Ethan Knox - March 2121
My head is throbbing as I cough through the thick cloud of rubble and smoke surrounding me. For several seconds, I can't work out where I am or what has just happened. My ears are ringing from the explosion, making the shouting and gunfire outside sound distant and muffled, while dust hangs in the air around me. I reach up and touch the side of my head, pulling my fingers away to find them covered in blood.
I force myself to look around and try to piece everything together. The rooftop has partially collapsed, leaving broken beams, chunks of concrete and pieces of shattered equipment scattered across the floor. Smoke pours through the gaps below, and somewhere in the distance I can hear people shouting as the fighting continues.
The missile came dangerously close to hitting the school, but Noah managed to get the defence system working again just in time. It stopped the missile from striking us directly, but the explosion still sent a powerful shockwave through the building, throwing us across the ground.
Then I see Finn.
He's lying completely still on the ground, only a few feet from where Noah had been standing. My stomach drops as I push myself upright, ignoring the dizziness that immediately washes over me. I stumble towards him, trying not to think about what it could mean that he isn't moving.
As I reach him, I notice the blood spreading across the back of his clothes. Several pieces of shrapnel are embedded in him, and I immediately realise that he must have thrown himself over Noah when the missile hit. I carefully shift him enough to look underneath and find Noah lying beneath him. Noah is unconscious, but from what I can see, he doesn't appear seriously injured.
"Noah."
I grab his shoulder and shake him gently, but he doesn't respond. I shake him again, a little harder this time, and for a horrible moment, there is nothing. Then his eyes suddenly snap open and he begins coughing, bringing a hand towards his mouth as he struggles to breathe through the smoke.
"What happened?" he manages to ask.
"You were caught in the blast."
His eyes are still unfocused as he looks around, but then he notices Finn lying across him. His expression changes immediately as he reaches towards Finn's back and his fingers come away covered in blood.
"Finn?"
His voice shakes as he carefully pushes himself upright and starts examining him. "Hey, Finn, wake up." He taps his cheek and checks for any response, but Finn remains completely still.
"We need to get him to Sophie," I say, looking at the wounds across his back.
Noah doesn't respond immediately. He's staring at Finn with an expression I've rarely seen on him before, and when he finally speaks, his voice is quiet.
"He saved me yet again."
I look at him, but there isn't time to let him dwell on it. "We haven't got time for this. Come on, let's get him downstai-."
Before I can finish, a familiar whistle cuts through the air.
Another missile.
I immediately look towards the sky expecting to see it heading straight for the school, but before it can get anywhere near us, the defence mechanism beside us activates. A burst of energy tears across the field and intercepts the missile, sending an explosion into the distance.
I stare for a second before realising what has happened. The defence system is back up and running, which means at least one threat has been taken off our hands.
Noah doesn't even look towards the explosion. His attention remains fixed on Finn, and I have to grab his arm to get him moving.
"We have to go."
He finally looks at me, and I crouch down to shift Finn onto my back. His weight immediately settles against me, forcing me to brace my legs as I struggle to stand. My head is still pounding, but I push through the pain as Noah moves behind me and helps support Finn's weight.
"Careful," he mutters.
"I've got him."
We start towards the doorway, but as we reach it, I glance out across the field and stop.
The school field is a complete mess. Smoke drifts across the grounds, vehicles have been torn apart, debris is scattered everywhere and people are fighting between the trees. Then I spot someone in the middle of it all, and every other detail seems to disappear.
Kai.
He's fighting 002.
At the same time, he's trying to keep the other enemies away from the school, moving between attacks and forcing them back whenever they get too close. He's managing to hold them off, but without Finn taking out the enemies around him, more of them are beginning to slip through.
My heart drops as I watch several of them break away and start moving towards the school.
Noah stops beside me, and I know immediately that he's seen Kai too. Neither of us says anything for a moment because there isn't anything to say. We both know that Kai can't keep doing this forever, especially if more enemies continue getting through.
"We need to hurry," I say.
Noah nods, and we turn towards the stairs.
I keep one hand on Finn to make sure he doesn't slip while Noah helps support his weight, and together we make our way down. Every step sends another pulse of pain through my head, but I force myself to keep moving. We don't have time to stop, not while the battle is still raging above us.
By the time we reach the basement, several people are gathered near the entrance. A couple of them immediately raise their weapons when they see us, but the moment they recognise who we are, they lower them.
"Ethan!" Edmund calls as he pushes his way towards me. "How are things out there?"
I glance briefly at Noah before looking back at Edmund. "Not great, but they're holding on."
