Finn Lennoy - October 2120
The drive back is quiet, almost painfully so. Noah sits rigid beside me, hands clenched lightly in his lap, eyes fixed on the faint blur of passing streetlights.
I keep my hands steady on the wheel, ears attuned to the quiet hum of the engine and the faint rustle of his clothing as he shifts slightly.
I steal a glance at him. He's trying to process everything, whatever it was he saw, what Kai went through, and the aftermath. His mind is running at a speed that no one else could match. I don't interrupt... He needs space to think and calm down.
"You okay?" I ask finally, voice calm, even. Not a question meant for small talk more of a grounding anchor.
Noah blinks at me, as if he's only just registering my presence. "I… yeah," he mutters, voice tight. "I just… it's a lot."
I nod, silently agreeing. It is a lot. Not just the situation with Kai, but everything leading to this. Everything we've seen, done, and survived.
We turn off the main road and head toward the nondescript entrance at the back of the property. Hidden from casual eyes, the tunnel leading to the house is near by.
It's dark, damp, and claustrophobic, but it's safe, our safety net. I can feel Noah relax slightly as the walls of the tunnel close in around the us as we enter.
"You don't need to speak," I say quietly. "Just focus on breathing."
I follow Noah through the tunnel, keeping a careful eye on his posture, his pace, the faint tension in his shoulders.
He doesn't look like he's about to have an episode, but that doesn't stop me from worrying. I don't know exactly what he and Ethan saw back there, but the fragments they shared with Kai gave me the gist.
Kai must have tried to kill himself at the facility.
The thought hits harder than I expect. I've only ever seen him act strong, unbreakable. Noah too. Seeing him at his weakest… I can only imagine what it did to both of them.
I don't like leaving Kai behind, but bringing Noah home is the safest call. Let him breathe. Let him think. Let him come back to Kai on their own terms, without either of them spiralling further.
I know it's the right decision. Still, watching Noah now, I feel a faint guilt gnawing at the edges of my calm. I can't stop thinking about how Kai lashed out back there. I've never seen him do that to Noah. Never.
Noah breaks the silence as we walk.
"I believe I may have gone about it the wrong way" he says quietly, voice tight with thought.
I step a little closer, keeping pace. "I understand. You were just worried about him."
He drifts back into thought, distant for a moment. Then, softly, "I just… I worry I may lose him again."
My hand hovers near his arm before I close the distance, resting lightly on his wrist. "You're not the only one" I reply, steady.
"Do you think he hates me now?"
I shake my head. "He could never hate you. He was just scared, that's all."
Noah stops mid-step, the words settling on him. "Scared?" His voice barely rises above a whisper. "Do you think he tried to kill himself back then because he was also scared then?"
My chest tightens. He looks so lost. I keep my hand on his wrist, grounding him, guiding him without forcing anything.
"We can't know exactly what he was thinking," I say calmly. "But you've seen his life at that school. You know what he's capable of. and how strong he is. And now... now he's surrounded by people who care for him, who want to protect him. You saw how happy he looked when you blew out your birthday candles together."
I give a slight squeeze. "Focus on the now, not the past."
His eyes shift to mine. I watch as the tension in his face eases, just a little. A small, careful smile breaks through.
"You're correct, Finn," he admits. "I'll apologise to him when we see them tomorrow."
I can't help it. I grin, wrap an arm around his shoulder, and give his hair a casual ruffle. "Come on. I'm beat," I say as we continue down the tunnel, keeping him steady, keeping him safe.
The quiet hum of the tunnel surrounds us, and for now, that's enough.
We emerge from the tunnel and step into the house. I notice Noah sway slightly, fatigue pulling at his balance. I keep a steady hand near his back, just in case.
As we make our way down the corridor, he speaks again.
"Do you think I should… bring Kai a gift to apologise?"
I can't resist the small tease. "You know he hates gifts."
Noah hesitates, chewing on the idea. "Uhhh… yeah. That could just make things worse" he admits, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
I give him a short, approving nod. "Thought so."
The quiet click of our footsteps echoes through the hall, but I can feel the tension in him easing just a fraction.
Something feels wrong the moment we near the living room, an almost imperceptible tension crawling along my spine, and I instinctively pull Noah behind me as we move past the room, my senses screaming that danger is already here.
Noah opens his mouth to protest, but the lamp in the living room flicks on, casting light across a figure seated in one of the chairs, calm and deliberate, as if he owns the entire house, while two other men stand silently beside him, radiating a lethal presence that makes every muscle in my body tighten.
