Kai Langford - September 2120
No one should have been able to find this place.
So when Noah says, "I must say, this was a difficult hideout to find" everything seems to tilt, as if the ground decided to move without warning.
He can't be here.
But there he stands there like it's nothing. Calm. Hands folded behind his back, with an easy, almost careless smile on his face. Meanwhile my stomach knots so hard I think I might be sick.
The others glance between us, waiting, but nobody says a word. Of course they don't. They can feel it, the history, the tension, the weight of this reunion.
My breathing gets shallow and it feels too loud in my ears. Ethan's hand finds my arm and I look down at him, he's as shocked as I am, eyes wide, searching my face.
"Kai," he says gently.
I shake my head and pull away. I can't do this. Not here. Not with everyone watching.
My heart is racing again and the everything feels smaller than it should be. I take another step back, eyes flicking between Ethan, Noah… and Finn, who won't quite meet my gaze.
I need to leave. I need distance, a place where I can breath.
I start to turn and Noah's voice cuts through the space like a blade.
"Kai."
It's sharp and steady. The same tone our father used when he wanted obedience, not conversation. My body freezes before my mind catches up.
"If you run again, I will find you."
My hand trembles. Just enough that I notice.
I swallow. "Why are you here, Noah?"
He tilts his head, almost amused. "Am I not allowed to talk to my brother?"
The word hits harder than it should. Brother. After all these years, it lands in my chest like a weight I'm suddenly too tired to carry.
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out.
Edmund's voice cuts through the tension. "All right. There seems to be no immediate danger. Why don't we all head inside and leave these two to talk?"
Isaac sighs. "Shame, it was just getting interesting." but he's still the first to go back into the school. Ray and Daniel follow, each throwing me a quick look on their way past.
Edmund turns to Noah and Finn. "I trust you're not here on GeneX's behalf, and that you won't pose a risk to my people."
"We're just here to talk" Finn answers quietly. "We don't want trouble."
Edmund studies them for a second, then nods. As he passes me, he stops.
"This is for the best, Kai. You should be with your brother." He pats my shoulder once and walks away.
And then it's only the four of us.
Ethan moves closer, slipping his hand into mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Everything will be fine," he says, soft and certain.
I wish my body believed him. My stomach keeps lurching, like it's trying to warn me of something.
Noah steps forward. Instinctively, I brace. I let go of Ethan's hand and move to meet him halfway. He must be angry at me and if he wants to swing, I'll take it. I deserve at least that much.
He lifts his arm and I tense up.
Instead, he wraps both arms around me and pulls me into a tight, crushing hug.
For a second I forget how to breathe. My eyes widen as confusion floods through me. Over Noah's shoulder, I catch Finn's expression, calm, almost relieved.
"You don't hate me?" The words come out smaller than I intend.
Noah only holds me tighter. "Why would I ever hate you? You're my brother."
"But-" I hesitate. "I let you believe I was dead."
His voice softens. "Yes, I was angry. But now… I'm just glad you're alive."
The honesty of it hits like a blow. I finally lift my arms and pull him back, burying my face into the familiar shape of his shoulder.
I hadn't realised how much I missed him, how empty that space had become. We spent most of our lives together and when the facility took me away and my father barred me from seeing him, something inside me collapsed.
If Ethan hadn't been there… I would have broken completely.
I don't know how long we stand like that, but eventually Noah is the one who lets go.
"You need to tell me everything that happened."
My throat tightens. I'd been dreading those words.
I step back and glance at Ethan. He moves closer again, steady and warm, and it calms the storm just a little.
Noah's gaze flicks between us.
"You were in my lab with Kai?" he asks.
"Erm... yeah. Hi, I'm Ethan." He gives an awkward little smile and shakes my brother's hand, as if we're meeting under normal circumstances. Something about seeming them together makes my heart jump.
"I am Noah," he replies with a small nod.
"Oh, I know. Kai's talked about you." Ethan beams, glancing between us.
I wince inwardly, but Noah simply smiles, soft and thoughtful.
"Has he now."
I rub the back of my neck, awkward. Then I nod at Noah, a subtle signal that we should go for a walk.
He understands immediately and turns to Finn, who's been quiet the whole time.
"I'll be back in a bit," Noah says.
Finn nods before his eyes flick to me. "Glad to see you're doing well, Kai."
I nod back, feeling strangely self-conscious. "Sorry for throwing you into that wall."
I really had felt bad. I hadn't meant to hurt him, but panic had taken over.
"No hard feelings. It wasn't the first time," he says with a small smile.
The memory of out fights in my uncle's old studio crosses my mind, and I almost smile too.
I turn to Ethan, instinctively leaning into him before taking his hand. "I won't be long."
