The door opened without warning.
The gray hallway outside Luce's cell flickered with the same sterile white lights that never seemed to turn off.
Two guards stepped inside.
"Technopath."
Luce stood immediately.
His instincts were screaming.
"Where are you taking me?"
The guards didn't answer.
One of them tapped the control panel on the wall.
The energy barrier surrounding the cell flickered and vanished.
"Move."
Luce glanced back at the other kids.
The scarred boy gave him a small nod.
Not encouragement.
More like sympathy.
Luce stepped out of the cell.
The barrier snapped shut behind him.
The guards marched him down a series of identical corridors.
Left.
Right.
Down a long elevator shaft.
Further underground.
The deeper they went, the quieter the facility became.
Until finally—
They stopped at a large steel door.
One guard placed his hand against the scanner.
The door slid open.
And Luce froze.
The room beyond was enormous.
Bright.
Spotless.
Nothing like the cells.
White floors.
Glass panels.
Rows of observation stations lining the walls.
And in the center of the room—
Three familiar figures.
"LUCE!"
Hailey stood immediately.
Relief flooded her face.
Eddy sat nearby with his arms bound behind a chair.
"Hey buddy," Eddy said.
"Welcome to the worst field trip ever."
Danny ran forward as far as his cuffs allowed.
"You're okay!"
Luce nodded quickly.
"Yeah."
He looked around the room.
They were all restrained in different chairs.
Metal cuffs secured around their wrists.
Thin glowing wires ran from the cuffs into the floor.
"What is this place?"
"Testing room," Eddy muttered.
"Zero stars. Would not recommend."
Hailey glared at him.
"This isn't funny."
Eddy shrugged weakly.
"If I stop joking I might start screaming."
The guards stepped aside.
Then—
Someone entered the room.
The footsteps were slow.
Measured.
The man who walked inside looked nothing like a war criminal.
Tall.
Well dressed.
Calm.
Mayor Arcturus Vale.
He stopped a few feet away from them.
And smiled.
"Good evening."
The room fell silent.
Vale clasped his hands behind his back.
"I apologize for the abrupt relocation."
No one spoke.
Finally Eddy said:
"You kidnapped us."
Vale tilted his head slightly.
"Yes."
Eddy squinted.
"Wow."
"At least you're honest."
Vale walked slowly around the room.
Studying them.
Not like enemies.
Like specimens.
"Your powers are extraordinary," he said calmly.
"Even among metahumans."
Hailey glared at him.
"So you locked us in cages."
Vale nodded slightly.
"For safety."
Danny frowned.
"Safety?"
Vale gestured toward their wrists.
"The devices you are wearing are power dampeners."
Luce looked down at his cuffs again.
"They interrupt the neurological pathways that activate metahuman abilities."
Vale tapped one lightly.
"They prevent energy output before it begins."
Eddy leaned back in his chair.
"So basically…"
He lifted his cuffed wrists.
"You turned off the fun part."
Vale smiled faintly.
"Temporarily."
Luce stared at him.
"Why are we here?"
Vale stopped walking.
He looked directly at Luce.
"Because you represent the future."
Luce frowned.
"What?"
Vale began pacing slowly again.
"Humanity has reached an evolutionary crossroads."
His voice was calm.
Measured.
"Metahumans are no longer an anomaly."
"They are the next stage."
Hailey shook her head.
"That doesn't give you the right to experiment on people!"
Vale didn't react.
"History rarely asks permission."
He walked toward a glass display panel.
A holographic image flickered to life above it.
A man stood at the center of a battlefield.
Lightning.
Fire.
Dozens of abilities surrounding him.
Danny whispered:
"Who is that?"
Vale studied the projection with quiet fascination.
"Replicate."
The name echoed through the room.
"The most powerful metahuman the world has ever recorded."
Eddy leaned forward slightly.
"He could copy powers, right?"
Vale nodded.
"Yes."
"Any power."
"Any ability."
Hailey frowned.
"What does that have to do with us?"
Vale finally looked back at them.
"Replicate proved something extraordinary."
"That a single individual could wield multiple abilities simultaneously."
Luce felt a chill run through him.
"You're trying to recreate him."
Vale smiled faintly.
"No."
His voice was almost gentle.
"I'm trying to improve him."
The room fell silent.
Vale walked closer.
His eyes moved from Hailey…
To Eddy…
To Danny…
Then finally to Luce.
