Ethan Knox - July 2120
"Can you slow down?" I groan, ducking under another low branch that's very determined to poke me in the face. "We've been walking for ages, man."
Ray doesn't even turn around. "We've been walking for ten minutes, Ethan. You're just being dramatic."
"I'm not dramatic," I shoot back, swatting a mosquito away. "I'm just expressing my deep emotional distress at having to hike trough the forest in the middle of the night"
The forest only seems to get thicker the deeper we go, tangled branches, damp air, and that constant smell of pine and moss. Finally, the trees start to thin, and when we push through the last line of trunks, the ground opens up beneath us.
"Whoa," I breathe. We're standing on a cliff, and just below us, tucked between shadows and stone, sits the cabin. "Found it."
I put my hands on my hips before turning to Ray. "Ugh, you didn't mention we'd have to do rock climbing! I didn't even bring my harness."
Ray scratches the back of his head under his cap. "Oops. Must've taken a wrong turn."
"Oops,' he says," I mutter. "Next time, I'm navigating."
But before I can tease him further, there's a small boom below us. The cabin doors explode inward, splinters flying.
"Shit," Ray mutters. "Someone got to him first."
He adjusts his hat, tightens his jaw, and, before I can even blink, he leaps off the cliff. Just jumps. Like gravity doesn't exist for him. He lands hard, the ground cracking beneath him, and then he's off running.
I blink down at the drop. "…Great. Guess I'll find my own way down."
With a sigh, I turn and sprint back through the forest, trying to circle around the long way. Branches whip past my face, my boots slide in the mud, and my lungs burn. I push harder, following the faint trail of energy buzzing in the air.
Then, my eyes flash blue, and I see it.
[Ray pinned to the floor. A figure looming over him. The glint of a knife. The strike.]
Oh no. Nope. Not happening.
I burst through the trees, my chest heaving, and shout the first word that leaves my mouth. "Stop!"
And, thank god, the figure actually stops. The knife freezes midair.
I lean against the doorframe, gasping for air, trying to get my lungs to cooperate. When I finally look up...
Kai?
For a second, I think I'm seeing things. But no, it's him. Standing there in the flicker of shadow and light, eyes cold and empty. My heart stumbles over itself.
He doesn't recognise me. There's nothing in his face. Nothing.
My mouth goes dry, but before I can force myself to say anything, he attacks.
His shadows lash out, striking fast, and I'm barely dodging each hit. My eyes flash blue again, instinctively predicting his movements, but I can't keep this up forever.
Then the wall behind me suddenly collapses, and before I can react, something wraps around my throat, squeezing tight. The knife in his hand catches the light, and panic spikes through me.
"Kai!" I choke out.
He stops and the shadows seem to hesitate.
Slowly, I reach up to rip off my mask off and toss my hat aside. His eyes widen with a mixture of recognition, confusion and disbelief.
Before I can say another word, Ray breaks free and slams into Kai, throwing him across the room. The shadows break, and I rush forward, kneeling beside him.
We just stare at each other. He looks... broken. So tired. So empty it hurts to look at him and my chest starts to ache.
"Ethan, we need to go," Ray says behind me, his voice tense.
I barely hear him. I wipe the blood from Kai's nose with my sleeve, brushing his cheek gently. He's still pushing himself to his limits.
His eyes flicker, just slightly and I swallow hard. I've been waiting for this moment for years, dreaming of it, and now that he's here... he feels like a hollow shell of the person I knew.
It feels like the ground tilts beneath me, the whole world shifting off its axis. The mission to pick up Dr. Thomas doesn't matters to me anymore. All I can think about is getting Kai out of here, taking him with us, no matter what.
Ray is still muttering something about leaving, but I tune him out. "Come with us, Kai," I whisper, holding my hand out to him.
For a moment, his hand starts to move toward mine, but then he stops. His gaze flickers, and I see it. The comms in his ear. Someone's feeding him orders. Controlling him.
My stomach twists and before I know it, I snatch the earpiece from his ear and lift it to mine. "Hello?"
"Who is this?" the voice commands. It's strict and a hint of venom in his words.
I glance down at Kai, my chest tightening. "Tell Dr. Langford he can't hide behind his fortress forever. And tell him... Kai is mine now."
I toss the comm to Ray, who crushes it effortlessly.
