Ethan knox - September 2120
As I watch Kai walk away with Noah trailing after him, I can't help feeling both happy and worried at the same time.
I'm so glad he finally got to see his brother again after all this time, it's like something he's been holding his breath over for years. But the way Noah just suddenly turned up… that must have hit him like a truck. He only just recovered from a panic attack, and now he's walking straight into more stress. Typical Kai... always carrying everything himself.
I realise I'm biting the edge of my thumb and force myself to stop, just as I sense someone behind me. When I glance sideways, the guy who arrived with Noah steps up beside me.
We stand there in silence for a moment, watching Kai and Noah heading towards the cliff by the sea. The breeze is cold, but my chest feels weirdly warm.
"I can't believe he's alive after all this time," the guy says quietly. He offers his hand to me to shake and I take it.
"I'm Finn."
"Ethan" I reply, giving him a small smile.
Finn smiles back but his eyes seem sharp. As if determining if i'm a risk. He looks about my age, though he's dressed head-to-toe in combat gear, the same outfit he wore in the lab. I catch the gun he carries and he looks like he actually knows how to use it, too.
"So…" I glance back toward the direction Kai went. "you know Kai?"
"I met both the twins when we were around nine years old," Finn says.
That makes me blink. Nine. So he's known Kai for years. A dozen questions instantly flood my brain... what Kai was like back then, what he loved, whether he laughed more, but I swallow them down. Now isn't the moment to interrogate the guy like an overexcited talk-show host.
"Were you close?" I ask instead.
Finn lets out a small laugh, then his expression softens. He rubs his forehead, clearly lost in memories.
"Yeah. Kai and I used to be really close," he says.
My stomach drops. Really close? Did they date? Did Kai love him once? And if he did… would he ever want to go back?
The panic must show on my face, because Finn quickly raises his hands.
"Oh no. Not like that. We just used to spar together at his uncle's studio."
Relief floods through me so fast I actually let out a breath. "Oh thank God," I say, pressing a dramatic hand to my chest as if that'll steady my heart.
Finn laughs. "You must really care for Kai."
His words land harder than I expect, and my answer comes out quicker than my brain can edit it. "Yes, of course. With all my heart."
Maybe I overdid it, but I don't take it back. Some part of me wants Kai's friends to know he's safe now, that I'm here for him and I'm not going anywhere.
"I'm glad," Finn says simply. We both turn our eyes back to the cliff.
"They could be a while. How about we go get a drink?" I say, flashing him a grin.
He hesitates, clearly debating whether he should leave his post.
"Come on. Kai will look after Noah," I add gently.
After a final glance toward the cliff, he nods and follows me.
As we walk, I glance at him again. He moves with confidence, but not in an arrogant way, more like someone who's used to staying alert. He scans the corridor as we go. Definitely trained. But since he only used a gun against us back at GeneX, I'm guessing he doesn't have powers.
For someone who's supposed to be a top GeneX scientist security guard, it's strange that Noah didn't choose a Guardian to protect him.
The canteen is quiet. Edmund must have told everyone the alarm was a false one and to head back to their rooms. When we walk in only Edmund, Ray, and Isaac remain inside, Edmund nursing his decaf coffee while talking with the others.
The three of them look up as Finn and I step through the door.
Edmund pauses mid-sentence, mug halfway to his lips. Ray and Isaac both straighten like they've just been caught doing something suspicious, even though they're literally just sitting there.
"Ethan," Edmund says, eyebrows lifting. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," I say, flashing him a reassuring smile. "Noah and Kai are just… talking. Thought we'd let them have a moment."
Edmund nods slowly, like he understands exactly how big that moment really is. Ray gives Finn a curious look, not rude, just assessing, while Isaac act like he's not bothered.
I steer Finn towards the counter. "Tea? Coffee? Something sugary that will definitely shorten your lifespan?"
He huffs out a laugh despite himself. "Coffee is fine."
I busy myself with the machine, because it makes me feel useful. The smell of cheap instant coffee fills the room, which is weirdly comforting. I slide Finn his mug and I sit across from him, nursing mine.
"So you used to be Kai's sparring buddy and now you work with his brother. I say lightly "What's it like working with Noah?"
Finn takes a sip, thinking. "It can be intense," he says finally. "He's brilliant. But he pushes himself too hard."
I smile faintly. "Guess that runs in the family."
Finn glances at me, then nods. "I'm guessing Kai still pushes himself?"
"Constantly," I reply. "He pretends he's fine, even when he's about two seconds away from collapsing. And then he apologises for it."
Finn's expression softens. "That… sounds like him."
We fall quiet for a bit, it's not awkward, just thoughtful. I watch his face carefully. There's a sadness there, tucked behind the composure. He really must have missed Kai as well.
"You know," I say gently, "he's care for here."
Finn looks up.
"I mean it," I go on. "Whatever happens, he's got people now. Me. All of us. We'll look after him."
For a second, I worry I've overstepped. But Finn's shoulders relax, and he gives me a small, grateful smile.
"That's good to hear" he says softly.
Before I can respond, the doors slide open and footsteps echo in. Noah comes in first, looking tired but calmer, and Kai walks just behind him, eyes distant, like he's still processing everything.
My chest warms automatically. He looks at me, and the corner of his mouth lifts just a tiny smile, but it's for me.
I straighten, lifting my mug in greeting like an idiot. "Hey. Survived your brotherly reunion?"
