#shock collars

"Damien!" He hissed, trying to keep his voice down but still unable to control his anger. Damien simply ignored him, he was careful when he opened the door, stepping outside and gently shutting it behind him, while Tavi hurriedly dried his hands and followed after him. Damien was carrying Marcella down the driveway, Tavi didn't understand what he was doing, in all this time he was usually so careful about letting the baby sleep, he didn't know why he would wake her up. "What are you doing?!" He snapped as he followed after him, but Damien ignored him. It set him on edge, he wanted nothing more than to snatch Marcella from his arms, panic creeping up on him.

He still didn't understand what Damien was planning when he took another step, and the collar suddenly delivered a painful shock, causing him to collapse onto the ground. When he didn't immediately move, collapsed on his hands and knees, it shocked him again, and when he desperately tried to crawl towards Damien, it quickly gave him another shock, Tavi crying in pain as he tried to reach him. Damien had turned around now, a sickening smile on his face as he approached Tavi, only to kick him hard, pushing him backwards, and finally, the pain stopped, he was gasping for air, tears streaming down his face.

"Shh, baby, you don't wanna wake Marcie up, do you?" Damien said, sounding amused.

"Why did you shock me?!" He cried, pushing himself away from him.

"I didn't, the collar did." Damien told him. "I figured you need to be able to get around the house with Marcie, so the collar means you won't need to be restrained when I go out. You can move around the house however you like now!" He said, like it was something Tavi should've been grateful for. "'Course, you can only go so far outside," He gestured to a tree nearby, "I've set up the barrier so out front, you can't go past that tree, if you do… well, you get it. Would be an awful shame if you tried to do that while carrying Marcie."

"Take it off." Tavi demanded, reaching up to pull at the collar, but Damien just laughed at him.

"Come on Tavi, this is better for you. Would you rather be chained up all day whenever I leave? I'd have to take Marcie with me then, and I didn't think you would like that much." He said. It frustrated him that he was right, Tavi hated whenever he left the house with Marcie, like there was always a chance he might never see her again. Still, he was certain there had to be a better way than this.

***

"Damien, please." Tavi begged, on his knees at the edge of the invisible line he couldn't cross. Damien had been kind enough to carve an X into the tree, and others around the property so that Tavi was less likely to stumble past them accidentally. "Please, just give her back to me."

"No." Damien said simply, standing there just past the line, holding Marcie in his arms. The baby of course was unaware of anything wrong, her big brown eyes looking up at Damien, her little hands reaching for the key he wore on a chain around his neck- the key to Tavi's shock collar.

"I'm sorry, okay!" He cried. Damien had stormed off after Tavi shoved his hand away, rejecting his advances on him. Tavi always knew he was in trouble when Damien wordlessly walked out the door with Marcie in his arms, he knew if he wanted to have her back in his own anytime soon he would be expected to follow, to grovel at the edge of the driveway for Damien's forgiveness. "Please, just- just give my baby back, we can do whatever you want, just let me hold her again." He pleaded.

"She's our baby." Damien corrected him, grating on Tavi's nerves. Damien hadn't been forced to carry her for nine months, Damien hadn't been forced to give birth to her, Damien didn't spend nearly as much time home with her. As far as Tavi was concerned, Marcella was his baby. "I can hold her as much as I want, besides, she loves her daddy!" He said, he dangled the key on the chain over her, the baby giggling as she reached towards it. Were he not holding his child, Tavi might have started throwing rocks at him.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, looking at him desperately. "I'll do whatever you want, I won't say no, I won't push you away, I swear, just give her back."

"Why don't you crawl past that tree, and then I'll give her back to you." Damien offered, Tavi groaned in frustration, pulling at his own hair.

"I-I can't!" He cried. "You know I can't!"

"Then I guess you just don't want her back badly enough." Damien shrugged. "You only have to do it once, I'm not giving her back 'til you do."

Tavi was in tears at this point, he didn't want to do this, but he knew how stubborn Damien could be, and all he wanted was to have Marcie back in his arms. Finally, reluctantly, he crawled forward on his hands and knees, his heart racing as he forced himself to cross that invisible barrier, a painful electric shock immediately stopping him, he screamed in pain while Damien just laughed.

He stood there laughing at him, as Tavi pushed himself backwards to avoid another shock, but finally he collapsed in the dirt, shaking so badly he could hardly hold himself up. He looked up at Damien, the harder he laughed, the more Marcie was starting to smile, and soon she was giggling too, Tavi couldn't help it, he started sobbing, having to watch his daughter laugh while the man who tormented him held her was absolutely heart wrenching.

"Aww, she thinks it's funny too!" Damien laughed, giving Marcie a kiss on the forehead. "Looks like she got my sense of humor!" He teased him.

"Give her back." Tavi cried, feeling pathetic as he reached his arms up towards him, but as Damien got closer he suddenly kicked him down, knocking him back to the ground.

"I'm not handing her to you when you're all covered in dirt," Damien said, continuing back to the cabin, "Clean yourself up and maybe I'll let you hold her." He told him, and in his panicked state Tavi could only scramble to his feet, trying to follow him on shaking legs, ready to do anything and everything he was told to get her back from him.

***

“H-how do we get them off?” Krissy asks immediately, brushing his fingers against his choker as I rack my brains for the answer.