Kai stares at me, dazed, confused, probably wondering what in the world is going on, wondering how I am alive.
I hold my hand out again, smiling despite the ache in my chest. "Let's go." and this time, he takes it. Relief floods me, until a low hum cuts through the air.
"Kai?"
Then he screams. The collar around his neck sparks violently, electricity ripping through his body. "Kai!" I shout, grabbing him. His body jerks once, twice, and then goes limp in my arms.
"Hey, hey, no no no, stay with me," I whisper, shaking him gently.
But he's gone still. Too still. And all I can do is hold him.
I snap my head toward Ray, panic sharpening my voice. "Break the collar off him...please!"
Ray exhales heavily, glancing down at Kai's limp body before stepping toward him. But before he can get close, Thomas grabs his arm.
"No, wait!"
We both turn to stare at him.
"You can't just rip it off," Thomas says quickly, his voice tight. "There's a failsafe built in. If the collar's forced, it'll trigger a kill switch."
My heart plummets. "Then what do we do?"
Ray frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. He pauses as if weighing up a decision in his head. "We'll take him to Tessa. She's the only one who can disable that thing safely."
Thomas shakes his head. "We can't take him back to base while it's still active. Those collars have trackers, they'll find us before we get halfway there."
The room falls silent. I can hear the faint creak of the cabin settling, the distant wind threading through the broken walls. Then an idea sparks in my mind.
"Call Tessa," I say quickly. "Tell her to meet us. She can take it off in the van."
Ray hesitates, eyes flicking between me and Kai. I can see the conflict on his face, he's practical, always thinking ten steps ahead, but when he looks down at Kai again, something softens. He rubs the brim of his cap and sighs. "Fine. I'll call her."
He heads outside, and I turn back to Kai. Thomas kneels beside him, checking his pulse, his breathing, his temperature, all the things I can't bring myself to do because my hands won't stop shaking.
"He doesn't seem to be showing any other signs of burnout," Thomas murmurs. I catch something heavy in his tone, something that feels almost like guilt. His hand lingers on Kai's cheek just a second too long, and I tense without meaning to. Then he pulls back and adds quietly, "Poor boy has suffered for so long… and I couldn't do anything."
The words hit like a punch. I look down at Kai's face, peaceful now, even if it's just exhaustion. And for a moment, my chest feels like it might crack open.
Flashes of the past rip through my head... the sound of his laughter echoing in that dim dorm room, us lying side by side under a ceiling of badly drawn stars… and then the image shifts, Kai, restrained, slumped unconscious in a cold metal chair.
I squeeze my eyes shut. It's too much.
Ray's voice cuts through the fog as he returns. "Tessa's on her way. We'll meet her by the van."
He bends down and carefully lifts Kai onto his back. The way Kai's head lolls against his shoulder, it makes him look so small, so young. Like a kid carried home after falling asleep in the car.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to move. Thomas and I each grab one of the metal cases stacked in the corner. They're heavy, filled with stolen Lunex vials and encrypted GeneX data, our ticket to helping with our own research.
We step outside, and just as the cool night air hits me...
Bang!
A gunshot splits the silence. Instinct kicks in and my eyes shimmer blue before I whip the metal case up, the bullet slamming into it with a sharp clang instead of my skull.
"Ethan! You okay?" Ray calls, spinning around.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" My pulse is racing, but I saw it coming. The shot, the flash, the angle, it played out in my mind seconds before it happened.
Movement in the trees catches my eye and a man emerges. Gun raised, the GeneX insignia stark on his armour. One look at his face, and something in me snaps. He's the bastard who hurt Kai, he's a security guard.
I walk over to Ray and reach behind him, slipping the second knife from Kai's belt holster. It's warm, familiar in my grip.
"You guys go ahead," I say, voice low and steady even though my heart's hammering. "I'll catch up."
Ray narrows his eyes. "Don't do anything stupid."
I flash him a grin. "When have I ever done anything stupid?"
He doesn't answer, just huffs and disappears into the treeline with Thomas and Kai.
Another bullet whistles past, splintering the wood beside them as they do. I turn toward the shooter, shadows flickering through the trees, and grip the knife tighter.
Before he can turn his attention back to me I surge forward, knife in one hand and the reinforced case in the other, the bullet barely dinted the metal.
He fires again and my eyes flash blue.
