The footsteps stopped.
Julian stood at the bottom of the staircase.
He didn't move.
Neither did the man facing him.
For several seconds, they simply stared at each other.
The stranger was younger than Julian expected.
Maybe early thirties.
Dark jacket.
Calm expression.
No visible weapon.
That somehow made him more dangerous.
"You really don't remember me," the man said.
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"Should I?"
The man's mouth curved slightly.
"No."
He looked past Julian toward Elias.
"You shouldn't have brought him here."
Elias stepped forward.
"He needed somewhere safe."
"Nothing is safe anymore."
Julian watched them.
"You two know each other."
Neither answered.
"Everyone knows each other," Julian muttered. "Except me."
The stranger looked at him again.
"You shouldn't be standing here."
"I'm beginning to hear that a lot."
"This isn't a joke."
"I know."
The man's expression changed.
He looked toward the door upstairs.
"They're coming."
Julian listened.
Nothing.
Then he heard it.
A faint sound.
Metal against wood.
Someone was forcing the apartment door.
Julian's body reacted before his mind did.
He stepped to the side.
"Elias."
Elias looked at him.
"Stay behind me."
The stranger raised an eyebrow.
"You really don't remember."
Julian ignored him.
The door upstairs opened.
Footsteps.
One.
Two.
Then silence.
Julian looked around the basement.
There was one staircase.
One narrow window.
A storage room.
A broken table.
His mind calculated the space automatically.
Three people.
Maybe four.
The thought came so naturally that it frightened him.
He didn't know how he knew.
But he did.
The first man appeared at the top of the stairs.
Julian moved.
He grabbed the stranger's arm and pulled him sideways just as the man raised something in his hand.
A sharp crack filled the basement.
The wall behind them splintered.
Elias ducked.
Julian didn't think.
He ran up the stairs.
The man fired again.
Julian dropped low.
He reached the top.
His hand caught the attacker's wrist.
He twisted.
The weapon fell.
The man reacted quickly.
Too quickly.
He struck Julian across the face.
Julian stumbled.
For half a second, everything blurred.
Then something inside him switched.
His fear disappeared.
His movements became precise.
He caught the man's next strike.
Turned his wrist.
Used his weight.
The man hit the floor.
Julian stared down at him.
He didn't recognize what he'd just done.
But his body did.
The second attacker appeared from the hallway.
Julian turned.
The stranger reached him first.
A struggle followed.
Three seconds.
Maybe four.
Then the second man was down.
Elias came up the stairs.
He looked at Julian.
"You okay?"
Julian touched the side of his face.
"Yes."
The stranger looked at him.
"You're not okay."
Julian glanced at him.
"I'm fine."
"You just disarmed someone without thinking."
Julian looked down at the weapon lying on the floor.
His stomach tightened.
"I don't know how."
The stranger crouched and picked it up.
"That was the problem."
"What?"
"You always knew how."
Julian stared at him.
The stranger looked toward the two men.
"Move."
They left the apartment through the back.
The streets were quieter now.
Julian walked quickly beside Elias while the stranger stayed several steps behind them.
After several blocks, Julian stopped.
"Enough."
Elias turned.
"What?"
Julian looked at the stranger.
"You know who I am."
"Yes."
"You know Locke."
"Yes."
"You know what I did."
The stranger didn't answer.
Julian stepped closer.
"Then tell me."
"You wouldn't believe me."
"Try."
The man studied him.
"You want the truth?"
"Yes."
"Locke wasn't feared because he was violent."
Julian waited.
"He was feared because he was unpredictable."
Julian frowned.
"That doesn't sound worse."
"It was."
The stranger looked at him.
"People could prepare for violence."
He paused.
"They couldn't prepare for you."
Julian felt a chill.
"What did I do?"
"You changed plans."
"What plans?"
"Everyone's."
The stranger continued walking.
Julian followed.
