Ethan Knox - October 2120
My mind goes completely blank as the scene unfolds in front of me, like something inside me refuses to process what I'm seeing.
Kai is still fighting.
Even now... Even like this.
He's barely conscious, his body swaying as he tries to push himself up from the ground, coughing up blood with every breath like his lungs are giving out piece by piece. And still, somehow, he's trying to stand, trying to keep himself between us and the danger like that's the only thing that matters.
Like we are the only thing that matters.
My chest tightens so sharply it almost feels like it's caving in.
"No…"
The word slips out quietly at first, fragile and disbelieving, like if I say it softly enough it won't be real.
But it doesn't work.
"No, Kai!" My voice breaks as it rises, panic crashing through me as I step forward, reaching for him without thinking. But then a hand grabs me hard and yanks me back.
Daniel.
"No, Ethan, we have to go."
"No-" I shake my head, my eyes locked on Kai as he struggles to push himself up again, his whole body trembling with the effort. "No, I'm not leaving him, I'm not-"
Kai looks up at us.
Even from here, I can see the strain in his face, the way he's barely holding himself together, and still he forces the words out.
"Daniel… take them all and leave."
"NO!" The sound tears out of me before I can stop it, raw and desperate. "You have to come with us, I can't leave you, I won't!"
Tears blur my vision, hot and relentless, as Daniel wraps his arm around me and starts dragging me back.
I fight him immediately, twisting in his grip, trying to pull free, but he's too strong and I'm too focused on Kai, too desperate to reach him to think about anything else.
Because if I let this happen, if I let them take me away... I'll be leaving him here to die.
And I can't do that.
As I'm pulled further back toward the van, Finn steps forward, his attention fixed on Kai, sharp and calculating even now. Noah begins to stir on his back, his eyes slowly opening, unfocused and heavy.
"What's-" Noah's voice is rough, sluggish. "What's going on…"
Finn lowers him carefully onto the edge of the van, steadying him as he grabs his face.
"Noah. Stay with me. Are you okay?"
Noah blinks, disoriented, trying to piece things together, but then his gaze shifts past Finn and lands on Kai.
Everything in him changes instantly.
At the same time, my stomach drops so violently it feels like the ground has disappeared beneath me.
002 is moving.
He walks toward Kai with slow, deliberate steps, completely unhurried, like he already knows how this ends. Like there's no one left who can stop him.
Something forms in his hand. A new weapon.
The shape sharpens, solidifies, and my breath catches as I realise what it is.
A gun.
"No…" My voice trembles as I pull harder against Daniel's grip, panic clawing up my throat. "No, no, no-"
"What-" Noah says weakly, trying to push himself forward, his body failing him as he stumbles, then forces himself again. "Kai!"
His voice cracks, but it carries, louder this time, filled with something raw and desperate.
"Let go of me!" I struggle harder against Daniel, my movements frantic now, uncoordinated as fear takes over completely. Tears spill down my face as I reach for Kai, even though I'm nowhere near him.
Even though I can't reach him.
All I can do is watch.
Kai plants his hand against the ground, and shadows erupt from beneath him, not controlled or precise like they usually are but jagged and violent, surging upward like spikes as they lash out toward 002 again and again.
There's no restraint in it. No strategy. Just desperation.
One of the strikes lands, piercing through 002's arm, and Kai pulls his hand back sharply.
The shadow follows, dragging through 002's arm and forcing him down with it, slamming him toward the ground.
For a second, hope flares in my chest.
But it flickers, unstable.
Kai folds forward again, his body giving under the strain as he coughs harder this time, and more blood spills from his mouth, too much, far too much.
"KAI!" I scream, the sound tearing out of me, raw and broken.
He turns toward me slowly and when our eyes meet everything inside me drops.
Blood is falling from his eyes now, dark and unmistakable, and the moment I see it, I know.
He's pushed too far... He's burning out.
There's nothing left.
"You need to stop, Kai!" Noah shouts beside me, trying to get up again, but Finn holds him firmly in place.
And somehow, despite everything, despite the blood and the pain and the fact that he's barely standing, Kai smiles.
It's small and soft. Warm in a way that doesn't belong in a moment like this.
And it destroys me because it feels like goodbye.
My legs give out beneath me, my body unable to hold itself up as I stare at him, shaking my head even though I can't look away.
"No… don't-" My voice breaks completely. "Don't look at me like that…"
But he's already turning away, forcing his attention back to 002, who is pushing himself back to his feet.
"004," 002's voice cuts through the air, cold and sharp as he steps forward and grabs Kai by the front of his shirt, dragging him upright like he weighs nothing. "You just couldn't step down, could you?"
I can't breathe properly, every inhale shallow and tight as I watch.
