Joseph Langford - September 2120
With the summit drawing near, the volume of paperwork has multiplied. Every variable must be aligned, every detail sterilised of error. Investors expect perfection, and I intend to deliver it.
The strain is evident across the company, fatigue etched into faces, tempers pulled taut. Yet somehow Noah appears immune to the pressure.
Only a week ago, he could barely maintain the facade, he was exhausted and struggling through routine procedures. His mask had slipped, and I saw the truth beneath.
But now he sits in my lab, analysing the survival rate of the Lunex vial with steady hands and clear eyes… looking sharper than anyone else in the building. Something must have happened.
A knock interrupts my observation. Before I can grant permission, the door opens.
"Langford." Christopher Oswald walks in with the delusion of a man who believes himself important.
I lace my fingers together on the desk, the posture deliberate, controlled. "How can I help you, Mr Oswald?"
He drags a chair out and sits without invitation. Arrogant. If he weren't on the board, I'd have reminded him exactly where he stands.
His attempt to hide the bruising on his face is sloppy. The guard's report was accurate, then.
"I see you've still managed to keep Noah under your control," he says, venom threaded through the words as he nods to the lab. I let the tone slide off me, it's irrelevant.
"Noah is here because he chooses to be." I keep my voice level, unbothered.
"Mm. Right." His smirk is weak. "Well, at least one of your creations knows how to behave."
A provocation, a transparent one. He wants a crack in my expression, but he won't get it.
Silence often does more damage than words. I let him stew in it.
Eventually, he snaps. "That son of yours, 004… Kai, he attacked me."
So it was Kai. My suspicions align but Kai doesn't lash out without purpose. Without threat. Which means Oswald triggered him somehow.
"Why did he attack you?" I ask, as if it's merely a data point.
He scoffs. "Because he's a monster. A dangerous one you let slip through your fingers."
I catalogue the insult but give nothing back. Not yet. He talks too freely when he thinks he has the upper hand.
"I have measures in motion to deal with him," I say. Not a lie but not the whole truth.
"You'd better move faster." His fist hits the desk, a pathetic attempt at dominance. "And once you capture him, I want my revenge. He ruined my face."
"I will ensure he is handled appropriately."
Appropriately, in this case, meaning terminated on sight, a detail Oswald will never hear from me. Later, I'll tell him Kai died in the field. A convenient accident.
His eyes drift to the lab. I follow his gaze. It falls onto Noah, who is focused and unaware.
"You wouldn't want him to find out what you've done to his brother, would you?" Oswald says.
My eyes narrow, just slightly. Enough for him to believe he's scored a point.
He stands, self-satisfied. Delusion is a powerful drug.
"Oh, and one more thing, Langford," he adds at the door. "I'd appreciate it if you tell the others at the summit how helpful I've been to you."He smiles before he turns and leaves.
I let the irritation settle, cold and clean.And with that clarity, I decide:
Christopher Oswald has earned himself the top position on my removal list.He won't be making it to the next quarter.
The door clicks shut behind Oswald, and the room settles into a cleaner silence. His stench of arrogance lingers, but that can be dealt with soon enough.
I reach for the secure line on my desk and dial the facility directly. It rings once before it's answered.
"Dr Williams," comes the voice on the other end, efficient, as always.
"It's Langford," I say. My tone remains level, clinical. "I need 009 and 016 deployed immediately."
A brief pause. "Is there a target?"
"Christopher Oswald." I watch Noah through the glass still engrossed in his work, unaware of what is going on in the shadows.
Dr Williams inhales quietly, but he doesn't question me. "What would you like them to do?"
"They are to follow him from the moment he leaves this building," I state. "You will instruct them to maintain distance, remain unseen, and ensure he goes nowhere near Noah. If he attempts to make any contact with my son, they are to intervene."
"Yes, sir."
"And once the summit concludes," I continue, letting the words settle into a precise, lethal command, "009 and 016 will remove him. Quietly and cleanly. No witnesses. No body. No trace. I want him to simply… stop existing."
Dr Williams' voice drops to something colder. "Do you think that's a good idea? He is a member of the board."
"I gave my orders." I lean back in my chair. "Report any deviation from his routine. He's unstable enough to make mistakes. Use that to exploit him."
"Of course."
I end the call and place the phone back exactly where it belongs.
Oswald thinks he's clever. He thinks he can threaten me. Try to demand credit. To demand revenge.
He believes he's important. But he only falls in his fathers footsteps. He should know his place.
He'll learn soon enough how easily important men vanish.
I will not let him risk compromising Noah like that.
I turn back to the lab window. He's still working, brow furrowed, oblivious.
Good. Let him stay that way.