"Father, why are you here?" I hear the sharpness in his voice before he even speaks the words, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief as he recognises the man.
I keep him pressed close, my hand hovering over my gun as my mind races through possibilities, calculating every second, every potential move.
Langford sits up straight, hands folded neatly on his lap, a cold smile on his face. "When your grandfather and I waited at the dining table for your birthday, I was surprised when you didn't appear" he says smoothly.
He continues, detailing how his men searched for us, finding no sign of either Noah or me. I notice the subtle tension in Noah, every muscle in his body is coiled, ready.
"And yet," he says, his voice calm, measured, "it is… curious to hear you mutter your brother's name."
Joseph leans forward slightly, his eyes narrowing, and I catch the shift in Noah immediately.
A silent warning passes between us as we stand there, both guards holding their weapons steady, fingers hovering close to the trigger.
Time stretches thin, pulled tight like a wire about to snap.
"Now," Langford says, voice calm but commanding. "Where is he?"
Noah grabs the back of my shirt instinctively. I step back, trying to create space, but as I do, the guards raise their weapons. We freeze.
Langford's gaze lingers on Noah, sharp and calculating. When he realises Noah won't answer, a slow, deliberate sigh escapes him.
"How disappointing," he says, cold and venomous. "I always knew your brother would bring you down."
"He didn't bring me down," he says, voice steady but edged with something colder. "You did that yourself."
A beat passes, his gaze unwavering, dissecting.
"You failed as a father" Noah continues, each word deliberate, controlled. "Cruelty isn't a mistake. It's a choice and you made it."
"So," Langford says, voice laced with dry mockery, "he poisoned your mind, is that it?"
"No," Noah cuts in, the word sharp enough to sting. "He didn't."
"I've seen the footage," he says, voice dropping into something colder, more dangerous. "I know exactly what you did to him."
Langford stands slowly, deliberately, each step measured. My hand shoots to my gun, lifting it into position without hesitation.
"Noah," I hiss, keeping my voice low but urgent, "you need to run. Now."
"What?" he stammers.
"I'll give you a moment, go!" I shout.
He hesitates, just for a fraction of a second, and that's enough. The guards raise their guns, training both barrels on us.
I fire. The first guard collapses instantly, a clean shot to the head. The second reacts too late and I fire again. Another body hits the floor.
Langford, unnervingly calm, watches it all. Not a flinch. Not a movement beyond his measured breathing. He lets out a sigh, turns, and sits back down as if nothing happened.
"Noah," Langford says, voice smooth as polished steel, "I've invested far too much in you to allow failure."
A pause, measured, deliberate.
"You're leaving me with no alternatives."
He raises a hand and suddenly, the front door shatters. More guards rush in.
I pull Noah behind me, firing at the first man who steps through. But before I can react to the second, the window explodes, a bullet slamming into my side. Pain explodes like fire and warmth spreads rapidly. Blood.
"No!" Noah shouts.
I look down, my hand instantly presses against the wound. My legs give way.
One of the guards seizes the opportunity to grab Noah. I snap upright instantly and fire, and the man drops instantly. But another wave of guards steps in immediately, dragging Noah.
"Let go!" he screams. I reach for him, but a brutal kick to my stomach sends me sprawling. My gun slides out of reach.
I watch helplessly as they haul him toward the door. His voice cuts through the chaos "Finn!"
Another guard approaches me, aiming at my head. I can feel the weight of inevitability pressing down.
"No! Please!" Noah cries.
The guard hesitates and Noah seizes the moment. A swift kick to the wall-mounted alarm and the lights cut out. Sirens scream, loud and unrelenting. Confusion ripples through the intruders.
"Go now!" Noah shouts.
I hesitate. Leave Noah? That's Impossible, how could I just leave him? But the blood is stealing strength from my body and my vision blurs. Every second counts, I have to survive and get to Kai.
I dive for the back door, staggering through the garden. My body screams, my limbs heavy with pain. I see the hatch to the tunnel. I pull it open and try to swing my body inside.
But everything begins to tilt... My head spins violently as the blood continue to coat my hands. My stomach twists and my legs give out.
I collapse inside the tunnel. The door slams shut above me.
The hard landing causes me to gasp for air, but that only makes me more light-headed.
The ceiling swims in and out of focus, shadows swallowing the edges of my vision as the cold starts to settle in.
Then darkness creeps in, slow, suffocating, and finally… I lose consciousness.