Page 32 of Stryker

Next, John pulled out an envelopeaddressed to him. But instead of reading it, he placed it off tothe side. Old coins and jewelry came next, obviously handed downgeneration after generation, and then he pulled out a rather thickfile and handed it to Stryker.

“Don’t you want to readit, John, or at least look at it first?”

“No. I assume it hassomething to do with this Noah Project, and you’ll probablyunderstand it more than I would. Besides, I’m not ready to lookinto the deep, dark recesses of my dad’s mind and analyze hisinvolvement in that project.”

“According to thedetective, your father was a victim and crucial in bringing themdown.”

“I hope he was right. Idon’t think I could handle it if he weren’t.”

“I understand,” Strykersaid.

While John continued to review all thepersonal items, Stryker opened the file to the first page. As heread, Stryker confirmed the file was information on the project andmany of the members involved. Names, dates, locations, and codenames were listed. John’s father was on the list, as were Woodley’sfather and Aleksandr Popov, but four more names were listed. Thesehad to be the ones the detective was searching for.

Page after page of information crucialto their investigation unfolded before him, and he knew he had toget this back to Brick and Spencer for further analysis. When hereached roughly midway through the stack of paper, he foundsomething that stopped him in his tracks.

For the first time, Stryker was unsurewhat to do with the information in front of him. He glanced atJohn, still thumbing through the memories left within the box. Hehad to do the right thing. He’d promised never to keep anythingfrom John, but how would he tell him something likethis?

“John, how much do youremember of your past?”

“Why?” John asked withoutlooking up.

“Now, I don’t want you toget stressed out or jump to conclusions.”

John shifted all of his attention overto Stryker. “What did you find?”

“There’s some paperwork inhere about…you.”

“Me? What aboutme?”

“Would you rather me tellyou, or would you like to read it?” Stryker asked as he held thefile out to John.

John looked at the paper as if itwould burn his skin if he touched it.

“Just tell me. Was myfather more involved than we thought?”

“No. This is strictlyabout you, not anyone else,” Stryker said before taking a cleansingbreath and continuing. “Frank and Evelyn Seya aren’t yourbiological parents.”

“What?”

Stryker took a deep breath beforedelivering the horrific and life-changing information.

“You were brought intothis world artificially, by combining a donor egg and sperm in alaboratory in one of the Noah Project’s facilities,” Stryker said.He reached for the inhaler sitting not far from them on the tableand handed it to John, who took it with trembling hands, his facewhiter than Stryker had ever seen.

“I was created, not born?”John asked, the words barely above a whisper. “I don’t believeit.”

Stryker looked at him in compassion.“It appears the task force found you and other children in afacility that they took down. Your father was there too and that’show you ended up with him.”

“He decided to take mehome like a lost puppy?” John said angrily, blinking backtears.

Fuck, this news must bedevastating for him.

He set the file down and went to hisknees in front of John.

“No. I think he wanted tosave you. To keep you safe. If he knew what you were capable of,and by all indications, he did, he knew better than anyone whatcould happen to you.”

“How can you be so sure?”John asked as if looking for a lifeline.

“Because deep down, he wasa protector and tried to protect you until the veryend.”

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