Noah Langford - September 2120
We walk to the back of the truck and I pull the door open.
Kai's eyes widen the moment he sees the boxes stacked inside. Ethan steps up beside him.
"Oh wow. What's all this?" he asks.
"I noticed your school lacks proper defensive measures," I say.
Finn moves to my side without a word and starts unloading the boxes, setting them carefully on the ground.
"What do you mean by that?" Ethan asks.
He stays close to Kai, close enough that their shoulders almost touch. I register it immediately. Kai looks comfortable and happy. I didn't realise how tense he'd been until now.
I crouch beside one of the boxes Finn has already unloaded and flick the latch open. Kai and Ethan hover over me.
When the lid lifts, Ethan lets out a quiet, impressed breath. "Wow."
Kai reacts differently. His brow furrows and he rubs his forehead.
"Noah," he says carefully. "Where did you get all this?"
"Don't worry about it." I wave a hand, but his concern doesn't fade.
Inside the box rests a sniper rifle. Not a standard model. I designed the ammunition myself. Armour-piercing rounds capable of breaching reinforced vehicles before detonating on impact.
I close the lid and watch Kai's gaze drift to the other boxes Finn is still unloading.
"Did you make these?" Ethan asks, leaning closer.
"Only some," I reply. "The rest I acquired elsewhere."
Ethan whistles under his breath, clearly impressed.
As I straighten, the door leading into the school opens and two more people step outside.
The tall, broad man with dark skin must be Ray. I recognise Edmund immediately. He seems to be the one in charge here.
As they approach, Finn shifts closer to me, a subtle movement he always makes when he's unsure. I don't comment on it.
Edmund extends a hand and I shake it.
"Noah. Good to see you again."
I nod. Normally I would be polite, professional. GeneX habits. But I'm not there anymore and I don't need the mask.
"What have we got here?" Ray asks.
"Noah and Finn brought weapons to help defend the school" Ethan says smiling.
Edmund and Ray exchange a look before surveying the boxes.
"Well," Edmund says, a small smile forming, "that is certainly a surprise. We appreciate the help."
"Let's move them to storage," he continues. "You can tell us more about what you've brought."
We carry the boxes together. Kai, Finn, Ray, Ethan, and me. The storage room turns out to be an old sports equipment area, dusty and underused.
Once everything is laid out, I open each box in turn and explain exactly what's inside and how it works. Edmund, Ethan, and Ray listen closely, asking occasional questions.
Kai leans against the wall near the door, Finn beside him. They're speaking quietly, watching us. I can't hear what they're saying, but I notice how Kai's posture loosens near Finn.
I file the observation away.
After I finish explaining everything, Ray leans over and gives my back a firm pat.
"You Langford boys are something special" he says with a laugh.
Even with minimal force, his hand feels heavy and solid.
"Indeed," Edmund says. "Noah, if you have time, I'd like to speak with you about a few things."
"I have time now, if you'd like to speak," I reply.
Edmund smiles, his gaze flicking briefly between me and Kai before returning to my face. "I believe someone else would like a word with you first."
I turn. The moment my eyes meet Kai's, he tilts his head slightly toward the door signalling to talk outside.
"Yes," I say, turning back to Edmund. "We can talk afterwards."
I pivot and follow Kai out. I catch Finn's eyes as I pass him, but he stays behind.
We cross the field in silence until Kai stops at an old wooden picnic bench. He sits and gestures for me to do the same.
"What do you need to say?" I ask, calm, as I take the seat opposite him.
He studies me quietly, then folds his arms across his chest.
The gesture pulls me backward in time to childhood. Silence used as a weapon.
I know why he does it. When we were younger, it always worked. I'd crack first, confessing whatever I'd done wrong just to fill the space.
But I'm not a child anymore.
I wait.
He keeps frowning at me.
Fine. I'll speak. Just not much.
"You don't need to worry about the weapons, Kai," I say.
Nothing.
"I made most of them" I continue evenly. " Or modified them."
