Ethan stared at the photograph.

He couldn’t look away.

The man standing in the corner of Room 217 had his face.

Not someone who looked like him.

Not a stranger with similar features.

Him.

Older by perhaps ten years.

Same eyes.

Same jaw.

Same small scar above his right eyebrow.

Sarah took the photograph from his hand.

Her eyes widened.

“That’s you.”

Ethan didn’t answer.

“No,” he finally whispered.

Sarah looked at him.

“Ethan.”

“That isn’t me.”

“It is.”

“No.”

“You know it is.”

Ethan stepped away from her.

His mind was searching for an explanation.

A twin.

A brother.

A photograph manipulated by someone.

Anything.

But there was nothing.

He was an only child.

His parents were both dead.

There was no brother.

No twin.

No explanation.

Sarah looked at the photograph again.

“The timestamp.”

Tomorrow — 2:17 AM.

Ethan took it back.

“Someone is trying to make us believe I’m the killer.”

“Or you are.”

He looked at her.

Sarah immediately regretted saying it.

“I didn’t mean—”

“Yes, you did.”

“I don’t know what to believe.”

“Neither do I.”

The hotel speaker crackled again.

Both looked up.

The man’s voice returned.

“You finally remember his face.”

Ethan raised his gun toward the speaker.

“Come out.”

A quiet laugh came through.

“You always say that.”

“Who are you?”

“You’ve asked me that before.”

“When?”

“Ten years ago.”

Ethan’s head began to ache.

“Show yourself.”

“You’ve already seen me.”

“Where?”

“In the mirror.”

The speaker went silent.

Sarah grabbed Ethan’s arm.

“We need to leave.”

“No.”

“Ethan.”

“We need answers.”

“We can get them somewhere else.”

“Someone knows everything about us.”

“And that’s exactly why we should leave.”

Ethan looked at the black door at the end of the corridor.

The sixth door.

He walked toward it.

Sarah followed.

“Don’t open it.”

“Why?”

“My mother told me never to.”

“Your mother knew about this place.”

“I know.”

“Then she knew something.”

The door stood at the end of the corridor.

Ethan reached for the handle.

It was cold.

He turned it.

The door opened.

Behind it was a narrow staircase descending into darkness.

Sarah looked at him.

“There was never a basement on the hotel plans.”

“Then someone built one.”

They went down.

The stairs seemed endless.

After nearly two minutes, Ethan saw a light.

They reached a concrete corridor.

There were no hotel decorations here.

No carpets.

No paintings.

Only cameras.

Dozens of them.

Small black cameras were fixed to the walls.

Every camera pointed toward the staircase.

Sarah whispered,

“Someone has been watching this place.”

Ethan walked farther.

A door stood ahead.

It was made of steel.

A small electronic screen was attached to it.

The screen displayed one question.

WHO ARE YOU?

Ethan stared at it.

Sarah said,

“It’s asking for a password.”

“No.”

“What?”

“It isn’t.”

Ethan touched the screen.

The question changed.

WHO WERE YOU?

Ethan froze.

The screen displayed another line.

ENTER MEMORY.

Sarah looked at him.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know.”

Ethan touched the screen again.

The door unlocked.

Sarah stepped back.

“How did you do that?”

“I didn’t.”

They entered.

The room beyond was enormous.

Rows of monitors covered one wall.

Every screen showed a different place.

A street.

A hospital.

A bedroom.

A railway station.

The Ravenwood Hotel.

Ethan walked toward the monitors.

Then he stopped.

One screen showed his apartment.

Live.

Sarah stood beside him.

Another screen showed the newspaper office.

Another showed the courthouse.

Another showed Sarah’s apartment.

Sarah stared at the screens.

“We’re being watched.”

Ethan nodded.

“How long?”

A voice answered from behind them.

“Twenty years.”

They turned.

A woman stood in the doorway.

She was about sixty.

Gray hair.

Thin face.

A small scar above her eyebrow.

Sarah’s face went pale.

“Mom?”

The woman stared at her.

Neither moved.

Then Sarah whispered,

“No.”

The woman smiled sadly.

“You grew up.”

Sarah stepped backward.

“My mother is dead.”

“I know.”

“Who are you?”

The woman looked at Ethan.

“Ask him.”

Ethan raised his gun.

“Hands where I can see them.”

The woman laughed.

“You haven’t changed.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Evelyn Shaw.”

Ethan lowered the gun slightly.

The missing woman.

The woman from Jonathan’s investigation.

The woman who had supposedly disappeared ten years ago.

Sarah stared at her.

“You’re Evelyn?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you look like my mother?”

Evelyn’s expression changed.

“I knew your mother.”

“How?”

“She worked here.”

Sarah looked around the room.

“Here?”

Evelyn nodded.

“She helped build this.”

“What is this place?”

“A memory laboratory.”

Ethan frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Evelyn walked toward the monitors.

“People think memories are permanent.”

“They aren’t?”

“No.”

She pointed to a screen.

It showed a man sitting in a chair.

His eyes were closed.

A machine was attached to his head.

“Memories can be altered.”

Sarah stared at the screen.

“Why?”

“To protect people.”

“From what?”

“From the truth.”

Ethan felt cold.

“Jonathan knew about this.”

Evelyn looked at him.

“Jonathan discovered it.”

“What did he discover?”

“That the police weren’t the only people using it.”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed.

“Who else?”

Evelyn looked toward the monitors.

“Everyone who could afford it.”

Sarah stepped forward.

“You altered my memory.”

Evelyn didn’t answer.

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

Sarah’s face broke.

“Why?”

“You saw something you shouldn’t have seen.”

“What?”

Evelyn looked at Ethan.

“You saw him.”

Ethan felt a sharp pain behind his eyes.

“Who?”