It was…oh God, come on—what was it?!

“The guards — they used some kind of key,” I respond,  swallowing uncomfortably, “I-I don’t know how it worked, but somehow it controlled the—”

More shrieks pierce the air. They’re joined by a boy’s terrified pleading, then the sound of something being shot. Heavy hurried footsteps. A flicker of shadowy silhouettes further down the corridor.

No — they’re already here?!

More collars spark to life. Bodies begin violently twitching as they go down. My neck begins to feel uncomfortably warm—

“O-ours could be next.”

Krissy stiffens on the spot. I feel his hand starting to shake. All I can do is stare back into his brown irises. Our mounting fear is mirrored in our eyes. 

Stay or run, it doesn’t matter anymore! It’s too late! Either way I’ll lose!

“W-we need to get to another floor,” I decide quickly, tightly grasping his hand, “Get far enough away before the shocks kick in — head for the stairs!”

“G-got it!”

We run. I don’t let anything distract me. Not the footsteps, or the nearby screams for help that die down within seconds. Guilt gnaws at my chest — but there’s nothing we can do. Nothing but keep on running.

“Up or down?”

“Up,” I pant, “H-hurry!” 

My bare feet pound against the cold laminate floor. Every step digs into my soles. Each exerted gasp for breath tugs at my chest. My heart rate soars. I barely avoid tripping in panic, focusing on climbing up the steps. Krissy wheezes beside me, all but throwing himself against the door as we make it to the next level. Below us, the footsteps sound distant, swarming around the second floor. We permit ourselves a quick sigh of relief.

“O-okay, now what?”

“We jump one of the guards and get the key,” I improvise, chewing on my lower lip, “After that I…I-I don’t know, we just uh, try to stay hidden or something?”

I peer back at him, wincing. “Y-you got any other ideas, Kris?”

“Not really, but—wait.”

His eyes suddenly widen in realisation. “My sketchbook! I never grabbed it!”

I feel my face twinging at their understandable panic. “Oh God—I gotta go back!”

“We can’t!” I hiss, “You said it yourself — we need to keep—”

“But what about all my—!”

A sudden scream rings out from the stairwell behind us. Both of us flinch, our faces paling. 

Damnit—!

“Nngh…n-never mind.”

Reluctant defeat shines in Krissy’s eyes. He gives his head a hard shake, forcing back any further complaints. “L-let’s just check the floor.”

I heave the doors open, allowing Krissy and I to slip through them. We’re instantly bathed in the same red beams as the previous one. The sudden power-outage must be affecting the whole hospital. Surprisingly we don’t run into any guards on this route, allowing us to sprint freely down the corridor, stopping in front of another pair of wide open doors.

“Here! Let’s hide in here for a sec!” Krissy urges, nudging me inside, “Hopefully they’ll just walk straight past us!” 

“Wait — which ward is this?” “Maple Ward — which also happens to be my ward,” he replies quickly, “Either way, we should be safe for—huh?”

Both of us pause beside what I assume to be the nurses’ station. The ward is practically empty. There isn’t another person in sight — and that’s not the only glaringly odd thing.

“The doors — they’re all open!”

Clusters of sturdy doors — unlocked doors — line the ward corridors. Hurrying to the nearest one, we peek inside the abandoned room. No one’s inside. We try a second and then a third. No patients. No nurses. The same is probably true for the other rooms. 

“And they’re all empty,” I realise, wincing, “so the patients here must have tried to run too.” 

“Looks like it,” Krissy sighs, “I guess the powercut even took out these doors — not that I’m complaining!” 

My attention shifts to the nearby ID lock. Moving closer to inspect it, I squint down at the little device. Something is instantly off. 

“Or maybe this had something to do with it?”

Krissy soon joins me, blinking in shock.

“Whoa,” he gasps, “The lock’s totally fried.”

He checks the previous cell’s lock, being met with a similar result. “All of them are!”

‘Fried’ would be a bit of an understatement. Multiple sparks leap from the electronic device, dancing over the now blackened metal. Wires peek out from the inside, fully exposed. All of them are a frazzled mess.

Those definitely won’t be functioning again anytime soon. 

“I bet the other wards are the same,” I murmur, backing away from the lock, “which means the whole hospital must be in—hnnk!” 

The shock almost takes my breath away. A horribly familiar stinging shoots across my neck. I grimace, leaning against the wall for support. Even Krissy has to help steady me to keep me on my feet.

“Ash! Are you—”

“Fine — nngh — I-I’m fine,” I force out, taking a few deep breaths, “but we really need to find that key before yours starts—”

I trail off. A sudden familiar sound plays out in the distance — footsteps.

“That might be one of them now!” Krissy hisses, helping me along, “O-okay, how are we gonna—”

“Wait.”

I hold up a hand, listening closer to the approaching footsteps. I misheard it the first time, but definitely not this time.

Clacking.

Oh no...

“That’s not a guard, Kris!”

Frantically, my eyes scan the ward for any potential hiding spots. Just a couple of metres away is a brown squishy couch. “Get down, now!” 