"You see, evolution is inevitable."
He spoke softly.
"You cannot defeat it."
He stopped directly in front of Luce.
"So the only logical solution…"
His reflection glimmered faintly in the polished floor.
"…is to become it."
Luce stared at him.
"You're insane."
Vale considered the statement.
"Perhaps."
Then he adjusted his sleeve calmly.
"But history often calls obsession by a different name."
He smiled slightly.
"Progress."
Danny hugged his dragon plush tightly.
"You're hurting kids."
Vale looked down at him.
His expression softened slightly.
"No."
"I'm building the future."
Eddy scoffed.
"Pretty sure the future doesn't involve torture labs."
Vale ignored him.
Instead he turned to Luce again.
"Your ability is particularly fascinating."
Luce stiffened.
"Technopathy allows you to communicate with machines."
"Control them."
"Understand them."
Vale's eyes gleamed with quiet curiosity.
"Imagine what someone could accomplish with that power… combined with others."
Luce's stomach dropped.
"You want to take our powers."
Vale tilted his head.
"Not take."
"Replicate."
A pause.
"Improve."
He stepped back.
"Rest now."
The guards stepped forward again.
"Tomorrow…"
Vale looked at each of them one last time.
"…we begin."
The guards began dragging the chairs back toward the corridor.
Hailey struggled violently.
"You're not going to get away with this!"
Vale didn't even turn around.
As he walked toward the exit, he said quietly:
"The world is evolving"
The door slid open.
"And I won't be left behind"
The doors closed behind him.
And deep beneath Joltic City…
The experiments were about to begin.
Time moved strangely inside the facility.
There were no windows.
No sunrise.
No sunset.
Just the constant white lights humming overhead.
The only way the prisoners could tell time was by routine.
And the routine never changed.
Morning CycleA loud metallic tone echoed through the halls.
BWOOOOOOOM.
Every cell door flickered with blue light.
The signal meant one thing.
Wake up.
The kids inside Luce's cell slowly stirred.
Some had already been awake for hours.
Sleeping here wasn't easy.
The lights never fully dimmed.
The air always smelled faintly of antiseptic.
And somewhere deeper in the facility…
Machines were always running.
A small slot in the wall opened.
Metal trays slid through one by one.
Breakfast.
If you could call it that.
Gray nutrient bars.
Water.
Sometimes a thin bowl of soup.
Today was bars.
Luce picked one up and examined it.
"This looks like building material."
Across from him, the scarred boy chuckled.
"You get used to it."
Luce sat beside him.
"You still haven't told me your name."
The boy wiped a crumb from his hand.
"Cal."
Luce nodded.
"Luce."
Cal leaned against the wall.
"I figured."
Luce frowned.
"How?"
Cal shrugged.
"You look like someone who hasn't been here long."
Luce didn't argue with that.
The younger boy from yesterday spoke up again.
"Do you really control machines?"
Luce nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
The boy's eyes widened.
"That's amazing."
Cal shook his head.
"Not here it isn't."
Luce looked down at his cuffs.
The blue light pulsed faintly.
Cal noticed the look.
"They test people in different ways," he explained.
"Strength types."
"Energy types."
"Mutation types."
He pointed at Luce.
"And tech types."
Luce frowned.
"What do they do during tests?"
Cal's expression darkened.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Hailey's CellAcross the facility, Hailey sat on the floor beside Danny.
Danny still clutched the dragon plush.
Even in this place, he refused to let go of it.
Hailey watched the other kids in the cell carefully.
Some were quiet.
Some avoided eye contact completely.
But one girl stood out.
She sat near the center of the room.
Calm.
Watching everyone.
Her hair was short and silver-white.
Thin glowing lines ran faintly along her arms like veins of light.
She finally spoke.
"You're new."
Hailey nodded.
"Yeah."
The girl tilted her head.
"You're the sonic one."
Hailey blinked.
"You know about that?"
The girl shrugged.
"People talk."
She stood and walked over.
"I'm Mira."
Hailey shook her hand.
"Hailey."
Danny peeked out from behind Hailey's shoulder.
Mira noticed the dragon plush.
"That's brave."
Danny frowned.
"What?"
"Keeping something soft in a place like this."
Danny hugged the plush tighter.
"I'm not scared."
Mira smiled faintly.
"Good."
Then she sat beside them.
"You'll need that."
