Finn Lennoy - March 2121
The moment I know Noah and Ethan have made it to the basement, I go into action. I sprint across the field as fast as I can, the adrenaline already kicking in as I make my way towards the weapons shed. The party feels like a distant memory now. All I can think about is getting prepared before GeneX reaches us.
I throw open the shed door and immediately start pulling on my armour, tightening each strap before grabbing a few grenades and checking the magazines for the weapons I'll need. I sling the sniper rifle over my shoulder and tuck a pistol into my holster before heading back outside. By the time I reach the edge of the field, I can already see several figures gathered near Kai.
Monica, Gerald and Daniel have joined him, all three of them facing towards the forest. Monica is rubbing her head, clearly trying to push through the alcohol still in her system, although the adrenaline seems to have made her considerably more alert than I expected. Daniel looks just as focused as Gerald, and whatever remains of the party atmosphere has completely disappeared from their faces.
"I thought you went to the basement?" I ask Daniel as I approach.
"Once I made sure Tessa was safe and Ethan and Noah stayed with her, I couldn't just stay down there."
I nod because I understand exactly what he means. None of us are particularly good at sitting safely underground while everyone else is preparing to fight.
"What's the plan?" I ask.
Nobody answers immediately because, almost instinctively, everyone's attention turns towards Kai. He's standing with his eyes fixed on the forest, watching the darkness between the trees as though he can already see the people moving through it. After a moment, he turns towards Gerald.
"Can you sense anything?"
Gerald has been scanning the forest since I arrived, and his expression tightens as he concentrates.
"I can sense multiple footsteps and moving vehicles. I'd estimate eight minutes before they arrive."
"Locations?"
"The majority are using the forest ahead for cover, but there's a small group coming from the main road. Eight people and it looks like they're bringing another missile launcher."
I glance towards the school. The thought of another missile hitting the building makes my jaw tighten, especially with people still inside.
Kai begins giving instructions, and everyone immediately falls into position. Watching them work together reminds me just how many times they've been through situations like this. There is no hesitation between them, no need to explain what each person is capable of because they already know. Everyone moves as soon as Kai speaks, trusting each other to do their part.
Eventually, Kai turns towards me.
"You're good with a sniper, right?"
I nod, and his eyes drop towards my hands where I've already brought the rifle forward.
"Good. Get to the roof and cover our backs."
Daniel hands me a walkie-talkie, and I take it before turning towards the school. I start running immediately, weaving through the rubble scattered across the grounds and keeping low as I make my way towards the damaged building. Flames still burn through sections of the school, while smoke pours from broken windows and drifts across the corridors.
I reach the broken staircase and start climbing, stepping over chunks of debris and avoiding the sections that look unstable beneath my boots. Smoke fills the corridor as I move higher, stinging my eyes and catching in my throat, but I keep going until I reach the top floor.
The door leading onto the roof is already open.
I stop beside it and immediately pull my pistol from its holster.
Something about the open door doesn't feel right. If the door is open, there's always a chance someone has already made it inside, especially if the school's defences haven't activated properly. I press myself against the wall and listen carefully before slowly moving around the doorway with my pistol raised.
A figure is sitting on the floor.
My finger moves towards the trigger before I recognise him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I demand, lowering the weapon slightly.
Noah looks up at me with a screwdriver between his teeth while several pieces of equipment are scattered around him. Ethan is standing a few feet away, looking over the edge of the roof.
"I'm fixing the defences," Noah says calmly, as though we're discussing something completely ordinary.
"I told you to go to the basement."
"And I told you I was going to fix the defences."
I sigh and rub a hand over my face. Of course he did. Noah has never been particularly good at following an order when he believes there's something more important that needs doing, and apparently an approaching GeneX attack isn't enough to change that.
"It's too dangerous for you to go back down there now," I tell them, looking towards the stairwell. "Our time is almost up."
Before either of them can answer, the radio beside me crackles.
"Finn, are you in position?"
Kai's voice comes through clearly and Noah and Ethan both turn towards me as I raise the radio.
"Yeah, I'm in position, but there's an issue."
"Issue?"
"Noah and Ethan are here too."
The radio goes silent.
I glance over the side of the building and spot Kai crouched near Edmunds office with Gerald beside him. Even from this distance, I can see Kai rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. When I turn towards Ethan, he actually looks guilty, which is probably the first sensible reaction I've seen from either of them since I arrived.
He reaches for the radio, and I pass it to him.
"Kai," Ethan says carefully. "We can help. Noah is working on the defences, and I can use my vision to keep him safe."
I watch Kai speaking to Gerald for a moment before the radio crackles again.
"Keep your heads down, and as soon as you see anything dangerous, both of you get out of there."
Ethan looks relieved.
