Kai Langford - October 2120
We make our way down to the basement, the air growing colder the further we descend. The concrete steps echo softly under our boots, the sound swallowed by the quiet of the lower level. Dim lights buzz overhead, casting long shadows along the corridor walls. I feel them shifting slightly around me, responding to my mood the way they always do.
Finn walks a step behind me. I hear the familiar metallic click of him checking his gun, the slide snapping quietly back into place.
I glance over my shoulder at him.
"What?" he asks, raising an eyebrow when he notices me looking.
"Are you planning to shoot him for answers?" I ask. My voice stays calm, but there's an edge beneath it I can't quite hide.
Finn shrugs one shoulder like the question doesn't matter much to him. "Hey," he says casually, lifting the gun slightly before lowering it again, "you've got your shadows. I've got my gun."
I turn back toward the corridor, but a small smile slips through before I can stop it.
Christopher had always been my responsibility. I would have dealt with him alone if it came to that. There was never any question about it in my mind. There was no world where I would let someone threaten Ethan or Noah and simply walk away from it.
The thought of him and Ethan together still sends a sharp twist through my chest. Even now.
But when Finn said he wanted to come with me, claiming he also had a personal dislike for Christopher and wouldn't mind getting at least one hit in, I hadn't refused.
That had surprised me a little.
Normally I handle things myself. It's easier that way.
Still, I've known Finn long enough to trust him. If things go wrong, he'll have my back. I don't have to look to know he's watching everything around us.
As we walk through the first room, I notice Bennet sitting on the floor against the far wall. Heavy chains run from the metal cuffs on his wrists to a ring bolted into the concrete. He rocks slowly back and forth, the chains clinking softly each time he moves as he tugs at them without much strength.
His eyes are unfocused, staring somewhere past us. He doesn't acknowledge our presence at all.
I study him for a moment, watching the dull rhythm of his movement, before continuing down the corridor.
In the next room, the woman, Katie, is hunched over a cluttered desk. Papers are scattered everywhere, some half-falling onto the floor as she scribbles quickly across a page like she's afraid the thought will escape if she stops writing.
When she notices us passing the doorway, she looks up and lifts her hand in a small, awkward wave.
Finn returns it automatically with a brief flick of his fingers, but I keep walking.
Even if what happened to Ethan wasn't intentional, the memory of it still sits heavy in my chest. Forgiveness isn't something I can give that easily. Not when Ethan had been the one paying the price.
The corridor grows quieter as we approach the last door.
Christopher's cell.
I stop just outside it and take a slow breath, letting the cool air fill my lungs. The shadows pooled along the floor stir faintly around my feet, curling along the edges of the walls as if they're waiting for my command.
Finn steps closer and gives my shoulder a firm pat.
"You've got this, mate" he says.
I nod, my eyes still fixed on the metal door in front of us.
"Just…" I begin, pausing for a moment before finishing quietly, "stop me if it looks like I might kill him."
Finn lets out a short breath that might be a laugh.
Then I reach for the handle, push the door open, and step inside.
The door closes behind us with a heavy thud that echoes around the concrete room before fading into the low hum of the overhead lights.
Christopher Oswald sits in the centre of the cell. He sits comfortably, back straight, shoulders relaxed, as though he's waiting for a delayed meeting rather than sitting in a basement cell.
He looks up as we enter. His nose has been poorly patched up since last time.
His gaze lands on me first, lingering there with open curiosity. Then it shifts past me to Finn.
For a moment the smile on Christopher's face freezes.
Recognition flickers across his expression. Then the smile slowly returns, wider this time.
"Well," he says smoothly, leaning back in the chair as his eyes move between us. "This is interesting."
The overhead light buzzes softly.
The shadows along the edges of the room stretch slightly along the walls.
Christopher tilts his head as he studies Finn more closely.
"I didn't expect to see you here Officer Lennoy" he says.
Finn raises an eyebrow.
