Chapter 119 Chapter 119

Chapter 119 Chapter 119
The wind was a living thing. It didn't just blow. It attacked them like terrorists.

Jax pulled his coat tighter. The fabric was thin and old. It didn't block anything. The cold found its way through every seam, every gap, every loophole. His hands were numb inside his gloves. His face felt raw. His eyes watered.

Elena walked beside him. Her steps were slow. Heavy. Her boots crunched on the ice. She hadn't spoken since they left the bunker.

Rina was ahead of them. Her head was down. Her shoulders were hunched against the wind.

Caiman was behind them. His breathing was labored. His steps were uneven. The reset had taken his strength. He was just a man now. Heavy. Slow. Tired.

"How far?" Jax asked.

Rina stopped. She pulled a device from her pocket. The screen was cracked. The battery was low. She squinted at it.

"Two miles," she said.

"Two miles of this?"

"Yes."

Jax looked at the white horizon

"Then we walk."

The wind didn't stop roaring.

It howled. It screamed. It pushed against them like a wall.

Elena stumbled. Jax caught her arm immediately. She looked at him. Her face was pale. Her lips were dry.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm cold."

"I know."

"I'm so cold."

He put his arm around her. They walked together.

Caiman fell behind. His steps were slower. His breath came in clouds. He stopped and bent over. His hands were on his knees.

"Caiman!" Jax called.

He didn't answer.

Jax walked back to him. "Caiman."

"I need a minute."

"We don't have a minute."

"I know." He stood up. His face was red. His eyes were tired. "I know."

“Let's keep walking please. We will soon be there.”

The facility appeared out of the white.

It was a dome. Low. Gray. Half-buried in the ice. No windows. No doors. Just a smooth surface and a single entrance.

Rina stopped. She pointed with her index finger.

"There."

Jax looked at it. "Where's the entrance?"

She pointed at a dark line at the base of the dome. "There. That's the door."

They walked toward it.

The door was metal. Heavy with a keypad on the side.

Rina knelt down. She brought out a device from her pocket and connected it to the keypad.

The light turned red.

She tried again.

Red.

She looked at Jax. "I can't get in."

Jax looked at the door. At the keypad. At the ice.

"Stand back," he said.

He kicked the door. It didn't move.

He kicked it again. It groaned.

Caiman stepped forward. "Let me."

He kicked it once. The metal buckled. He kicked it again. The door swung open.

Jax looked at him. "I thought you were weak."

"I am. But that door is weaker."

They walked inside.

The facility was warm.

Too warm. The air was thick. The lights were bright. The floors were clean.

Jax blinked. His eyes adjusted.

The room was large. Circular. Tanks lined the walls. Dozens of them. Each one held a body. Floating. Suspended. Waiting.

Rina walked to the nearest tank. She peered inside.

"The investors," she said. "Twelve of them."

Elena walked to another. "They're in cryo."

"Can we wake them up?"

"No. But we can destroy them."

Caiman stepped forward. His hand was on his knife. "Then let's destroy them."

Jax held up his hand. "Wait."

"What for?"

"They're helpless. Defenseless. This isn't a fight. This is an execution."

Elena looked at him. "They would do the same to us."

"I'm not them."

Rina moved to the control panel. "I can sever the life support. They'll be dead in minutes."

Jax was quiet.

"Jax," Elena said.

He looked at her.

"They can't be allowed to wake up. You know that."

He nodded. "I know."

Rina's hand hovered over the button.

"Rina," Jax said.

She stopped.

"Do it."

She pressed the button.

The lights flickered. The hum of the machines changed. The bodies in the tanks began to... fade.

Caiman watched. His face was hard.

"Dead," he said.

Rina looked at the screen. "Life support offline. They're gone."

The room was quiet.

Jax looked at the tanks. At the bodies. At the faces of people who had tried to live forever.

"Let's go," he said.

They walked out.

The wind was still cold. The ice was still white.

Jax stood at the entrance. He looked back at the facility. At the dome half-buried in the ice.

Elena stood next to him. Her voice was quiet.

"It's over," she said.

He looked at her. "Is it? Marcus Cain and Elise Thorne weren't here."

“Oh my goodness. They must still be out there. Evelyn said they were here. Could it be that they got the information that we were coming and they fled?”

Rina walked past them. "We need to move. The wind is getting worse."

They walked.

The journey back was long.

The wind didn't stop. It pushed. It pulled. It tried to stop them.

Caiman fell again. This time he didn't get up.

"Caiman," Jax said.

He didn't answer.

Jax walked back to him and knelt down. "Caiman."

His eyes were open. His chest was moving.

"I can't," he said.

"Yes you can."

"I can't."

Jax pulled him up and put his arm around him. "Walk."

Caiman walked.

They reached the bunker at dusk.

The door was still open. The lights were still on.

Jax stepped inside. Elena followed. Rina followed. Caiman staggered in behind them.

The room was empty. Helena was gone. Evelyn was gone.

Rina looked around. "Where are they?"

Jax didn't answer.

He walked to the chair where Helena had sat. There was a note on it. A single piece of paper.

He picked it up.

"I'm not done yet. But you're not my enemy. Not anymore. — H."

He read it twice. Then he handed it to Elena.

She read it. Her face was pale.

"What does she mean?" she asked.

Jax shook his head. "I don't know."

Rina walked to the door. "We need to leave. The wind is picking up."

Jax looked at the paper. At the words. At the end.

"Not done yet," he whispered.

He folded the note. Put it in his pocket.

"Let's go," he said.