The drive to the city felt endless. Jace continued driving down the narrow desert road towards the city that was about 100km away. It was about 3am. The sky was still dark, and the noise of the engine was the only sound they could hear.
Rory was sitting in the passenger seat, trying to get a signal. Maya and the others were asleep in the back seat.
Rory turned to Jace and sighed, "Still no signal, the GPS is not connecting. We have no idea where these coordinates will take us."
Jace gripped the wheel tighter, trying to hide his worry and frustration, "It's fine, let's not stress about this right now, just focus on getting these people home safe. Everyone is exhausted; they had no time to rest. And you...definitely need it." He let out a small chuckle.
Rory smiled, looking back at them sleeping in the backseat, "Perhaps you're right. Just..." he rested his hand on Jace's shoulder reassuringly, "...don't stress too much, okay. Lena will be okay. I'm sure of it."
As they drew closer to the city, the signal bars on their phones flickered back to life.
One by one, devices began chiming with notifications, waking everyone up. Rory's phone buzzed nonstop in his hand. Maya stared at her screen as missed calls and unread messages scrolled endlessly.
The streets of Los Angeles were dark on quiet. Only a few shops were open, and everyone walked in alert. They looked at each other, wondering why everyone was so on edge.
They pulled into a quiet suburban neighborhood and stopped in front of a small two-story house.
The woman stepped out first, her eyes watering as he stared at her house, which she had not seen for days. The two children stepped out of the SUV and stood on their own driveway, staring at their front door like it was a miracle.
Maya looked at them with sadness and relief, "Your kids should not have been caught up in this mess," she said with remorse.
The mother leaned over and hugged Maya tightly, "None of this was your fault, sweetheart; those crazy men got what they deserved. You didn't have to help us, but you did. Thank You ."
Maya froze in shock, then smiled, hugging her back.
Before the husband exited the vehicle, he squeezed Jace's shoulder from the backseat and thanked him, "You saved my family's life, I couldn't be more grateful."
Jace nodded, "No need for thanks, we've survived this together. You and your family go rest, okay."
They watched as the family entered their home.
Maya turned to Rory and Jace, "We should exchange numbers," she said quietly, "Jace...If you ever need anything…"
Jace answered immediately, "I will."
Maya and Rory looked at each other, knowing Jace was pretending to be okay.
They drove in silence again, heading towards Nevada. When they reached Rory's apartment building downtown, he unbuckled slowly.
"Let's stay connected through the group chat okay," he told them firmly, then turned to Jace, "Hang in there man, we'll find her. Just contact us if anything comes up."
"Thanks man," Jace said quietly.
Rory turned to Maya and gave her a tired smile before stepping out. He barely made it inside his apartment before his phone erupted again. Dozens of messages flooded his screen.
Mom: Where have you been?Dad: Are you okay??Jackson: Bro, where are you? Your fans are freaking out.
He collapsed onto the couch, scrolling through missed calls from his parents and his brother. Even his social media accounts were flooded. He hadn't even thought about that. To the world, he'd just vanished.
He typed one message to his mom:"I'm okay. I'll explain soon. Love you."
He stared at the screen afterward, eventually falling asleep.
Maya's apartment door clicked open with a familiar sound. Her cat immediately darted toward her, weaving between her legs and meowing loudly.
"Awww hey, Whiskers, missed me?" she breathed, dropping to her knees.
She buried her face in his fur. For a second, everything felt real again. After a while of cuddling, she fed him some cat food and watched how hungrily he ate. She stood and looked around. The couch was where she left it. The dishes are in the sink, and there was stack of unopened mail on her coffee table.
But it all felt foreign. Her phone buzzed again. It was her coworkers' messages from a few days ago.
Clarissa: Girl, why are you not home? Are you okay??Robert: HR said you just stopped showing up. We were worried sick.
She typed back simple reassurances.
"I'm okay. Personal emergency. Back soon."
Maya stood in the center of her living room. If she was a clone, this place had been built for someone else. Or maybe it had been built for her. She didn't know what was real anymore.
After dropping off Maya at her house, Jace pulled into his own driveway. He stepped inside quietly.
Everything was untouched — like how he left it. Everyday he leaves wishing to bring Lena back home, but when he finally finds her, she's missing again. Her scent still lingered.
The silence was unbearable. He walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, checking his phone.
Mom: Honey, are you okay? I'm coming over tomorrow.
Sent 5 hours ago.
He sighed in fear for Lena's safety as well as having to tell his mother the truth about his job and what happened to Lena, sooner or later. He then stared at Lena's photo on his wallpaper. It was a picture of her eating cake at he birthday dinner.
"I'm coming for you," he whispered, trying to hold back his tears, "I promise I'll find you, and when I do...I'll never let you go.