Christopher lets out a quiet laugh. "Why is an Officer of GeneX all the way out here?"
Finn's relaxed posture doesn't change, but I notice the way his grip on the gun tightens slightly.
Christopher's gaze sharpens. "Your Noah Langford, personal guard are you not?" he continues.
The room grows quieter, but Finn doesn't answer.
Christopher looks back at me, the pieces clearly fitting together in his mind.
"Well," he murmurs, leaning forward slightly. "That explains a great deal."
The shadows along the floor stir faintly.
"So Noah is involved after all," Christopher continues, sounding almost impressed. "I wondered how long it would take before he decided to stop playing the obedient son."
Finn exhales slowly.
"You talk too much," he says.
Christopher ignores him.
"GeneX won't like that," he adds calmly, looking back at me. "Two Langford brothers turning against the company. What would your father say?"
My voice stays calm when I answer.
"This isn't about GeneX."
Christopher smiles again, though there's something sharper behind it now.
"Everything is about GeneX," he says. "You of all people should understand that."
I crouch slightly so we're level.
"The warehouse," I say. "The one storing the counterfeit vials."
Christopher watches me for a moment before giving a small, amused shake of his head.
"You're skipping the interesting part of the conversation," he says. "Your brother betraying the company that made him. That's worth discussing."
Finn pushes himself away from the wall and walks closer.
"Maybe later," Finn says. "Right now we're doing the interrogation part."
Christopher glances at the gun in Finn's hand and smiles faintly.
"You won't shoot me," he says confidently. "I am inconveniently valuable."
"Doesn't mean I can't try." Finn shrugs.
Christopher's attention returns to me.
"So did you drag Noah into your mess again?" he says thoughtfully.
"I'm not here to talk about my brother" I reply quietly.
Christopher studies my face, clearly trying to read something there.
"Still protective," he says. "I can see why Ethan likes you."
The shadows along the wall rise slightly like dark smoke curling upward. Christopher notices the movement and glances behind him.
When he turns back to me, there's the faintest crack in his composure.
"I don't enjoy hurting people," I say calmly.
The shadows slide down the wall and coil around the legs of his chair, wrapping slowly around the metal frame.
"But I will if I have to."
Christopher's eyes flick downward as the shadows tighten just enough to make the chair creak.
Finn lets out a quiet whistle.
"That's usually the point where people start answering questions" Finn says.
Christopher lifts his gaze again.
"What do you want?" he asks.
"The warehouse," I say. "how many guards are protecting it."
Christopher hesitates.
The shadows creep higher along the chair legs.
"Eight guards," he says after a moment. "Four outside rotating shifts, four inside."
Finn tilts his head. "Any of them enhanced?"
Christopher glances at me again before answering.
"Two," he says quietly.
Finn gives a low whistle.
"Two powered guards and six regular ones," he mutters.
Christopher leans back as much as the shadows allow.
"You really think this changes anything?" he asks calmly. "The vials are already out there in the world, the damage is already done."
"Good job Noah created a nullifer then" Finn speaks me.
Christophere looks up surprised at that.
He studies us both after giving the information, the faint smile on his face settling back into the same composed expression he probably wore through years of GeneX board meetings. Even chained to the floor of a concrete cell, he somehow carries himself like the most powerful person in the room.
Finn stands beside me with one shoulder slightly forward, the gun hanging loosely in his hand. To anyone else he might look relaxed, but I know him well enough to recognise the quiet alertness in his posture.
Christopher's eyes move between us before settling back on me.
"You really should have brought Noah instead" he says thoughtfully, as if we're discussing something mildly disappointing rather than an interrogation. "He was always the more interesting Langford."
The shadows along the floor shift slightly.
Christopher notices, but doesn't seem particularly concerned.
"He asks better questions," he continues, watching my face carefully. "More precise. More strategic. He always did understand how things actually work."
Finn exhales slowly through his nose.
"You're pushing your luck" Finn says, his voice calm but edged with warning.
Christopher barely acknowledges him.
