Ethan Knox - October 2120
It's finally over.
I can't even tell if I believe it yet. The chaos, the screaming, the pain, it's over… and my chest still feels tight, like it's been pressed under a heavy weight for hours.
The first light of dawn slips through the window, soft and orange, spilling across the cliff outside. The sea catches it and glows, like it's forgiving us, or maybe just pretending nothing terrible happened. I want to believe that too. I want to believe that everything will be okay.
I drop my head. There's nothing left to cry. I thought I'd have tears for all of them, for Noah, for Kai, for everyone we've lost, but I'm empty. Hollow. My heart still aches in ways I can't measure, but the tears are gone, all spent up.
"Let's get everyone to the nurse's office and patched up" Edmund says, his voice cutting through the fog of my exhaustion. He walks toward us, eyes softening when they land on Noah in Finn's arms.
I can feel the weight in Edmund's gaze, the quiet acknowledgement that tonight left scars we can't just stitch up.
"It's been a long evening," he says. "We can debrief later, once everyone's had some rest."
My throat tightens. I can't stop the questions spilling out. "But… what happened to Ray? And Isaac… he- he-" My voice cracks, my body trembling.
I'm so tired my head aches, my muscles feel like lead, and I want to fall down and never move again. But I can't rest while I don't know what has happened.
"Ethan," Edmund says firmly. I lift my head and meet his gaze. "Right now, I need you to focus on yourself. Everyone's hurt. We may talk later."
He's right. Everyone is battered, everyone is bleeding, everyone is barely holding on. But I can't think about that right now. All I can do is look at Kai, and my chest twists painfully.
Thomas has just finished patching up his shoulder. His chest is bare, and I can't stop staring at it, the bruises, the scars, the blood. It's impossible not to feel responsible. I failed him. I should have kept him safe. I should have…
I can't even finish the thought before my stomach twists. I move closer, brushing his matted hair from his face. My fingers linger on his skin, tracing every contour, every pulse of warmth beneath the grime. My heart is breaking, cracking into pieces that I can't collect again. I press my lips gently to his forehead, then to his hand, holding it as though if I don't, it might disappear.
"You have to get better quickly," I whisper, my voice trembling, almost choking on the words. "Don't make me wait for you again."
Edmund's voice breaks the moment. "I will announce the lift of the lockdown. We'll need more hands to help patch everyone up until Sophie is back on her feet again."
I nod, swallowing hard. My body is screaming for rest, my mind is screaming from the memories of tonight, but I stay here a moment longer, pressed close to Kai, feeling his breathing, feeling him alive and here. Alive. I silently swear it over and over in my head. I will not let this happen again. I will not fail him again.
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I rush through the science block doors and step outside. The October air hits first, sharp and crisp, carrying the tang of the ocean just beyond the cliff. I hold the door as Finn follows behind, Noah still pressed tightly in his arms, and for a moment the world feels impossibly quiet, like it's holding its breath after everything we've been through.
The first people to notice us are Tessa, 016, and 009. Tessa's perched on the hood of a car, smoking, her voice carrying over the faint roar of the sea as she talks with them. The moment they see us, they're on their feet, running toward us like the world just started again.
"Is that bastard alive?" 016 asks first, sharp and raw. I still haven't figured out her relationship with Kai, there's something in the way she talks about him, fierce and protective, but I know she was the one who saved him. That's enough for now, I trust her.
"He's stable now" I tell her, my voice steadier than I feel.
"He actually found a cure for burnout?" 009 murmurs, his eyes flicking up to Noah. There's a quiet awe there, an incredulity I recognise all too well.
I nod. "Yeah… well, kind of."
Tessa steps forward, wrapping me in a tight hug. I wrap my arms around her back, grounding myself against the tremor of exhaustion and relief coursing through me.
"That's great to hear" she says softly.
"Where's Daniel?" I ask, finally letting the question out.
Tessa pulls back slightly, gesturing toward the car behind her. "He almost burned out himself at the warehouse. Luckily, he's okay… just needs some sleep."
I can't help the small, conflicted grin that tugs at my face. I'll have to thank him later, maybe even hit him for keeping me away from Kai when I wanted to be there, but for now, I let it go.
The distant bell of the school rings, sharp against the morning air. We all turn toward it instinctively.
"What the hell is that?" 016 snaps, annoyed and curious all at once.
Tessa shakes her head with a small smile. "It's just announcing that the lockdown has lifted. Come on, let's get you all fed and sleeping… even you two" she says, pointing at 009 and 016 with a teasing edge.
"Are you sure it's okay for us to stay?" 009 asks, hesitant, still unsure of his place in all of this.