Hailey studied her carefully.
"What's your power?"
Mira held up her hand.
For a brief moment…
The air around her fingertips bent.
Like light passing through glass.
"Refraction."
Hailey raised an eyebrow.
"You bend light?"
"Light. Energy. Sometimes even sound waves."
Hailey leaned back slightly.
"That's… really useful."
Mira shrugged.
"Not with these cuffs."
Danny looked around nervously.
"How long have you been here?"
Mira's smile faded.
"…Three years."
Hailey felt something tighten in her chest.
Three years.
Danny whispered quietly:
"Do people ever get out?"
The cell fell silent.
No one answered.
Testing CycleLater that day—
The alarm sounded again.
BWOOOOOOOM.
The guards arrived.
"Testing cycle."
One by one, names were called.
Kids were escorted from their cells.
Some came back hours later.
Some came back injured.
Some came back quiet.
Today—
They called Luce.
Two guards escorted him down a long corridor into a chamber filled with machines.
A scientist looked up from a tablet.
"Technopathy subject."
He tapped the screen.
"Attempt neural signal activation."
Luce glared at him.
"You already shut my powers down."
The scientist nodded.
"Yes."
"That's the point."
They connected wires from Luce's cuffs to a nearby machine.
The monitor lit up.
"Let's see how strongly your brain still tries to reach systems."
Luce closed his eyes.
He could still feel it.
Deep inside his mind.
The hum of machines.
But the cuffs blocked the signal before it could escape.
The scientist smiled.
"Excellent."
Luce opened his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
The scientist replied calmly:
"Mapping your ability."
Back in the CellsThat night, the kids slowly returned.
Exhausted.
Cal sat beside Luce again.
"How bad?"
Luce rubbed his wrists.
"They're studying how my power works."
Cal nodded.
"Yeah."
"They do that."
Luce looked around the room.
Kids.
Scars.
Tired faces.
"How long do people survive here?"
Cal hesitated.
"…Depends."
"On what?"
Cal looked toward the ceiling.
"On whether Vale decides you're useful."
Hailey's SideBack in her cell, Hailey sat beside Mira.
Danny had fallen asleep beside them.
Still holding the dragon plush.
Mira spoke quietly.
"You care about that kid."
Hailey nodded.
"Yeah."
Mira glanced around the room.
"You're going to have to get stronger."
Hailey frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Mira leaned closer.
"This place breaks people."
"But some of us…"
Her glowing veins flickered faintly.
"…aren't planning to stay."
Hailey's eyes widened slightly.
"You're thinking about escaping."
Mira smiled.
"Not thinking."
"Planning."
Hailey looked toward the door.
Then back at Mira.
"…You'll need help."
Mira nodded slowly.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Across the facility—
Luce stared at the ceiling of his cell.
Thinking about the same thing.
If they were going to survive this place…
They would need allies.
And in a prison full of broken kids—
Allies were starting to appear.
The Sanctuary was quieter than usual that evening.
The training court lights still glowed softly over the courtyard. A few younger kids chased a holographic ball across the ground while others practiced clumsy sparring moves under Kayden's supervision.
It looked normal.
But something felt off.
Jay noticed it first.
He stood near the dormitory doorway holding a clipboard, scanning the courtyard.
"…That's strange."
Kayden glanced over.
"What is?"
Jay lowered the clipboard.
"Dinner."
Kayden raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
Jay looked around the courtyard again.
"Luce and Eddy are usually here by now."
Kayden shrugged.
"School probably ran late."
Jay nodded slowly.
"Maybe."
But his expression didn't change.
Something was bothering him.
Twenty Minutes LaterThe dining hall was half full.
Kids talked and laughed over trays of food.
But four seats at the end of the table remained empty.
Jay stood beside them with his arms folded.
"Still nothing?"
Kayden checked the tablet in his hand.
"No messages."
Jay frowned.
"That's not like them."
Kayden was about to respond—
When the front doors burst open.
Joren walked in.
His eyes immediately scanned the room.
"…Where's Hailey?"
Jay blinked.
"She wasn't with you?"
Joren frowned.
"No."
Jay's stomach dropped.
"She took Danny to the market earlier."
Joren's expression changed instantly.
"Earlier?"
"Yes."
"They should've been back hours ago."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Kayden looked up slowly.
"…What about Luce and Eddy?"
Jay shook his head.
