Monica Turner - December 2120
"What took you so long?" I call out as Kai finally appears by the car, already bouncing on the balls of my feet like I've been physically restrained for the last hour.
"Doesn't matter," he replies, voice as flat as ever. "I'm here now. Let's go."
Right. Of course. No explanation. No context.
He opens the door and gets in. Gerald is already in the driver's seat, hands on the wheel, looking like he accepted responsibility for this situation a long time ago and has since achieved inner peace about it.
I exhale sharply and drop into the back seat, immediately slouching like gravity has personally betrayed me.
"Are you sure you want to do this today?" I ask, stifling a yawn as my head knocks lightly against the window.
Kai doesn't look at me. He's already checking his gun, counting rounds with the kind of precision that makes it obvious he's not here mentally in the same way the rest of us are. He never is lately. Even when he's right next to you, there's something slightly further away about him.
"Yes" he says.
One word. Decision closed.
I let my head tip back again with a groan.
Today was supposed to be… fine. Good, even. One of those rare pockets of time where the world forgets to be a disaster and people actually act like they're allowed to breathe.
There was food, music and even drinking. Actual laughter that didn't feel like it had teeth behind it.
I would've sold my soul for another hour of that.
But no. Kai had other plans.
And the worst part is neither me nor Gerald ever say no to him. It's not even a conscious decision anymore.
I stare up at the car roof.
"Obviously," I mutter. "Because rest is a myth invented to ruin my life personally."
Gerald doesn't respond and The engine starts before we pull away.
Outside, the village slides into view, snow thick over rooftops and parked cars, Christmas lights strung between buildings like someone tried to stitch warmth into the cold and mostly succeeded. People move in and out of doorways, voices spilling into the street in bursts of laughter and music and soft chaos that feels almost unreal after everything else.
It looks normal in a way that makes my chest feel slightly wrong.
Like I'm watching a version of the world I was never supposed to live in.
There are leftovers of the celebration too. Half-wrapped decorations caught on fences, abandoned cups, footprints in snow that haven't been covered yet. Life continuing even after the loud part of it is over.
I rest my forehead against the window and watch it blur past.
I never really had a Christmas.
Not properly. Not in a way that meant anything beyond noise and excess and people pretending they weren't tired. It always felt like something happening in another life I wasn't invited into.
But today… watching Trinity like that, people actually laughing without checking the exits in their heads…
It makes something unfamiliar settle in my chest.
Not quite warmth.
Not quite belonging.
Just recognition that people can exist like this at all.
The road stretches on. The village fades behind us. Fields open up, wide and white under a low winter sky that feels too big for conversation.
We don't speak for a while.
Kai keeps checking his equipment, movements efficient and clipped, like stillness doesn't agree with him for long. Gerald drives steadily, eyes forward, quiet in the way he gets when he's already anticipating whatever comes next.
I shift in the seat.
My fingers tap once against my thigh before I stop them. Then again. I catch myself and force my hand still, but it doesn't stay still for long.
Suddenly, Gerald pulls the car off the road at the edge of a wide field and the engine is cut off. Silence lands instantly.
I sit up slightly, eyes narrowing at the empty stretch of snow ahead.
"He should still be in there" Gerald says, breaking the quiet as he slows his pace slightly.
Through the snowfall, a small house sits alone in the distance. Half-swallowed by white, edges blurred by the dark, like it's trying to pretend it doesn't exist at all.
Kai is already moving before either of us say anything else.
"Ready?" he asks, already adjusting his jacket.
"Guess so" I reply, rolling my shoulders as Gerald gives a short nod.
We move together across the field.
Gerald stays slightly ahead, scanning constantly, checking for any movement, any signals. Kai walks beside me but a fraction more forward, his attention already elsewhere. I notice the way he lets his shadows spill quietly over the snow beneath us, dark threads spreading out and softening our steps so the crunch of footsteps barely exists at all.
"There's only one person in there," Gerald says after a moment, eyes fixed on the house. "Oswald must still be inside."
Gerald hums quietly, gaze narrowing. "There are traps around every entrance as well"
Kai doesn't react to that. He just keeps walking.
"Anything else?" he asks, voice steady.
"No" Gerald replies.
I glance between them. "So how are we doing this?"
Kai stops.
Just briefly.
Then reaches for his gun, pulling it from the holster with practiced ease as he clicks off the safety.
"I told Ethan I wouldn't be long," he says. "So lets do this quickly"
I snort under my breath.
"Great," I smile. "My favourite kind of plan."
A small spark flickers between my fingers before I even fully realise I've done it. That familiar pressure under my skin that always shows up right before things stop being boring.
Kai doesn't look at me when he speaks again.
"Smoke him out."
That's all he says and that's enough.
My hands flare instantly.
Heat erupts outward as I step forward and release the explosion straight toward the front of the house. The door disintegrates in a burst of fire and shattered wood, snow melting instantly in a violent hiss as the structure groans under the impact.
The flames catch faster than they should.
We stand just outside the blast radius, watching the fire bloom across the front of the house like it's being painted in real time.
Warm light flickers across the snow.
"There is movement," Gerald says sharply.
