Sydney, Behind the Glittering City

The Buried Secrets

“I remember,” Leo's voice trembled, his eyes staring blankly ahead. “Aurora said that there would be a great betrayal. Someone I trusted would try to kill me, just as the truth came out.”

Catherine tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her face paled. Outside, the rain was falling harder and harder, lightning flashing in the distance like a bad omen.

“Marcus,” Catherine spoke into the still connected phone, ”stay put. We'll be there in thirty minutes.”

“Wait,” Marcus interrupted, his voice sounding strange. “There's something you should know. I found something in Aurora's apartment-a photograph. A photo of the Newcastle serial killer investigation team ten years ago.”

Leo felt his heart skip a beat. “So?”

“Sarah is in the photo, Leo. She's standing at the back, half-hidden. But what worries me is the writing on the back-'I'm sorry, I should have told you earlier.'”

A tense silence filled the car. Leo tried to digest this information, his brain working hard to connect the dots. Sarah was involved in the murder? How could that be possible?

“We need to move now,” Catherine started the engine again. “Marcus, send me the coordinates-”

A gunshot cut through Catherine's words, followed by a noise and Marcus' groan of pain.

“Marcus!” Leo shouted into the phone. “Marcus, do you hear me?”

“Go... to the warehouse...” Marcus' voice sounded weak. “Don't... believe...”

The connection was disconnected.

Catherine stepped on the gas deeply, the black Subaru WRX sped through the rain. Leo cocked his gun, preparing for the worst.

“You're not telling me everything,” Leo gave Catherine a sharp look. “What else are you hiding?”

Catherine didn't answer. Her face looked conflicted, as if she was wrestling with a heavy decision.

“Catherine!”

“Sarah...” Catherine finally spoke, her voice almost a whisper. “She didn't just invent Project Oracle. She was part of the team that created it.”

Leo's world seemed to collapse for the second time that night. Sarah-his wife, the woman he loved-was part of this terrible experiment?

“No way,” Leo shook his head violently. “Sarah is an IT consultant for a bank. She's-”

“That's just a cover,” Catherine cut in. “Sarah is a neuroscientist. She developed the technology to manipulate memories. But when she found out that the technology was being misused to erase the memories of eyewitnesses and survivors, she tried to stop it.”

The car drove into Newcastle's harbor area. The rain made the area look like a ghost town - old buildings loomed like monsters in the darkness, the sound of the waves crashing against the docks sounded like a long lament.

“The warehouse is still there?” asked Leo, trying to suppress the throbbing pain in his head.

“It is,” Catherine nodded. “But there's something strange. It should have been demolished five years ago for a construction project. But somehow, the construction was canceled. The warehouse remains standing, as if waiting for our return.”

They stopped at a dark corner, a hundred meters from the old warehouse at the center of this mystery. Leo could see Marcus' car parked nearby, its doors open. There was no sign of his former partner.

“We need a plan,” Catherine pulled out a shotgun from the trunk. “They must be waiting inside.”

“No,” Leo shook his head. “I'm going in alone.”

“Are you crazy? They're going to kill you!”

“Aurora asked me to come. Just me.” Leo checked the bullets in his gun. “And if the girl's prophecy is true about betrayal...”

Leo's words hung in the air. Catherine looked at him with a hurt expression.

“You don't trust me?”

“I don't know who I can trust anymore,” Leo opened the car door. “Wait here. If I'm not back in an hour-”

“Leo,” Catherine tugged on his arm. “There's one more thing you should know. About the night Sarah died...”

But before Catherine could finish her sentence, a huge explosion rocked the harbor area. Flames and smoke soared from the warehouse, followed by a barrage of gunfire.

“Marcus!” shouted Leo, running towards the warehouse without thinking.

“Leo, wait!” Catherine tried to chase after him, but Leo had already disappeared into the darkness.

The warehouse was exactly as it was in her memory-or at least, the memories that were beginning to surface. Cracked concrete walls, tall windows that were partially broken, and the smell of rust mixed with the scent of the sea.

Inside, the flames from the explosion lit up the room with a dancing reddish glow. Leo moved cautiously, gun pointed forward.

“Marcus?” he called softly.

The sound of footsteps echoed from upstairs. Leo followed suit, climbing the rusted iron stairs with the lightest steps possible.

The second floor of the warehouse was an open area with stacks of wooden crates and dusty old equipment. The flames from the explosion below created shadows that moved like ghosts on the walls.

“You've finally come,” a female voice sounded from behind a pile of crates. “I've been waiting for you since that night, Leo.”

Leo pointed his gun in the direction of the voice. “Aurora?”

A young woman stepped into the light. Her hair was long black, her eyes dark and deep-the same eyes Leo had seen in the little girl in the basement ten years ago.

