recover lost memories, to heal psychological wounds that conventional therapy couldn't touch. But Nordstrom..." His jaw tightened. "Nordstrom saw its potential for control. For creating perfect agents, erasing inconvenient witnesses, rewriting entire identities."
