Joseph Langford - October 2120
"Let go of me!" Noah spits, tugging at the restraints, his legs kicking instinctively, but the guards hold firm. Resistance is expected, predictability makes calculation simple.
"You will find resistance ineffective" I say, calm and precise. I walk ahead, leading him toward the testing chamber. I allow a measured glance back, enough to note his frantic movements without breaking stride.
"You shot Finn, and you expect me to come willingly?" he barks.
I pause slightly, letting the statement hang in the air. "You will no longer require your security guard," I reply evenly. Finn's removal is logical. He is a variable that introduces noise. I never understand why Noah places such value on that factor, but now he is irrelevant.
A voice calls my name. "Oh, Dr Langford, I have been looking for you." Daisy Wellington appears, tablet in hand, absorbed in data. "I found something you may-" Her gaze flicks briefly to Noah, then freezes. The subtle shock in her posture lingers and I move just enough to block her line of sight.
"Miss Wellington, why don't you write a report? I will read it later," I say, measured. My tone offers compliance, not explanation.
Her confusion is visible, she tries to look behind me but then turns her attention back to me. "Of course, sir," she says finally, before she turns and leaves.
Miss Wellington is efficientl, Intelligent and useful. Her capabilities in Quantum modelling could have been an asset to Noah… if only he recognised her value before now.
Noah's voice comes behind me, strained. "Why is Daisy here?"
I turn slowly, letting the question hang. "I braught her for you," I say, letting the words sink.
His confusion is immediate, involuntary. "I believe that if you two collaborate here at the facility, you could generate results. Even greater contributions for GeneX," I continue, stepping deliberately near him. "Yet, in the end… you become a disappointment."
I let the word "disappointment" linger, pressing against his pride, his carefully constructed defences. Emotion is a tool when wielded correctly. Fear, doubt, regret… all expose weaknesses.
We reach the chamber. The guards guide him to the centre, seating him in the restraint chair with precise efficiency. Before locking his hands and feet. He struggles against them.
"What are you going to do to me?" Noah asks, eyes scanning the room, noting every machine.
"You will give me information. You have no choice" I say, calm, measured.
I see the shift in his expression. Anxiety building up.
A guard brings a metal case and opens it.
"What are you doing?" Noah asks, tugging at his restraints.
I lift a smooth metal collar and step closer. He recoils, but a guard holds his head. When he can no longer resist, I snap the collar around his neck and the guard releases him.
I pull a chair close and sit. "Now," I say evenly, "explain why you betrayed me. Why you betrayed GeneX."
Noah scoffs, lowering his head. White strands fall across his face, then he lifts his eyes, sharp with anger.
"Because you and GeneX failed," he says. "You failed to protect those you promised to. The Lunex vial only brings destruction."
I lean back slightly, observing. "Was it Kai who planted these ideas in your mind?" I ask.
He laughs bitterly. "No. It was you."
He leans back in his chair, eyes locked on mine. "You failed to protect Kai from GeneX's failures. He almost died because of you"
"Almost?" I say, noting the reaction. He stiffens. So he knows that Kai is alive. He turns away, annoyed. But I already knew when I heard him in the house.
"Noah," I say sharply, "you still have a future at GeneX. You can contribute. You can make it stronger. You only need to prove your loyalty. Tell me where Kai is."
He bites his lip and says nothing.
I sigh, controlled. "If you refuse willingly, we will compel your cooperation."
I produce the remote from my pocket and press it. A sharp pulse fills the room. Noah screams as the collar delivers a precise electric shock.
His hands clunch the chair and he tries to clench his teeth to stop him screaming.
When it ends, he leans forward, gasping. Excellent. Pain and fear focus the mind. Every decision he makes from here is mine to influence.
"Where is Kai?" I ask again, voice low, measured, but with an edge that hints at the storm beneath.
Noah sits there, head hung low, chest heaving. Irritation coils tighter in me. How dare he defy me? My own son, and yet he dares to withhold the simplest information.
I have given Noah everything. Everything. Kai… that boy was a liability from the start. Nothing but a drain on potential. And yet Noah clings to some moral high ground, pretending loyalty to his brother is worth more than obedience. Pathetic.