"You saved Kai's life," I step forward, voice firm. "Plus… he told me you were his friends back at the facility."
016 freezes, eyes widening in shock. "Friends? He actually said that?" Her tone is incredulous, but I catch the faintest blush creeping across her cheeks, betraying the pride she'd rather hide.
In the distance, I see a small figure sprinting toward us, and another close behind, Mirahm calling out his name.
Jack keeps running, legs pumping, determination, and maybe fear, etched on his small frame. How am I supposed to explain this to him? My stomach twists at the thought.
He stops suddenly in front of us, almost toppling over. His eyes lock on me, wide and frantic.
"What-what happened?" His voice shakes. "Ethan, what happened to you?"
He rushes forward, scanning me from head to toe, as if trying to read some unspoken truth from the blood and dirt smeared across my face.
"I'm okay, Jack" I say softly, reaching down to ruffle his hair. The gesture feels hollow even to me.
"You don't look it," he snaps, tears threatening to spill. "Stop lying!" His voice cracks and I feel a pang of guilt slicing through me.
"Jack, you shouldn't be running off like that" Mirahm says gently, catching up and finally taking in the scene. Her hand flies to her mouth, eyes wide with shock. She pulls a handkerchief from her pocket and comes toward me, brushing at my bloodied face with trembling fingers.
"Are you okay, my love?" she whispers.
I squeeze her hand lightly to stop her. "I'm fine… just tired" I murmur, though every fibre of me aches.
Jack's gaze flicks from me to Noah in Finn's arms, then sweeps over the others, searching for someone, someone not there. His voice trembles as he asks, "Where's Kai… and Issac?"
I swallow hard. The words lodge in my throat like knives. Everyone shifts uncomfortably, sensing the tension building around us. I kneel down, taking his small arms in mine, forcing myself to meet his eyes.
"Issac… he-" I pause, trying to keep my voice steady, "he didn't make it back."
Jack's head shakes violently. "No… no…" His tears start to fall, streaking his cheeks as he whispers the word again and again. I feel the weight of his grief settling into my chest, and it almost crushes me.
"Where is- where is Kai?" he chokes out, voice breaking, and I know he's already imagining the worst.
"He's okay," I lie again, voice barely above a whisper. "He's just… sleeping right now."
I glance toward the science block without thinking, and Jack's eyes follow mine. His hands pull back from mine. "I don't believe you!" he shouts, and bolts past me, charging toward the building.
"Mirahm, can you get the others back to the main school?" I call urgently, then sprint after Jack.
I have to reach him before he sees Kai like this. My heart pounds, and every step feels like a countdown. But by the time I reach the classroom, it's too late. Jack is frozen in the doorway, hands trembling, staring at Kai.
The sight rips at me all over again, Kai, unconscious, bruised, bloodied, attached to monitors, vulnerable in a way I can't fix.
I step forward instinctively to pull Jack back, but he slaps my hand away.
"You lied!" he shouts, voice cracking with raw emotion. "You said he was okay!" Tears spill freely now, and he wipes them with his sleeve, but it doesn't stop the sobs.
I swallow hard, guilt choking me, and finally I pull him into my arms. At first, he resists, stiffening, trembling against me, but I hold him tightly, murmuring soft, meaningless reassurances.
Slowly, he collapses into me, sobbing fully.
I hold him close, feeling every tremble, every gasping breath, every raw emotion, and I can't stop the surge of guilt. I failed Kai, failed Issac, and now here is Jack, his heart breaking, and I can't shield him from it. I can't fix any of it, not really. All I can do is be here, solid and present, while he cries.
I press my cheek to the top of his head, whispering words he doesn't need to hear, letting him know I'm here, letting him lean on me even when I feel like I'm crumbling too.
I don't know how long I hold him like that, letting him lean against me, letting him cry, but eventually his trembling slows. When he finally pushes back, rubbing at his eyes, I feel the tension in his small frame ease just a fraction.
He glances at Kai again, then back at me, and for a heartbeat, I think he might fall apart all over again. But then he slaps his own cheeks, sharp and deliberate. It catches me off guard, but I can see the effect, it steadies him, roots him back in the moment.
"I am head of security," he says through ragged sniffles, voice small but firm. "There is no time to cry."
He reaches for my hand, gripping it with surprising strength, and pulls me gently out of the room. I don't resist. I let him guide me, his resolve anchoring both of us.
"Let's get you better first" he murmurs, still holding my hand, steadying me even as my knees feel weak.
But as he leads me away from Kai, the tears I thought had long dried up spill freely again, hot and relentless.
I squeeze my eyes shut, letting them fall, letting Jack's determination carry me forward even as the ache in my chest won't let me rest.