The two of us hurry towards it, dropping onto the ground. My back presses against tacky leather. The collar shocks me again, actually sparking this time. My pained cry is muffled by my own hand. I stuff it into my mouth, biting down on it to keep quiet. Krissy takes hushed shaky breaths beside me. Our shoulders brush against each other. We’re just as tense as each other. The footsteps are now louder than ever, coming from the ward entrance. The clacking heels carry through the silent area. A few seconds later, I see his tall figure sweep past the lounge, before stopping about ten metres away.

“...verdammt.”

I can’t see the expression on his face from here, but I can definitely hear the panicked edge to his curse. “Where are—how did this—scheisse!”

Both of us flinch against the couch at his uncharacteristically fierce yell. I bite down on my fist even harder—

“Voss!”

An unfamiliar figure storms through the open doors. Swallowing, I dare to peer around the couch, catching a glimpse of his main features. Both of his sharp piercing eyes narrow in a glare, aimed directly at the doctor. “Update, now. What is happening?”

I shudder at his intimidating air, especially the stern expression of authority twisting his tanned face. It goes perfectly well with his short grey buzzcut and dark ironed uniform. 

“The power outage is affecting the whole building,” Dr Voss answers carefully, “I have no idea who or what is responsible, but I am putting the entire facility into lockdown. No one is to leave or enter until every single one of my patients have been relocated and brought back to their wards.”

“And Slade?” the other man demands gruffly.

“Rest assured, General, he will be found.”

My eyes widen.

Wait, Slade? As in Doctor Slade? But wasn’t he transferred to another—

“He better be,” he grunts, “That old man is like a thorn in my side. Always been a real piece of work — and I can’t even kill him for it.” 

What’s going—ack!

The collar zaps me again. I barely muffle a sob in my knuckle. My eyes sting. A metallic tang hits my tongue. Krissy sucks in an anxious breath. 

Not. A. Sound—

“You do realise what’s at stake here, Voss?” General Guy continues, “His existing knowledge makes him a threat to the US Counterintelligence Department. If that gets out and we allow his kind to run around unchecked like a loose cannon—”

“I do understand, General. I know full well what is at stake for you and I gave you my word that I would prevent that,” Dr Voss responds through gritted teeth, “I promise you, it will only be a matter of time before he is found.”

“Good. I’ve called my men to provide backup, but I would have hoped your existing security measures might have taken an event like this into account. Believe me, this is more than a simple power outage to cause this much—”

“Sir!”

Another pair of footsteps ring out. I clamp my hands over my mouth, panting through the pain of the ongoing shocks. “We got all the main floors covered and the exits secured. They’re all being apprehended as we speak and we’re working on the backup generator. None of them should breach the—”

“How many of them are still out there?”

“Uh, we’re still cross-referencing ID numbers but—” “Then get me those exact numbers so we know who is still yet to be accounted for!” my doctor demands, frustration evident in his tone, “You know the ones most at risk. They are the priority, understood? Focus the bulk of your efforts on securing them — especially the sanitatems! I want them back in their rooms and this power outage resolved as soon as possible!” 

“And if it can’t be?” General Guy asks coolly.

“If not, then we will have no choice but to organise a mass transfer to another facility. Pembrooke always has at least one alternative option. Trust me, General, we will fix this.”

I feel my throat tightening at the desperation in his raised voice. Krissy muffles his own breathing behind his hands. “And why are you still standing there, Jenkins?”

“Oh uh, I was just leaving, sir—”

“Then go! Dismissed!” 

The guard wisely hurries away without wasting another second, the others’ footsteps soon joining his own. As shaken as we both are, we know what we have to do — especially as the collar burns my neck again. Drawing more blood from my knuckles, I finally remove my hand, peeking behind the edge of the couch. Both doctor and general have already moved away. 

“I-I think we’re good,” I whisper, “Follow that guard.”

“R-right.”

The two of us cautiously make our move. Soon Maple Ward is far behind us, our sights set on our new target. My legs are quickly growing weaker from the shocks, but I bite through it, ignoring the red teeth marks that decorate my knuckle. I’m just very glad that Krissy hasn’t had to deal with this himself. After carefully checking our bearings, we creep after the unsuspecting guard. No one else is around in the corridor. It’s just us.

“Okay,” Krissy breathes, mentally psyching himself up, “Let’s get him.”

This is mad — but to quote the Cheshire Cat: ‘we’re all mad here’. Literally. This is a psych hospital after all...I think?

I decide to swallow the lingering doubts for now.

“We run at him on three. One, two —”

“Three!” The two of us  barrel into him with a yell. It’s enough to knock the guard off his feet, kicking his large form to the ground. 

“Hey — gnngh — get off me, you brat!” 

“Fat chance!” Krissy snaps, scrabbling furiously with him, “Ash, the key! Grab it—ack!” My companion cries out as he’s easily tossed aside. Seizing my chance, I make a grab for the guard’s belt, trying to snag the key. His surprisingly strong grip instantly locks around my wrist, pinning me in place.

“Nice try, kid,” he growls, jerking his head up at the sound of distant footsteps, “Hey! Down here! I got two more runaways!”

More uniforms start appearing around us. My face pales. 

Not good! In a last desperate bid to get free, I find the exposed skin of his wrist and bite down on it — hard. His curses are lost over the sound of my racing heart. Yanking myself free, I begin to run.

“Quick! That way!”

Snatching onto my hand, Krissy tugs me down the adjoining corridor. The footsteps follow after us, hurrying in hot pursuit. Warning sparks erupt from the collar as it proceeds to shock me again. 

