Noah Langford - September 2120
"I'm going to help you take GeneX down," I say, my voice measured, almost clinical.
It's… perfect. I had always assumed I'd have to dismantle them from the inside using the Nullifier, but that plan was slow, methodical, it would take years in the making. Years I don't have time to waste.
Now, with Kai back at my side and with our goals aligned, destroying GeneX feels feasible.
"What?" Ethan's voice cuts through, confusion lacing it.
"Noah, no" Kai says, stepping forward and grabbing my arm. "This isn't your fight. You can't-"
I study him, quietly noting the tension behind his eyes. I know he wants to protect me. He always has and I… I'm relieved to see some things haven't changed after all these years apart.
"This is my fight as well" I say, calm but resolute.
I watch his jaw tighten, hear the swallow he tries to mask. I take the time to study him. His body is much broader, stronger than I remember, but it's marked with scars along his arms, neck, face. It tells a story of hardship and endurance. My chest tightens with a quiet fury. How could our father inflict this on him? It's unconscionable.
"It's too dangerous for you" Kai insists. "You need to go back and stay safe."
I let a slow, calculated exhale escape. "Do you really think I can just walk back into my old life? Pretend you are still dead? Pretend our father hasn't been lying… hurting you all this time?" My irritation isn't at Kai, it's methodical, logical anger at the injustice.
"Yes," Kai says simply. "You have to."
"No, Kai." My voice sharpens. "You don't get to decide that."
I see him falter, his eyes betraying the same suppressed anger I feel, the tightrope of control he's walking. He releases my arm, running a hand through his hair.
"I do," he says finally. "If it keeps you out of danger. Protecting you is my responsibility."
I tilt my head slightly, calculating. "It's not anymore. Finn's your security now, and I'm not the same person you knew."
Pain flashes across his face. I catch the brief flicker toward Finn before his gaze returns to me.
The room is full of eyes, watching and he see it as well.
"It would be helpful to have inside eyes," a man in sunglasses says, reclining casually on a desk. A cigarette dangles from his lips.
Kai's head snaps toward him. "Enough, Isaac."
"What? I'm just stating facts."
I step forward, speaking directly to Kai, careful to steady my tone. "With my input, I can provide significant support. You don't need to doubt that. I can be useful."
Edmund's voice is quiet but firm. "Kai, it should be Noah's choice if he wants to help. His skills would benefit us."
"We don't need him," Kai cuts off sharply, anger slicing through his words.
I feel the irritation climb, precise and contained. "Do you think so little of me?" My voice is calm, but sharp. "You don't understand what I've done. What I am capable of."
Kai turns, holding his head. I follow, analyzing, predicting, measuring. "I can provide substantial support for everyone here," I continue, strategic and factual, my mind already cataloguing the tactical advantage I bring.
Then the lights flicker. Shadows shift unnaturally by Kai's feet, then suddenly stretch out slamming a table across the room before it hits the wall.
All eyes snap toward him. He clutches his head, breathing hard. My mind catalogues, notes the intensity, the power. Before I can move, Ethan is there, one hand reaching for Kai's other, stroking, soothing. Instantly, I see the tension ease, and Kai's breathing evens, his body slowly relaxing.
When he looks at me again, the anger has receded, replaced by something… measured. He's put a wall up. It feels quiet and controlled.
He walks past me "go home, Noah" before he walk out the room.
"Kai!" Finn shouts, but the door slams shut.
I pause.
It's very rare for Kai to get angry. Especially at me. Even when we were kids, he wouldn't raise his voice.
Finn comes closer, standing just a little too near. "He just wants to keep you safe."
"I know," I reply, my voice calm, almost rehearsed, "but I'm not a child anymore." I turn my attention to the room, taking in the arrangement of people, the tension hanging in the air.
Everyone seems frozen, unsure of what to do next. Observing them, I can almost predict their hesitation, the mental calculations running behind their eyes.
Ethan approaches, his steps careful. "He just needs time to think. Today's been a lot for him."
I nod, understanding. It has been… a lot. For both of us. My irritation at Kai was unnecessary, I know that. My mind always analyses, always predicts, and yet sometimes, even I misjudge.
"I should go speak to him," I say.
"Let him cool off first," Ethan says, smiling in a way meant to reassure. "He just needs space right now."
I watch him carefully, studying the way he observes Kai, how he anticipates his reactions. Judging from what Kai said to me and how they interact, it seems Ethan knows him closely ... intimately closer. So I can only accept his judgment, though it's difficult. Kai isn't the same, and neither am I.
Edmund walks over, hands still behind his back, his posture deliberate. "Noah. I understand your brother's concern for your safety, but if you truly wish to help, it would be an honour to have you here."
I nod, acknowledging him, but my mind continues racing, plotting how to persuade Kai.
Edmund reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small card. "If you wish to speak more, please contact me." He hands it to me with a measured smile.
