Chapter 116 Chapter 116

Chapter 116 Chapter 116
Chapter 116

The porch was cold. Jax stood at the railing with his hands in his pockets. The coffee in his hand had gone cold too. He hadn't taken a sip in like ten minutes. He just held it staring at the dark trees at the edge of the yard. The wind moved through the leaves. Somewhere in the house, a floorboard creaked.

The door opened behind him and Elias walked out. He was wearing a worn jacket. His hair was a mess. He leaned against the railing next to Jax. He didn't say anything right away. He clenched his teeth while looking at the sky.

"He's gone," Elias said with a sad voice.

Jax nodded. “Yea. He didn't return.” His voice was almost shaking but he tried to be still.

“And Kael?”

“Same thing. They all bled too much. Their new body couldn't take it.”

"You know, when I first met him…"

"Elias."

"I'm just saying. He was different. Hard, but different. Kael barely spoke but he was a nice person. This is heartbreaking."

Jax turned to face him. "Elias, I can't talk about this right now."

Elias looked at him. Then nodded. "Okay."

They stood in silence. The wind moved through the leaves. A branch scraped against the side of the house. Jax listened to it. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

Jax broke the silence. "You know what he'd say?"

"Who?"

"Kenji. If he were here."

Elias waited.

"He'd tell me to stop moping. Stop looking at the ground. To get up."

Elias almost smiled. "That sounds like him."

Jax set the cold cup down on the railing. "He'd say 'you're not dead yet. So keep moving.'"

"Then keep moving."

Jax looked at Elias. "You sound like him too."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

They stood there a little longer. Jax watched the trees. Elias watched the sky.

Then the satellite phone buzzed.

Jax ran inside and grabbed it. He didn't recognize the number. But he knew the voice.

"Jax." Helena's voice. Smooth. Cold. "I have your friends. Your Singapore warriors are with me. The virus worked. Thank you for that."

Jax's hand tightened on the phone. "Where are they?" His voice deepened with anger.

"Safe. For now. They came to deploy the virus. They succeeded. We caught them right after. Couldn't let them leave without a proper goodbye."

"If you hurt them…you old witch. I shouldn't have let you go. I should have killed you when I had the chance."

“Hahaha. The feeling is mutual.”

"You'll what? You can't find me. You never could. But I'm giving you a chance. Come to the coordinates I'm sending. Come alone. Or they die."

The line went dead.

Jax stared at the phone. His hand was shaking. His jaw was tight.

Elias stepped closer. "Helena."

"Yes."

"Where?"

Jax read the coordinates. "Old airfield. East of here."

Elias grabbed his coat. "Let's go."

They drove in silence. The road was dark. Empty. Streetlights flickered overhead. Jax gripped the wheel.

Elias spoke first. "The virus made it out."

Jax nodded. He didn't look away from the road.

"They uploaded it before they were caught. Every Phoenix facility. Every therapy shipment. It's all reset now."

Jax looked at him. "But they were caught."

"Yes."

Jax slammed his hand on the wheel. The horn blared. "She knew. She let them upload it. She used them."

"That's what she does."

Elias looked out the window. "The airfield is coming up."

They parked half a mile away. Walked the rest. The air was cold. Dry. The ground was hard under their boots.

The airfield was old. Rusted hangars. Broken chain-link fence. Weeds growing through cracks in the concrete. The main hangar was open. Light spilled out from inside.

Jax walked in slow. Hands visible. No weapons. No guns.

Elias followed. His hands were also visible.

Helena was standing in the middle of the open hangar. She was wearing a long gray coat. Her hair was pulled back. Her smile was thin.

Behind her, three figures on their knees. Elena. Rina. Caiman. Their hands were tied behind their backs.

Mira was not there.

Jax felt his stomach drop. "Where's Mira?"

Helena tilted her head. "The brave one? She chose to stay behind during the chase. Gave them time to run with the virus. She didn't make it. She died for nothing. Hahaha.

Jax felt the words land in his chest. Heavy and cold. He remembered Mira's face. The way she never spoke much. The way she always watched. Always ready.

Elena looked up. Her face was bruised. Her eyes were red. "Jax, I'm sorry. We tried to…"

"It's not your fault. Everyone is weaker than they used to be. It's okay."

Helena stepped forward. "You see? I asked you to come alone. You disobeyed. That will cost you something.”

“Don't you dare touch them.” His eyes were red and evidently filled with fury. The veins on his neck were visible as he spoke.