"I suppose that's always been the difference between you two," he continues, tilting his head slightly as he studies me. "Noah was the mind. You were the weapon."
The words sit in the air for a moment.
"You think you're protecting him," Christopher adds quietly, "but really you're just doing what GeneX designed you to do."
The shadows creep a little higher along the metal legs of his chair.
I remain silent.
Christopher's eyes sharpen slightly, as if he's pleased to see the reaction even if I'm not showing it openly.
"Tell me something," he says, leaning forward just enough to keep my attention. "Does Ethan know that?"
Christopher's smile widens slightly.
"Does he know that when things get difficult you fall straight back into being exactly what your father made you?" he continues. "A controlled asset with anger issues."
The air in the room feels heavier.
Christopher watches me closely, clearly enjoying the shift.
"I was dating Ethan for months," he adds casually, like he's mentioning the weather. "He was so easy to make cry."
Something tight twists sharply in my chest.
"And he liked calm people," Christopher continues, his voice smooth and deliberate. "People who could think clearly. Not someone who solves problems with violence."
The shadows surge forward across the floor before I consciously move them.
Christopher barely has time to react before they rise sharply and slam his chair backward into the wall with a violent crash. The metal frame hits the concrete hard, rattling the chain attached to his ankle.
I step forward without thinking.
My hand grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him forward against the restraints, the shadows tightening around the chair to keep him pinned in place.
For the first time since we entered the room, Christopher's breathing falters.
"You don't get to talk about Ethan," I say quietly.
Christopher looks up at me from where the shadows hold him, and despite everything, there's still the faintest trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"There it is," he murmurs.
My grip tightens on his collar. The shadows curl around his wrists like dark restraints.
"You're proving my point."
My arm pulls back.
Before I can swing, a hand closes firmly around my wrist.
Finn.
His grip is strong enough to stop the movement entirely.
"Kai."
His voice is calm, steady, and much closer than I realised.
For a moment the room is silent except for Christopher's slightly uneven breathing and the quiet hum of the lights above us.
Finn doesn't let go.
"Enough" he says quietly.
The words cut through the sharp edge of anger sitting in my chest.
Christopher watches the interaction with unsettling interest.
"You see?" he says softly, his voice still strained but amused. "He's the one with discipline."
Finn shoots him a flat look.
"You're really trying to see how far you can push this, aren't you?"
I stare at Christopher for another long moment before slowly loosening my grip on his shirt.
The shadows around him ease slightly, though they don't fully retreat.
Christopher settles back into the chair as much as the restraints allow, smoothing the front of his shirt with deliberate care as if trying to restore some dignity to the situation.
"You're emotional," he says, lifting his eyes to mine again. "That's always been your weakness and one that will get everyone killed"
Finn steps forward slightly so he's standing partly between us now, not blocking me completely but clearly positioning himself as a barrier.
Christopher glances at him briefly before his attention drifts back to me.
Finn clears his throat, a subtle warning. "I think we're done here for now. Let's go."
I nod, my jaw tight, and step past him. I don't speak. I don't look back. The air in the basement feels heavy, oppressive, almost tainted by the arrogance and venom Christopher exudes. I need distance.
The door to the basement opens, and I step out into the cool night air. The air smells faintly of rain and salt. I pull a small cigarette from my coat pocket, my fingers shaking slightly, and light it, inhaling the smoke deeply. The bitter, rich scent fills my lungs and grounds me in a way that nothing else seems to right now.
Finn remains a few steps behind, giving me the space he knows I need. "Feeling better?" he asks, his voice quiet, careful.
I exhale slowly, letting the smoke curl around my face. "A little," I admit. "He knows how to push buttons"
Finn watches me silently, letting me have this moment. The orange tip of the cigarette glows bright in the darkness as I take another slow drag, feeling some of the tension loosen.
I glance up at the stars. "I just… I can't let him hurt Ethan and Noah" I mutter, mostly to myself. "Not ever."