"You worked alone. You didn't follow orders. You didn't trust organizations. You didn't even trust the people who claimed to be protecting you."
Julian looked at Elias.
"Was Silas one of them?"
The stranger laughed quietly.
"Silas wasn't protecting Locke."
Julian stopped.
"What was he doing?"
The stranger turned.
"Trying to keep Julian alive."
Julian stared at him.
"You keep separating them."
"Because you did."
The words settled heavily.
Julian looked away.
"Why?"
The stranger's expression became serious.
"Because Locke was becoming impossible to control."
Julian's eyes lifted.
"Who was trying to control me?"
The stranger didn't answer.
"Who?"
"Everybody."
Julian shook his head.
"That doesn't make sense."
"It will."
The stranger reached into his pocket.
Julian tensed.
He pulled out a photograph.
Then handed it to him.
Julian looked down.
It showed a room.
A table.
Three people.
Himself.
Silas.
And the stranger.
Julian stared at it.
"When was this?"
"Three years ago."
Julian's eyes widened.
"Three years?"
"Yes."
He studied the photograph.
Silas was looking at Julian.
Julian was looking at the stranger.
But the stranger's hand was resting on the table.
Between them was a small black case.
Julian felt something.
A pressure behind his eyes.
Then—
a voice.
His own.
"If this goes wrong, destroy the case."
Julian dropped the photograph.
The stranger caught it.
"You remembered."
"No."
Julian pressed his fingers against his temple.
"I heard something."
"What?"
"I told you to destroy something."
The stranger's face changed.
"What exactly?"
"I don't know."
He looked at the photograph again.
"What was in the case?"
The stranger hesitated.
"You don't want to know."
Julian laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
The stranger looked at him.
"The case is gone."
"Where?"
"We don't know."
Julian's expression changed.
"Who has it?"
"We don't know."
"Then why are they looking for me?"
The stranger didn't answer.
Julian suddenly understood.
"Because I know where it is."
Silence.
Elias looked at the stranger.
The stranger didn't deny it.
Julian stepped back.
"You've known."
"Yes."
"And you were waiting for me to remember."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you just ask me?"
"Because the people hunting you would hear."
Julian stared at him.
"Then why tell me now?"
"Because they already know you're awake."
Julian looked around the street.
The city seemed different again.
Not because it had changed.
Because he had.
His phone vibrated.
He pulled it out.
One message.
A.
Don't trust Elias.
Julian stared at it.
He looked at Elias.
Then at the stranger.
Another message appeared.
But don't trust the man with him either.
Julian's eyes narrowed.
A third message.
You were wrong about both of them before.
He froze.
Before.
That word mattered.
He typed quickly.
Who are you?
The reply came.
Someone who remembers what you did.
Julian stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
And I remember why you erased yourself.
Julian's heartbeat increased.
He looked up.
The stranger was watching him.
"You got a message."
Julian locked the phone.
"From who?"
The stranger asked.
Julian didn't answer.
Because for the first time, he understood something.
A wasn't simply watching him.
A had been waiting for him.
Waiting for Julian to become curious enough to open the door.
Waiting for Locke to begin returning.
Julian looked at the photograph in the stranger's hand.
Three years ago, he had stood beside Silas and another man.
He had known something dangerous.
He had hidden it.
Then he had erased himself.
But the outside world had not forgotten.
It had simply been waiting.
The stranger started walking again.
"Come."
Julian didn't move.
"Where?"
"To the only place left where they won't look for you."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"And where is that?"
The stranger looked back.
"Where Locke used to hide."
Julian stared at him.
"Where?"
The stranger's expression was unreadable.
"Inside your own past."
Julian stood silently for several seconds.
Then he followed.
Behind them, across the street, a car remained parked with its headlights off.
Inside, someone watched them disappear.
A phone was lifted.
A message was sent.
He found them.
A reply came almost immediately.
Then the awakening is complete.
The screen went dark.
And somewhere in the city, someone smiled.