Ethan Knox - October 2120
It amazes me how Noah moves the second he wakes up.
There's no hesitation in him, no moment where he lets the pain catch up. He takes one look at Kai and immediately starts planning, like his body isn't barely holding itself together. Like none of it matters as long as Kai survives.
I would admire it under any other circumstances.
Right now, I can't.
Because every time I look away from Kai, even for a second, it feels wrong. Like I'm abandoning him when he needs me most, like something might change if I stop watching.
And he hasn't moved.
Not once.
Each passing second presses heavier against my chest, cracking something open inside me that I can't hold together no matter how hard I try.
"Come on…" My voice barely makes it out as I kneel beside him, my hand already finding his face without thinking. "You're supposed to be yelling at me right now for going for Noah without you"
My thumb brushes over his cheek, soft and careful at first, but there's too much blood. It smears under my touch, streaking across his skin, and I know I should stop before I make it worse.
But I can't.
Because he's still warm, and that warmth is the only thing tethering me here, the only proof I have that I haven't lost him yet.
"You don't get to be this quiet," I whisper, my voice tightening despite myself. "Not you."
He doesn't respond.
The silence stretches too far, too heavy, and I feel it starting to crush me from the inside.
"Ethan."
The sound of my name pulls me back just enough to turn my head. Edmund is already walking towards me, calm as ever, steady in a way that feels almost impossible right now. He kneels beside me, his presence grounding even when everything else feels like it's slipping.
I don't answer him. I'm not sure I can.
Everything in me feels drained, like even speaking would take more energy than I have left.
"Ethan, I need you to listen to me" he says quietly, his voice controlled and deliberate. "You want to help Kai, correct?"
There's something about the way he says it, simple and direct, that cuts through the noise in my head. It gives me something solid to hold onto.
I nod, forcing the movement even as my throat tightens.
"Then you're our best chance at getting Katie to help," he continues. "I need you to go to her and bring her here."
My eyes immediately return to Kai, and the words leave me before I can stop them.
"No… I can't. What if something happens while I'm gone?"
A hand closes around my arm, firm enough to pull me back into focus.
"Ethan, knock out of it." Daniel says.
I look at him, and there's no softness in his expression, no room for hesitation.
"Kai needs you right now," he says, his voice sharper. "So do something that actually helps."
It lands harder than anything else, because he's right.
If this is the only thing I can do for him, then I don't get to sit here and fall apart.
I take one last look at Kai, memorising the rise and fall of his chest, the warmth under my hand, like I can carry it with me.
"I'll be back" I murmur quietly.
Daniel pulls me to my feet, and for a second my body feels unsteady before I force it to cooperate. Edmund gives my shoulder a brief, reassuring pat as I pass him.
"You've got this" he says.
I don't know if I believe that, but I don't argue.
"Don't worry" Finn adds as he walks past me with a cloth, already focused on cleaning the blood from Kai's face. "Noah won't let anything else happen to him."
I glance back one more time.
Noah hasn't slowed down. He hasn't even looked up. He just keeps working, relentless, like nothing in the world could pull him away from saving his brother.
That's enough to make me move.
The cold air outside hits me sharply, dragging me fully back into my body as we run.
My arm aches with every movement, a deep, persistent pain that I would normally pay attention to, but right now it barely registers compared to everything else. I push it aside and focus on keeping up with Daniel as he reaches the basement door and pulls it open hard.
I follow him straight inside without slowing down.
Katie is curled up on the bed when we enter, small and withdrawn, but the noise makes her flinch and look up at us in confusion.
"Katie" I say immediately, already moving closer.
I ignore the boundary line without thinking, dropping to my knees just before the bars, careful not to touch them.
"E…than…?" she says, her voice hesitant. "What… wrong…?"
"I need your help" I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite the urgency clawing at me. "Please. We need you and your power."
Her expression shifts almost instantly, fear overtaking everything else as she shakes her head.
"No… no… no…"
"Katie-"
"I… hurt… people… no… help…"
I lean forward slightly, keeping my movements slow and careful so I don't scare her.
"You're not that person anymore," I tell her gently. "You didn't mean to hurt me, and you've been getting better. I've seen it."
She hesitates, her hands tightening in her lap.
"But-"
"I know you're scared" I say, softer now, letting my voice settle into something warmer, something she can hold onto. "And I know you don't want to hurt anyone. That's exactly why I trust you."
She doesn't respond, but she doesn't look away either.
"Kai needs you," I continue, the words heavier now. "He's dying."
Saying it out loud nearly breaks me.
"I love him," I add, my voice faltering despite everything I'm trying to hold together. "I love him so much, and I can't… I can't lose him."
My head drops as the weight of it all finally pushes through, my shoulders shaking as I stop trying to hide it.
"Please," I whisper. "You're our only hope."
For a moment, nothing happens.
Then I hear movement.
When I look up again, Katie has moved from the bed and is kneeling on the other side of the door, close enough that I can see the fear in her eyes clearly. Daniel tenses beside me, but he doesn't interfere.
"I… try," she says quietly. "I… try… help…"
Relief hits me all at once, sharp and overwhelming.
A broken laugh escapes before I can stop it, something fragile but real.
"Thank you," I say, my voice unsteady. "Thank you."
______________________________
We make our way back to the science block slower than I would have liked, every step feeling like it's dragging against the urgency building inside my chest.