"Now look at you," he continues, almost amused. "You're going to die here for nothing."
"It… wasn't… for nothing…" Kai forces out, each word strained, broken by uneven breaths. "I… did it… to keep… the ones I love… safe…"
The words hit me harder than anything else, and my head drops as a broken cry tears out of my chest.
"You were always too emotional, 004," 002 says coldly. "Now let me put you out of your pain."
He forms a dagger in his hand and raises it high.
Everything slows.
My heart pounds violently in my chest, my vision blurring as I try to pull free, try to move, try to do something... anything.
Then his arm comes down and just before the blade can reach Kai-
A violent burst of purple energy slams into 002's chest.
The impact sends him flying back, the force of it tearing him away from Kai completely.
I gasp, my head snapping up as the moment shatters.
Finn is already moving, pushing Noah into the van before swinging his rifle off his back, his movements sharp and controlled as he aims down the sight and fires.
The shot cracks through the air.
002 ducks just in time, the bullet missing as he shifts.
Before 002 can recover, a younger girl suddenly steps between him and Kai, placing herself there without hesitation, like she's daring him to try again.
Another figure appears beside her, moving fast and direct as he reaches Kai and lifts him up with surprising care, pulling him onto his back like he's done this before, like he already understands how fragile Kai is right now.
"016… 009…" 002's voice cuts through the air, sharp with irritation. "What do you think you're doing?"
The girl doesn't even flinch.
She steps forward slightly, her posture loose but confident, like this chaos doesn't touch her the same way it touches the rest of us.
"You know," she says casually, tilting her head, "I think I'm done playing here now."
Then she lifts both her hands and everything explodes.
A burst of purple explosives tears outward from her, slamming into everything in front of her with overwhelming force. The ground fractures, rocks rip free and scatter, flames catching where the blast hits, turning the space between her and 002 into something unrecognisable.
For a second, the world is just light, heat, and impact.
When it settles, she turns immediately, already moving, and the man carrying Kai follows without hesitation as they head straight toward us.
My focus locks onto Kai instantly.
He's completely limp against 009's back, his body unmoving, his head hanging slightly to the side, blood staining everything.
It doesn't look real... It doesn't look like him.
Something in my chest twists painfully, and I finally wrench myself free from Daniel's grip, stumbling forward too fast, my balance failing me as I nearly hit the ground trying to reach him.
"Who are you?" Finn's voice cuts in, sharp and controlled as he raises his gun, aiming it directly at them.
But I barely register it.
All I can see is Kai.
"I'm 016," the girl says without slowing, gesturing briefly toward herself before nodding toward the man. "And this is 009."
"We used to be on 004's... Kai's team" 009 adds quickly, adjusting his hold on Kai as he gets closer.
The names hit me instantly. Kai had told me about them. Not much, never much, but enough.
They mattered to him while he was was locked here at the facility.
"Please…" 009 says, his voice tightening slightly as he looks down at Kai. "We have to hurry. He won't last long."
That's all it takes.
The tension snaps, and we move all at once, closing the distance between us as they reach the van. I'm there the second Kai is within reach, my hands hovering for a moment before finally touching him, like I'm afraid he'll break more if I do it wrong.
He's still warm, but barely.
We help lift him down carefully, easing him off 009's back and laying him flat in the back of the van.
The second he's down, my hand finds his again, gripping tightly, like that alone might keep him here.
Voices echo faintly in the distance as reinforcements begin to move in.
"We have to go now" Daniel says urgently, already moving toward the front, pulling Tessa with him.
"Everyone in, now," Finn orders, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You two as well, get in."
016 and 009 hesitate for half a second, exchanging a quick look, something unspoken passing between them.
Then Kai coughs.
Blood spills from his mouth again, weak but enough to make my stomach drop.
Whatever hesitation they had disappears, and they climb in with the rest of us without another word before they slam the door shut after them.
The van lurches forward as Daniel accelerates hard, the sudden movement throwing us slightly as we speed away from the scene.
Inside, everything feels too tight, too loud, too fragile.
"What should we do?" I ask, my voice shaking as I hold onto Kai's limp hand, my thumb brushing faintly over his knuckles like I'm trying to remind him I'm here. "At this rate he'll - "
My voice breaks completely, the rest of the words refusing to come out.
I can't say it.
Noah is already beside him, unsteady but focused, swaying slightly with the movement of the van as he reaches out and carefully wipes the blood away from Kai's eyes.
His expression shifts the moment he sees how bad it is, but he doesn't hesitate.
"I'm not going to let him die," he says, his voice firm despite everything, despite how weak he still looks. He glances up at Finn. "Finn, did you bring my case?"