In a heartbeat, and I see it. The bullet slicing through the air, the shimmer of its trajectory. I shift a step to the left, lift the case, and the round pings harmlessly off the reinforced metal.
"Nice try!" I call out with a grin. "Ten points for effort, though!"
He fires again. I duck behind a tree, the bark splintering above my head. My chest is buzzing with adrenaline, but there's that strange thrill, that clarity, that rush that comes every time my foresight kicks in. It's like the world whispers the next move just for me.
He reloads. I can already see what he's planning before he does it, left flank, quick advance, gun steady. I sprint the opposite direction, circling through the trees. My knife glints in the dim moon light.
The guard comes around the corner, ready to shoot, but I'm already there. I swing the metal case like a bat, slamming it into his gun hand. The weapon goes flying into the undergrowth.
"Oops," I chirp. "You dropped something!"
He grunts and lunges at me, the weight of his armour slamming into my chest. We crash into the dirt, rolling, the air knocked out of me. He's heavier, and stronger, but I've seen how this ends.
I twist my body at the last second, his fist grazing my cheek instead of breaking my nose. I jam the briefcase up between us, blocking his second punch, and drive my knee into his side.
He snarls and grabs me by the jacket, trying to slam me down. My mind flashes, one second ahead, then I duck and kick out his knee. He drops, swearing, and I use the momentum to shove him back, both of us staggering to our feet.
He pulls a knife from his belt this time. "You're dead, kid."
"We'll see" I pant, flashing a grin.
Then he charges. I sidestep, the move already laid out in my head before he even makes it. I catch his wrist mid-swing, twist hard, and the knife clatters to the ground. He goes for a punch, but I raise the case again, blocking with a clang.
We're close enough now that I can see the sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes are wide, desperate. Mine, glow blue again.
In that flash of foresight, I see it... how this ends.
He stumbles left and his balance falters, and I move before the moment even happens. I brings the metal case up in a single, efficient arc and the edge connects with the guard's temple with a dull, unmistakable impact. The man collapses instantly, limbs folding as consciousness evacuates his body.
I stand there, chest heaving, staring down at him. My pulse is racing, every nerve burning. The future fades back to silence.
After a long beat, I exhale shakily and crouch down, to check his breathing. Still Alive. "You shouldn't have hurt Kai like that" I say with one final kick to his stomach.
I glance back toward the woods where Ray and the others went. My heart's still pounding, but a grin tugs at the corner of my mouth despite the chaos.
"Thank god that didn't last long, i'm so tired" I whisper to myself, rolling my shoulders. And with that, I grab the case, turn, and begrudgingly sprint back into the trees.
_____________________________
By the time I reach the van, they're already there. I push through the last of the trees, waving my hands, and catch the flicker of relief in Ray's eyes. As I step up beside the vehicle, he claps me on the back.
"What did you think, I'd lose to someone like him?" I joke, grinning.
"Of course not," he says, matching my smile.
I hand the metal case back to Thomas, who takes it without hesitation, and quickly checking the contents to make sure the documents inside survived unscathed.
Then I glance inside the van, and there he is, Kai. He's lying on the floor, breathing steady, with Ray's jacket tucked under his head like a pillow. I can't help the way my chest tightens.
"How long until Tessa gets here?" I ask, trying to keep my voice light.
"About twenty minutes," Ray replies.
Thomas shifts awkwardly, clearing his throat before speaking. "It's risky to stay here. Every second we linger is another second GeneX has to catch up."
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. He's not wrong, but I'm not leaving Kai behind and we can't leave until that collar is off.
"How long do you think it'll take them to get here?" I press.
Thomas frowns, thinking. "If the guard called for backup as soon as you two arrived… maybe thirty minutes."
Thirty minutes. It's close, but it'll have to be enough.
I climb into the back of the van and settle next to Kai. My heart starts thumping faster, hotter than it did during the fight. I reach out, brushing a strand of black hair from his face. Even now, lying there like this, he's still as stunning as the first day I met him. And my chest aches a little because, somehow, I still can't believe he's here.
______________________
Time drags just a little too long, and as the twenty-minute mark creeps closer, my chest starts doing that nervous flutter thing it does. My leg bounces under the van seat, and I can feel the panic bubbling up. I hate waiting.