"I will. Thank you," I reply.
He turns to leave, the others who accompanied him following shortly after, leaving only Finn, Ethan, and me.
Ethan pats my back. "How about a proper drink?" He smiles, heading toward the kitchen at the back of the room.
I slump into a chair but Finn remains standing beside me, silent at first.
"Are you okay?" His eyes are sharp, attentive, watching me.
I push my hair back in frustration. I hadn't intended for things to escalate with Kai, but he wouldn't listen. "Yes. I'm perfectly fine," I say, careful to control the inflection, keep it calm.
But Finn sees through it immediately. He sits beside me, shifting to face me directly.
"He's right, Noah," he says. "This is dangerous."
I can't help the small sigh. "Finn, not you too."
"This wasn't part of the plan. You said you just wanted to meet Kai." He pauses. "Whatever this is… it's bigger than we can handle."
I analyse him, the worry in his posture, the precision in his choice of words. I understand his concern. When I asked him to place that tracker on Kai, it was only to speak to him, to understand what had happened. But now I know the truth. Returning to a normal life isn't possible.
I've been in dangerous situations before. Multiple kidnappings have left me almost accustomed to risk. Yet, somehow, I've always emerged unscathed. Alive.
"So," I say quietly, deliberately, "do you expect me to let Kai face this alone… again?"
His eyes flick to the table. A slow exhale leaves him. "I just don't want you to get hurt. But… whatever you decide, I will follow you."
I allow myself a small, almost imperceptible smile. Loyalty like that… it's rare.
Ethan returns from the kitchen, holding a few bottles of beer and a small tray of cookies. "Sorry. Our chief is probably asleep, so I can only offer cookies." He sets the tray on the table and hands us each a beer.
"It's okay, thank you." I glance at the cookies, picking one up almost mechanically, tasting it as I let my mind wander. Ethan's eyes stay on me.
"It's strange," he says, drinking his beer.
"What is?" I ask, swallowing the cookie.
"I can tell you're twins, but… you seem so different," he laughs lightly, shaking his head.
It's true. Life has a way of shaping us, leaving marks that alter even the most obvious similarities.
"If it wasn't for their hair colour, they would have been impossible to differentiate as kids, well... untill they start talking" Finn adds, opening his beer.
I turn toward him, mildly surprised at how quickly he's opened up to Ethan.
"Really? I would have loved to have seen that," Ethan says, brightening.
"Oh, yeah. Do you remember when you dyed your hair black?" Finn nudges me, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
The memory flashes through my mind. A laugh escapes me despite myself.
"Yeah. Strangely, I think that was the only other time Kai was actually angry at me."
I open the beer Ethan handed me, letting the foam fizz over my thoughts as I sip.
"Why what happened when you dyed your hair black?" Edmund says as he seems to fully focus on me.
"Maybe a story for another time" I quickly say.
It isn't exactly a memory I'd call pleasant. Even Finn doesn't know the full story.
I shift slightly, deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Anyway… why don't you tell us about you and Kai?" I ask, keeping my tone neutral, almost clinical, as if analysing the reactions that might follow.
Ethan rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly. I note the slight hesitation, the tension in his shoulders.
"You're… clearly dating?" I continue, testing, observing.
Finn spits out his beer, coughing violently. "Noah! You can't just say that outright!"
I glance at him, genuinely perplexed. "Why? It's obvious they're together."
"Oh, boy," Finn mutters, wiping beer from his mouth. His exasperation is… predictable.
I turn back to Ethan. He's slightly flushed, the kind of subtle red that only shows in careful observation.
"Oh… well," he begins, hesitating. He fidgets. My mind catalogues every micro-expression. Does he feel uncomfortable telling me about their relationship because i'm Kai brother? Is it because they're both men?
"Don't worry," I add softly "I've always known Kai likes guys."
Finn shakes his head, rubbing his face, but I notice Ethan's posture slowly shift, relaxing, just a little.
He studies us for a moment, then allows a small, genuine smile.
"Yeah… me and Kai are together," he admits.
I make a note of it quietly to myself, observing the relief in his stance, the subtle light in his eyes.
"He told me he met you at the facility?" I ask, watching him closely.
Even the smallest twitch of expression catches my attention. There... a brief shadow of sadness behind his eyes but it's fleeting, gone before he thinks I might notice.
"Oh… he's already told you about that," Ethan says, his voice careful, measured.
"Only a little," I correct, noting the precision in my own words.
Ethan glances down at the table. Subtle body language, almost imperceptible. He's processing, weighing what to reveal, calculating how much to expose.
I continue to watch him and then, what he actually says catches me off guard.
"Has your father also been cruel?"
Something tightens in my chest. My stomach drops, a reaction I rarely allow to surface. Finn tenses slightly beside me, and I can feel it. My mind catalogues it, but it doesn't make the impact any less real.