Katie stays close, but she's hesitant, her movements careful and small like she's afraid of the space around her. I force myself to match her pace, even though everything in me is pushing to move faster, to get back to Kai as quickly as possible and make sure he's still breathing.
When we push the door open, the atmosphere hits immediately.
The classroom is busier now, filled with movement and noise that wasn't there before. Tessa, 016, and 009 are gathered beside Kai, setting up equipment quickly but carefully, following Sophie's earlier instructions.
Metal clinks against the table, wires shift into place, and machines hum quietly as they come to life. It feels like controlled chaos, everyone moving with purpose, even if the tension underneath it all is impossible to ignore.
My eyes go straight to Kai.
Sophie is still beside him, her hands faintly glowing as she continues to heal, but even from here I can see how much it's taking out of her. There's a slight sway to her posture, a heaviness in the way she holds herself that wasn't there before.
Across the room, Noah stands with Edmund, Thomas, and Finn near one of the machines, their focus completely fixed, voices low and precise as they work through something.
There are so many people here, more than I expected, and for a brief moment something warm pushes through the fear in my chest. So many people are trying to save him, and that thought settles somewhere deep inside me, fragile but real.
A steady beeping sound cuts through the room.
I look back at Kai as Tessa finishes placing the heart monitor, the quiet rhythm filling the space and grounding everything else.
Behind me, Katie shifts, and when I turn I see her stepping back towards the door, her body tightening as her eyes flicker around the room. There's too much movement, too many people, too much noise, and it's overwhelming her.
"Wait" I say quickly, turning fully to her and softening my voice. "You don't need to be afraid. No one here is going to hurt you."
She shakes her head, her breathing uneven as her gaze darts between everyone. "No… many… people… don't… like…"
Her discomfort is obvious, and I can see how close she is to retreating completely. The room is too much for her, too unpredictable, and I feel panic creeping back in at the thought of losing her now.
Before I can try again, Noah's voice cuts through the room.
"We're ready to commence."
Everything quiets almost instantly, the tension shifting as all attention turns to him.
"There are too many people" he continues, calm and controlled. "Everyone leave except for Edmund, Thomas, Sophie, Katie, Finn, and Ethan."
No one argues. One by one, they begin to leave, though most of them glance back at Kai before stepping out, reluctant but trusting.
"You better make sure he lives" 016 says as she points at Noah before leaving, 009 following behind her.
The room empties quickly after that, and the air feels different without the extra bodies, quieter but heavier at the same time.
Katie relaxes slightly beside me, though she's still tense, her shoulders tight as she stays close.
I turn back toward Noah, hope rising despite everything. "Did you find a cure?" I ask, my voice quieter than I intend, like I'm afraid of what he'll say.
Noah steps around the bench with a vial in his hand, the liquid inside catching the light. "The equations and formulation indicate that it should work," he says, measured and precise, before pausing briefly. "However, in practice, I am unsure."
The hope in my chest drops, but I force myself to hold onto it anyway.
Before I can respond, Sophie coughs.
The sound is sharp and wrong, and when I look at her, I see blood spill from her mouth.
"Sophie" I say immediately as I move towards her, kneeling beside her as more blood follows and her nose begins to bleed as well.
Up close, it's worse than I thought. Her hands are still glowing faintly as she continues trying to heal Kai, but her body is clearly starting to give out.
"I'm okay" she insists, quickly wiping the blood away as she forces herself to keep going.
But the moment she does, another violent cough hits her, stronger this time, and more blood follows as her entire body shakes with the effort.
Panic rises quickly. She's the only one keeping Kai stable right now, and if she stops, there's nothing preventing his body from shutting down again. At the same time, I can't just stand here and let her destroy herself.
The others start moving, urgency picking up around us, but before anyone can do anything, Sophie sways.
Then she collapses.
I catch her before she hits the ground, my arms wrapping around her as I quickly check her over. She's breathing, steady enough, and it feels more like exhaustion than burnout, which sends a brief wave of relief through me.
But it doesn't last.
Kai starts coughing.
The sound is weak at first, then quickly turns harsher, and blood follows immediately, spilling from his mouth with each breath.
"No, Kai" I say as I reach for him, my hands hovering uselessly as I try to figure out what to do.
Finn is already beside me, carefully taking Sophie from my arms so I can move forward.
More blood follows, from his mouth and then his nose, and it's too much, far too much.
"Noah!" I call urgently, turning toward him.
He's already moving, crossing the room quickly before dropping to his knees beside Kai, his focus completely locked in.
"Katie" he says without looking away, "I need you to get ready to hold his head and suppress his nervous system."
She hesitates for a moment, fear flashing across her face, but then she steps forward, her hands hovering over Kai's head as she tries to steady herself.
Thomas pulls me back slightly to give them space, while Edmund moves into position beside Kai, taking over where I had been and holding him steady as his body struggles.
"Ready?" Edmund asks, his grip firm and controlled.
Noah pauses, the vial still in his hand, and for a brief moment I see the hesitation in him before he exhales and nods.
"Let's proceed."
Edmund adjusts Kai's position as another cough shakes through him, exposing his neck just enough.
Noah moves quickly and precisely, pressing the vial against his skin. A sharp hiss fills the air as the liquid is injected, disappearing into his neck within seconds.
And then everything stops.
No one moves. No one speaks.
We all stand there in silence, holding our breath, waiting to see if this works… or if we've just run out of time.