Ethan knox - October 2120
"Are we completely sure we're going to survive this?" Isaac asks from the backseat.
His voice still sounds wrong, too polished and clinical, like Dr Williams has taken over his throat completely.
I glance up at the rear-view mirror, though the visor cuts off half my view. "Wow, that's exactly what I want to hear right now" I say, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Really inspiring stuff."
"No, I mean your driving."
I let out a soft breath that almost turns into a laugh. "Rude. I'm doing fine, thanks."
I am not doing fine.
I've barely driven before, no licence, no proper practice, just enough experience to get the car moving and hope it stays that way. My hands tighten slightly around the wheel as I keep the car straight, trying to ignore how unnatural it all feels. I stalled it a few times earlier, but now it's running, and I'm holding onto that small success.
"Maybe you should focus on the road" Tessa says calmly, her tone even and grounding as always.
"Wow, okay, ganging up on me now" I murmur, but there's no bite to it.
I do focus, though.
The road curves ahead, and as we round the bend, the facility comes into view.
The moment I see it, something in my chest tightens.
It stands there exactly as I remember, too solid, too unchanged, like time never touched it. My heartbeat begins to pick up, heavy and insistent, and my breathing follows before I can stop it.
Images start pressing in without permission. White corridors stretching too long, lights that never dimmed, the echo of footsteps that didn't always walk back out.
I grip the wheel tighter, but it doesn't help.
I slow the car, my foot easing off the pedal until we roll to a stop.
The silence that follows feels louder than the engine ever did.
My breathing turns uneven, each inhale shallow and unsatisfying, and I pull the mask off quickly, leaning forward as I try to get enough air.
"Ethan?"
Someone says my name, but it feels distant, like it's coming through water.
I can't go back in there.
For a moment, everything in me wants to turn the car around, to leave before we even try.
Then something flickers across my vision, quick and sharp.
[The gate opening.Us walking inside.]
It's gone almost as soon as it appears, but it leaves something behind, something small and steady that I can hold onto.
"Ethan."
Hands gently but firmly guide my face up, and I meet Tessa's eyes.
"Look at me" she says softly.
I focus on her, letting everything else fall away.
"We don't have to do this" she tells me. "We can turn back right now and go home."
For a second, the idea feels dangerously tempting.
"But I know you can," she continues, her voice calm and certain. "You're stronger than you think."
I swallow, forcing my breathing to slow as I hold onto her gaze. Another flicker brushes the edge of my thoughts, less clear this time, but enough to remind me why I'm here.
I glance back at the facility, and it still looks the same, still feels heavy, but it doesn't crush me in the same way.
I let out a long breath.
"No," I say quietly, more certain than I feel. "I can do this."
Then, softer, "We can do this."
A small smile appears on her face before she lets go and moves back into the rear seat.
I sit there for a moment, letting my heartbeat settle into something manageable, before pulling the mask back on.
"Alright," I mutter under my breath. "Let's go."
I start the car again and guide it forward, my hands steadier this time as we approach the gates. As we get closer, the metal creaking low and heavy, and I roll the window down as we stop at the checkpoint.
"Identification" the guard says.
I pass over the stolen ID, keeping my movements controlled as he studies it carefully before looking back at me.
"Remove the mask" he says, his grip shifting slightly on his gun.
My chest tightens at that, a brief flash of something going wrong flickering through my mind, too quick to fully grasp.
Before I can react, Isaac leans forward and lowers his window.
"Can we hurry this along?" he says smoothly, completely in character. "Dr Langford is expecting me."
The guard immediately turns his attention to him. "Dr Williams, my apologies. It is protocol."
"And who do you think helped design that protocol?" Isaac replies, his voice cool and unwavering. "Let us through, unless you'd like to deal with the consequences."
The guard hesitates, clearly unsure, before nodding and signalling to the others.
The gate opens.
I let out a quiet breath I didn't realise I was holding and ease the car forward.
"Nice," I say, glancing at him briefly. "You almost scared me with that one."
Isaac grins. "Almost?"
"Don't push it."
The lights inside the facility flood the ground as we drive in, bright and clinical, and guards move through the area with quiet precision, weapons carried like they belong there.
Everything looks exactly the same.
That's what makes it worse.
I pull up near the entrance and turn slightly to look at them.
"Ready?" I ask.
They both nod.
"Ready."
I step out of the car, the cold air hitting me immediately, and move around to open the door for them. It's a small thing, automatic, but it steadies me.
We walk to the entrance together, and I press the badge against the scanner.
A few seconds pass, each one stretching longer than it should.
A faint flicker crosses my mind, something sharp and wrong, but before it can fully form, the scanner beeps and the door unlocks.
Relief settles in, quiet but real.
I glance back at them with a small, reassuring smile.
"See?" I say softly. "We're doing alright."
Then I turn and step inside.
The door shuts behind us with a quiet click that lingers in the air longer than it should.
I don't move straight away.
The air is the same. Too clean and too still. It carries that sharp, sterile edge that settles in your lungs and refuses to leave, no matter how long you've been gone. For a second, it presses in on me, trying to drag me backwards into memories I've spent too long trying to outrun.
I don't let it.
I take a slow breath and let a small, steady smile settle on my face as I glance back at them. "Well," I murmur, keeping my voice light, "no alarms, no one yelling at us yet. I'd say we're doing pretty well."
Isaac adjusts his coat, already completely Dr Williams, his posture precise, his expression cool and untouchable. "Let's try to keep it that way."
Tessa's gaze moves down the corridor, calm and focused. "Where do we go?"
Of course it comes back to me.
I nod once, then let my eyes flash blue briefly, just enough to reach for that quiet place in my mind where everything starts to shift.