The Next Day - Jace's POV
The next morning, the doorbell rang at 8am. Jace barely got any sleep last night. He forced himself up and opened the door to find his mother standing there, holding two containers of food and wearing an expression that nearly broke him.
"Oh, sweetheart," she said, pulling him into a hug.
He stiffened at first — then melted into it.
"You look exhausted," she murmured.
"I've just… been busy," he said carefully.
She stepped inside, setting the food on the counter.
"I heard Lena was still missing," she said softly, "The police said they're still investigating. You should take a break from working at the office."
His chest tightened, "Yeah," he replied.
She didn't know that he had seen Lena again. She didn't know he was working as a scientist, not a receptionist. He hated lying to his mother, but couldn't put that terror into her eyes.
His mother touched his cheek and said softly, "I'll always be here to help, you know. You don't have to go through this alone. They'll find her, so you can give her that ring you promised."
His breath hitched as he remembered the ring he was so excited to give her the night of her disappearance.
His mom stayed for two hours — cooking, tidying, trying to fill the silence with normal conversation, and keeping him company.
Maya's POV
The next morning, she forced herself to return to work. The building lobby felt too bright and too loud.
The security guard gasped when she walked in.
"Maya! Oh my God."
"I'm okay," Maya repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.
The elevator ride up felt endless. When the doors opened, Clarissa was already standing there.
Clarissa dropped her coffee in shock, "Maya?!"
Before she could react, Clarissa pulled her into a tight hug.
"Where were you? You disappeared. No calls. Nothing. I thought you were dead!"
"I'm sorry," Maya whispered.
Clarissa pulled back, eyes scanning her face. "You look…so tired, you should have said something so I could tell HR."
"I'm fine, really," Maya said with a forced laugh.
They slipped into a small conference room, closing the door.
Clarissa crossed her arms. "Okay. Start talking."
Maya hesitated. If anyone would believe her, it would be Clarissa, her best friend for 10 years.
So she told her the truth about her disappearance and how she had to survive in a forest for ten days. Not every detail, but enough. About the dome, the experiments, the fights, and the truth about her being a clone. But what she didn't say was that she killed two people.
As expected, Clarissa stared at her in silence like she was crazy, telling a fairytale, but she knew Maya wouldn't lie about getting kidnapped.
When she finished, Clarissa looked at her in fear and worry, "You're actually serious."
"Yes."
"You're telling me there's some underground company running human experiments with innocent people and cloning them, and you are one of those clones?" Clarissa asked.
"Yes. It's true," Maya nodded slowly. Clarissa paced the room once, then stopped.
"Okay."
Maya blinked. "Okay?"
Clarissa pointed at her, "I believe you. But you're still the Maya I've always known. You still steal my fries, and forget to reply to emails, and cry at sad movies. If it wasn't for that crazy scientist, I wouldn't have met you."
Maya felt something inside her loosen, and asked, "You actually believe me?"
Clarissa shrugged. "You're not dramatic enough to make that up."
Maya laughed through tears, "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Clarissa said, "Also, I'm dying to meet that secret brother of yours."
"Don't even think about it. The guy is taken," Maya laughed.
Clarissa's face turned red in embarrassment, "That was not what I meant!"
Two days later, Maya sat curled on her couch with her cat in her lap, half-watching the evening news. She wasn't really listening until a phrase caught her ear.
"—several individuals reported missing over the last forty-eight hours—"
Her head snapped up. The screen displayed photos: a college student, a delivery driver, and a young nurse.
"All disappeared under unusual circumstances," the reporter continued, "Authorities are investigating potential links, though no official statements have been made."
Maya's blood ran cold. The camera zoomed in on security footage from a parking lot. A black van with no license plate. The vehicle arrived at one of the victim's houses late at night. There was footage of the nurse being hit from behind, just like how she and Lena were kidnapped.
She knew it was E.D.E.N. But...if Dr.Kessler was dead, how were they still in operation? Her fingers shook as she opened the group chat.
Maya: Turn on the news. Now.
Three dots appeared almost instantly.
Rory:What happened?
Jace:Is it Lena?
She snapped a picture of the TV and sent it. A moment passed.
Rory:It has to be E.D.E.N. That's the same method they used on us. These bastards are now taking more innocent people.
Maya:This isn't random. It's organized. Jace, are there any other higher-ups than your boss?"
Jace:Not that I know of. He was always secretive.
Rory:If Kessler is dead, someone else took over.
Jace:Or Sam.
Maya's stomach twisted.
Maya:We thought it was over. More innocent people are in danger.
Jace:We'll end it this time, with backup.
Rory:Meeting tomorrow. In person. We have to make a plan.
Maya stared at the screen. Outside her window, the city moved normally — cars passing, people laughing. When she returned, she noticed how deserted the streets were. Now she knows why. Everyone was scared for their lives.