Chapter 117 Chapter 117

Chapter 117 Chapter 117
Jax woke up from sleep and immediately felt something was off. He blinked frantically and said calmly, "Whooow. What's going on with me?”

His hands felt like they belonged to someone else. He flexed his fingers. They moved, but not as they used to. He felt like they were full of sand.

He sat up quickly. The room spun. He grabbed the edge of the cot to steady himself. His grip was weak. His knuckles weren't white like they used to be. They were just... knuckles.

Elias was already up. He was standing at the window with his back to Jax and holding a cup of tea. His shoulders were tight.

"Can't sleep?" Jax asked.

Elias turned. His face was pale. His left hand was shoved deep into his pocket. "I've been up for two hours. The shaking won't stop."

He pulled his hands out. They were trembling.

Jax looked at his own hands. "Mine too."

Elias walked to the table. He picked up a cup of water. His left hand shook so bad he had to use his right hand to hold it.

"I think it's the reset," he said. "It's working faster than we thought."

Jax stood up. His legs wobbled. "The clones?"

"All of them. Worldwide. Their abilities must be fading."

"And the investors?"

Elias set the cup down. "Worse. Their bodies are aging. Rapidly. Some of them should be already dead."

Jax walked to the window and looked out. The yard was empty. The trees were still.

"How long?"

"A few days. Maybe less."

Jax turned from the window. "Elena?"

"Still asleep. I didn't wake her."

"Good. Let her sleep. She needs it."

Elena woke up an hour later.

She walked into the main room with her hair a mess and her eyes half closed. She stopped when she saw Jax and Elias standing by the window. She looked at their faces.

"What happened?"

"Nothing yet," Elias said.

"Then why do you both look like someone had just died again?"

Jax turned to her. He took a deep breath. "The reset is working. And faster than we expected."

Elena walked to the table. She sat down. Her hands were steady. For now.

"The clones?"

"Losing their abilities."

"And the investors?"

"Very sure they are dying as we speak."

Elena stared at the table. "My mother knew this would happen."

"Did she?"

"She said the therapy was a cage. The reset would break the cage. But she never said what would happen to the people inside it."

Jax walked to the table and sat across from her. "Elena. Your mother was trying to fix her mistakes."

"Hmmm. I know that." Elena nodded slowly and pressed her lips together.

"Maybe she didn't have all the answers."

Elena looked at him. "And you do?"

"No. But at least, I'm still here."

The day went on but slowly..

Caiman came out of the back room. His arm was still bandaged. He leaned against the doorframe. His legs were shaking.

"Can't stand properly. I feel weak," he said.

Jax walked to him. "Come sit down."

Caiman sat. He looked at his hands. "I can't even hold a knife."

"Don't worry about that. You don't need a knife."

"What do I need then?"

Jax pulled a chair up across from him. "You just need to relax for now. We are obviously getting our original bodies back. It's kinda normal to feel this way ."

Caiman laughed. It was short and bitter. "That's it? Just be here relaxing? What if an emergency comes up? How do we defend ourselves?"

"We will figure that out. We have to be more careful now. We will be fighting with our original strength"

Caiman looked at his hands. "Shit men. This is fucked up.”

Rina came in from outside. Her face was pale. Her hands were shaking. She was holding a tablet.

"News," she said. "From outside."

She set the tablet on the table. The screen was showing a news report. A woman in a blue suit was talking. Her face was serious.

"...reports of widespread physical distress among individuals who received Phoenix therapy. Symptoms include rapid aging, organ failure, and neurological deterioration. Health officials are urging anyone who has received the therapy to seek immediate medical attention."

Elena leaned closer. "They're not saying it's the reset."

"The government doesn't know what it is. They're calling it a medical emergency."

Elena looked at Jax. "If they find out it was us..."

"They won't. If they could, Helena must have found us by now. This location is fully encrypted."

Caiman stood up. His legs were shaking. "They'll blame us. They always do."

"Sit down."

"I can't."

Jax stood up. "Caiman…"

"I can't sit down and wait for the world to end." Caiman walked to the door. His steps were slow, but he kept moving. "If I'm going to die, I'm going to die on my feet."

“Helena.” Elena said. “Do you think she knows about the reset? I don't think younger Evelyn must have told her. Because if she did, she wouldn't let us off the hook like that.”

