Chapter 55 Ethan
Ethan
“No.”
It’s immediate.
No hesitation.
No room for anything else.
“Ava, no.”
Static crackles in my ear.
Then her voice—
quieter now.
Careful.
“Ethan—”
“No,” I cut in, sharper. “We’re not doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“This.” I pace back toward the stairwell, grip tight on my weapon. “Talking like this is already over.”
A pause.
I hear her breathing.
Even through the static.
“I’m not saying it is.”
“You said you don’t know how much time you have.”
“Because I don’t.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re running out.”
Silence.
Then—
“You always were stubborn.”
I let out a breath.
Short.
“Yeah. You liked that.”
A faint exhale comes back.
Almost a laugh.
But underneath it—
fear.
I hear it.
She can’t hide it from me.
“Listen to me,” I say, forcing my voice steady. “We’re fixing this.”
“How?”
No hesitation.
“We find the system. We break it.”
A beat.
“That’s not how it works.”
“It is now.”
I push through the stairwell door, taking the steps two at a time.
“We’ve taken down worse.”
“This is different.”
“Everything is different until it isn’t.”
Another pause.
Longer.
Then—
my name.
Soft.
“Ethan…”
I slow.
Just a fraction.
“No,” I say again, quieter now—but just as firm. “You don’t get to give up.”
“I’m not giving up.”
“Then don’t sound like it.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Then—
“…okay.”
It’s small.
But it’s there.
“I won’t give up.”
Relief hits harder than I expect.
“Okay?” I press.
“Okay,” she says again—stronger now. “We fight.”
Good.
Because that’s the only way this ends.