Alex walked out of the station with the police officer who had come to pick him up. A small police car was waiting for him, with three officers already inside.
"Excuse me, but isn't this a little bit too excessive? I understand the need for safety but this will stand out, surely." Alex looked at the officer but the latter didn't bother to look at him or reply.
'Shit! They really are serious this time. I can't enter…' He looked at the windows of the police station where an abnormally large number of people were watching, waiting for him to get into the car.
For the first time, Alex was properly trapped. 'If I try to escape now, they can simply call on a manhunt and have me labelled as a criminal. In that case, even innocent officers would be on my tail.'
'Unless…' A dangerous idea flashed in his head. It would be very risky but it was better than getting kidnapped. Although he had a beast art, he'd like to avoid using it as much as humanly possible.
Alex stopped walking, and the police officer stopped, "WAIT!!" He shouted, and some normal officers and even passersby stopped to look at him.
He pointed with a shaky finger at the police officer, or more specifically his neck, "THAT MARK!! IT'S THE SAME PERSON WHO TRIED TO KIDNAP ME!!!"
Some officers tried to move to properly assess the situation but before they could, the others — the officers who had been watching him — pointed their guns at them and fired, killing them on the spot.
The passersby tried to run, but it was too late; they were already shot dead.
'FUCK!!' Alex turned and tried to sprint, but the moment he placed weight on his leg, a sharp pain shot through him, and his steps faltered.
The officer beside him gripped him like a vice and clasped a firm hand over his mouth, Alex was prepared to use his beast art when a cold pain pierced his neck. A syringe.
'What the hell?!!' Alex tried to fight but the world around him was blurry and tilting rapidly, gaining new obscene details each second.
He managed a thought, 'I should have stayed in the forest.', before he passed out.
Alex's eyes flew open and an immense bodily ache unlike any he had felt before hit him. His eyes darted around the dimly lit room and barely made out the outline of some tables to the side, against the wall. Apart from that, and a door, the room was empty.
He was sitting on a metal chair, or rather strapped to it. Alex tried to move his hands, which had been tied together behind him, but the chains binding them dug into his skin.
'Shit!! Why is my life like this?' His mind drifted around whatever means he could use to escape and all ended up with the same thing, his beast art.
Alex tried to draw energy from his core but it was unresponsive. The smooth black surface wasn't even flaring with energy, 'What?!! My core was brimming with energy, what the hell happened?!'
He tried again, pushing with all his might and a single sliver of energy left the core. The energy was erratic and refused to be channeled through the pathways. If anything, the more he tried, the more exhausted he became.
The handle on the door leading to the room bent slightly, and Alex slouched, shutting his eyes and pretending to still be unconscious.
He heard the sound of something being thrown on the ground and a couple of vague voices: "...you sure?"
"Yes, the boss says that we need to find the other two. Two boys, I believe."
Alex's eyes shifted a bit under his eyelids, 'So they have Layla? But why exactly do they want us to the point of having a mass slaughter?'
After a bit of random conversation, the door opened and the two left. Alex peeled his eyes open and was surprised to see a familiar person tied up and on the ground. It wasn't Layla.
"Leo." He whispered.
Leo was badly bruised and covered in dust. His eyes were closed and he didn't seem to be breathing.
"Ah, James." He suddenly piped up, opened his eyes, and looked at Alex. Leo took in a deep breath and sat up.
Alex was almost pleased to see a familiar face but the circumstances were too strange, 'He might be working for them.'
Leo looked at Alex's holdings and shook his head, "These people really tied both of us up, but have you got the better equipment. Do they think I'm useless?" His voice was bitter and heavily disappointed.
"I don't suppose they injected anything into you." Alex looked at Leo.
He looked at Alex, "Oh, do you mean the suppression fluid? Oh yes, they did. That thing is nasty for normal people and even superhumans, the weak ones that are."
Alex's eyes widened, 'Wait, does he mean that-'
"So do you want to come with?" The ropes holding Leo snapped and fell to the sides.
Leo reached Alex, touched the chains and they shattered like glass. He started to untie Alex's legs.
The door to the room opened and about five men walked in.