The sun filtered weakly through the drawn curtains, casting streaks of pale light across Daniel’s cluttered kitchen table. He rubbed his eyes, the fatigue from the sleepless night settling deep into his bones. But rest could wait for he wasn't done with his task.
The box of evidence was like a Pandora’s box, every folder and file brimming with damning proof. Names, dates, signatures it was all there, meticulously documented in cold, bureaucratic detachment. Each discovery was a knife to the chest, and yet Daniel kept going enduring the intense emotion he felt. The truth was a burden, but it was also a responsibility.
---
Halfway through the stack, Daniel found something unexpected..a name he recognized.
Dr. Gregory Albright
Daniel’s pulse quickened. Albright had been a rising star in biomedical research years ago, known for his groundbreaking work in pediatric treatments. He’d graced the covers of medical journals and even given TED Talks about the future of medicine. But his name had disappeared from the public eye nearly a decade ago.
Daniel skimmed the attached documents. Albright had been the lead researcher on Project Genesis, much to his surprise, the experimental program that had ensnared Maria and Sofia. His signature appeared on nearly every report, authorizing treatments and approving protocols.
There was a photo, too. Albright stood in the center of a group of lab technicians, his smile bright and his arms crossed confidently. He looked like a man proud of his achievements, oblivious or indifferent to the suffering they’d caused.
Daniel’s jaw tightened. Albright wasn’t just a cog in the machine; he was its architect. It seems you can never judge a book by its cover, Daniel thought.
---
The address listed in the files was a research facility in the city, but Daniel doubted Albright still worked there. A quick online search and rummaging in his old pile of newspaper that he called as the 'Information Pile' revealed that the facility had been shut down years ago, following a series of lawsuits and quiet settlements.
However, Daniel did find something useful, a charity gala Albright was scheduled to attend that evening.
Daniel stared at the event flyer on his screen, torn between anxiety and determination. The gala was for a children’s hospital, the irony almost laughable. If Albright was bold enough to parade himself in public, Daniel had no choice but to confront him.
---
At the Gala
The venue was opulent, a five-star hotel with crystal chandeliers and gilded decor. Daniel felt out of place in his borrowed suit, the fabric stiff making him uncomfortable and unfamiliar. He blended in as best he could, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact.
He spotted Albright almost immediately. The man was holding court near the bar, laughing with a group of attendees. Time had weathered him slightly, gray streaks in his hair and crow’s feet around his eyes but he was still the same man from the photograph.
Daniel’s hands clenched into fists as he approached. Every step felt heavier, the weight of Maria’s and Sofia’s voices urging him forward.
“Dr. Albright” Daniel said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.
Albright turned, his smile faltering. “Do I know you?”
“You should” Daniel replied, pulling a folded document from his pocket and holding it up. “Maria Gonzalez. Sofia Gonzalez. Does that ring a bell?”
Albright’s face darkened but still remains composed. He glanced around nervously, then gestured for Daniel to follow him to a quieter corner of the room.
---
“Alright What do you want and how much do you want?” Albright asked, his tone sharp.
“I want answers and what the hell do you even mean by how much? You think I care about those money earned from pain and sufferings of others? Daniel said. “I know about Project Genesis. I know what you did to those children.”
Albright’s expression flickered with something perhaps guilt? Fear? But he quickly masked it with practiced indignation.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about” Albright said. “Those were legitimate medical trials. We were trying to save lives.”
“Save lives?” Daniel spat. “Sofia Gonzalez died because of you. Maria lost everything, her child, her health, her dignity. And you think you can hide behind medical jargon?”
Albright’s composure cracked. “It wasn’t supposed to happen that way,” he muttered, almost to himself. “We were under pressure, grants, deadlines. Mistakes were made, but—”
“Mistakes?” Daniel cut him off. “Those weren’t mistakes. They were crimes. And you signed off on every one of them.”
Albright’s eyes darted around the room. “Shhh..Lower your voice,” he hissed. “You don’t understand the forces at play here. If you dig too deep, you’ll get yourself killed.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Daniel leaned in, his voice cold. “I’m already in too deep. And I’m not stopping until the world knows the truth.”
---
Albright exhaled shakily, his bravado from earlier crumbling. “You think you’re doing the right thing, but you’re out of your depth. The people behind this...they’re untouchable. If you go public, they’ll destroy you. Your family. Anyone you care about.”
Daniel’s mind flashed to Emily, to the fire, to the years of grief that had consumed him. His resolve hardened.
“They already took everything from me,” he said. “I have nothing left to lose.”
Albright’s expression shifted to something almost pitying. “Then you’re a fool” he said quietly.
Daniel watched as the doctor walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
---
As Daniel exited the gala, his phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
'You’re not alone. Meet me at the old warehouse on Fulton Street. Midnight.'
He stared at the message, suspicion warring with curiosity. Was it a trap? Or was someone else ready to join the fight?
Either way, Daniel knew he couldn’t stop now. The dead were counting on him, and their voices were growing louder by the minute.
.................................................................
The warehouse on Fulton Street was as ominous as Daniel had expected a decrepit structure with shattered windows and graffiti scrawled across its walls. The wind howled through the broken panes, carrying with it the faint smell of mildew and rust.
Daniel parked his car a block away, slipping through the shadows to avoid drawing attention. The air was bitterly cold, each exhale forming a fleeting cloud in the darkness. Daniel noticed a place that is dimly lighted.