“Do you remember now?” Aurora smiled sadly. “The memories they stole from you?”

“Partially,” Leo didn't lower his gun. “Where's Marcus?”

“Marcus Chen is safe,” Aurora stepped closer. “But he's not your priority right now. You must remember, Leo. You have to remember what really happened that night.”

“What night? The night I found you here?”

“No,” Aurora shook her head. “The night Sarah died.”

Pain hit Leo's head like a sledgehammer. Memories flashed like a broken movie-Sarah leaving the house in a hurry, the mysterious midnight phone call, and...

“No,” Leo staggered, his gun shaking. “No way.”

“Yes, Leo,” another voice joined the conversation-a voice that made Leo's blood freeze. “You have to remember everything.”

Leo turned around slowly. There, standing in the doorway with his gun drawn, was a figure he never expected to see again.

“Sarah?”

Leo felt his world spin. Before him stood Sarah-his wife who should have died three years ago. She was still the same as the last time Leo had seen her: shoulder-length brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a thin scar under her left jaw.

“I'm sorry I have to do this,” Sarah said quietly, her gun still pointed at Leo. “But you're too close to the truth.”

“No,” Leo shook his head, still unable to believe what he was seeing. “I saw you die. I buried you!”

“You buried someone else's body,” Aurora interrupted. “Someone who was altered to look like Sarah. The Oracle Project's technology can't just manipulate memories, Leo. They can do much more than that.”

The sound of footsteps from the stairs made them all turn their heads. Catherine appeared with her gun drawn, but stopped when she saw Sarah.

“Oh God,” Catherine whispered.

“Put the gun down, Cat,” Sarah ordered. “You know I don't want to hurt you.”

“Where's Marcus?” demanded Catherine.

“He's fine,” Sarah pointed to the corner of the room with her chin. There, Marcus sat leaning against the wall, clutching his bleeding shoulder. “Just a minor injury. I never intended to kill anyone.”

“Then what do you want?” Leo asked, his voice trembling with anger and confusion. “Why are you doing all this?”

“Because they took my daughter,” Sarah replied, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “They took Aurora from me.”

Leo felt his knees weaken. “What?”

“Yes, Dad,” Aurora stepped closer to Sarah. “Mom never told you about her pregnancy fifteen years ago, because she knew you'd stop her from doing genetic experiments for the Oracle Project.”

Leo's head throbbed harder and harder. Bits and pieces of memories flashed-Sarah's frequent overtime in the lab, the secret documents he'd found in his wife's study, and a baby girl in a glass tube...

“No way,” Leo staggered back. “Aurora should have been ten years old when I found her.”

“Growth spurt,” Sarah explained bitterly. “One of the 'successes' of Project Oracle. But I had no idea they would use it on my own daughter. When I tried to stop them...” Sarah gave Aurora a hurt look. “They took her away from me.”

“And you let me believe that my daughter was dead?” Leo growled, anger beginning to overcome him. “You let me live a lie for years?”

“I was trying to protect you!” Sarah yelled. “They'd kill you if you knew the truth. Just like they tried to do that night-the night I 'died'.”

Suddenly, the sound of cold laughter echoed through the room. Everyone turned toward the staircase, where Director Thompson stood with a cruel grin. Behind him, six men dressed in black brandished guns.

“A moving family reunion,” Thompson clapped his hands softly. “Unfortunately, it must end now.”

“Thompson,” Catherine swore. “I should have known you were behind all this.”

“Of course, brilliant Inspector Hayes,” Thompson smiled mockingly. “But even you can't see the big picture. Project Oracle isn't just about erasing memories or manipulating genetics. It's about human evolution.”

“By creating super soldiers?” Leo snorted. “Turning children into weapons?”

“By creating a new generation of humans who are stronger, smarter, and...” Thompson looked at Aurora with a hungry gaze, “possessing abilities that you can't even imagine yet.”

Aurora raised her hand slowly. “Like this?”

In an instant, all the weapons Thompson's men were holding slipped from their hands, floating in the air before crashing to the floor.

“Telekinesis,” Thompson laughed. “One of our best results. But you still haven't reached your full potential, dear Aurora.”

“Don't call her dear,” Sarah growled, pulling Aurora behind her.

“Oh, Sarah,” Thompson shook his head. “You've always been too emotional. That's why we had to get rid of you. But look on the bright side-at least you can reunite with your family, before you all die.”

Thompson pulled a small remote out of his pocket. “You think that explosion was the only surprise? This whole warehouse is rigged with explosives. In five minutes, this place will be razed to the ground.”

“I won't let you,” Aurora stepped forward, raising both hands.

