Chapter 121 Chapter 121

Chapter 121 Chapter 121
Jax was packing his bag when the satellite phone started ringing loudly. The high-pitched screech of an emergency frequency. The kind that only got used when someone was about to die.

He dropped the bag and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

A voice came through shaky and desperate.

"Jax. It's Evelyn."

He froze. "Evelyn. Where are you?"

"I'm with my mother. And Anya. At the backup facility. In Antarctica. The one I told you about."

Jax's hand tightened on the phone. "What are you talking about? We're going to Perth."

"Don't go to Perth." Her voice cracked. "It's a lie. It's a trap. Anya set it up. She wanted to get you away from here. So she could finish what she started."

Jax looked at the map on the table. At the route to Perth. At the plane they had chartered. At the hours of planning.

"What's in Perth?" he asked.

"Nothing. An empty clinic with some guards. She was going to kill you there. Or capture you. I don't know. But it wasn't Marcus Cain."

"Where is he?"

"He's here. In Antarctica. Anya found him first. She's been keeping him alive. Torturing him. Trying to get him to tell her how to separate the minds."

Elena walked into the room. She saw Jax's face. She stopped

Jax said, "Where exactly is the facility, Evelyn?"

Evelyn's voice dropped. "Under the ice. East of the Transantarctic Mountains. About forty kilometers from the main base. There's an entrance. A hidden one. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Evelyn…"

She cut him off. "I have to go. If she finds out I called you…"

The line went dead.

Jax stared at the phone.

Elena moved closer. "What happened?"

Jax looked at her. His face was pale.

"Perth is a trap. Anya set it up. Marcus Cain is here. In Antarctica. With Helena and Anya."

Elena's face went white. "How do you know?"

"Evelyn called. She just told me."

"Evelyn? Helena's daughter?"

"Yes."

Caiman came out of the back room. He had heard. His face was hard.

"We aren't going to Perth," he said.

"No. They are still in Antarctica.."

Rina looked at the map. "Forty kilometers in this weather? We'll never make it."

"We have to. We don't a choice now do we?" Elena said shaking her head.

Caiman moved to the door. His boots echoed on the metal floor. "Then, lets head out now. Before she changes her mind."

Jax grabbed his coat. "Let's move."

The wind was worse than before.

It tore at their clothes. It stole their breath. It blinded them.

Caiman led the way.

Jax was behind him. Elena was behind Jax. Rina brought up the rear.

They walked for an hour. Two hours. Three.

The wind didn't stop.

Caiman fell. He got up. He fell again.

Jax grabbed his arm. "Get up. Common on. You can do this. We got you okay?"

He nodded. Jax pulled him up. Caiman swayed. He put his hand on Jax's shoulder.

"I'm not going to make it," he said.

"Yes you are."

"I'm slowing you down."

"Then we slow down."

Caiman shook his head. "No. I'll catch up."

Jax stared at him. "Caiman—"

"Go. Find Marcus Cain. Finish this."

Jax looked at Elena. She nodded.

"We'll come back for you," Jax said.

Caiman nodded. He sat down on the ice. His back was against a rock.

Jax turned and walked.

The facility became visible.

Rina pointed. "There."

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

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

They walked toward it. Suprisely, the door slid open after one push.

It was warm inside. The air was thick. The lights were bright. The floors were clean.

Jax blinked. His eyes adjusted.

In the center of the room, a single chair. A figure sat in it.

Marcus Cain.

He was thin. Pale. His eyes were open. His lips were moving.

Anya stood next to him. Her face was hard. Her eyes were wild.

Helena stood behind her. Her hand was on a knife.

Evelyn was in the corner. Her hands were tied. Her face was wet.

Jax stepped forward. "Anya."

She turned to him. Her voice was two voices. "You came."

"Evelyn called us."

Anya laughed. It was high and broken. "She called you? She told you where I was?"

"Yes."

Anya looked at Evelyn. "You betrayed me."

"I am trying to save you."

"You ruined everything."

Evelyn's voice cracked. "Easy for you to say when you have ruined alot of lives."

Anya turned back to Jax. "It doesn't matter. You're too late. Marcus Cain is already dead."

Jax looked at the chair. At Marcus. "He's alive."

"Barely. The reset is killing him. Slowly. Painfully. He's been suffering for weeks."

"Let him go."

"No."

Anya moved to stand in front of Marcus. Her hand was on his shoulder.

"He's the only one who knows how to separate the minds. And he won't tell me."

"Because he can't."

"He can. He just won't."

Elena stepped forward. "Let him go, Anya. You're not going to get what you want."

Anya laughed. "I already have what I want. I have him."

"You have a dying man."

She smiled. "It's better than nothing."

Jax moved closer. His hand was on his gun.

"You're insane."

Anya's face twisted. "I'm two people. Not insane. Just... split."

Helena spoke. Her voice was quiet. "Anya. This isn't the way. Let's not banter. Kill them already."

Anya turned to her. "Hmmm. I thought as much.”

"Mother,” Evelyn said. "This isn't the way."

Anya laughed. It was cold. "You don't get to tell me what the way is. None of you do."

She pulled out a gun.

Jax moved.

He grabbed her arm and twisted. The gun fell.

They fought.

It was messy. Brutal. No style. No grace. Just two people trying to kill each other.

Anya was strong. But she was wild. Her moves were erratic. Unpredictable.

Jax was tired and weak. The reset had taken everything from him. He was just a man. But the effect of the reset made him weaker than a normal man.

He punched her. She staggered back. He grabbed her arm. She twisted free.

She lunged at him. He caught her. They fell.

His knife was in his hand. He didn't remember pulling it out.

He stabbed her.

She gasped. Her eyes went wide.

Then she went still.

Jax pulled the knife out. Her body slumped to the floor.

He stood up. His hands were shaking.

Elena ran to him. "Jax."

"I'm okay."

"Your chest."

He looked down. There was blood. A lot of it.

Anya had stabbed him too. He hadn't felt it.

He fell to his knees.

The facility was shaking.

The self-destruct had been triggered. The countdown was flashing on the screens.

Evelyn ran to Marcus. His eyes were still open.

"Please," she said. "Please."

He didn't answer.

Caiman came through the door. His face was pale. His breathing was heavy.

"We need to go."

Elena grabbed Jax's arm. "Get up."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

Rina was at the console. "I'm trying to stop the self-destruct."

"Don't bother," Helena said. "Let it burn."

Rina turned to her. "We have people in here."

"Then get them out."

Rina ran to Marcus. She pulled him out of the chair. He was too weak to stand.

"Help me," she said.

Evelyn grabbed his other arm. They dragged him to the door.

Helena followed.

Jax tried to stand. His legs gave out.

Elena pulled him up. "Walk please. You can't die." Tears were running than her cheeks.

"I can't…breathe."

The facility collapsed behind them.

Ice fell. Metal screamed. The ground shook.

They ran. Caiman was ahead. Elena was beside Jax. Rina and Evelyn dragged Marcus. Helena was last.

They reached the entrance. The door was still open.

They ran through.

The ice was cold. The wind was sharp.

Caiman pointed at a vehicle. A snowcat. Old. But functional.

"Get in."

They climbed in. The engine started.

They drove.

Behind them, the facility fell into the
ice.

Marcus Cain was in the back. His eyes were closed. His chest was still moving.

Jax was bleeding. His hands were shaking.

Elena looked at him. "You're not dying."

"Jax."

He looked at her. "I will try."

The snowcat kept moving.

The ice was white. The sky was black.

And Jax was still bleeding.