Still nothing.
Sweat gathers at the back of my neck.
"The ones I didn't make came from people we don't need to worry about. Finn handled most of that."
Damn it.
"What do you mean by that?" Kai finally asks.
No turning back now.
"Since becoming the face of GeneX, some people tried to kidnap me," I say, keeping my voice level. Neutral. "I don't want you worrying over something insignificant."
It doesn't work.
Kai slams his hand against the table and stands abruptly.
"You were kidnapped?" His face is tight with alarm. "By who?"
"Just nobodies," I say. "People who thought they could use me to squeeze money out of GeneX. Finn always pulled me out of it."
Kai's eyes widen as he looks me over, scanning for injuries that aren't there.
He rubs the bridge of his nose, exhales sharply, then sits back down.
"So that's how you got some of these weapons," he says. Not impressed in the slightly.
"Some," I reply.
"Some?" He fires back immediately.
"Kai," I snap, sharper than I intend, "it doesn't matter where I got them. They're here now with me. That's what matters."
The words hang between us, heavier than any weapon in those boxes.
Silence follows.
Kai doesn't raise his voice. He doesn't argue. Instead, he leans forward, elbows resting on the table, fingers lacing together slowly as if he's afraid they might shake if he doesn't anchor them.
"That's not what worries me," he says at last.
I frown. "Then what does?"
He exhales through his nose, long and controlled. "You talk about it like it's routine. Like getting taken was just another inconvenience."
I don't respond.
"I didn't even know," he continues quietly. "Not once did you think to tell me."
"I'm not upset that you want to protect the school," he continues quietly. "Or that you built weapons. I know who you are, Noah. I always have."
He looks up at me then, really looks.
"What scares me is that I don't know what you have been through all these years"
The words land harder than Ray's pat on my back ever could.
I open my mouth, then close it again.
Finn would be standing just behind me right now if he were here. Not touching. Not interrupting. Just present. Ready. He always lets me decide how much truth I can afford.
Kai doesn't give me that space.
"You think because you're useful, because you're brilliant, you can absorb everything," he continues. "You've been kidnapped and you call it insignificant."
I look away.
"I had it under control," I say.
"You always used to say that," Kai replies. "Right before things stop being under control."
Another pause stretches between us.
"Look Noah" he rubs the back of his neck "I just need you alive and safe"
"Well, I need the same for you as well," I say. "Why do you think I brought these weapons here to begin with?"
The words settle between us.
Kai releases a long breath, fingers drifting to the back of his neck in that familiar gesture of surrender."Fine. Thank you" he mutters.
I incline my head, the small smile arriving out of habit rather than instinct. The conversation is concluded; the variables have stabilised. When I turn toward the shed where I left the equipment, I notice a cluster of silhouettes hovering near it. Waiting.
"It appears your friends are waiting for us" I remark.
Kai follows my line of sight. The moment his gaze meets Ethan's, Ethan starts waving with the enthusiasm of someone signaling a ship. Kai's mouth curves upward, soft and subtle.
"Shall we return?" I ask.
He looks back at me, smile still active. "Okay. We'll give you and Finn a walk around too."
We rise together and cross the short distance to the others. Finn and Ethan meet us halfway, the former moving with quiet precision, the latter with kinetic eagerness.
"Everything okay?" Finn asks under his breath.
"Yes," I reply, flicking my hand lightly through the air. "He was only concerned about the origin of the weapons."
Finn's gaze slides toward Kai, but Kai has already drifted into a low conversation with Ethan. Their voices form a kind of warm background hum.
Ethan claps his hands once, bright and sharp, and turns his grin toward us."Let's show you around!"
I nod, mentally bookmarking the pending conversation I owe Edmund. When I glance toward him, he steps forward with that calm presence of his, already anticipating the question I haven't voiced.
"We can talk afterwards," Edmund says quietly. "Enjoy the tour. Make yourself at home."
His reassurance settles into place like a puzzle piece, and I follow the others, already mapping the space ahead of us.