My eyes move across the room, taking in the people scattered throughout the basement. Some are treating the wounded, others are handing out supplies, and Sophie is already working on someone nearby, her attention completely focused on their injuries.
"Finn needs help," I tell her. "He was hit by shrapnel."
Several people immediately move towards us and carefully take Finn from my back. I help lower him onto the stretcher before they carry him over towards Sophie.
Noah remains where he is.
His eyes follow Finn the entire way across the room, and he doesn't say anything as Sophie begins examining him. I can see the guilt written across Noah's face, even though none of this is his fault. Finn made the choice to protect him, and Noah knows it.
Eventually, Finn disappears behind the people surrounding Sophie.
Noah turns towards the stairs and I immediately realise what he's planning and grab his wrist.
"Where are you going?"
"There are still things for me to do."
His voice is calm, but I know him well enough to hear everything underneath it. He's scared for Finn, angry that he allowed himself to be protected again, and probably blaming himself for something he couldn't have prevented.
He pulls his hand free and starts walking towards the stairs.
I follow him.
"Noah."
He doesn't stop.
As we reach the upper level, I notice him heading towards the weapons shed.
"The shed?" I ask.
He finally glances back at me.
"Kai needs my help"
I look towards the nearest window and see the battlefield again. Kai is still fighting, still surrounded, still trying to hold the enemy back while more of them move towards the school.
Noah turns away from me and continues towards the shed.
I follow, because he's right. Finn may be in Sophie's hands now, but the battle isn't over, and neither of us can afford to stop while Kai is still out there fighting alone.
As we step outside, the cold air hits me hard, but I barely notice it because the moment my boots touch the ground, my eyes flash blue.
The world around me disappears.
[A mountain of ice erupts from the ground, enormous jagged spikes twisting towards the sky as snow and shards of ice explode outwards. For a moment, I can't understand what I'm seeing, but then my eyes catch on something dark running down one of the spikes. Blood.
My gaze follows the trail upwards and my stomach twists when I realise someone has been impaled on the ice. I can't see their face clearly enough to identify them, and before I can look any closer, the vision disappears.]
I snap back into the present with a sharp breath, my heart pounding as I look towards the road.
I immediately reach for my radio, intending to warn the others, but my hand finds nothing. I check the other side of my belt, then pat down my jacket, but it's gone. I must have lost it when the missile hit the school.
"Damn it."
Noah turns towards me, immediately noticing the panic spreading across my face. He follows my gaze towards the road before looking back at me.
"Did you see something?"
I nod, struggling to catch my breath. "They're in trouble."
"Then go."
I turn towards him so quickly that I almost stumble. "What? No, I can't leave you."
Noah looks towards the weapons shed before turning back to me. "Ethan, we both have things we need to do. If your ability has shown you something happening on that road, then you need to go."
"You were almost killed five minutes ago."
"I'm fine."
"I can't just walk away from you after that," I tell him. "What happens if I leave and something happens to you?"
Noah steps closer and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Then you'll have to trust that I can handle myself."
I stare at him, struggling with the decision.
My ability has shown me someone dying on that road, but I don't know who it is. I don't know when it's going to happen or how much time I have to stop it. Every second I spend standing here arguing with Noah is another second that person could be getting closer to that future.
At the same time, Noah is standing right in front of me, and I know there are still enemies around the school. If I leave him and something happens, I'll never forgive myself.
I try to look into the future again, hoping it will give me an answer, but the possibilities are a blur. I see the road, the ice, the school and Noah, all overlapping until I can't separate one future from another. There isn't a perfect outcome waiting for me. I have to choose which danger I can live with.
Noah squeezes my shoulder.
"Ethan, go. You need to save them."
I look at him for several seconds before reluctantly nodding.
"Then you save yourself," I tell him. "Don't do anything stupid, don't try to be a hero and don't make me come back here to drag you out."
A faint smile appears on his face.
"I'll do my best."
"Noah."
The smile fades slightly as he sees how serious I am.
"I mean it. Save yourself."
He nods. "I will."
I hold his gaze for another moment, trying to convince myself that I'm making the right decision. Then I finally step away from him and turn towards the road.
I don't want to leave.
Every instinct is telling me to stay with Noah, but the image of that mountain of ice is still burned into my mind, and I know I can't ignore it. If someone is about to die, I need to at least try to change their future.
I start running.
The cold air cuts across my face as I sprint towards the road, my boots pounding against the frozen ground. I don't know who I'm going to find when I get there, and I don't know whether I'll arrive in time to prevent what I saw.
All I know is that someone needs me.
And I have to trust Noah to save himself.