Chapter 107 Chapter 107

Chapter 107 Chapter 107
They loaded back into the boat.

Kael took the wheel. Rina sat next to him. Mira sat in the back. Lena sat at the bow.

Elena was in the cabin with the kids. Maja was asleep against her shoulder. Leo was curled up on a blanket. Lars was sitting with his eyes closed.

Kenji stood at the bow.

Jax sat next to Elias.

"You think we're going to make it?" Elias asked.

"I don't know," Jax said.

"That's honest."

"I'm tired of lying."

Elias nodded. "Me too."

The sun was high now. The kids were sweating.

Maja woke up. "Father," she said.

"Yeah," Jax said.

"I'm thirsty."

Elena handed her a water bottle. Maja drank. Then she passed it to Leo. Leo drank. Then he passed it to Lars. Lars drank. Then he handed it back to Elena.

"When can we stop?" Maja asked.

"Soon," Jax said.

She nodded and then lay back and closed her eyes.

They reached the shore at dusk.

The mining town was old. Buildings with no roofs. A church with no bell. A school with no windows.

Jax climbed out. Kenji followed. Caiman. Rina. Kael. Mira. Lena. Elias.

Elena stayed on the boat with the kids.

Jax looked at the town. "We set up here. Make camp."

Kenji looked around. "There's nothing here."

"That's the point."

They moved into the town. Caiman checked the buildings. Rina checked the perimeter. Kael climbed to the top of the church.

Mira stayed close to Jax.

"You're quiet," Jax said.

She looked at him. "I'm thinking about Viktor."

"We all are."

"If he was still here, he wouldn't want us to stop."

"No. He wouldn't."

"Then let's not."

Jax nodded and placed his hands on her shoulder. She gave out a faint smile.

Kenji found a building that was still standing. An old hotel. The roof was intact. The walls were thick.

They moved the kids inside. Elena set up a bed for them. Blankets on the floor. Maja lay down. Leo was next to her. Lars between them.

Jax stood by the window watching the road.

Kenji came and stood next to him.

"You really think we can win?" Kenji asked.

"We have to," Jax said.

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I have."

They stood there for a while. Not talking. Just watching.

Then Rina's voice came from outside. "Jax! You need to see this!"

Jax walked outside quickly. Rina was pointing at the sky.

A helicopter. Black. No markings.

Kenji stepped out behind him. "Phoenix?"

"Or Helena. Or younger Evelyn. Either way, they're not here to help."

Caiman grabbed his rifle. "We need to hide."

Jax shook his head. "They already see us."

"Then we fight."

"Not here. The kids."

Jax turned to Rina. "Get the kids to the church. It's the sturdiest building."

She ran inside.

Jax looked at Kenji. "You're with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To draw them away from the town."

Elias stepped forward. "I'm coming too."

"No. Stay with the kids."

"I can fight."

"I know. But the kids need you here."

Elias looked at him for a moment. Then he nodded. "Sure."

Kenji and Jax ran.

The helicopter followed them.

Kenji was ahead of Jax. Jax was behind him.

The helicopter lowered a rope. Men in black gear slid down.

Jax stopped and fired.

One man fell. The others kept coming.

Kenji grabbed Jax's arm. "Run."

They ran.

The helicopter circled back. The men kept coming.

They reached a ridge. A drop. Fifty feet down to a river.

Kenji looked at Jax. "Jump?"

"Sure. Jump."

They jumped.

The water was cold. The current was strong.

Jax surfaced. Kenji was next to him. They swam toward a huge rock and hid behind it.

The helicopter circled overhead. The searchlight cut through the water.

Then it moved away.

Kenji looked at Jax. "They're gone."

"For now," Jax said.

They swam to the shore.

They made it back to the town at dusk.

The kids were in the church. Elias was with them. Caiman was at the door. Rina was sitting alone. She was anxious.

Jax walked inside. Maja ran to him.

"Father. You're bleeding."

Jax looked at his arm. It was a small cut. He hadn't felt it.

"I'm okay," he said, smiling.

"You're not okay."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the floor. Elena brought bandages. She cleaned the wound and wrapped it.

Maja watched.

"You're brave," Jax said.

She shook her head. "I'm tired." Her eyes were wet.

Jax put his arm around her with a tired face. "Me too."

Kenji came in. He was wet. His clothes were torn.

Leo ran to him. "Uncle Kenji."

Kenji picked him up. "I'm okay."

Leo hugged him and didn't let go.

The room was quiet.

Rina came to the door. "Jax."

Jax stood up and walked outside.

The helicopter was back. It landed in the field next to the church.

A woman stepped out. Gray hair. Gray coat.

Helena Voss.

Behind her were two guards. Black uniforms. Gen-3s.

Jax raised his gun. "Stop right there."

She kept walking. "Put that down. I'm not here to fight."

"Then why are you here?"

She stopped ten feet from him. "To offer you a way out."

"A way out?"

"Phoenix is going to kill you. All of you. The attack in Berlin was just the beginning. They have more planned. Worse."

Jax didn't lower the gun. "And you want to help us?"

"I want to help myself. You're useful to me alive. Dead, you're just martyrs."

Kenji came out of the church with his knife in his hand. "What do you want?"

Helena looked at him. "I want you to leave. Go somewhere far. Disappear. Stop fighting."

"And if we don't?"

She smiled. It was cold. "Then I'll let Phoenix do what they do best."

Jax stepped closer. "You were there. In Vienna. You sent younger Evelyn. You took samples from the kids. You gave them to Phoenix."

Helena nodded. "I did."

"Why?"

"Because I needed to know if the reset protocol could be weaponized. Your children are proof that it works. Phoenix has been trying to replicate it for years."

Kenji's voice was low. "You used them."

"I used everyone. Including you."

Rina came up behind Jax. Kael was with her. Mira was behind them. Lena was in the shadows.

"We should kill her," Rina said with a shaken voice.

Helena laughed. "You can try. But my guards are better than yours. And if I die, Phoenix releases everything. Every file. Every location. Every name. Your safe houses. Your contacts. Everyone who ever helped you."

Jax stared at her. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not. I've been preparing for this moment for years. If I go down, I'm taking all of you with me."

Kenji looked at Jax. "What do we do?"

Jax thought about it. About Viktor. About Daria. About Niko. About everyone they'd lost.

"We leave," he said.

Helena smiled. "Smart man. I won't warn you again. I came to talk to you in person because I hate violence. I have been letting you do what you want. Don't think you are stronger than us. If you cause one more chaos, I won't let it slide. You all decided to be rebels. Good and fine. But stay out of my business."

Jax didn't lower his gun. "This isn't over."

"No. It isn't."

She walked back to the helicopter. The guards followed.

The rotors started spinning.

Kenji grabbed Jax's arm. "We can't just let her go."

"We can't kill her. Not yet. But this won't continue forever. Let's just dance to her tunes for now."

"Why?"

"Because she's right. If she dies, everything goes public. Our people die. The resistance dies. Everyone who ever helped us dies."

Kenji's hand curled into a fist. "So we should run?"

"For now."

The helicopter lifted up and flew away.

The night was quiet again.

Jax turned to Rina. "Get everyone ready. We leave at dawn."

"Where?"

"South. Into the mountains. They won't find us there."

Rina looked at him. "You said that about this place before."

"I know. But at least we get to rest there for some days."

Elias stepped out of the church. "I'll start packing."

Mira walked up to Jax. "What about the investors? Helena? Younger Evelyn?"

"We will find them. One by one."

"And if they find us first?"

Jax looked at the dark sky.

"Then we make sure they regret it."