No!

This time, I allow myself to scream.

“Ash!”

Krissy stops beside me. He grabs onto my arm to support me as my knees almost give way, “We gotta hurry! They’re right behind—”

“I know!” I pant, blood dribbling down my chin from earlier, “Just keep going!”

“Not on my own!” he retorts, pulling me along, “Now help me out here — hnnk!”

Krissy starts to cough, slowing slightly under my weight as we stumble onwards. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I force myself after him. My body twitches from the remnants of the last shock still coursing through my system. I try to keep track of the directions and corridors, even with the guards’ threats ringing behind us.

Down — then right — then another right, then—!

Our feet come to an abrupt halt. The  corridor doesn’t branch off anywhere. It doesn’t show any signs of continuing. All that faces us is a door leading to a small storeroom. It’s the only door in or out — and there’s definitely no place to hide in there.

“D-dead end?” Krissy stammers in disbelief, “but—!”

“Hold it there, kids!”

One glance over our shoulders reveals we won’t be slipping past the guards. Four of them block our path, leering at us severely. All four of them are armed with similar weapons. Backtracking isn’t an option. 

We’re both cornered and outnumbered.

No escape. Just like he said—

“Just be good and come along quietly,” the tallest one orders as they start to close in on us, “Don’t make us have to use force.”

“B-back off!” Krissy snaps, his wavering voice betraying his fear, “Don’t you touch us!”

I can see the tears shining in his eyes, revealing how afraid he really is. Noticing that, I pull myself in front of him, holding out my arms.

“Stay away from us.”

It…honestly sounds pathetic. I must look pathetic, with my weedy shaking arms and my own teary cheeks. Even so, I bare my teeth in warning, glaring at them all. “D-don’t come any closer!”

Krissy blinks back at me fearfully.

“Ash—”

“Heh, looks like we’ve got ourselves a hero.”

I growl at the stubbiest one, pressing back just a little as they aim their weapons in our direction. “This isn’t playtime, kid. Just give up. There’s nowhere for you to run.”

He’s right — I know he is — but my gut still tells me to hold my ground.

“Nngh…n-no.”

My response only elicits another grim glare from Leader. Krissy grabs onto my arm as they shuffle closer. Their weapons pulse with electricity, probably stunners or something. Nothing pleasant at all.  

“Then don’t say you weren’t given a chance.”

The triggers all click in unison. I screw my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain — a pain that never comes.

“Huh?”

Krissy inhales sharply. Daring to open a single eye, I see the guards still aiming at us, repeatedly clicking their triggers. Frustration crosses their faces as…nothing happens. The electric sparks around them die, fizzling out as their weapons are rendered useless.

How did that just—

“Wow. What a bunch of cowards.”

My other eye quickly opens at the new voice. The guards’ attention is no longer on us. All of them are turned towards a fifth figure. I can’t see much from our current distance, but he also seems to be wearing a grey shirt that clings to his tanned form, a scowl filling his face. “Four armed guys against two helpless kids? That’s a pretty unfair setup right there, don’t you think?”

I can hear the disgust in his voice as he continues. “What’s the matter? Scared of a couple of unarmed teenagers? Or maybe you dumbasses just don’t know how to count?”

Leader slowly turns around. I almost expect him to start breathing fire.

“Who are you to—”

“I would suggest using the calculator app on your phones, but actually that will be kinda useless from riiiight about…now.”

The effect is instantaneous. Multiple items simultaneously frazzle from inside their pockets, charring the fabric of their trousers. Their only responses are exclamations of shock and fury. 

What in the—

“D-did he just break their phones?” Krissy hisses to me, blinking in shock, “Without even touching them?!” “Looks like it—”

“Whoops, I did it again.”

The stranger shakes his head, his messy dark hair brushing past his eyes. A smirk sits firmly on his face. “Hope those were brand new — it’s the least a bunch of lowlifes like you deserve.”

Wait, is he the one who fried all the locks back—AGH!

Another shock tears through me. My knees finally do give out as I drop to the ground, grabbing at the collar. The mysterious stranger stares back in our direction. His eyes narrow.

“And they definitely won’t be needing those things anymore.”

He’s barely uttered that last promise before I hear a familiar whirring against my neck. 

The collar! 

The shocks stop. My limbs are still shaking even as the metal clasp unlocks. The collar slips free to the floor with a final clang. Almost immediately I begin to feel it again — the heat, the burning, the fire. It spreads through every nerve and every cell, slowly filling my body. Even through my blurred vision, I’m able to see it clearly. No matter how many times I blink, it’s still there, leaping off my fingers.

The green fire.

Then that means—!

“I-I knew it…”

Suddenly it all comes back. Everything I had been fighting, all that I had been denying, each memory that was just ‘all in my head’ — it’s there. It’s right there in front of me. Even now I still doubt it, but it’s literally glowing before my eyes. 

“Wh-what…the…heck?”

Krissy is frozen behind me. His mouth gapes open, gawping at me as if I’ve just grown a second head. That’s all the evidence I need to know the truth.

This is real.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the time for explanations right now.

“Sigmas—stop them!”

Before I’ve even properly recovered, two of them are heading straight for us. The other two take on Electric Guy. He lunges forward, cursing in what I assume to be a foreign language.

