Daniel Shaw -October 2120
All the way to the warehouse, my mind refused to quiet itself. How could Ray betray us after everything we'd been through? He wasn't just an ally, he was family.
I hadn't wanted to come here with Kai, but I knew I had to. Trinity… Tessa… their safety came first, even if it meant doing something I never thought I would... killing Ray. That didn't make it feel any less heavy.
Kai and I slipped into the warehouse with minimal effort. Once inside, though, the atmosphere shifted. After we split up, I move carefully, keeping myself hidden in the shadows. I creep between crates until I see her.
She sits on a crate, legs dangling, dark hair falling around her shoulders, completely unaware, or deliberately ignoring my presence. I stay close, vines sliding across the floor, silent as they reach toward her.
Just as I'm about to strike, a loud bang echoes from the other side of the warehouse. Kai.
I refocus, senses sharp. My eyes return to her, and the moment I lock onto hers, I feel it, they're cold, empty, detached. She doesn't care that I'm here.
Instinct kicks in as warning signs go off in my head. I draw my gun and fire. But the bullet never reaches her, it hovers midair, spinning unnaturally, suspended by some unseen force.
Her hand rises, and everything behind her, the crates, the barrels, the debris, lifts off the ground, hovering, twisting, obeying her will. The warehouse itself seems to bend around her.
I force myself calm. Panic is a luxury I can't afford. Every instinct, every reflex, every movement from here on out has to be precise.
The warehouse spins around me. The gravity manipulator tilts her head at me, serene and calculating. My instincts sharpen.
I anchor myself to a nearby crate with a tangle of vines, fingers tightening around the coarse cord. My feet barely touch the surface, but I'm steady. I can control this chaos, I just have to outthink her.
She flicks her wrist, and a stack of crates hurtles toward me. Instinctively, I lash a vine around one of them mid-flight, twisting it aside with precision. The crate smashes against the wall, splintering, but I remain upright, calm and composed.
Her eyes narrow, and suddenly the air itself seems heavier. Every floating object accelerates, spinning faster, debris colliding midair. A barrel swings toward my head. I spin, vines snapping out, wrapping around the barrel to redirect it harmlessly. My muscles strain, but I refuse to falter.
"Not enough" I mutter, irritation creeping in. Overconfidence will be her downfall.
I launch a vine toward a suspended pipe, yanking it toward me and using it to vault off the crate. Midair, I twist, vines snapping out in every direction, lashing around her legs and torso. She reacts instantly, lifting herself higher. Her movements are exaggerated, unrefined. She's strong, yes, but wasting energy.
I push a floating crate between us, the momentum slamming it against her side. She flinches, barely maintaining altitude. I press forward, vines wrapping tighter, coiling around her arms and legs. She struggles, spinning, claws of gravity flailing. Each thrash pulls her against her own power, exhausting her further.
I anchor one vine into the floor and another into a wall crate, spinning myself like a pendulum to swing at her with controlled force. A barrel hurtles toward me, but I redirect it midair with a precise tug, sending it smashing into the ceiling. The debris rattles around her, forcing her to shift focus. That fraction of a second is all I need.
"Power without control is meaningless," I growl under my breath. "And you're losing control."
She tries to slam floating crates toward me in a wave, but I predict it. I swing, vines snapping around a cluster of barrels, sending them into a controlled spin and redirecting their momentum back toward her. She jerks, energy flaring in a desperate attempt to keep balance. Fatigue shows in her shallow, rapid breaths.
I advance again, vines extending like whips, tangling around her midsection and yanking her downward. She flails, but each motion is countered by another vine, another anchor, another swing.
Another floating crate spins toward my head. I catch it with a vine, hurl it aside, and in the same motion, whip another vine around her neck. She gasps, eyes widening, struggling against the inevitability. I anchor another vine to the ceiling, pulling her down into a controlled spin.
"Last chance," I warn, voice calm but sharp. "Stop resisting, or it ends."
Her hands flail, trying to manipulate everything around her. Pipes, barrels, even the mimic suspended nearby, she tries to overwhelm me, but I anticipate each strike, each trajectory. My vines redirect, snare, and control. She tires faster than she realises, each flail slower, weaker, less coordinated.
I tighten my vines fully, coiling over her torso, arms, and legs simultaneously. She floats, trapped, thrashing uselessly. I anchor her firmly to a crate beneath, yanking her down. Her control wavers, floating debris clattering as she struggles to regain command.
