Chapter 114 Chapter 114

Chapter 114 Chapter 114
The station shook. Alarms blared. Red lights flashed in every corridor and every room.

Jax ran. Kenji was ahead of him. Kael was behind. The charges were set. Forty-two minutes left on the self-destruct. They had to get to the lifeboats.

They rounded a corner. Two guards. Black uniforms and foolishly unarmed.
Kael knocked one out from the back and Kenji threw his knife at the second one. Fast and easy.

“Let's go,” Jax said. They kept running.

They entered another corridor. The window was glass like

Kenji stopped unprovoked. His hand pressed against the glass. His breathing was heavy.

Jax grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? We need to move." He said through his teeth.

Kenji didn't turn around. "The weapons system. It's on the shuttle. The one docked at the maintenance bay."

"So? Why are you stopping.?”

"So if we don't destroy it, they'll use it. The investors left it behind. It's still armed."

Jax looked at the maintenance bay door at the end of the corridor. "Then let's go destroy it."

Kenji turned to him. His face was pale. His eyes were wide. "Someone has to stay behind for manual detonation."

Jax shook his head. "No. We will find another way."

"There is no other way."

"Kenji. Move. You are wasting time."

Kenji grabbed Jax's collar and pulled him close. His voice was low and firm. "Listen to me. The investors are gone. But the weapons are still here. If that shuttle leaves with those railguns, they can shoot down anything. Anywhere."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Then let's both stay. You are making this staying behind thing a habit and I am not buying this one.”

The station shook again with a deep groan. Something was failing.

Kael pointed at the timer on the wall. Thirty-eight minutes.

Jax looked at Kenji. Kenji looked back.

"Fine," Jax said. "We stay. We blow the shuttle together. Then we find another way off."

Kenji nodded.

They ran.

The maintenance bay was chaos.

The shuttle was there. White. Sleek. The ramp was down. Lights were on inside.

Jax ran up the ramp. Kenji followed. Kael brought up the rear.

Inside was cramped. Consoles. Screens. A weapons console on the far wall.

Jax walked to it. His fingers touched the keys. "The railguns are still armed. They're locked onto targets. Cities. Major ones."

Kenji stood next to him. "Can you disarm them?"

"I can try."

Kael was at the door. His eyes were on the corridor.

The shuttle shook. A klaxon sounded.

"What was that?" Kenji asked.

Jax looked up. "The shuttle is preparing to launch. Automated sequence."

Kenji grabbed his arm. "We need to go."

"We need to disarm the weapons first."

"The weapons can wait."

"The cities can't."

Kenji stared at him. His jaw was tight. His eyes were burning.

"Jax."

"I'm not leaving until these weapons are offline."

The klaxon got louder.

Kael ran to the console. He started pressing buttons. His hands were fast. His face was calm.

The shuttle shook again.

Kenji looked at Jax. "We're out of time."

Kael pointed at the screen. A blinking message. "Manual override required. Authorization needed."

Jax looked at Kenji. "We need authorization." I said firmly.

Kenji grabbed his arm. "We don't have time for this." Kenji's eyes were already emitting fury.

"We don't have time to fail."

Kael was at another console. His fingers were flying. He pointed at a keypad on the wall. A red light was blinking.

Jax walked to it.

"What are you doing?" Kenji asked.

"Getting authorization."

"How?"

Jax didn't answer. He pulled out his knife. He pried open the panel. Wires. Cables. A small chip.

"Kael," he said. "The chip."

Kael ran to him. His hands were fast. He pulled out his device and wired it to the chip.

The red light turned green.

The shuttle launched.

The force threw Jax against the wall. Kenji fell. Kael grabbed a strap.

They were still in space. The station was behind them. Earth was ahead.

The klaxon stopped. The shuttle was quiet.

Jax stood up. His head was bleeding. He didn't notice.

"The weapons," he said. "They're still armed."

Kenji walked to the console. His hands were shaking. "I can try to disengage them."

"Then do it. Fast." Jax said with his eyes closed for a few seconds.

The shuttle shook again.

Kenji pressed a button. The screen flashed red.

"Access denied."

The shuttle shook harder.

"What's happening?" Jax asked.

Kenji looked at the screen. "The shuttle is locked onto a target. Automated firing sequence."

The railguns hummed.

Jax ran to the console. His fingers pressed some keys. Nothing.

Kenji pushed him aside. "Let me try."

The shuttle shook again.

Jax looked through the window. Earth was below them. A city was in the crosshairs.

"I can't stop it," Kenji said. His voice was tight. "The system is locked."

Jax grabbed him. "You have to."

"I can't."

“Shit. We are doomed.”

Kael stood there. You could clearly see him panicking but he didn't say a word.

The railguns charged.

Jax looked at the console. At the screen. At the target.

"Find another way," he said.

Kael was at the side console. His fingers were moving. He pointed at a panel on the floor. A hatch.

"What's that?" Jax asked.

Kael lifted the panel. There were wires, cables and a power cell.

"The weapons are powered by this," Jax said. "If we cut the power..."

Kenji shook his head. "The power cell is shielded. If we cut it wrong, the whole thing explodes."

"Then we cut it right."

The railguns hummed louder.

Jax looked at Kenji. "We don't have time."

Kenji stared at him. His face was pale. His eyes were wet.

"I know," he said.

He knelt down at the hatch. His hands were shaking. He pulled out his knife.

"Kenji."

He didn't look up.

"Kenji, what are you doing?"

"I'm cutting the power."

"You don't know which wire to cut."

"I know enough."

The shuttle shook again.

Jax grabbed his arm. "Let me do it."

"No."

"Kenji."

Kenji looked up. His eyes were red. "If I don't do this, millions die. You die. Leo dies. Everyone dies. Kenji shook his head. "You're not dying today."