The jet's entrance slid open, revealing Lynx. Every head turned toward him.
"Where's the captain?" one of the soldiers asked.
"He's on his way," Lynx replied, taking a seat beside the officers. His gaze drifted towards Valtor sitting opposite him. Blue eyes locked firmly on him. Lynx held the stare for a few seconds before looking away, guilt flickering across his face.
"Where'd you say the captain was?" another officer pressed, irritation creeping in.
Lynx turned toward him, hazel eyes shifting into cold blue.
"The captain's paying for his crimes," he said, voice steady.
Confusion rippled through the group.
The soldier closest to him immediately raised his weapon, fingers brushing the trigger.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
"This", Lynx answered.
A blast of ice shot from his palm, freezing the man solid. The others reacted instantly. Someone reached for the neutralizer, but Lynx froze his arm to the device mid-swing, frost racing up his elbow.
Another officer lunged with a punch—Lynx ducked and swept ice across the man's legs, trapping him to the floor.
As Lynx rose to finish him, a gunshot cracked through the jet.
He dropped to one knee, clutching his stomach, breath shuddering. All eyes snapped toward the last officer standing, holding a simulation gun pointed at Lynx. The half-frozen soldiers shouted:
"Fire again!"
The officer tensed, lifting the weapon—
Lynx forced himself upright, teeth gritted. He formed an ice shield across his face the second the trigger was pulled. The shot slammed into the frost, harmless. With a sharp shove, Lynx hurled the ice block forward. It smashed into the officer's face, throwing him back against the wall before he collapsed unconscious.
Lynx exhaled sharply and bolted toward his teammates.
"Come on—move!" He dragged them up, snapping them out of their stunned daze. Hands still cuffed, they sprinted toward the entrance, stumbling out.
Lynx turned to follow.
"You have no idea what you've just done," one of the trapped soldiers warned. "You've made yourself an enemy of the council. You've just put all of your friends in serious legal trouble."
Lynx scoffed, pure anger cutting through the pain."Tell that to someone who cares".
And when you see the superintendent…" He paused at the doorway, eyes blazing.
"Tell him the next time we meet, I won't go this easy on him."
Brows furrowed, the officers stared helplessly as Lynx jumped out of the jet.
The team hurried back toward the water with Lynx leading the way. He glanced up at the sky; the darkness had deepened, the last traces of sunlight long gone.
Passing the captain's frozen body, they grabbed their gear in silence before moving on.
When they reached the shore, Lynx scanned the area and spotted the unfinished rafts lying where they'd left them.
"Shit," he muttered, sprinting toward the bamboo poles. He grabbed the green tendrils and began wrapping them tightly around the sticks, fingers moving fast. As he worked, he felt the weight of his teammates' stares on him—silent, cold, unwavering.
He exhaled. "I know you guys hate me. But if we don't get out of here before those soldiers thaw out or call for backup, we're done."
A moment passed. Then Valtor stepped forward.
"How about you free us first," he said.
"Right, of course," Lynx nodded quickly. He ran to him, covering the cuffs with frost until the locks jammed, then snapped them apart.
Valtor rolled his wrists, shaking out the stiffness, and walked past Lynx without a word, heading for the rafts. Lynx continued freeing the others one by one.
Within minutes, the team had finished both rafts and pushed them into the water. They split into pairs: Valtor, Orea, and Lynx on one raft; Zara, Kymani, and Rowynn on the other.
Using the ice paddles Lynx created for them, they began steering forward. The current stayed calm, carrying them smoothly across the darkening water.
"It's getting darker…" Orea thought as she glanced at the sky.
"Now would've been a good time for the sun to rise," she whispered to Valtor. "Too bad we don't have our powers anymore."
Lynx heard her.
"Your powers aren't gone permanently," he said quietly. "They'll be back in a few hours.
He glanced at the others, but none of them reacted. Not a look. Not a word.
His gaze drifted to Rowynn on the other raft. While Kymani and Zara paddled, she sat with her head lowered, eyes open but distant.
How do I fix this…? he wondered.