Kai huffs a quiet laugh. "Something like that."
Noah rolls his eyes. "You act like I am going to dissect you" But there's affection in it.
Finn stands and immediately moves closer, instinctively positioning himself just slightly in front of Noah, like a shield. Not controlling, just protective. That explains a lot.
I catch Kai's gaze again. I lift my coffee, trying not to stare at him like I'm the world's least subtle stalker. He looks exhausted, the kind of exhaustion that lives in your bones. I want to drag him somewhere quiet, shove a blanket around his shoulders, and make him sleep for twelve hours.
Preferably with me in his arms.
I shift closer to his side. As I do, his hand drifts toward mine, almost unconsciously, and his fingertips brush against me like he's reaching for something steady. Our fingers slowly intertwine, and his thumb moves gently across my hand.
"So," Ray says carefully from across the room, "everything… alright lad?"
Kai glances briefly at our hands, then answers, voice steady. "Yeah. Everything's fine."
Edmund steps forward, hands folded behind his back, expression warm. "It is good that you have finally found each other after so many years apart."
As he approaches, Noah shifts. "Dr Edmund?"
We all turn to watch them.
Edmund smiles faintly, almost amused. "Ah, so you already know of me."
Noah looks momentarily surprised, then his eyes sharpen with suspicion. "Of course. During my early research into the Lunex Vial, I reviewed archived development papers. You were listed as co-contributor... alongside our father."
Edmund taps his chin thoughtfully. "I'm surprised he didn't erase my involvement entirely. He preferred a clean narrative."
"Well," Noah replies, tone cool and precise, "he seems to prefer hiding a great many things."
Kai tenses beside me and I squeeze his hand lightly.
"But why" Noah continues, calm but probing, "would a scientist of your calibre choose to be here? And why break into my laboratory?"
It's a fair question. From his perspective, it's a nightmare scenario, we broke into GeneX, his supposedly dead brother is alive, Edmund's here with us, and we're hiding in an abandoned school. If I were him, I'd be suspicious too.
Kai steps forward slightly. "Noah, I can explain."
Noah glances at him, it's soft for half a second, then he returns his attention to Edmund, watching every movement like he's cataloguing variables.
"It's alright, Kai," Edmund says gently. "Your brother is entitled to suspicion. But I'm afraid there is a more pressing question."
Ray and Isaac quietly stand behind Edmund. At the same time, Finn shifts closer to Noah, his hand hovering near his gun. The atmosphere thickens instantly. I glance down and notice Kai's shadows hesitate, the air around him trembling with his anxiety.
I scan forward, but nothing dangerous appears in my visions... For now.
Edmund continues, voice even, almost clinical. "Now that you know Kai is alive and that this place exists what do you intend to do?"
Everyone's attention turns to Noah. He stands perfectly composed, as if tension is something that happens to other people.
When I look between him and Kai, I'm struck again by how different and similar their power is. Kai's strength is physical, protective, fierce. Where as Noah's is quieter, confidence, intellect, the kind of presence that makes people lean in and listen.
Like their father but without the suffocating edge.
Noah turns to Kai. "If you're worried I will report this to Father you don't need to be."
I feel Kai relax a fraction beside me. A part of me aches at the thought that if Noah had chosen to run back to Dr Langford, Kai would probably have let himself be taken, just to protect us. The thought hurts like a blade.
"How can we take you at your word?" Edmund asks calmly.
Noah takes a breath, mind clearly working. "From what I've observed today…" He begins pacing slowly, thoughts spilling into order. "You infiltrated GeneX headquarters undetected. You extracted sensitive materials from my lab, successfully. You operate with sufficient stealth that internal tracking systems struggle to locate you."
He gestures lightly toward Edmund and Kai. "You shelter an ex-GeneX lead researcher and a former Special Division Operator. You have established a base in an abandoned school facility strategically distant from populated areas, which reduces both exposure and collateral risk."
He keeps pacing, and everyone watches, captivated as he moves.
"Statistically," he continues, tone crisp, "this narrows possibilities. Either you are the organisation responsible for manufacturing the counterfeit vials… or you are operating independently with the intention of destabilising, perhaps dismantling GeneX."
Edmund actually looks pleased, like a teacher whose student solved the advanced problem first try. Typical scientists.
"And," Noah adds, rubbing his forehead lightly, "given that Kai has chosen to work with you, the probability that you're producing the counterfeits is extremely low. Which leaves one conclusion, you intend to bring GeneX down."
The room goes quiet.
No one denies it. Because he's right and he solved it with almost nothing.
Kai was right about him. He really is brilliant.
Ray's sudden laugh slices through the quiet, and the tension loosens like a knot undone. Edmund is still smiling, that proud, slightly amused expression he gets when someone surprises him.
"I can see why you're the face of GeneX, kid," Ray chuckles.
Noah doesn't react much, he just tilts his head, absorbing it like another data point. Edmund's voice comes next, calm and measured.
"So, Noah, what do you intend to do with everything you now know?"
Noah falls silent.
You can almost hear his brain working. His gaze drifts to Kai and then something shifts. His expression softens into a smile, but it's not just soft, it's sly. Like he's just solved a puzzle the rest of us haven't seen yet.
He turns to all of us, posture relaxed, confidence returning like a tide.
"Well," he says, letting the word hang for dramatic effect. "I suppose the logical conclusion is simple."
We wait.
"I'm going to help you take GeneX down."
The words land like a spark catching fire.