They didn't sleep that night.
The folder lay spread across the small wooden table in the cabin, pages scattered like fallen leaves. Diagrams. Classified reports. Coded messages. Photos, some old and stained, others recent — too recent.
Lara sat curled on the edge of the armchair, blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her father's face haunted her from that grainy image, standing beside Hartley like they were allies. Like they shared a history she'd never been told.
Kaven was pacing again, that same tight tension in his shoulders.
"He was part of it," she whispered.
Kaven looked up. "Your father?"
She nodded. "He must've been. That photo… it wasn't taken in passing. He's in a lab coat. Hartley's pointing at something — like they were working on a project. Together."
Kaven leaned forward, picked up one of the reports, and tapped it. "Then it's possible he helped build the resonance project."
Lara's stomach twisted. "Or tested it on people."
Kaven didn't answer. The thought hung heavy in the air.
Suddenly, Lara stood up and began flipping through the rest of the folder. "There has to be more. There has to be something that explains why he lied. Why I don't remember anything."
She pulled out a page. It had a single word stamped in red: REDACTED. Beneath it — coordinates.
Kaven took the paper from her. "This location… it's in the northern zone. Near the border of the restricted forest sector."
"That place is off-limits, right?" she asked.
Kaven's eyes narrowed. "Only to civilians."
"And we're definitely not civilians anymore," Lara said quietly.
There was a sudden knock.
Soft. Precise. Once. Then twice.
They froze.
Kaven moved to the window slowly, peeking through the edge of the curtain.
No one.
Then another knock — this time from the back door.
Kaven's voice was sharp now. "Upstairs. Go."
Lara ran up the narrow staircase to the attic, just as they had at the apartment. Kaven stayed below, drawing his weapon and moving to the back.
He opened the door a crack.
Empty air.
A small envelope lay on the wooden step. No footsteps. No vehicle. Just the forest breathing quietly in the dark.
He picked it up and opened it.
Inside: a note in scrawled handwriting.
"The girl isn't the only one they made forget. – J"
Kaven's eyes widened.
He looked up into the trees.
No movement.
Only shadows watching.
—
End of Chapter 20