You know how they say that finding out something terrible about your past can break you? Yeah, turns out that is a real thing. And it hits harder when you find out that the monster hiding in your closet is the one who raised you.
---
Let me paint a picture for you.
I'm sitting in the middle of this chaotic chicken coop, looking like I'm about to fall apart, and the man who just told me that my father—the guy I've spent my entire life trying to avoid—designed the neural encryption that's slowly but surely frying my brain, is standing there like he just gave me a cup of tea.
I blink a couple of times. "My… my father?"
The scientist, whose name I still don't know and at this point don't care to, nods. "That's right. And I'd bet anything he didn't tell you about it."
"Yeah, well," I say, taking in a shaky breath, "he's not exactly a 'tell me everything' kind of guy."
Renna crosses her arms, looking like she wants to throw something at the scientist's head. "Do you think he has anything to do with why Gray's brain is about to explode?"
"I'm not saying that," the scientist mutters, "but if he created the encryption, it's possible he put in some kind of… contingency plan. Something to make sure Gray couldn't escape it." He shrugs. "And, well, looks like the plan is working."
Awesome. Just awesome. My dad's a genius and a psycho. The guy who's supposed to be a father figure is the one who put this thing inside my head.
---
I try to shake the thoughts away.
"No," I mutter to myself. "I'm not doing this. Not now."
Elia raises an eyebrow. "Doing what, exactly? Falling apart?"
"Yeah," I snap, "that."
"Elia's right," Renna says, looking at me with a stern expression. "We're in this together. Falling apart isn't an option."
I glance at her, my insides still in turmoil. "Thanks for the pep talk, but we're all on borrowed time. And my borrowed time is quickly running out."
The scientist shoots me a look that makes my skin crawl. "Yeah, you've got a countdown on your head. The encryption's about to hit a critical point. Once that happens, there's no coming back."
I stare at him for a moment. "So I'm basically running on borrowed time."
"Exactly," he says, totally unemotional about it. "But don't worry. I might know a way to reverse it."
Now, I'm not holding my breath on that one. Anyone who says they can "reverse" something in this messed-up world is either a liar or a con artist. Or both. But I'm willing to hang on to the slight chance that this guy has something that could fix me.
---
We get back to business.
Renna pulls out the tech scans, Elia pulls out the snacks (I'm still not sure how she always has food), and the scientist gets back to fiddling with his machines. For once, I'm not in the mood to make sarcastic comments about how ridiculous everything is. Instead, I'm focused on one thing: How the hell am I going to survive this?
And then, for the first time since I walked in, the scientist looks me dead in the eye and says the one thing I never expected.
"You need to face him."
I freeze. "What?"
"Your father," he repeats, tapping a button on his console. "You can't break free from this unless you deal with him. He's the one who locked you in that cage. And the only way out is to confront him."
I try to laugh. "Yeah, okay. Sure. Let me just call him up and say, 'Hey, Dad, I think you're trying to fry my brain. Wanna grab coffee?'"
"No," Renna says, her voice calm. "I think what he's saying is that you need to confront your past. Your father is the key to this whole mess, Gray. You're not going to survive this unless you face him."
I feel like someone just slammed a door shut in my chest. "I don't want to face him," I whisper, more to myself than anyone else. "He's the reason I've been running my whole life."
And it's true. My whole life has been about avoiding him, running away from the monster who raised me, who probably never once thought of me as anything but a tool. But now? Now I'm trapped in a cage of my own making, and it's him holding the key.
---
There's a long, heavy silence.
Elia looks like she wants to say something, but she knows better than to push me. I don't need her pity.
But then Renna steps forward. "We can't wait much longer. The encryption's destabilizing. It's gonna hit critical mass if you don't act fast."
It's like a slap in the face.
---
And then I make the decision.
"Fine," I say, my voice shaky but determined. "I'll face him. But I'm doing this my way. I'll take care of it."
Renna doesn't protest. She's been in my shoes long enough to know I'm not backing down. "You're not alone in this. We'll help you."
I shake my head, trying to steady my thoughts. "I know. But this… this is something I have to do."
---
Later that day,
I find myself standing in front of a nondescript office building. It's not like I expected it to be. No huge mansion, no dark alley where he's lurking like some villain in a movie. It's just a regular building, like any other. But this? This is where my father has been hiding all these years.
The cool wind nips at my skin as I step up to the door. And then, with a deep breath, I push it open.
---
The moment I walk inside, I know.
The walls are covered in monitors. Maps. Diagrams. Blueprints of things I'm not supposed to understand. And at the far end of the room, behind a desk, there he is.
My father.
I barely recognize him. He looks older, of course. His hair's graying, his face is lined with stress, but it's him. And in the back of my mind, I can't stop the flood of memories.
I've been running from you my whole life.
"You found me," he says, without looking up. "I didn't think you'd be able to."
"Yeah, well," I say, trying to keep the anger in check, "here I am."