“Porra—don’t worry! I’ll take ‘em down—nngh!”

Before we can respond the two other guards are grabbing at us. I don’t give them a chance. I just throw the green fire right in their faces. Both of them shriek out in fury. At the same time, Krissy finally recovers enough to join me.

“Hyagh!”

He drives his elbow sharply into the second one’s side, using his limited strength to fight. I kick wildly, trying to sweep the guard’s legs out from under him whilst trying to remember the main fight scenes from every action movie I’ve ever watched. Across from us, I notice Electric Guy shoving one of the guards against the wall. 

“You picked the wrong supers to mess with, buddy!” He wastes no time leaping to our aid. His knuckles drive into the taller one’s stomach, sending him down to the ground with a groan. As Electric Guy aims another well-aimed kick in his direction, I notice Krissy struggling madly, pinned firmly against the wall.

“Nngho — nngh — get off!” 

“Kris!”

I don’t hesitate. I throw myself onto the guard’s back, wrapping my fiery hands around his neck to force him to let go.  It gives Krissy just enough time to scramble a safe distance away. What I had not anticipated was for the guard to grasp onto my upper body and flip me viciously over his head. A startled yell leaves my throat, followed by a pained grunt as my back slams into the hard floor behind me. 

“Big mistake, kid.”

My assailant’s rough fingers suddenly wrap around my neck. I choke, desperately clawing at his arms in panic whilst trying to burn him with the fire-thing. His hold eventually loosens and I roll out from under him. Wheezing through my constricted throat, I throw another wave of fire at him to slow him down. Krissy grabs onto my shoulders, pulling me further away from the now furious guard. 

Crap crap crap—

“Oho you’re gonna regret that, brat.”

He ominously stalks towards us — but he never gets to make good on his threat. “Gnnk—what are you—hnnk!”

“Don’t say you weren’t given a chance, Ugly.”

With that ironic sense of karma, Electric Guy tightens his chokehold, rendering our attacker unconscious in a matter of a few seconds. As his body drops to the ground, Electric Guy spins towards us. His expression quickly softens. “You two alright? Not hurt?”

“W-we’ll live,” I answer shakily, still rubbing my sore throat, “Thanks for stepping in, uh—”

“Don’t mention it, bud.”

He peers down at us, holding out his hand. “Come on, we probably shouldn’t stick around here. They won’t stay down for long.”

No objections with that plan!

I grasp onto his hand tightly, allowing him to pull me to my feet. I can’t help but trace along my bare throat as he pulls Krissy back up, feeling somewhat…weird without the collar. I’ve been so used to that cold feeling around my neck, wearing it every single day. I almost feel...naked without it, as if a part of my identity has been stripped away. 

No more collar. It’s finally off—

“Alright, let’s go! Stick behind me. We’ll talk when it’s safe, okay?”

All we can do is nod. With no other complaints, Electric Guy takes the lead. The two of us somewhat awkwardly follow him along the corridors, doing our best to keep up. I’m still a little wobbly on my legs from the earlier shocks, but the feeling is thankfully fading now, instead being replaced with a welcoming energy that radiates from my figure. It looks completely out of place when set against the current crimson glow of the entire floor.

Wow. Green makes a nice contrast against red.

We move quietly, sticking to the walls where possible. We’re fortunate enough not to physically encounter any more guards, although the distant cries of re-captured patients are impossible to miss. Gritting our teeth, we stumble onwards, finally stopping outside of another ward — and just as I predicted, it’s as abandoned as the last one.

“Okay, we’ll stop here for a sec, catch our breath a lil.”

Electric Guy herds us inside the nearest room of the ward. The only contrast it has with Maple Ward is the position of the lounge and the lack of fried ID locks beside the open doors.

“How come these locks aren’t fried?” I ask, dropping down on the empty bed next to Krissy. “Oh, those probably went out when I cut off the main power supply,” Electric Guy explains, “I imagine it’s the same for the other wards — but those fried locks you mentioned? I had to take care of those first when I busted out of my own ‘ward’.”

The stranger sighs, perching himself on the edge of a wooden deskchair. “Heh, good thing they fell for my whole ‘control’ act, amirite?”

“Uh...sure?”

Not entirely sure what that means, but sure?

“Anyway, now that’s dealt with — you’re sure you’re not hurt? I thought this psycho place was bad enough already, but now they’re keeping kids here too?”

His dark brown eyes take on a furious expression. “Nem fodendo...no wonder he was so keen to investigate Pembrooke.”

He scowls, squaring his shoulders. “And no way am I letting a pair of innocent kids get hurt on my watch. Don’t worry, we’re gonna get you two outta here with us, okay?”

“Wait—us?”

“Yeah, I…actually came here for a friend of mine.”

Electric Guy grits his teeth. “He’s been missing for several months. No leads for ages until I found out about this place. He didn’t tell us where he was going or what he was doing, but yeah. I basically let them catch me so I could break him out from the inside. Bit of a Trojan Horse scenario.”

So that’s why he did all that.

“Do you know where he’s meant to be?”

“Should be on this floor — I think his file said Oak Ward or something, so that’s where we’re heading next.”

He hesitates, looking uneasy. “I just…hope he’s okay.”

“Hopefully he is.”