"They never came back from school."
Silence filled the dining hall.
Joren stepped backward slightly.
"No."
Jay looked at him carefully.
"Joren—"
"No."
Joren turned toward the doors again.
His breathing had become sharp.
"They wouldn't just disappear."
Kayden's voice lowered.
"Something happened."
That was when Joren snapped.
A metal chair beside him suddenly flew across the room.
CRASH.
It slammed into the wall hard enough to dent it.
Several younger kids jumped in shock.
"JOR—"
Another table flipped.
Wood splintered across the floor.
"DAMN IT!"
Joren's fists clenched.
The air around his hands grew heavy.
Dense.
Jay stepped forward quickly.
"Joren, stop—"
Joren slammed his fist into the wall.
The concrete cracked.
His voice broke.
"I JUST GOT HER BACK!"
The room went silent.
Jay froze.
Kayden looked away slightly.
Everyone in the room understood.
Hailey wasn't just a teammate to Joren.
She was the one person he thought he had lost forever once before.
And now she was gone again.
Joren dragged a hand through his hair.
"I should've been there."
Jay spoke quietly.
"You couldn't have known."
"That doesn't change anything!"
Joren kicked another chair across the room.
"I should've been there!"
Before Jay could respond—
A voice cut through the tension.
"Calm down, punchy boy."
Everyone turned.
Jackie leaned casually against the doorway.
Arms folded.
Expression unimpressed.
Joren glared at her.
"Not now."
Jackie didn't move.
"You smashing furniture isn't going to bring them back."
Joren took a step toward her.
"You think this is funny?"
Jackie raised an eyebrow.
"No."
Her voice softened slightly.
"But you're about to go insane before we even know who to punch."
The words landed.
Joren stopped.
Jackie pushed herself off the wall.
"You want to break something?"
She gestured toward the cracked wall.
"Do it later."
"After we find the idiots responsible."
Jay rubbed his face.
"Jackie's right."
Joren looked between them.
His chest still rising and falling heavily.
Kayden stepped forward.
"I'm pulling up city surveillance."
His tablet flickered to life.
"If someone took them…"
His voice hardened.
"…we'll find out who."
Jackie walked further into the room.
"Better hope it's not who I think it is."
Jay frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Jackie looked toward Kayden.
"The Council."
The word hung in the air.
Kayden's scanner suddenly beeped.
Everyone turned toward him.
His expression slowly darkened.
"I found something."
He turned the tablet toward them.
Security footage from Maple Street appeared.
Two black vans.
White armored soldiers.
Council insignia.
Jay's hands clenched.
"…They took them."
Joren stared at the screen.
His fists slowly tightened again.
But this time—
He didn't lash out.
His voice dropped to something far colder.
"Where."
Kayden zoomed in on the vehicle markings.
A location pinged on the screen.
Joltic City.
Kayden looked up.
"They're transporting prisoners."
Jackie exhaled quietly.
"…Great."
Joren's eyes burned with determination.
"They're not prisoners."
Jay placed a hand on the table.
"They're kids."
Joren turned toward the door.
Already moving.
"Then we go get them."
Kayden nodded.
"We will."
But his voice carried a grim warning.
"Because if the Council took them…"
He looked toward the glowing skyline on the screen.
"…they're in Joltic City now."
The room fell silent.
Everyone in the Sanctuary knew what that meant.
Joltic City wasn't just a city.
It was the center of the Council's power.
Jackie cracked her knuckles.
"Well."
She glanced at Joren.
"Looks like you finally found someone worth punching."
Joren didn't smile.
But for the first time since the news broke—
His anger had direction.
And somewhere beneath the shining towers of Joltic City…
The people responsible had no idea what was coming for them.
The Sanctuary was restless that night.
The younger kids had been sent back to their dorms early, but sleep didn't come easily. Whispers drifted through the hallways as rumors spread.
Something had happened.
The older ones could feel it.
And in the command room at the far end of the Sanctuary, the adults and fighters gathered around Kayden's main console.
The holographic map above the table glowed with the outline of Joltic City.
Tall.
Perfect.
Untouchable.
Kayden zoomed the map inward. Layers of security systems, surveillance networks, and transport routes flickered into view.
"The Council transport route confirms it," he said quietly.
"They're in the Cleansing Facility beneath the central district."
Jay's jaw tightened.
"Children…"
His voice trailed off.
