Chapter 3 - Ghosts of Icarus
The taxi was abandoned in an alleyway three towns over, replaced by a nondescript sedan Evelyn had stashed in a long-term storage unit five years prior. As they drove through the desolate, rain-slicked highways of the American Midwest, Evelyn finally told him the truth.
She hadn't died in a tragic boating accident, as Leo's father, Arthur, had claimed. A decade ago, Evelyn was the lead bio-engineer for a massive pharmaceutical conglomerate, Vanguard Genetics. She had discovered that Vanguard’s new miracle drug, Icarus, designed to cure autoimmune diseases, had a fatal long-term flaw. They were going to market it anyway.
When she threatened to blow the whistle, Vanguard didn't just fire her; they put a hit on her.
"I had the data drive," Evelyn explained, the glow of the dashboard illuminating the harsh lines of her face. "But they threatened you. You were only a baby. The only way to ensure they wouldn't hurt you was to disappear and make them think the data was lost with me. I left you with Arthur, thinking he was innocent."
"He is innocent!" Leo protested, tears welling in his eyes. "He's my dad!"
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Evelyn swallowed hard. "The men at the airport, Leo... they were Vanguard security. Only one person knew the exact time and terminal where we were supposed to meet."
Leo’s breath hitched. The implication hung in the damp air between them. Arthur hadn't just been ignorant; he had sold her out.