When he doesn't answer, I rise, deliberate in every motion, and step toward him. My hand finds his chin, forcing his gaze to meet mine. I see it there, the anger. So… predictable. So… useless.
"Don't make me ask you again, Noah" I warn.
He scoffs, daring me with insolence. "I'll never tell you where he is."
I let the hand fall, my movement precise, and press the remote again. Electricity courses through him, another scream rips from his throat, and I this time I don't release the button. He thrashes, but I am patient. I can wait. Every spasm, every cry, every tremor feeds into my calculations.
He will break. They always do.
Finally, I release him. He slumps against the chair, heavy, gasping for breath. His eyelids droop like he's about to succumb. I step closer, pat his cheek sharply, jolting him awake. "Come on, Noah. Kai lasted far longer than this."
I have had enough. Noah has always been stubborn and clever with his secrets. If shocks won't force him open, psychological tactics will. I will push him until he cracks, either from compliance or from shattering entirely. Then his weakness becomes my tool. Every response, every breakdown, every misstep is data, fuel for refinement.
"You… are… nothing… but… a… monster," he spits out between ragged breaths.
"And I will... ensure you... face the consequences... of what you did... to Kai."
I feel my temper rise, a slow burn that's both indulgent and precise. "When will you grow up, Noah?" I growl, my voice tightening with controlled anger. "You are under my control. You will never leave this place unless you start talking, and I can make life unbearable for you."
He leans back, catching his breath. "You keep trying to intimidate me like I'm still a child. It's inefficient, Father. I stopped responding to that years ago. You don't scare me anymore."
A flicker of irritation sparks in me, sharp as steel. How dare he… How dare he think himself above me. "You say that now," I reply, teeth gritted slightly, "but after a few days here, you will break. They always do."
His eyes narrow. I lean closer, and I taste the rage that simmers beneath his composure.
"I think Kai lasted maybe three months before he broke. That boy was so weak, so fragile that he even tried to end it himself. Pathetic."
"If that's your definition of 'weak', then your standards are irrelevant, Father" he snaps, but the defiance only fans the fire inside me.
"You always thought you were better, stronger than everyone else," he continues, his hands flexing involuntarily at his side. "But I've been analysing your behaviour for years. There's no complexity. Just insecurity masquerading as authority.
His little smiles like he thinks he's won and that pushes me over the edge. My hand strikes, hard across his cheek. A perfect, deliberate strike, not blind fury but calculated force. His head jerks violently, and when he turns back to me, a red line blooms across his face, a small trickle of blood from biting his lip.
"You think you know everything, but you don't," I hiss, voice tight with restrained wrath. "I created you and your brother. I decide what happens. You exist because I allowed it. Be grateful you were born first."
Noah's words slice through the tension, sharp, defiant. "How can you justify treating people like experiments, as if their lives exist solely for your amusement?"
I laugh, a low, dangerous sound. "They are test subjects, not people. I watch them bleed, beg, cry, die and I feel nothing but disappointment for their failures."
"You claim to be above emotion, but I see only the limits of a man too small to understand what he's destroying," he counters, and a spark of fury ignites fully in me.
He understands nothing and he never will. Emotions are weakness only logic is power. Noah could have been so much more but he's flawed by sentiment.
"You think words affect me?" I growl, stepping closer, letting my shadow fill the space between us. "You act confident now, but once you realise no one will come for you, no one will intervene… you will break. And I look forward to it."
I can feel my blood humming, the familiar thrill of dominance, of control.
Noah turns his head, as if the conversation is over. But we are far from finished. He just needs more pressure, and I know exactly who to bring into this.
I pivot toward one of the guards.
"Inform Test Subject 002 that he is required," I command, voice steady, sharp.
As the guard moves to obey, Noah glances between me and the door. I can see it now, the first fissures of fear beginning to crack through his defiance.
I watch him closely, noting the slight tremor and every hitch in his breathing. Patience is a weapon, and I wield it with precision. Test Subject 002 will arrive soon, and by the time this is over, Noah will learn the limits of his defiance.
For now, I step back, letting the silence settle over the room. He doesn't speak. Not yet. But soon… very soon, the cracks will widen, and I will be there to watch him fall apart, piece by piece.
The door opens again and the game continues.