Joren leaned against the table, arms folded tightly.
His eyes hadn't left the map.
"Then we go there."
Kayden shook his head.
"It's not that simple."
Joren looked up sharply.
"You think I care about simple?"
Kayden's voice remained calm.
"This isn't Navitia."
"This is Joltic City."
He tapped the hologram.
"Military patrols."
"Drone surveillance."
"Council defense grids."
"And the facility itself was built to contain metahumans."
Joren's fists tightened.
"So was every other prison we've broken out of."
Jackie leaned against the wall nearby, silent.
Her eyes were fixed on the glowing image of the city.
Joltic City.
The name alone made something twist in her chest.
Memories she hadn't thought about in years began clawing their way back.
Cold hallways.
White lights.
Screaming.
Running.
Her father collapsing beside her.
Jackie looked away quickly.
Her hands had started shaking.
She pushed herself off the wall.
"…I'm out."
The room went quiet.
Joren turned.
"What?"
Jackie walked toward the door.
"I'm not going back there."
Jay frowned.
"Jackie—"
She stopped halfway to the exit.
"You want to storm the most secure city on the continent?"
She let out a dry laugh.
"Good luck with that."
Joren took a step forward.
"You're seriously walking away?"
Jackie didn't turn around.
"Yes."
Her voice was tight.
"You want to fight the Council?"
"Be my guest."
"But I'm not stepping foot in that city again."
Then she walked out.
The door slid shut behind her.
Silence lingered in the command room.
Joren muttered under his breath.
"…Unbelievable."
Kayden didn't respond.
But Jay was already moving.
"I'll talk to her."
Jackie sat alone on the training court.
The night air was cool.
Lantern lights from Acre City flickered faintly in the distance beyond the hills.
She sat on the edge of the metal climbing frame with her arms resting on her knees.
Her spider limbs hadn't come out.
They rarely did when she was thinking.
Jay stepped onto the court quietly.
He didn't speak right away.
Instead he sat down beside her.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Finally Jay asked softly:
"Euphoria City."
Jackie's jaw tightened.
"You remember."
"Of course."
She stared out toward the dark hills.
"They took my dad there."
Her voice was quieter than usual.
"They said it was for questioning."
Jay listened.
"They said he knew too much about the experiments."
Her fingers slowly curled into fists.
"He didn't."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"He was just a mechanic."
The wind shifted gently through the trees.
Jackie continued.
"I tried to get him out."
"I snuck into the city."
She laughed quietly.
"Thought I was being clever."
Jay didn't interrupt.
"But they were waiting."
Her eyes stayed fixed on the horizon.
"They had traps."
"Drones."
"Soldiers."
Her voice dropped.
"And the labs."
Jay felt his chest tighten.
"They were experimenting on kids."
Jackie's shoulders stiffened.
"Kids younger than Danny."
Her voice trembled.
"I couldn't save them."
Jay finally spoke.
"You survived."
Jackie shook her head.
"I ran."
The words barely came out.
"I ran."
Jay studied her carefully.
"You were a child."
Jackie didn't respond.
The silence stretched again.
Then Jay said quietly:
"You can't run from that forever."
Jackie finally looked at him.
"I'm not running."
Jay raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"You walked out of the room the moment Joltic City appeared on the screen."
Jackie's expression hardened.
"That place is hell."
"I know."
Jay's voice remained calm.
"But if we don't stop them…"
He looked back toward the Sanctuary buildings.
"…they'll keep making more ghosts."
Jackie's gaze dropped.
Jay continued gently.
"You think leaving will protect you from that memory."
"But it won't."
He stood up slowly.
"If anything…"
He looked down at her.
"…it'll haunt you forever."
Jackie didn't answer.
She stared down at her hands.
Then slowly—
Her spider limbs unfolded from her back.
The metal tips scraped lightly against the ground.
Jay smiled faintly.
"Thought so."
Jackie stood up.
She cracked her neck slightly.
"…Don't get used to it."
Jay chuckled.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Jackie started walking back toward the command room.
Then she paused.
"Jay."
He turned.
"…If we're doing this."
Her eyes were sharper now.
"We do it right."
Jay nodded.
"Agreed."
Behind them, the Sanctuary lights glowed softly in the night.
And somewhere far away—
Beneath the shining towers of Joltic City—
Four prisoners waited.
But the people coming for them…
Were finally ready.