“Hmmm. You have a point though. She must have seen the news. That's her problem to deal with now. Be right back.”

Jax stood up and followed Caiman.

The sun was up. The yard was empty. Caiman stood in the middle of the grass. His arms were at his sides.

"You okay?" Jax asked.

Caiman didn't turn. "No. Obviously."

"What do you need?"

"I don't know. I just needed to be outside. I need some fresh air."

Jax stood next to him.

Caiman looked at his hands. "I used to be able to break a man's neck with one hand. Now I can't even make a fist."

"You don't need to break necks anymore."

"Then what do I need?"

Jax looked at the sky. "You need to be here."

Caiman was quiet for a long time. Then he said "I don't know how to be weak."

"Neither do I. Well, maybe I used to be but now, I can't remember how"

Rina came out. She was holding the tablet. Her face was pale.

"There's more," she said. "The investors. They're panicking. Some of them are already dead."

Jax took the tablet and looked at the screen.

Images. Video clips. Social media posts. All from the last few hours.

A woman in a young clone body. Her skin was wrinkling. Her hair was falling out.

A man in a young clone body. He was sitting in a chair. He looked like he was seventy years old.

The posts read: "Help me. I can't stop aging. Someone help."

Jax looked at the screen. "They're trapped."

Rina nodded. "They can't stop it. The reset is irreversible. Their bodies are deteriorating. Rapidly."

"How long?"

"A few days. Maybe less."

Jax looked at the sky. "Then they'll do something desperate."

"They're already doing something desperate."

Rina turned the tablet. Another news report. "Phoenix is calling for emergency meetings. They're blaming the attackers. They're saying it was an act of biological terrorism."

Caiman laughed. "They're blaming us. That was expected. They still aren't ready to admit the truth. Good for them."

Elena stepped outside. "Of course they are."

Rina's eyes flashed. "Then what are we waiting for? We go public. We tell the world what they did."

Elena shook her head. "Nobody will believe us. They're scared. They want someone to blame. And we're the easiest target."

"So we just sit here? Let them destroy everything we built?"

"We don't let them destroy anything. And besides, the public doesn't know the said terrorist."

Everyone turned.

Elias was standing in the doorway. His face was calm. His hands were steady.

"We've been through worse," he said.

"Have we?"

"Yes. And we're still standing."

He walked into the yard. His steps were slow. But they were steady.

"The investors are dying. Their bodies are failing. They're trapped. That's what we wanted, isn't it?"

Rina looked at him. "We wanted them to pay. Not to take everyone else with them."

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

Elias looked at the sky. "Because we're still here. And we're still fighting."

Jax stood in the yard.

Elena came out. She stood next to him and held his arm.

"The investors are dying," she said.

"I know."

"They're desperate."

"I also know."

"What are we going to do?"

Jax looked at the sky. "We wil find them. Before they do something worse."

"How?"

"We use their network. The one we used to deploy the reset. We track their locations. Their communications. Their movements."

Elena nodded. "I can do that."

"And the kids?"

"They stay here. With Elias as usual."

Jax turned to her. "You don't want to stay with them?"

"I want to finish this."

Jax looked at her. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

The satellite phone rang.

Jax picked it up.

Helena's voice. But different. Shaky. Afraid.

"Jax. Please."

"Helena."

"My body is failing. I can feel it. I can't stop it. For the sake of humanity, help me. I know I wrong you in the past. Please let it go and forgive me. Please my son."

Jax was quiet.

Helena's voice cracked. "Help me. Please."

Jax shrugged.

"I'll think about it," he said.

The line went dead.

Elena stepped closer. "What did she want?"

Jax turned to her. His face was hard.

"She wants help."

"Help?"

"She's dying. She wants us to save her."

Elena stared at him. "And you said what?"

"I said I'd think about it."

Elena shook her head. "This is irreversible. What help is she talking about. We can't trust her."

"I know. This is just emotional manipulation. It's a trap. But I am willing to walk into it. We have to end this once and for all."

“Why are you even considering it?"

Jax looked at the dark sky. "Because if she dies, she'll take everything
with her. The investors. The locations. The bodies."

"And if you help her?"

"I'll have leverage. I'll have control."

Elena stepped closer. "You're talking about using her."

"Yes."

"Like she used us. Either ways, she goes down."

"Yes."

Elena looked at him for a long time. Then she nodded. "Okay."