I send him a sympathetic look, wiping the dried blood from my chin. Although his words spark a little hope in my chest,  I can’t ignore one glaringly obvious obstacle. “But even if we do find him…aren’t they also putting the whole building into lockdown right now?” 

“That uh…is true,” he concedes, wincing, “Kinda didn’t think that far ahead — but don’t worry! We’ll find a way out. At least we have the means to fight back — especially you, buddy.”

He sends me a friendly smile. “That was a pretty impressive light show back there. When did you—”

“Yeah uh…about that.”

Krissy — who has been pretty much silent this whole time — finally speaks up. “Ash…how are you still glowing green?”

I awkwardly glance down at my hands. Emerald sparks continue to flicker across my palms, giving off a very obvious glow. 

Oookay. How to word this without coming off as completely deluded?

“I-I know how it looks, Kris—”

“But you’re like—you’re literally glowing green!” he sputters clearly overwhelmed, “And don’t get me started with what happened back there! You just—how was that even possible?!”

“Y-yeah, I kinda freaked out the first time too,” I reassure him, wincing a little, “but I can explain. I know it’s insane, but I can explain.”

“O-okay,” Krissy stammers, still in shock, “I’m listening.”

I swallow, not quite sure how to actually explain it. Electric Guy gives me an encouraging nod.

“R-right,” I begin, bracing myself, “Basically uh...I’m a super.”

My companion just stares at me.

“...you’re a what?”

Great start, Ash.

“Y-yeah, superpowers exist,” I reply, knowing I must sound completely crazy right now, “and so do superheroes, apparently.”

Krissy remains quiet, blinking in disbelief at me.

“...you’re kidding me.”

“Nope, not kidding.”

Electric Guy suddenly speaks up again, leaning casually back in his chair. “And we’re definitely not the only ones. There are a tonne of different supers out there, each with their own supernatural abilities. Flight, destructive strength, energy manipulation, the most weird and wacky ability you could ever imagine — you name it. It probably exists.”

“But that’s just—that’s…no.”

Krissy responds with a weak laugh. “C-come on, really? Supernatural abilities? Energy manipulation? There’s no way that stuff really exists!”

He pauses when neither of us join in. “Uh...d-does it?”

Electric Guy chooses not to comment. I’m on my own with this one.

“I…guess so?” I answer, wincing, “I’m still very new to all of this too.”

“...oh-kay?”

Krissy takes a deep breath, still clearly shaken. “So…just to recap, you guys have these weird supernatural abilities like green fire and breaking electronics — and superpowers are totally a thing now?”

He stares back at me pleadingly, as if waiting for some other kind of explanation. Unfortunately, I don’t have another explanation to give. 

“...pretty much?”

Krissy falls quiet for several moments, processing our revelation. I silently wince.

I guess this was how Dr Slade must have felt when he was trying to explain it to me.

“R-right. Sure. That makes…perfect sense.”

He shakes his head helplessly, looking rather…frazzled. “T-totally nothing crazy about any of this at all…”

“We’ll explain more later,” Electric Guy insists, realising this conversation isn’t helping, “but we don’t have the time now. Trust me, it’s a long story.”

“Y-you don’t say…”

Krissy licks his lips, attempting to absorb it all. “Fine. I’ll uh, try to save the list of questions for after we get outta here. Spoiler alert — it’s a long list.”

“Atta boy,” the super replies, sending Krissy a sympathetic look, “For now, just keep an open-mind, alright?”

“Sure, uh…whatever you say.”

He rubs his forehead, still looking completely overwhelmed. “S-sorry this is just…a lot.”

“No need to apologise, kid—wait, I never even got your names back there, did I?”

Our rescuer groans, slapping a hand against his face. “Brilliant job, Benji.”

Well, now we know his name at least.

“I’m Ashley,” I respond, almost automatically, “or...you can call me Ash.”

“Krissy — and uh…you’re Benji?”

“Yep,” he confirms with an enthusiastic nod, “Glad to meetcha. Sure, it would have been nicer under better circumstances, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

He gets up from the chair, stretching his arms. “And now that we all know each other we should probably get moving again. Don’t want any more unwanted company catching us up. Have you two had enough time to catch your breath?”

“We’ll be fine,” I answer, inhaling deeply again for good measure, “Kris?” “Y-yeah, all good.”

“Good. Then let’s move out.”

Now wearing a confident grin, Electric Guy leads us back into the chaos with a raised fist. “Adiante!”

…yep, this is really happening.

Following Benji’s lead, we head back onto the main floor. Every twist and turn makes my head spin, but we have no choice but to keep going. Despite having only just met him, I can’t help but immediately feel safer with Benji guiding us. He holds us back, checks each direction and ushers us forward only when he’s one hundred percent certain that it's safe. He stands in the face of danger the whole time, ready to fight any guards that would dare to lay a finger on us. His calloused hands pull us back into the darkest corners every time we hear the warning footsteps. It’s through those combined strategies that we’re mostly able to avoid the attention of the other uniforms. Good thing too, because now even more of them are beginning to sweep across the floor.

“Geez, do they just infinitely spawn or something?” Krissy whispers, both of us partially squashed together against the wall.

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Benji mutters, waiting for the current flock to pass, “Okay, stick to the walls for now. Once we’ve got my friend, we’ll be outta here for good.”