Something shifts inside.
Then Kai is already raising his gun, tracking the direction Gerald indicates with unnerving precision.
A second later, a man bursts out from the side of the house coughing violently, stumbling through smoke and snow like he's been forced out by the fire itself.
Oswald.
He turns sharply, eyes widening as he spots us.
For a split second he just stares, confused.
Then-
A gunshot cracks through the air.
Oswald jerks violently and drops to one knee, hand clamping around his leg as he screams.
"Agh!"
The sound echoes across the field and Kai is already moving.
He walks forward through the snow without hesitation, gun still raised but not firing again. His shadows remain spread low across the ground like silent intent, guiding every step he takes.
He reaches Oswald and grabs him by the hair, forcing his head up.
Oswald winces, breathing ragged, eyes flicking in shock.
"004?" he chokes out. "What—what are you doing here? How did you find me?"
Kai doesn't even blink.
"That doesn't matter," he says flatly.
"Ray said he'd let me go if I stayed in hiding!" Oswald shouts, panic making his voice crack. He struggles against the pain in his leg, one hand pressed tightly over the wound. "Why are you here?"
Before either me or Gerald can react, Kai punches him.
The blow lands hard enough to send Oswald sprawling sideways into the snow. Blood immediately pours from his nose and he lets out a pained cry, clutching at his face as tears begin gathering in his eyes.
The sudden violence catches both of us off guard.
The fire behind us crackles loudly, orange light flickering across the snow-covered field.
"Ray is no longer around" Kai says.
His voice is cold enough to make the temperature feel even lower.
Oswald freezes.
For a moment he just stares at Kai as the meaning slowly sinks in. Then the colour drains from his face.
"No..." he whispers.
He tries scrambling backwards through the snow, but shadows immediately rise from the ground around him. They coil around his arms, chest and shoulders before tightening. The harder he struggles, the tighter they become.
"Please," he chokes out. "Please just let me go."
His voice is breaking now.
"I'll give you anything. Money, information, whatever you want."
A small laugh slips out before I can stop it.
"You don't exactly look like you've got much to offer anymore."
Oswald ignores me completely.
His attention never leaves Kai as he desperately pulls against the shadows. His shoulders shake from the effort, but they don't budge even slightly.
"Please, 004..." he begs before quickly correcting himself. "Kai. Please."
Kai doesn't answer. The silence seems to frighten Oswald more than any threat could.
"Ethan wouldn't be happy if you killed me."
The second Ethan's name leaves his mouth, something changes.
It's subtle at first.
Kai's face doesn't twist with anger. He doesn't raise his voice or tighten his grip.
Instead, everything disappears.
The exhaustion, the irritation, the sharp focus that had surfaced since we arrived. Every trace of emotion vanishes until his face becomes completely blank.
My stomach twists. I've seen that look before.
Ever since he woke up from that coma, that look had become familiar.
And it never ends well.
"Kai..." Gerald says carefully, taking a cautious step forward, but Kai doesn't react.
The shadows wrapped around Oswald suddenly tighten and a sharp crack cuts through the night.
Oswald screams. The sound echoes across the field as one of his arms bends violently in the wrong direction.
Another crack follows almost immediately.
Then another.
Oswald collapses into the snow, screaming so hard his voice starts breaking apart.
"Kai!" Gerald shouts.
But there is still no reaction. The shadows continue tightening and I can hear bone creaking beneath the pressure.
"Kai!" I yell as well.
This isn't a simple kill anymore... Something is wrong.
The firelight dances across Kai's face, but his eyes remain fixed on Oswald. He isn't looking at him with hatred or anger.
If anything, it's worse.
He looks completely detached, as if he isn't really seeing Oswald at all. For the first time all night, I feel genuinely uneasy.
Gerald steps forward slowly before placing a hand on Kai's shoulder.
For a moment nothing happens, but then Kai blinks. His head turns toward us and his eyes shift between me and Gerald. The blank expression remains for another second before something finally returns.
Recognition and Awareness. He looks down at Oswald and seems to properly notice him for the first time.
The shadows loosen slightly and Oswald lies in the snow sobbing, blood running from his nose while tears streak across his face.
Kai stares at him for several long seconds before kneeling down.
"You once told me I was too emotional," he says quietly.
Oswald doesn't answer, he's shaking too hard.
"You once said my emotions were my weakness. You said it would get people killed."
Kai's voice remains calm, almost thoughtful, which somehow makes it worse.
The fire crackles behind us while snow continues drifting softly from the sky.
For a moment the entire field seems frozen.
Then Kai raises his gun.
Realisation floods Oswald's face and fear follows immediately after.
"Wait, please-"
But it's too late. The gunshot cuts him off and the sound tears through the night.
Oswald's body collapses heavily into the snow and doesn't move again.
Dark blood slowly spreads outward beneath him.
Neither me nor Gerald speaks.
We simply watch as Kai remains kneeling there for a second longer.
Then he reaches up and wipes a small streak of blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. When he finally stands, his expression is unreadable.
No anger.
No satisfaction.
No relief.
Just a tired emptiness that somehow unsettles me more than the violence ever could.