But Thompson only smiled. “Your strength is amazing, dear. But there's one thing you don't know about yourself.”

She pressed another button on the remote. Instantly, Aurora fell to her knees, screaming in pain.

“Aurora!” Sarah ran to her daughter.

“The control chip in her brain,” Thompson explained calmly. “Installed since she was a baby. A technological masterpiece that you don't even know about, Sarah.”

Leo seized the moment to fire. Bullets whizzed towards Thompson, but one of his men leapt forward, taking the bullet in his chest.

“Loyalty,” Thompson nodded in satisfaction. “Another result of Project Oracle. Now, who wants to die first?”

Catherine laughed suddenly. Everyone turned to her in confusion.

“Something funny, Inspector Hayes?”

“Yes,” Catherine smiled. “The fact that you're still using outdated technology.”

She took out her cell phone from her pocket, showing the flashing screen. “During your speech earlier, I managed to break into your remote frequency. Aurora, dear, you're free now.”

Aurora stopped screaming. Slowly, she stood up with her eyes flashing with anger. “Thank you, Aunt Cat.”

“No way,” Thompson took a step back. “How did you-”

“You forget that I designed Project Oracle's security system,” Catherine smirked. “Before you fired me and tried to kill me five years ago.”

The warehouse walls began to shake. Wooden crates floated through the air, spinning like a tornado around them. Aurora stood in the center of the chaos, her eyes glowing with a bluish light.

“This is for the fifteen years you stole from me,” Aurora said coldly.

The crates shot towards Thompson and his men. They tried to shoot, but their bullets stopped in mid-air, reversing direction.

“Leo!” Sarah shouted amidst the chaos. “The remote!”

Leo saw the remote slip out of Thompson's hand as he was hit by the crate. With a quick movement, Leo jumped up, grabbing the remote before it fell to the floor.

“Aurora, stop it!” Sarah tried to approach her daughter. “You could destroy this building!”

“Let it go!” Aurora shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Let this cursed place be destroyed with them!”

“Not with us in it,” Leo finally spoke up. “Not with your family here.”

The words were like a spell that broke Aurora's fury. The crates stopped spinning, falling clattering to the floor. Thompson and his men lay motionless among the debris.

An eerie silence filled the room. Only the sound of Aurora's sobs could be heard.

“Mom,” she sobbed. “Dad... I'm sorry.”

Sarah hugged her daughter tightly, while Leo approached them hesitantly. His hand was still clutching the gun, unsure if all this was real or just another memory manipulation.

“Leo,” Sarah looked at him with teary eyes. “I know you probably can't forgive me. But everything I did-”

“Later,” Leo cut in, raising his hand. “We'll talk about it later. Right now we need to get out of here.”

“Wait,” Catherine knelt beside Thompson, checking his pulse. “He's still alive. We need him for testimony.”

“And Marcus needs treatment,” Leo gestured towards his former partner who was still sitting weakly in the corner.

“Ambulance and backup are on the way,” Catherine nodded. “I called them before coming in.”

Leo walked to the window, staring at the rain that was beginning to subside outside. Dawn was breaking on the eastern horizon, providing a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness that had enveloped his life for years.

“Dad,” Aurora's voice called softly. “There's something you should know. About your lost memories...”

Leo turned around, looking at the daughter he didn't even remember having. “Yes?”

“They didn't just erase your memories of me,” Aurora bit her lip. “There's more they're hiding. About who you really are, about what you can do...”

Before Aurora could finish her sentence, the floor beneath their feet shook violently. Cracks began to appear in the wall.

“Bomb!” shouted Catherine. “The remote wasn't the only trigger!”

“Get out!” Leo shouted, running over to Marcus to help him up. “Now!”

They rushed down the stairs, with Sarah and Aurora helping carry the unconscious Thompson. Behind them, the warehouse began to collapse.

Just as they reached the front door, a huge explosion rocked the building. Leo pushed the others forward, but the rubble blocked his own path.

“Dad!” Aurora shouted, holding out her hand.

And that's when Leo felt it-the same power he saw in his daughter, the power that had been buried in his lost memories. With a single movement of his hand, the rubble was knocked out of his way.

Outside, the sirens of police cars and ambulances began to sound. The rain had completely stopped, leaving puddles that reflected the light of the rising sun.

Sarah looked at Leo in amazement. “You remember?”

“Not everything,” Leo shook his head. “But I will remember. We'll find out the truth together.”

Aurora smiled, taking her parents' hands. For the first time in her life, she felt complete.

But in the distance, among the shadows of the harbor buildings, someone was watching them. Someone who knew that this was only the beginning.

For the Oracle Project held secrets far deeper-secrets that would change not only their family, but all of humanity.