“You always try to save everyone. But you can't. That's your problem, Jax. You think you can win a war without losing soldiers."

Jax stepped closer. "Let them go."

Helena laughed. "No. I don't think I will."

"You said if I came alone…"

"I said a lot of things." She pulled a gun from her coat. "I lied."

She raised the gun.

The shot rang out.

Not from Helena.

From the side of the hangar. Rina had broken free. She tackled the guard next to her. Caiman was already up. He threw himself at another guard. Elena grabbed the guard's gun. It was chaos.

Jax ran. He grabbed Helena's arm and twisted it. The gun fell to the floor.

Elias grabbed Caiman and pulled him toward the exit. "Go! Now!"

They ran.

Bullets cracked behind them. Heat on their backs. Dust kicked up from the concrete. A bullet hit the doorframe next to Jax's head. Wood splintered.

They kept running.

They didn't stop. Not until they reached the truck.

Caiman was breathing hard. His arm was bleeding again. Elena was shaking. Rina was pale.

Elias looked back. "She's not following."

Jax leaned against the truck. His chest was heaving. His hands were shaking.

He looked at Elena. "Mira?"

Elena shook her head. "She told us to run. She said she'd hold them off. She had a gun. She had a knife. She said she'd slow them down."

"How long?"

"Long enough."

Jax closed his eyes.

Elena sat on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest. Her hands were shaking. Her face was still bruised. She was staring at the wall.

Caiman was at the table. His shoulder was bleeding. He had his hand pressed against it. Blood seeped through his fingers.

Jax leaned against the wall. His legs felt heavy.

Elias came out of the back room with bandages. He walked to Caiman. "Let me see."

Caiman pulled his hand away. The wound was deep. Red. Wet.

Elias cleaned it. His hands were steady.

Jax just watched. His voice was quiet. "We lost Mira."

Elena looked up. Her eyes were red. "She died protecting us. She told us to run. She held them off."

Jax didn't answer.

Elias finished bandaging Caiman. He stood up. Looked at Jax. "What happened out there?"

Jax shook his head. "She knew. Helena knew the virus was going to work. She let them deploy it. She used them. She wanted us to think we won. She is having fun making us think we won."

Elena's voice was sharp. "But we did win. The virus is live. The therapy is gone."

"Is it? Helena said Phase Two is already in motion. She said the therapy was just the beginning."

The room went quiet.

Rina turned from the window. Her voice was hard. "So what's the plan?"

Jax looked at her. "We find Helena."

"We just had her."

"And we lost her."

Caiman spoke from the table. "She's not going to stop. She never stops."

"Then neither do we. Kenji, just like the others, can not die for nothing.?

Elena's eyes widened immediately. “Wait. What? Kenji did what?”

Jax dropped his face as he said. “Kael, Kenji. The mortal wounds were fatal. They didn't make it.”

Caiman and Rina were speechless. You could literally see the shock in their faces. Rina burst into tears. Elena moved to her and hugged.

“It's going to be fine. But it was never going to be easy,’ Elena said softly to Rina.

Elias stepped forward. "What about the kids? They can't keep moving like this."

Jax looked at the back room. At the closed door. He could hear Leo breathing. Soft. Steady.

"They stay here. With you."

Elias shook his head. "I'm not staying."

"You're the only one who can protect them."

"I can do both."

Jax stepped closer to him. "Elias, I need you here. If something happens to me, they need someone."

Elias stared at him. His jaw was tight. "You're not going alone."

"I'm not going alone. I'm taking Rina and Caiman."

Elena stood up. "And me."

"No."

Elena walked to him. Her face was hard. "I lost Mira. I lost my mother. I lost everyone.” Tears gathered around her eyes. Her voice softened. “What's the point?”

"Elena.. "

"I'm coming. That's not a request."

Jax looked at her. She didn't blink.

"Fine," he said. “Suit yourself.”

The satellite phone rang again.

Everyone froze.

Jax picked it up.

Helena's voice came through. "I'm impressed. You got out. But you didn't finish me. Better still, I let you out. You all needed to rest."

"I'm not done yet."

"No. You're not." She paused. "I'm giving you one more chance. A location. A final meeting."

Jax waited.

"You bring the children. I need my kids. They are still useful to me."

Jax's hand tightened. "No."

"Then they will die. All of them. Elena. Rina. Caiman. The kids. Everyone you love, including you."

The line went dead.

Jax stared at the phone.

Rina stepped closer. "What did she say?"

Jax looked at her. His face was pale.

"She wants the kids.”