Noah Langford - October 2120
I had been frustrated being unable to access any of the files containing the test subjects information. Every attempt ended the same, access denied.
Now, with Thomas's assistance, I finally have access.
I should be relieved, even satisfied. I should be ready to review the data. But when I open the file marked 004, something inside me stiffens and my hand hesitates.
It's not just a file. It's not just data. It's him.
I realise I'm scared. Scared of what I might find, of what it could mean. And yet… Ethan is here, beside me, calm, watchful. His presence shifts something in me telling me I'm not facing this alone.
Kai is my brother. But Ethan… Ethan's love for him is different. Deeper, unwavering and in this moment, it's enough to steady me, enough to make me face the file, no matter what truths lie inside.
I press open the file. The data is familiar, but this version contains significantly more detail than the GeneX records.
CONFIDENTIAL
Test Subject: 004
Gender: Male
POWER: Shadow Manipulation
Status: Alive
Location: Unknown – Missing in Action
CAUSE OF DEATH: N/A
The file is extensive, pages upon pages. Cross-referencing this with the previous GeneX reports, I note discrepancies, missing entries, altered statuses, additional metrics. The amount of data suggests prolonged observation and experimentation beyond standard protocols.
Name: Kai Langford
Date of Birth: 13 Oct 2098
A photograph follows. He appears significantly younger, approximately the age I had believed he died. His posture is slumped, hair dishevelled, expression exhausted. The visual alone conveys extreme psychological and physical stress. Ethan shifts beside me, his subtle movement confirms he is processing the same variables.
"He looks so young" he murmurs laced with concern.
I continue viewing the file.
Notes: Test Subject 004 has deserted and betrayed GeneX. Subject is to be terminated on sight.
Father's directive is clear, lethal and the risk to Kai is immediate. Anger flares as protective instinct spikes but I push it down. This order will not be carried out. Not while I can prevent it.
A graph appears next, power output versus burnout levels. Kai's endurance is extraordinary. The curve shows sustained shadow manipulation far beyond standard thresholds. He pushes harder, longer, and recovers faster than expected.
I open the experiments tab. There are hundreds of entries and I select the first video.
It shows a white room. Sterile and cold. A young Kai stands with wires attached, trembling slightly. Shadows erupt from him, consuming the space. The darkness radiates unnaturally for a little while, and then, blood. First it's just from his nose, but then it comes from his mouth, staining his hands as he wipes it away. He doesn't stop until he collapses to his knees, coughing violently. The shadows retract only when he can no longer maintain them.
I catalogue every detail, the duration, the strain, the physiological response. Every anomaly. Ethan leans closer, quiet, calm.
The next video is one of two years later. He's taller, more built. Shadows flow smoother, stronger, longer. By the end, there is only a faint nosebleed. His growth, control, and resilience are staggering. He did not just survive, he adapted.
And yet… every image, every sound of his strain hits me. The fear, the exhaustion, the pressure of control, it's raw. My chest tightens. I want to erase the memories for him, but I can't. I can only plan to protect him and ensure the next time they reach for him, it will not succeed.
After watching several more videos, my attention drifts to another tab.
Medical History.
The first name I see makes me pause: Dr Thomas. I glance up, he and Edmund are there, reviewing the notes I brought. From the files, it's clear Thomas was often the one to bring Kai to the emergency room after experiments.
The reports span everything: minor colds, signs of burnout, physiological strain, medication notes. Anti-depressants were prescribed frequently, a small, clinical line in a long history of suffering.
One file stops me cold.
Critical Condition.
Ethan leans slightly closer, his voice quiet but steady. "What's that one?"
I press it. The incident report opens, with yet another video is attached.
Injury: Stab wound
Notes: Test Subject 004 inflicted a deep stab wound to his own stomach. Expected aim: suicide.
My stomach drops. My heart is pounding and my mind is racing.
Then the video begins.
Yet again, it is one of a younger Kai in the experimentation room. Shadows flicker and stretch, forming jagged shapes, weapons, instruments of power. But he looks hollow. Exhausted... Empty.
He forms a black dagger, watching it in his hands. There's a pause, a suspended moment of decision. Then, instead of transforming it into something else, he stretches his arms toward himself. He plunges it deep into his own stomach.
Blood gushes, vivid, unstoppable. He collapses to his knees. For a brief second, his eyes meet the ceiling. A faint, almost imperceptible smile flickers across his face. It's weak and fragile, but still haunting.
And then he falls. Blood spreading across the floor and the camera cuts.
I can feel the hollow ache in my chest, sharp and gnawing. Rational analysis, probability matrices, tactical assessments, they all vanish under the weight of what I just witnessed. This isn't data. This is my brother.