"Will do."
He starts to pass the radio back to me, but I shake my head.
"Keep it. It's better if you can call out any visions you see."
He clips it onto his belt before turning back towards the edge of the roof.
I walk over to Noah, who has already returned his attention to the equipment.
"It looks like someone sabotaged the system," he says, examining one of the damaged components.
"As soon as it's back up and running, you go to the basement."
Noah looks up at me, and I can tell he's considering arguing again. Instead, he studies my expression for a moment before finally nodding.
"Okay."
I reach down and ruffle his hair, earning an annoyed look as he immediately pushes my hand away. I can't help the small smile that appears before I turn away and begin setting up my rifle.
I settle into position near the edge of the roof, checking the scope and making sure I have a clear view of the forest and the road to the side. My breathing gradually steadies as I focus on the task ahead. The noise from the party is completely gone now, replaced by the distant crackling of flames and the occasional sound of debris collapsing somewhere inside the school.
Then the radio crackles again.
"They're here," Kai says.
The entire atmosphere changes.
I scan the forest through my scope, watching the darkness between the trees for any movement. For several seconds, nothing happens, and the silence becomes almost unbearable. Then I catch a faint shimmer through the branches as a rifle slowly appears between the trees.
I steady my breathing and wait.
The figure steps out from behind the trees, completely unaware that I've already found them. I align the crosshairs with their chest and pull the trigger. The figure drops immediately, and the rest of the group barely reacts because they can't hear where the shot came from.
That's the advantage of this rifle. It's almost completely silent, and if I couldn't feel the recoil against my shoulder, I probably wouldn't even notice I'd fired.
I shift my aim towards another target and fire again, then move to another as more figures begin emerging from the forest. The number of attackers increases quickly, making it harder to keep track of them all, but I continue picking off anyone who moves into a clear line of sight.
Then the ground erupts.
Dark spikes burst through the earth beneath several attackers, sending them crashing backwards. I don't need to see Kai to know he's responsible. He stays hidden within the darkness of the forest, striking quickly enough that the enemy has no idea where he's coming from. Every time someone tries to advance, another shadow tears through the ground and forces them back.
I shift my aim towards another target, keeping my focus on the perimeter while Kai handles the people getting too close to the school. We're working almost instinctively now, each of us covering the areas the other can't reach.
Then Ethan's voice suddenly cuts through the noise.
"There's a sniper close to the cliffs!"
I immediately swing my rifle towards the ridge.
It takes me only a second to find them. A figure is crouched behind a rock, their rifle already aimed towards the school as they search for us. I watch them adjust their position, and the moment their head turns towards the building.
I centre the crosshairs over the sniper and pull the trigger before they have a chance to react. The figure drops behind the rocks, and I keep my rifle trained on the position for another few seconds to make sure they aren't getting back up.
Only then do I look towards Noah.
He's still crouched over the defence system, completely focused on his work and seemingly unaware of what's happening around him.
I tighten my grip around the rifle and turn back towards the battlefield.
For a moment, it feels like we're actually making progress. The attackers are struggling to get through the perimeter, Kai is keeping the ones in the forest occupied, and Noah is still working on getting the defences back online. I allow myself to believe that we might actually have a chance of pushing them back before they can get close to the school.
Then Ethan's voice calls through the radio.
"Vehicle coming down the road"
I immediately shift my position and swing the rifle towards the main road, bringing the scope up as I search for the approaching vehicle. A pair of headlights appears through the trees, growing brighter as it speeds towards the school, and I adjust my aim towards the front tyres.
I wait until it comes around the corner.
I'm just about to pull the trigger when a massive explosion erupts beside the vehicle.
The blast throws the car violently onto its side, sending it skidding across the road in a shower of sparks and debris. I instinctively pull my head back from the scope as the shockwave reaches the building, while smoke and dust billow across the road.
I immediately search for whoever caused the explosion and spot Monica stepping out from behind the smoke. She looks almost completely unfazed as she straightens herself, although the way she shakes her head tells me the blast has done a number on her ears.
She barely gets two steps before one of the attackers raises his weapon towards her.
I move my rifle into position, but I don't get the chance to fire.
A dark blur shoots through the air.
Daniels' whips snap out with incredible speed, wrapping around the attacker's weapon and wrenching it violently from his hands. The gun disappears into the darkness as Daniel yanks it away, leaving the man staring at his empty hands in confusion.
Monica turns towards him, then looks back at Daniel.
Daniel simply pulls the whips back towards himself, his expression remaining completely focused as he scans for the next threat.
I shake my head with a small grin.
I settle my rifle back against my shoulder and return my attention to the battlefield. If the enemy thought they were going to overwhelm Trinity easily, they're about to find out exactly how wrong they are.