We hurry wordlessly behind him without a single protest. His long strides are a little difficult to keep up with, but we just about manage to stay on his tail.

“How big is this place?” I ask, trying to keep my panting to a minimum, “Is there much above this floor or—” “One more floor, not including the rooftop,” he grunts, “I’ve seen worse, but still, three floors plus the ground floor is definitely enough to deal with right now—look out!”

He suddenly shoves us aside, away from the three guards now barrelling towards us. As the tell-tale sound of malfunctioning electronics sounds out around us, I try to use the green fire again to throw them off — with try being the key word.

“Hey, watch it!”

“S-sorry, Kris!” 

Trying not to think about how close I had been to actually burning him, I instead turn my attention to the other goon. The green flames make an excellent distraction, even as I clumsily throw them around, trying to hit something. 

Crap — gotta be more careful!

My aims are far-off target, but the light does blind our attackers enough to allow us to run past them. Unsurprisingly, Benji delivers a more…precise aim.

“Sir, they’re over by Oak Ward! The kids are—urk!”

The guard’s communicator flies through the air, landing some feet away on the ground. As Benji forcibly holds him back, Krissy and I do our bit by crushing it beneath our feet. The sound of crunching metal is oddly satisfying. The former device lies in a broken mess beneath our sock-clad soles, allowing Benji to deal with its owner.

“Nngh — and stay down, cretinos!”

He gives the goon a last kick to the side for good measure, before bending down to search his pockets.  “Don’t forget to check ‘em. You never know what might come in handy.”

“O-okay!”

At Benji’s advice, the two of us hesitantly begin checking the guards’ stash. My own search comes up with an ID card, some plastic zip ties and a wrapped protein bar. I shove them in my own pockets before following Benji and Krissy down the next corridor. We take a different direction now, remaining vigilant the whole time. I ignore the burning in my chest as we continue moving. Somehow I can’t resist the temptation to look over my shoulder. The growing sound of other subjects’ screams brings fresh tears to my eyes. Our new companion curses under his breath, no doubt in his own native tongue.

That could be us at any moment—

“B-Benji, the others—” “I know, but we can’t do anything for them if we don’t get out ourselves,” he grunts, “and the only way we’ll do that is if—wait.”

He suddenly stops us. I almost skid right into him before I manage to catch my balance against the wall. “There’s another one up ahead.”

Great. Just what we need.

“Do we all run at him?” 

“Probably the best plan,” Benji mutters to Krissy, already bracing himself for attack, “Alright. Wait for it, wait for it…now!”

The three of us lunge forward at once. As the footsteps turn the corner, we all jump for him in unison.

“What the—bloody hell!”

I barely manage to stop myself in time. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Benji and Krissy. The former even manages to land a solid punch to the guy’s nose, sending the plain-shirted figure stumbling back into the corridor.

“Wait—Benji, wait!”

Thankfully he recognises his mistake when he sees the tell-tale patient uniform amongst the red.

“Oh! Oh geez, uh—sorry! I thought you were one of them—!”

“Do I look like one of those hooligans?” the man snaps, shaking his dark overgrown hair, “Whatever, just let me through so I can—Lightbug?!” His attention suddenly shifts to me. All signs of annoyance vanish from his face.

“Dr Slade?!”

Without another word, my former neighbour sweeps right past the now open-mouthed Benji, stumbling towards me. Relief fills his eyes as he clutches my shoulders, gripping me in something resembling an awkward half-hug.

“Oh thank God! I thought I’d never see you again, lad! Are you—oh my God what has he done to you?”

He holds me at arm’s length for a moment, surveying my form. Growing anger creeps across his face. “That tube—Ash you’ve lost so much weight—”

“I-I’m fine,” I attempt to reassure him, taking in the…notable differences to his own appearance, “How did you—he said they’d transferred you or some—wait, are you hurt—”

“I’ll be arite. Just — nngh — not quite so fast at healing myself lately.”

The small smile on his face is clearly forced. Combined with the prominent dark shadows under his eyes, the emphasised pale complexion of his skin and the way he winces with every sharp intake of breath, he looks a mess. That’s not even taking into account the dark spatters on his clothes, a stark contrast from the white of the shirt that hangs off him like a tent.

“You know this guy?”

Benji peers at me over his shoulder, quietly observing our reunion.

“Y-yeah, he was my former neighbour on Poplar Ward. We tried to escape a while ago, but we…didn’t make it.”

Trying not to shudder at the memory, I gesture towards my other two companions. “Dr Slade, this is Krissy and Benji. He’s a super too, breaks electronics. He caused this whole powercut and saved us from a group of guards earlier and now we’re—”

“I see. Well, it’s always good to meet another super. The more the merrier as they say.”

“Y-yeah, you too, Doc,” Benji replies, still looking…pretty awkward about the earlier mishap, “Hey, uh, did you just come from Oak Ward?”

“Aye, that we did,” the doctor answers, dusting off his pants, “Why do you—”

“Any chance that you’ve seen my buddy around? They were holding him there too, his name’s—”

“Dougie!”

A familiar voice calls out from behind Dr Slade. My head jerks in its direction.

Wait—I thought Dr Voss dismissed him?!

