Elián woke to silence.
No windows. No clock. Just a single lamp and a camera — blinking red.
He sat up slowly.
His wrists were free.
But the door was locked.
A voice crackled through a speaker.
"You're safe now."
Elián didn't respond.
The voice continued.
"They made you a product. I'm giving you back your truth."
Cassian was losing sleep.
He hadn't left the studio in two days.
Security teams were searching. Police were involved. But no leads.
He replayed the glitch — those thirteen seconds — over and over.
Then he saw it.
A flicker.
A reflection.
A face.
He froze the frame.
Zoomed in.
It was Jules.
Elián paced the room.
The voice returned.
"You were beautiful before they touched you."
Elián stepped toward the camera.
"You don't know me."
The voice laughed.
"I know you better than Cassian ever did."
Cassian tracked Jules to an abandoned theater downtown.
He didn't wait for backup.
He went alone.
Inside, dust and silence.
Then — a sound.
A piano.
Playing Elián's melody.
Cassian followed it.
Room by room.
Until he found the camera room.
Screens everywhere.
All showing Elián.