Finn nods and reaches behind him, his movements deliberate as he pulls out a metal box. The metallic clink of it hitting the floor echoes in the van, sharp and grounding against the chaos around us.
Noah leans closer, sliding over to the box as he opens it. Inside are vials of every colour, shimmering faintly under the dim light, and a laptop that glints with urgent purpose. He pulls the laptop out, fingers already flying over the keys as he starts typing, the glow of the screen painting his face in cold blue light.
Sophie takes Noah's place at Kai's side, her hands hovering over his chest before settling gently. "I don't know how much I can help with the… burnout," she murmurs, her voice tight with concern, "but I'll stop his organs from… collapsing."
I can't take my eyes off him. Kai's face has lost its colour, paler than I've ever seen him, and his breathing is ragged, shallow, every exhale a struggle. My heart is hammering so violently I can feel it in my throat. He cannot die here. Not like this.
What would I do without him?
I try to push the tears back, but they refuse to be held. My head drops onto his hand, and I press it to my forehead, clinging to the warmth that's still there, however faint. He's so fragile now, so unlike the Kai I know, the one who smiles at me, who teases me, who fights with fire and purpose.
Voices swirl around me, commands, movement, everything, but I can only focus on Kai. This morning, he was in my arms, laughing, smiling, promising me he'd be safe.
And now… he's dying.
And it's my fault. I should have been smarter and more careful. If I had done anything differently, maybe he wouldn't be here, bleeding, burning out, risking himself to save us again.
I glance up, trying to anchor myself. Daniel is driving with precision, while Tessa stretching across the back of the seats to remove the collar from Noah's neck while he types furiously. Finn is beside him, supporting Noah, balancing the metal box full of vials, eyes flicking constantly to Noah and to Kai.
016 and 009 sit near the doors, watching, silent but alert, as though they know exactly when they'll need to move.
I can't stop myself. My voice trembles as I ask, "Why did you help?"
016 smirks faintly, shrugging. "Because I owe 004 a smack, and I can't do that if he's dead."
009 nudges her slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Kai is our teammate, no matter what. We owe him a lot."
016 looks away, pretending to be irritated, but I catch her eyes darting back to Kai, lingering for a fraction too long before she forces herself to focus forward.
I feel so useless.
Even here, with him right in front of me, there's nothing I can do. Nothing that will fix this, nothing that can stop the terror in my chest from growing as I watch him fight against something I can't see, can't touch.
Then something itches at the back of my mind. I force my power to flare for a brief moment, a flicker of warmth and awareness, a spark that reminds me I can do something, even if it's just a little.
My eyes flash blue and I catch it.
[A military van, heavily armed, and gaining on us fast. Bullets start tearing into the road around us.]
I spring to my feet, heart hammering, and yell to Finn, "We're being followed! They've got heavy weapons!"
Finn moves instantly, grabbing his gun from the floor, leaning into it for balance, eyes sharp and calculating.
"There's only one of them," 009 says calmly, pointing as he scans the approaching van. "Three people in the car, two in the front, one in the back with a machine gun."
"How do you-" I start, but 016 cuts me off, cracking her fingers, moving near the door with confidence.
"It's just that power of his" she says simply, eyes flicking to Kai, as though that alone explains everything.
"You take out the gunner, and I'll blow up the car," she adds, a confident smile on her face that somehow steadies my panicked heart.
Finn nods, and on cue, 009 swings the door open as Daniel drives steady. Finn lines up the shot, breath even and finger steady. The rifle fires, and the gunner goes down instantly, hit with perfect precision.
A second later, 016 thrusts her hands forward, a purple explosion erupting from her palms, smashing into the van behind us. It flips and rolls, before it lands hard in a heap of metal and fire.
009 slams the door shut behind him, breathing steady.
"What was that?" Daniel asks, tension in his voice even as he keeps driving.
"Don't worry," 016 says, smiling faintly. "We've got it handled."
A metallic click draws my attention. Tessa has finally removed the collar from Noah's neck. The skin beneath is red and angry, but he doesn't flinch, he doesn't even notice its gone. He's too focused, too driven by the task at hand, typing furiously at the laptop, vials in hand, determined.
Tessa points to 009 and 016. "If you're going to come with us, we need to get those collars off you too."
They exchange a quick, surprised glance before 016 steps forward, smiling faintly, and 009 follows her lead.
I turn back to Kai, holding him gently, feeling the warmth fading from his body. His coughing has stopped, but he's still fragile, still breaking apart from the inside. Sophie works with steady, careful movements, trying her best to hold him together, but I know it's not enough. She can't cure the burnout. She can only delay it.
And if she stops, if her hands leave him even for a second… he'll burnout completely.
He'll die.
And all I can do is hold him, trembling, wishing I could be stronger, wishing I could do more.