The apartment was smaller than Julian expected.
One room.
A narrow kitchen.
Two chairs.
A couch that looked old enough to have survived several owners.
There were no cameras.
No guards.
No locked doors.
That alone made Julian uncomfortable.
He stood near the window while the man who had brought him there placed the files on the table.
"You can stay here tonight."
Julian turned.
"Who owns this place?"
"I do."
"What's your name?"
The man hesitated.
"Elias."
Julian studied him.
"Elias what?"
"Just Elias."
Julian almost smiled.
"Convenient."
"You're not the only person who learned to keep their name private."
Julian looked back at the files.
He pulled out the folder marked Locke.
"Tell me something."
Elias sat down.
"What?"
"Was I dangerous?"
Elias didn't answer immediately.
"That depends on who you ask."
"I'm asking you."
Elias leaned back.
"Yes."
The answer was simple.
Julian looked at him.
"How dangerous?"
"You want the honest answer?"
"Yes."
"You were the kind of person people stopped trying to threaten after the first attempt."
Julian's expression remained still.
"Why?"
"Because you didn't react the way normal people did."
"How did I react?"
"You remembered."
Julian frowned.
"That doesn't make sense."
"It will."
Elias opened the Locke file.
Inside were photographs.
Julian recognized several faces from the wall upstairs.
"Who are they?"
"People who crossed Locke."
"And?"
"Some disappeared."
Julian's eyes moved to another photograph.
A man standing outside a warehouse.
"Did I hurt them?"
Elias looked at him.
"Sometimes."
Julian swallowed.
"Did I kill anyone?"
Elias didn't answer.
Julian's gaze hardened.
"Did I?"
"Yes."
The room went silent.
Julian looked away.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
He had spent so long wondering what Locke was.
A weapon.
A reputation.
A second identity.
But hearing that word made it real.
Killed.
He looked at his hands.
"They're not mine."
Elias frowned.
"What?"
"These memories."
Julian's voice was quiet.
"I don't remember doing any of it."
"I know."
"Then how do you know?"
"Because Locke didn't always remember either."
Julian looked up sharply.
"What does that mean?"
Elias closed the file.
"You weren't born Locke."
"I know."
"No."
Elias shook his head.
"You don't."
He stood.
"Locke wasn't simply another name you used."
Julian watched him.
"It was a role."
"A role?"
"A version of yourself you built because Julian Ardent couldn't survive what was happening."
Julian's expression tightened.
"So I became someone else."
"Yes."
"Who taught me?"
Elias looked at him.
"That's the question you should be asking."
Julian stared.
"Who?"
Elias didn't answer.
Instead, he picked up another photograph.
This one showed Julian.
Younger.
Standing beside Silas.
But there was something strange about the image.
Julian wasn't looking at Silas.
He was looking at someone behind the camera.
"That's before," Elias said.
"Before what?"
"Before Locke."
Julian studied the photograph.
"What was I like?"
Elias smiled faintly.
"Annoying."
Julian blinked.
"What?"
"You talked too much."
For the first time, Julian laughed.
A small, unexpected sound.
Elias smiled.
"You were curious about everything. You trusted people too easily."
"That doesn't sound like me."
"It was."
Julian's smile disappeared.
"And Silas?"
Elias became quiet.
"What about him?"
"Did I love him?"
Elias looked at him for a long moment.
"Yes."
Julian looked down.
"Did Locke?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Julian looked up.
"What changed?"
Elias returned the photograph to the table.
"You did."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
Before Julian could respond, Elias's phone rang.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed.
"What's wrong?"
Elias didn't answer.
He walked toward the window.
Julian followed.
"Elias."
"They found you."
Julian's stomach tightened.
"Who?"
Elias looked at him.
"Not Silas."
That somehow made it worse.
A car stopped outside the building.
Then another.
Julian looked down.
Three men stepped out.
One looked toward the building.
Then directly toward the window.
Julian stepped back.
"How?"
Elias grabbed the files.
"Because someone told them where you were."
Julian's mind immediately went to A.
"You."
Elias looked offended.
"No."
"Then who?"
Elias didn't answer.
The first knock came.
Three slow knocks.
Elias locked the door.
Julian looked around.
"Is there another exit?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
Elias moved toward the kitchen.
Julian followed.
They reached a narrow door.
Elias opened it.
A staircase led downward.
Before they could descend, a voice came through the apartment door.
"Locke."
Julian froze.
The voice was calm.
Almost respectful.
"It's been a long time."
Elias whispered:
"Don't answer."
Another knock.
"We know you're in there."
Julian stared at the door.
Something strange happened.
The fear disappeared.
Not because he wasn't afraid.
Because something older had taken its place.
His breathing slowed.
His eyes moved across the room.
Door.
Window.
Distance.
Numbers.
Positions.
Exits.
His mind calculated everything without effort.
Elias noticed.
His expression changed.
"What's happening?"
Julian didn't answer.
He was listening.
The footsteps outside shifted.
One person near the door.
Two near the staircase.
Someone outside the building.
Julian knew where they were.
He didn't know how.
But he knew.
He looked at Elias.
"How many?"
"Three."
"Four."
Elias stared.
Julian pointed toward the window.
"One outside."
Silence.
Then footsteps sounded beneath them.
Elias's face went pale.
"There should be nobody downstairs."
Julian looked toward the staircase.
Someone was coming up.
Slowly.
He stepped backward.
His hand found the edge of the table.
For one terrifying second, a memory surfaced.
A room.
A gun.
Blood on his sleeve.
His own voice saying:
"Never corner me."
The memory vanished.
Julian looked at his hand.
It was shaking.
Then he heard the voice again.
"Locke."
Something inside him answered.
Not with fear.
Recognition.
Julian looked at Elias.
"Get behind me."
Elias stared.
"You don't remember how to fight."
Julian looked toward the staircase.
"No."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"But apparently…"
He tightened his hand.
"…my body does."
The footsteps reached the final step.
Julian turned.
And waited.