Apparently not, because sure enough he comes jogging around the corner. Even though I know it’s him, he also looks…different. Most obvious is the fact that his former apprentice garb has now been replaced with the same uniform that Dr Slade and I are wearing, grippy socks included. His hair still remains in its signature ponytail, although now in a much more dishevelled state, with multiple stray strands out of place. Dark rings outline his own equally tired eyes, whilst the dry tracks on his cheeks betray his true feelings. Even his voice seems to have lost some of its usual brightness.

“Dex!”

It takes me a few seconds to realise I’m not the only one crying out his name. 

“Ash! I’m so glad you’re—Benji?!”

Before I can turn around, Benji is already striding past us, pushing towards the former apprentice, whose eyes are now wide and alert.

“D-damn you, Dex — you scared us to death!” 

The electric-breaking super throws his arms around the blonde’s shoulders, hugging him close.I notice him trembling a little as he clings to him, breathing heavily.

“Benji…h-hey buddy,” he murmurs, desperately trying to keep his voice level, “God it’s so good to see you—w-wait, what are you doing here?”

“Uh, I could ask you the same question—”

“Hold on—you two know each other?” 

 Benji’s attention momentarily shifts towards us at Krissy’s disbelieving question, a sigh escaping his lips. I put the pieces together pretty quickly.

So this is who Benji was talking about!

“Uhuh,” Benji replies, “Dex is an old friend, who also has a tendency of getting himself into trouble — and speaking of trouble, what the heck were you thinking?!”

The dark haired man pushes Dex away slightly, frustration entering his voice. His friend swallows.

“I-I can explain—”

“You’d better! Running off to do a solo mission on your own without telling any of us where you were going?! Just up and disappearing for several months?! We’ve been worried sick! You left us no leads and if you’d actually told us where you were going, then we might have been able to find you a lot sooner, dumbass!”

It’s impossible to ignore Benji’s…valid venting right now. Dex just sighs in exasperation.

“Look at us! This is exactly why I didn’t tell you, Benji!” the blonde retaliates, gritting his teeth tightly, “It was too dangerous. Pembrooke does not mess around! I wasn’t gonna let them go after you guys too! Besides, I had it all under control—”

“Uhuh — which is why you’re wearing one of those stupid uniforms right now?”

Dex shuts up at Benji’s obvious statement, gritting his teeth.

“Like you’re one to talk, since you’re also wearing one—”

“Only because I let myself get caught so I could break your idiot butt outta here!” Benji shoots back, 

“That’s not an invitation for you to throw yourself into the danger zone too, Benji!” 

“You know me, Dex. Always disobeying orders.”

“I’m serious! These guys are—!”

“Sorry to interrupt, but now is really not the time.”

Thankfully Dr Slade has enough sense to step in. “You lads can talk more about it once we’re safe. Until then, we drop all disagreements and work together, arite?”

Wow. Dr Slade actually suggested something that doesn’t sound completely crazy for once. 

“...sure thing, Dougie.”

“And please stop calling me that,” the doctor sighs, pinching his nose, “Arite. What’s our next move?”

“Um, probably getting out of here?” Krissy answers, wincing.

“Exactly—”

“But with the whole place in lockdown, then what options do we have?” “He’s right,” Benji adds, backing me up, “All the main routes outta here are bound to be surrounded on both sides.”

Krissy’s face pales.

“So...does that mean we’re just stuck here until they—”

“Not quite, lad.”

The older doctor fixes us with a firm expression. “It’s risky, but there is one way out that we haven’t considered yet.”

“R-really?”

“Aye — and if we can’t get out through the usual way, then our only other option is through the—Jesus!”

A sudden high pitched sound rips across the corridor. All of us cover our ears, wincing. The red pulsing glow ebbs away. Every light flickers back to its usual shade. Our isolated forms are bathed in spotlights — and very visible.

“The lights—!”

“Mother’s son,” Dr Slade curses, “they must have gotten the backup generator running!”

“Droga,” Benji hisses, casting a quick glance over his shoulder, “You know where we’re going, Doc?” “I do, but—”

“Definitely not that way — unless you want inside experience of the procedure labs, which I would not recommend,” Dex adds, shuddering, “I-I don’t know about you guys, but I happen to be pretty attached to my organs.”

My insides churn at his implication — and especially the sound of more approaching footsteps. Shaking his head, the former apprentice grits his teeth, forcing confidence into his voice. “O-okay, lead the way, Doug—Doc.”

“Fine — everyone, stick together. Lads, stay close!” 

He aims that last part at Krissy and I. The two of us share a wary glance,  before quickly nodding in agreement. Just like that, our mind is made up. We’re actually doing this — escaping.

No turning back now.

Oh wow...I am SUPER late with this! (pun not intended, haha!) Sorry I've been procrastinating so unnecessarily hard on uploading here. March was full of birthdays and portfolio work and preparing for my new medical rotation so it's been pretty busy, but progress is ongoing. Apologies for taking so long for those following and thank you so much for your patience! And so the escape continues! And the party finally comes together! Definitely had fun writing this one and hopefully I'll get back to my usual upload schedule soon. No promises, but I'll try to be consistent! :D Wishing everyone a really great week ahead, best wishes and see you in the next chapter! :D Thank you so much for sticking around! xx Tag List (by popular demand!) @whumpsmith @illustriousshadow @melpomenelamusa @only-shadows-dwell-where-we-are