His fingers lace through mine. He reaches up, brushing my cheek, it feel warm and helps grounding me.
"Take as much time as you need," he says softly. "I'll be waiting."
My heart stutters. For a moment, I want to kiss him, but Noah and Finn are still there, and I can feel their eyes on us. When I glance at them, they're both smiling like they already know and heat rises in my face.
I clear my throat and face Noah. "Come on."
We walk toward the ocean as his footsteps fall in behind mine.
We don't speak until the sound of waves crashing against the rocks fills the silence. I sit, staring out over the dark water, the moon breaking into shards on the surface.
When Noah approaches, my mind flashes back to the dream I had the night I first arrived here. The hair on the back of my neck rises and I feel tense but he doesn't push me from the cliff like he did in the dream. Instead he simply sits beside me.
"It's quite splendid here," he says.
I glance at him. He looks almost the same the last time I saw him. His white hair catching the moonlight and his eyes are tired from the way he always overworked himself. It's the same. Just… older.
"Yeah. I like coming here to think," I answer, turning back toward the sea.
Silence settles again between us but it's not awkward, instead it feels comfortable. Almost like we were never separated.
"Kai," Noah says quietly. "What happened that day?"
I sigh and look down at my hands as my fingers fidget. I know exactly which day he means... the day everything fell apart. When we were attacked and our uncle died.
He deserves the truth, even if it's difficult.
"That day… you were hurt, and I had to protect you. So I used the Lunex vial I'd been hiding in my bag... Everything happened fast. And then the next thing I remember, that man was dead at my feet."
Noah keeps his eyes on the sea, listening.
"I carried you on my back... I tried to get help." My voice falters. "But when I found Father, he took you away and sent me to the facility. He told me you hated me and that you never wanted to see me again. It was my fault our uncle was killed and that I got you hurt."
The words taste heavier out loud.
Noah snaps his gaze toward me. "That was never your fault, Kai."
The sentence settles deep in my chest. It was something I'd needed to hear for years, but never felt like I deserved it.
"When I woke up in the hospital," Noah continues, "Father told me you were killed."
He looks away as his jaw tightens. His hands clench until his knuckles pale.
"How could he do this to us… to you?" His voice sharpens. "What did he do to you?"
"Noah, it doesn't-"
"Please, Kai." He swallows. "I need to know. I need to know where you've been all this time."
Shame crawls through me.
"He… experimented on me. Trained me for his Special Division. It was..." My voice wavers despite my effort to steady it.
"Unbelievable," Noah mutters, anger simmering. "I'm so sorry. That must have been hard."
"It was. Most of the time I just wanted to-" I stop myself. I can't tell him that I wanted to die. It would be to heavy for him. "It was difficult," I say instead. "But then I met someone. Someone who made it bearable even for a short time."
"Ethan?" he asks.
Even hearing his name makes my chest soften.
"Yeah. Ethan. He helped me a lot. But then Father took him away." The memory cuts, and whatever smile I had disappears. If Noah felt even half of that loss I felt when I thought Ethan died...
"I'm sorry, Noah. I'm so sorry." My voice shakes. Tears burn at the corners of my eyes, something I've trained myself not to show finally starts to break. But I try to push them back. I can't cry. Especially infront of Noah.
Noah suddenly pulls me into a hug. The walls I've kept up for years collapse shake dangerously. Years of pain and distance unravel in that moment and eveything within me feels like it's breaking apart. He holds me tightly, hand moving across my back, the same way I used to comfort him when we were children.
"I won't let Father hurt you again," he whispers.
I laugh weakly through my teeth as I fight against the tears threatening to break out of me "That's supposed to be my job."
"I'm the older one. It should be my responsibility to look after you." His tone is firm, protective.
I lean back, smiling a little. Noahs eyes shake as I look at him but he keeps his composure.
"Noah, you know I'd never let you risk yourself for me."
"Kai-"
But before he can continue to argue, I cut him off. "What have you been up to anyways? I saw you have climbed quiet high at GeneX"
Noah sighs, knowing that I have purposely changed the subject but he doesn't push. Instead he tells me about what he's been up to the last time I saw him. He tells me about his inventions, about Finn, about his life. And I sit there watching him and smiling.
I don't know how much time went by but when I see Noah try to hide his shivering I stand and offer him my hand. He takes it, and I pull him up.
"Come on. I want to introduce you to Ethan properly and the others."
He turns to me and pauses. I can tell he wants to talk more, wants to know more about where I have been, what I have been through. But right now, I just want to be able to appreciate this moment with him and not let it slip by.
As we head back toward the school, a quiet feeling settles in my chest. After all these years, I finally have my brother back and I couldn't feel any happier having him here with me again.