Evelyn pointed toward the largest screen.

It displayed a recording.

A younger Ethan walked into Room 217.

Jonathan was standing beside him.

Sarah was there too.

Ethan watched himself speak.

“I don’t want to remember.”

Jonathan answered,

“You have to.”

Young Ethan shook his head.

“If I remember, they’ll kill her.”

Sarah stared at the screen.

“Who?”

The recording continued.

Young Ethan looked directly at Sarah.

“I’ll forget.”

Jonathan said,

“Then we all forget.”

The recording ended.

Ethan stepped backward.

“No.”

Sarah looked at him.

“You knew me.”

“I don’t remember.”

“You knew my mother.”

“I don’t remember.”

“You knew Jonathan.”

“I don’t remember.”

Evelyn spoke quietly.

“You were protecting Sarah.”

Ethan turned toward her.

“From who?”

Evelyn’s eyes filled with fear.

“The Observer.”

The lights suddenly went out.

Sarah grabbed Ethan.

A second later, emergency lights came on.

The monitors flickered.

One by one, they went black.

Then a single screen remained.

It showed Ethan standing in the room.

But the footage was dated ten years earlier.

Ethan watched himself walk toward the camera.

His younger self stopped.

He looked directly into the lens.

Then he said:

“If you’re watching this, I’ve failed.”

Sarah stared.

Young Ethan continued.

“The man you think is the Observer isn’t the real danger.”

The screen flickered.

A new image appeared.

Jonathan.

Then Sarah’s mother.

Then Evelyn.

Then Ethan.

All standing together.

Young Ethan’s voice continued.

“The real danger is the person who controls the memories.”

The screen went black.

Evelyn whispered,

“It’s starting again.”

Ethan looked at her.

“What is?”

“The experiment.”

“What experiment?”

She pointed toward the steel door.

“The one designed to predict murders before they happen.”

Sarah stared at her.

“You mean the photographs?”

Evelyn nodded.

“They aren’t predictions.”

Ethan’s face tightened.

“What are they?”

“Instructions.”

Silence.

Evelyn continued.

“Someone creates a photograph of a future crime. Then they manipulate the people involved until the photograph becomes reality.”

Sarah whispered,

“So they make the future happen.”

“Yes.”

Ethan looked at the photograph of Sarah.

“Then the photograph isn’t telling us that I’ll kill her.”

“No.”

“Someone wants me to kill her.”

Evelyn nodded.

“But why?”

“Because you already agreed to.”

Ethan stared at her.

“When?”

“Ten years ago.”

Sarah shook her head.

“No.”

Evelyn looked at her.

“Your mother tried to stop the experiment.”

“My mother?”

“She discovered what they were doing.”

“What happened to her?”

Evelyn looked away.

“She was erased.”

Sarah’s voice cracked.

“What does that mean?”

“Her memories were removed.”

“You said she died.”

“I told everyone she died.”

Sarah stepped closer.

“You lied to me.”

“I protected you.”

“You destroyed my life.”

“I saved it.”

Sarah turned away.

Ethan watched them.

Then he noticed something on one of the monitors.

A live camera feed.

It showed a room.

Someone was sitting in a chair.

Ethan moved closer.

“Who is that?”

Evelyn looked at the screen.

Her face changed.

“No.”

Sarah looked.

A woman was sitting in the chair.

Her hands were tied.

Her head was lowered.

Ethan recognized her.

“Maya.”

Sarah stared.

“Who’s Maya?”

Ethan didn’t answer.

Maya slowly raised her head.

She looked directly into the camera.

Then she spoke.

Her voice came through the room’s speakers.

“Ethan.”

He ran toward the door.

Evelyn grabbed him.

“Don’t.”

“She’s alive.”

“For now.”

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know.”

The screen changed.

A countdown appeared.

18:42:11

Sarah stared at it.

“What is that?”

Evelyn whispered,

“The time remaining.”

“Until what?”

Evelyn looked at Ethan.

“Until the photograph becomes real.”

Ethan looked at Maya on the screen.

“How do we stop it?”

Evelyn didn’t answer.

The screen changed again.

A new photograph appeared.

Maya was lying on the floor.

Dead.

Ethan stared.

Then another photograph appeared.

Sarah was standing over her.

Holding a gun.

Then another.

Ethan was standing behind Sarah.

His hand was on her shoulder.

And another.

The man with Ethan’s face was standing in the corner.

Ethan whispered,

“There are two of me.”

Evelyn shook her head.

“No.”

“What?”

“There is only one Ethan.”

“Then who is he?”

Evelyn looked at him.

“The version of you they created.”

The lights flickered.

A door slammed somewhere in the facility.

Evelyn suddenly grabbed Ethan’s arm.

“We have to go.”

“Why?”

“Because he knows we’re here.”

“Who?”

Evelyn looked toward the dark corridor.

“The Observer.”

A voice came from the speakers.

“No.”

Evelyn froze.

The voice continued.

“Not the Observer.”

Ethan raised his gun.

“Then who?”

The voice laughed.

“Me.”

Every monitor switched on at once.

Hundreds of screens.

Every screen showed Ethan.

Different ages.

Different places.

Different moments.

But one thing was the same.

In every recording, Ethan was looking directly at the camera.

Watching.

Waiting.

Remembering.

Then the final screen displayed a message.

ETHAN COLE — MEMORY RESTORATION: 63%

Ethan stared at it.

“What happens at one hundred?”

Evelyn whispered,

“You remember who you killed.”

Ethan looked at Sarah.

Sarah looked back at him.

Then a gunshot echoed through the facility.

The screen showing Maya went black.

The countdown continued.

18:41:32

And somewhere above them, a telephone began ringing.

The clock had stopped at 2:17.

But this time, it was not tomorrow.

It was now.