“Liora Vance…” he breathed. “She didn’t die…”
Ellie shook her head.
“No.”
The judge looked at her sharply.
“She disappeared.”
Ellie nodded again.
“Because she finished it.”
Mercer’s eyes widened.
“Finished what?”
Ellie stepped forward and placed her hand gently on his knee.
And for the first time in fourteen years—
Judge Calvin Mercer felt pressure where there had been none.
Sensation.
Real.
Undeniable.
He froze completely.
Ellie spoke softly.
“The spinal restoration protocol is complete,” she said. “Your legs just needed permission.”
The judge’s voice broke.
“Permission from what?”
Ellie looked up at him.
“From you.”
A silence followed so profound it felt like the courtroom itself had stopped existing.
Mercer stared at her.
Then at his legs.
Then at the note again.
His hands shook violently.
“…Liora is alive,” he whispered.
Ellie did not answer.
But her silence was confirmation enough.
Mercer’s voice dropped.
“Where is she?”
Ellie stepped back.
“My mommy said you would ask that too.”
The courtroom lights flickered.