Then, headlights appear around the corner. Bright, slicing through the trees like a spotlight. My head snaps up so fast I might've given myself whiplash. Ray's already on his feet, tense as a coiled spring, ready for a fight. I lean over, hand on his arm, give it a little shake, and he finally exhales, shoulders dropping.
The car pulls up, tires crunching over gravel, and two figures step out. First, a tall girl with brown hair, sharp gaze and that kind of presence that makes you know she's trouble if you cross her. Then a tall man follows, calm but solid, like a tree rooted into the ground.
"Why on earth have I been called all the way out here?" the girl asks, scanning the clearing. Her voice has this crisp authority, but there's a spark of mischief too.
"Tessa. Daniel," I say, hopping out of the van with a grin. "Right on time, as always."
They approach, eyes flicking to the van. "A GeneX division agent? That's… new," Tessa comments, quirking an eyebrow.
"You can't be serious, Ethan. We can't take a division agent with us," Daniel says, disbelief clear in his tone.
"Well," I reply, giving him a playful nudge on the shoulder, "we are."
Daniel just sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, clearly trying not to roll his eyes too hard.
We split into teams with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine. Ray, Thomas, and the metal cases pile into the car that Tessa and Daniel arrived in. Meanwhile, Daniel takes the wheel of the van, with Tessa, Kai, and me in the back.
I slide into the seat beside Kai, trying not to stare too much. Tessa sits on the other side, her presence calm but commanding, like she's already running through a dozen plans in her head.
"It's been a while since I last saw one of these collars," she says casually, like she's chatting about the weather.
"But you can remove it, right?" I ask, maybe a little too eagerly, fiddling with my fingers.
Tessa lifts her head and smiles. "Of course I can."
Her hand hovers over the collar, and a soft yellow glow pulses faintly from it. My heart does that little stutter-flip thing and I lean closer.
Tessa has this insane skill. She could crack open any lock, vault, or safe like it's a cookie jar. She used to be a top-tier thief before we found her. Once, she tried to rob the wrong people, big mistake, but lucky for us, that's when we swooped in, whisked her away, and she's been one of us ever since.
I watch her work, eyes flicking between the collar and Kai's peaceful face. "You know," I say, trying to lighten the mood, "I should really hire you to open the snack safe at the base."
Tessa chuckles, shaking her head, but the glow intensifies, and I feel the tension in my chest ease a little. Kai stirs slightly, unaware of just how close he is to being free from that cursed collar.
I lean back, letting myself relax for the first time since the chaos of the cabin. I can't help but wiggle a little in my seat with excitement, because finally, finally, I found him.
"Almost there" I whisper, brushing a strand of Kai's black hair from his face.
The van hums quietly beneath us, carrying the weight of relief and nerves.
Then, with a soft click, the collar unlocks. The sound is quiet, barely there, but it feels deafening after everything.
Tessa exhales and carefully lifts the thick metal band from Kai's neck. She doesn't hesitate for even a second before leaning across Daniel, rolling down the window, and chucking the thing out into the night. It disappears into the dark with a thunk.
"Good riddance," she mutters.
I let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah… good riddance," I echo, but my voice comes out softer than I mean it to.
When I look back down at him, the sight knocks the breath right out of me. With the absence of the collar, it's like the air around him has shifted. Like he's… lighter somehow. Freer. Even unconscious, his whole body looks different, less tense, less trapped.
But then my gaze catches the mark left behind, and the air in my chest tightens again.
The damage is worse than I thought. A dark, harsh ring wraps around his neck, carved deep into his skin like an unholy brand. Faint scars ripple along the edges where the metal must've rubbed him raw, over and over, for years.
I swallow hard and reach out without thinking, my fingertips brushing gently over the scarred skin. The heat beneath my touch makes my chest ache. "Damn it, Kai…" I whisper under my breath.
He doesn't move, but the sound of his breathing, steady, fragile, fills the space between us. And for a second, I just stare, trying to hold myself together. A stupid tear burns at the corner of my eye, and I grit my teeth, wiping it away before it can fall.
I glance at Tessa, who's leaning forward into the driver's seat. "Okay," she says, sounding almost relieved. "The collar's gone. Let's head back."
I nod numbly, still staring at Kai. Even now, even free, that scar will stay. A constant reminder of everything they did to him.
And I hate it.