Inside, a single lightbulb swung from the ceiling, its dim glow casting long, flickering shadows. A figure stood near a rusted metal table, cloaked in a long coat and scarf.
“You came” the man said, his voice low and gravelly.
“Who are you?” Daniel asked, keeping his distance.
The man stepped into the light, revealing a gaunt face and sharp, watchful eyes. “The name’s Jack. Let’s just say I’m someone who knows what you’re up against.”
---
Jack motioned for Daniel to sit, pulling out a folder from his bag and placing it on the table. “I’ve been tracking Corvin Medical and its subsidiaries for years. The experiments, the cover-ups..it’s a tangled web, but it all leads back to the same players.”
Daniel opened the folder, scanning its contents. Photos of lab facilities, financial records, and a list of names some of which he recognized from the files Grace had given him.
“You do know that at this point this isn’t just about a few unethical trials right?" Jack continued. “It’s an industry built on exploitation. They prey on the vulnerable ones such as immigrants, orphans, the poor. Especially people who won’t be missed. Who can be easily forgotten...whom that nobody would pay attention to..”
“And you’ve been investigating this alone?” Daniel asked.
“Not by choice” Jack admitted. “I had a team...once...journalists, whistleblowers, even a former lab technician. But one by one, they were silenced. Bribed, threatened, or worse.”
The weight of Jack’s words settled heavily on Daniel’s chest. He wasn’t just chasing ghosts he was walking into a minefield.
---
Jack tapped on one of the documents. “There’s a name you need to pay attention to: Thomas Reddick. He’s the CEO of Corvin’s parent company, a conglomerate called Helios Industries. Reddick’s the mastermind behind all of this, but he keeps his hands clean. All the dirty work gets outsourced to subsidiaries like Corvin.”
Daniel frowned. “So, How do I get to him?”
“You don’t,” Jack said bluntly. “Not directly, anyway. But there’s a weak link. Helios is gearing up for a merger with a European biotech firm. The deal hinges on their reputation. If we can expose what they’ve been hiding, it could blow everything wide open.”
Daniel leaned back, the enormity of the task sinking in. “That’s a big ‘if' and why do you think I should be trusting you, someone who just appeared put of nowhere and give me informations willingly."
Jack smirked. “ If you find my story you will know. But it's up to you, anyway..welcome to the fight.”
---
Back at his apartment, Daniel sifted through the new information Jack had provided, cross-referencing it with the files from Grace. One name kept appearing: Harper West, a former nurse who had worked on Project Genesis before disappearing from public records.
A quick search revealed an address in a quiet suburb outside the city. Harper’s name had been flagged in a whistleblower report from years ago, but the case had been dismissed due to “lack of evidence.”
The next morning, Daniel drove to the address, a modest single-story home with peeling paint and an overgrown lawn. He knocked on the door, his breath visible in the cold air.
After a long pause, the door creaked open slightly, revealing a woman in her fifties with tired eyes and a guarded expression.
“Excuse me are you perhaps Harper West?” Daniel asked.
“Who’s asking?” she replied, her voice wary.
“My name’s Daniel Cross. I’m investigating Corvin Medical. I know you worked on Project Genesis.”
Harper’s face paled. She glanced over her shoulder before stepping outside, closing the door behind her. “You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered. “If they find out you’ve been talking to me…”
“They won’t,” Daniel assured her. “But I need your help. I’m trying to expose what happened to the victims of the lab especially the case of Sophia Gonzalez, and her mother Maria and to all the others.”
At the mention of their names, Harper’s eyes filled with tears. She sank onto the porch steps, her hands trembling.
“I remember Sofia,” she said softly. “She was so small, so brave. And Maria… she fought so hard to protect her.”
---
Harper recounted her time at Corvin, her voice trembling as she described the horrors she had witnessed. The experiments were rushed, the protocols nonexistent. Any dissent from staff was silenced with threats or outright dismissal.
“They treated those kids like lab rats,” Harper said bitterly. “Sofia was one of the first to show severe side effects, but instead of stopping the trial, they doubled down. They wanted results, no matter the cost.”
“And Maria?” Daniel prompted.
“She was relentless,” Harper said. “She kept filing complaints, demanding answers. When Sofia died, she threatened to go to the press. That’s when things got dangerous.”
Harper paused, her hands tightening into fists. “One night, Maria came to me in a panic. She said she’d uncovered proof that the experiments were never about finding a cure. They were developing something else..something they could sell.”
“What happened to her?” Daniel asked.
“They retaliate” Harper said, her voice breaking. “A week later, her apartment burned down. They called it an accident, but…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
---
Harper handed Daniel a flash drive. “This is everything I managed to copy before I left. It’s not much, but maybe it’ll help.”
Daniel took the drive, his gratitude tempered by the weight of what it represented. “Thank you,” he said.
Harper met his gaze, her expression somber. “Be careful, Daniel. These people don’t just ruin lives...they end them.”
---
That night, Daniel plugged the flash drive into his laptop. The files contained internal emails, financial records, and a series of research logs. One email in particular stood out:
From: T. Reddick
To: G. Albright
Subject: Cost-Benefit Analysis
'We can’t afford delays. If there are casualties, mitigate the fallout and move forward. This is never a means of saving lives, it’s about securing our market share. Do not disappoint me.'
Daniel stared at the screen, his blood boiling. The dead were right. This wasn’t just negligence..it was calculated evil.
(To Be Continued)