I step closer, vines taut, every motion precise, every strike calculated. One final coil wraps fully around her neck, firm but unhurried. Her eyes widen, not with defiance, but the understanding that this fight is over.
"Got you now" I murmur.
With a quick wave of a hand, my wines pull opporsite ways and there is a sharp snap.
Her body goes limp, completely restrained. Floating debris clatters around her as the warehouse settles and calmness returns. I release the vines slowly, letting her settle onto the floor. Every crate, every barrel now stationary.
I breathe slowly, body ready and mind alert for the next fight. There's no triumph, no satisfaction,only efficiency, protection and survival.
I alter my direction toward where Kai should be. Rounding the corner, I see him standing there. His hands are slick with blood, a knife still buried deep in the man at his feet.
When he notices me, he straightens, wiping the blood on his trousers as if it's nothing.
"Is she dead?" he asks.
I nod.
"Good job" he says, walking past me like it's casual.
His praise irritates me, but there's no time to dwell on it. Ray and Christopher know we're here now. We have to move.
At the back of the warehouse, a separate room waits. We make our way toward it quickly. This time, Kai pulls his gun, shadows shifting around him like a living cloak. I follow, keeping my own powers in reserve, this fight has already drained me, and I can't afford burnout before the real confrontation.
We reach the metal door, and without warning, it bursts off its hinges, flying toward us. I react instantly, vines lashing out to anchor me as Kai's shadows push it aside just in time. Dust fills the air, and as it settles, a figure steps through.
Ray.
"Didn't expect to see you two together, lads" he says, smiling casually. My stomach sinks.
He looks fine. I'd hoped, deep down, that someone had forced him to take Christopher, but it's clear that isn't the case.
"Why, Ray?" I shout, my voice sharp.
He tilts his head as if pretending to think, then shrugs.
"I have my reasons" he says, stepping forward.
I lift the gun, but my hand trembles slightly despite myself. I hate that. I focus, forcing control back into my grip.
Kai steps forward, shadows coiling around him, tense and ready.
"Where is Christopher?" Kai asks, voice precise and cutting.
Ray chuckles. "You seem to be doing better, Kai."
Kai narrows his eyes at that.
"I won't ask again," Kai says, cold.
Ray smiles, shaking his head. "I suspect not, boy."
He stands there, calm. Too calm. It irritates me, every second he lingers.
"Ray" I growl through clenched teeth, anger building.
"I killed him" he finally says, and my mind stumbles, the words landing like a punch.
"Why?" Kai demands before I can even process it.
"We became a liability," Ray says smoothly. "He told too many secrets."
I understand immediately. Christopher had spilled everything, the counterfeits, the warehouse. Ray must have been planning this for some time.
"So you were working together?" I ask, voice low but steady.
"We were. But I no longer need him," Ray replies, his smile calm, infuriating.
"What is going on?" I shout, keeping my gun trained on him. "Why would you betray us?"
Ray walks casually toward a crate beside him and opens it. Inside, rows of vials glint under the dim warehouse lights, the counterfeits. His hand slides over them, slow, deliberate, like he's showing off a prize.
I tighten my grip on my gun. Every instinct screams danger. Every fibre of me wants to move, to strike but I force calm.
"'Betrayal' is a strong word," Ray says, his tone almost casual. "I just chose a more… powerful option."
I narrow my eyes. "What do you mean by that?"
Ray laughs, a low, sharp sound that makes my blood boil. "You've all grown weak."
Weak? I feel my jaw tighten. If anything, we've grown stronger.
"When I joined Trinity, we vowed to take down everything GeneX has touched," he continues, voice smooth. "But look at where we are now." Another laugh escapes him, hollow and bitter.
I frown. I don't understand where he's going with this.
"I… I don't understand," I say cautiously, keeping my gun trained.
He slams his hand on the crate, anger suddenly surfacing. "I vowed to destroy and kill anything related to GeneX… they took everything from me." His eyes flash. "My wife. My kids. Everything."
He steps back, closing the crate with deliberate force. His gaze shifts to us, sharp and heavy, unrelenting.
"Kai… you asked me if I've ever withheld something because telling it would only make things worse?" he says, voice low, cutting.
Kai shifts slightly but meets his gaze and nods.
Ray's eyes flick to me for a moment before returning to Kai. "Well," he says, venom lacing every word, "I always wanted you and your brother dead."