The corridor fractures.
Not in a way anyone else could see, but I feel it, possibilities sliding over each other, overlapping, breaking apart.
I follow one and we move forward.
[A guard turns the corner too soon.]
That path collapses.
Another rises.
[We turn right and a door waits at the end.Locked... But Tessa's hand presses against it and opens wide.]
I open my eyes again, the present settling back into place. "Right," I say softly, nodding ahead. "This way. There's a door at the end, it's locked, but…" I glance at Tessa with a faint smile, "I don't think that's going to stop you."
"It won't," she says.
We start walking, keeping our pace steady, natural. Like we belong here.
The corridor stretches ahead of us, quiet except for the soft sound of our footsteps. I keep my gaze forward, but I'm tracking everything, reflections in the glass, the faint hum in the walls, the feeling of movement somewhere deeper inside.
That pull brushes my thoughts again.
A flicker shows me two guards crossing the intersection ahead of us, their timing just slightly off from where we are now. I slow a fraction, lifting my hand just enough for the others to notice.
"Give it a second" I say under my breath.
We pause without breaking formation.
A moment later, the guards pass by, their footsteps fading without ever noticing us.
I glance back, a small hint of humour slipping through. "See? Perfect timing."
Isaac raises an eyebrow. "Convenient."
"I try."
We keep moving, and the door I saw comes into view exactly where it should be.
I step aside, gesturing lightly.
Tessa steps forward and places her hand against the panel. I feel the shift before I see it, something subtle bending around her, the system resisting for a second before giving in. The red light flickers, then turns green.
The lock clicks open.
I exhale softly, impressed despite everything. "That's still fun to watch."
My chest tightens.
Noah is close. I can feel it. I just hope we can find him soon so Kai doesn't worry to much.
The door opens with a low mechanical click, and I ease it forward just enough to slip through first, my body automatically checking the space before letting the others follow.
The air changes the moment we step inside.
It's colder here, heavier, like it hasn't been disturbed in a long time. The lighting is dimmer too, not the harsh white from before but something softer, duller, leaving shadows to gather in the corners. It feels quieter, but not empty, more like the silence is being held in place rather than naturally settling.
I take a few slow steps forward, scanning the corridor before speaking under my breath. "I don't remember this level being like this."
Isaac moves beside me, completely composed, every detail of his posture still perfectly in character. "That usually means it's important."
"Or hidden on purpose" I reply, my tone light but quieter now.
Tessa closes the door behind us, and the sound feels final in a way I don't like. We move forward together, keeping close but not close enough to look suspicious.
The corridor stretches ahead, lined with reinforced doors, all identical, all sealed.
I don't let myself think too much about what's behind them.
Instead, I reach.
Carefully.
The world shifts in that familiar way, like stepping half out of sync. Possibilities begin to slide over each other, slower here, heavier, like something is resisting.
I follow one path and see us turning left, walking straight into voices, too many people, too exposed. That thread collapses quickly.
Another forms, thinner but steadier, leading us straight ahead to a quieter section, a door waiting at the end. It's the safer option.
I open my eyes and nod forward. "This way," I say, keeping my voice low.
We move in sync, our footsteps controlled and quiet against the floor. I can feel my heartbeat again, steady but present, grounding me as we go deeper.
Somewhere ahead, a faint sound carries through the corridor.
Voices.
I slow slightly and lift my hand just enough to stop the others without drawing attention.
"Hold on" I whisper.
We pause just before the corner. I flash my eyes blue briefly and reach again, pushing a little further this time.
The vision sharpens.
Two scientists walk past the corridor, mid-conversation, distracted, not paying attention. That part is easy.
But further down someone stands there... Waiting.
The image fades, leaving a tight feeling in my chest.
I open my eyes and glance back at them. "There are people ahead," I say quietly. "Two will pass, but there's someone else further down the corridor."
Isaac's expression doesn't change, but his focus sharpens. "Can we avoid them?"
I hesitate, checking again, but the answer doesn't change. Every other path splinters into delays, into wasted time we don't have.
I shake my head slightly. "Not without slowing down."
Tessa meets my gaze, calm as ever. "Then we don't avoid them."
Isaac gives a small nod, already settling deeper into his role.
I glance at him, a faint hint of humour slipping through despite everything. "Good. I'll just stand next to you and try to look like I know what I'm doing."
"Try harder than that" he replies.
"I always do."
We move again, rounding the corner at a natural pace, not too fast, not hesitant. The corridor opens up in front of us, and just like I saw, two scientists walk past, caught up in their conversation, barely sparing us a glance.
I keep my breathing steady and my posture relaxed, matching Isaac's pace.
Then I see him.
He's standing further down the corridor, exactly where the vision placed him, completely still, like he's been there the entire time.
Recognition hits before I can stop it.
Dr Langford.
Every instinct in me sharpens, but I keep walking, forcing myself to stay steady, to not let anything show.
We stop a few steps away from him.
He doesn't look surprised. If anything, he looks like he's been expecting something, though whether that something is us, I can't tell.
His gaze moves over us slowly, calculated, taking in every detail.
"Dr Williams, you took your time" he says calmly.
His voice is controlled, measured in a way that makes it harder to read.
I can feel my pulse picking up, my mind instinctively reaching forward, searching for something, anything, that tells me how this plays out.
"My apologies" Isaacs says lightly, holding his gaze. "I was delayed"
His eyes settle on Isaac properly now, sharper, more focused, like he's just become the most interesting part of the room.
Something about that makes my chest tighten, not from panic, but from instinct.
This isn't going to be simple.
The corridor falls quiet around us, the kind of quiet that feels like it's waiting for something to break it.
And for the first time since we walked in, I can't see what happens next.