I close my eyes for a fraction of a second, trying to push the image away, but it doesn't leave. It lingers, vivid, burning under my eyelids. All I can see is him, bleeding, collapsing, weak, smiling through his own pain.
A low heat starts in my chest. My hands tighten into fists. I can feel the rational part of me, the operational part, slipping, fraying at the edges. My mind begins to race in disjointed loops: If Father thinks he can get away with this… If anyone touches him… If they hurt him again…
The calculations are still there, but they're jagged now, fractured. Every contingency begins to twist, darken. My thoughts jump violently, I imagine breaking doors, smashing cameras, eliminating every trace of those who've ever dared to hurt him. And then the images of Kai's blood, over and over, flash with sharp precision.
I can feel it building, the storm in my mind. The anger, the fear, the obsession, all entwined with calculation. It's not just strategy anymore. It's… something darker.
I reach into my pocket and take two of my pills before swallowing them.
Kai lives. I will make sure it stays that way and if anyone stands in the way… I won't stop.
I turn to Ethan.
The colour has completely drained from his face. His skin looks almost white under the light. Tears run silently down his cheeks, but he doesn't react to them. He doesn't move. His eyes are fixed on the screen as if the rest of the room has disappeared.
Behind us, I hear movement.
Dr Thomas and Edmund must have noticed something was wrong because they set the notebook down and walk over.
"What happened?" Thomas asks, concern tightening his voice.
Edmund reaches out carefully and places a hand on Ethan's shoulder.
Ethan flinches sharply. His arm jerks out and knocks Edmund's hand away before it can settle.
"Ethan?" Edmund calls softly.
But Ethan doesn't respond.
Instead, he reaches past me and takes the mouse from my hand. His movements are fast, almost frantic. He starts clicking through the files, opening and closing them quickly, scanning through dates and titles as if he's searching for something specific.
I should stop him, but the energy to move simply isn't there. My body feels heavy, my thoughts still tangled in everything we've already seen.
Then Ethan stops. He's found something.
The file is dated back to February 2116.
He hesitates for a moment, his hand hovering over the mouse. Then he opens it.
Another video appears on the screen and before I can say anything, he presses play.
This video is different.
Kai is chained by metal, his arms restrained tightly. His head hangs forward, unconscious.
Ethan leans closer and turns the volume up.
"Wake up, Kai."
The voice sends a chill straight through me.
I recognise it instantly. It's our father.
Kai's head jerks upward suddenly as he gasps for air. The chains rattle loudly as he instinctively tries to move his arms.
"Kai," Father says again.
This time he steps forward and grabs Kai by the chin, forcing his head up.
"You've made quite a mess," he says quietly. "Let's see if you understand the consequences of your actions."
Kai doesn't respond at first. His breathing is uneven as he struggles to focus.
Then suddenly his eyes sharpen.
"Where's Ethan?" His voice is rough and broken.
Father shoves his face to the side with force and straightens.
"012 failed to complete the task assigned to him during his last experimentation session," he says calmly. "As a result, 012 burned out and died during the test."
Kai freezes. For a moment it looks like he stops breathing. Then his head begins to shake slowly, his chest rising and falling too quickly as panic sets in.
He pulls hard against the chains but they hold him in place.
"No…" his voice cracks.
"He's gone," Father continues. "Kai, you should realise by now that everything you touch seems to either break or get destroyed."
Something inside Kai collapses. His shoulders sink, the fight draining out of him as if the words have stripped away the last thing holding him together.
"Then just let me die…" he whispers.
His voice is barely audible.
"Why can't you just terminate me, like you do to all the others?"
Father exhales slowly.
"We've had this conversation before, Kai," he says, clear frustration in his voice. "You must get stronger, for your brother's sake."
The mention of me hits harder than I expect. My throat tightens and I feel tears sliding down my face before I even realise they've started.
None of us look away from the screen.
Kai lowers his head, staring at the floor as tears fall silently.
"I'm tired," he whispers. "I don't want to be strong anymore."
"You don't have a choice, Kai."
Father's voice is cold and final.
Then footage cuts out and the screen goes dark.
The entire room falls silent and no one speaks.
The silence in the room feels heavy, almost suffocating. My mind struggles to catch up with everything we've just seen. Words refuse to form. Thoughts scatter before they can settle into anything coherent.
Then suddenly Ethan moves.
His chair scrapes violently against the floor as he pushes it back and stands. The movement is so abrupt it startles everyone in the room. Without saying a word, he turns and rushes out the door.
For a moment I'm frozen, but I already know where he's going.
Before my mind can properly process it, my body is moving. I push my chair back and follow after him.