Dr. Rhane left without another word.
Behind him, the door hissed shut. Even without Justin's power, the tension in the air remained like static.
Still in handcuffs and trembling, Von sat in the room's corner.
Justin gazed at his wrist cuffs. Not a single spark. No hum. Everything was killed by the black tourmaline.
Not his mind, though.
Nor was it his natural tendency to shield the one person who hadn't abandoned him.
He looked around the room.
Just one vent.
There were two guards outside.
Near the edge of the door, a wall panel was a little out of alignment.
"Von," Justin muttered, his eyes forward and his tone flat. "Go to the exam table and duck in precisely ten seconds."
"What—"
"No time."
Justin got up slowly, stretching as if he were worn out. A single stride ahead.
The lens of the concealed camera in the corner moved.
That was enough.
His knees buckled as if from fatigue as he staggered—intentionally—in the direction of the panel.
Through the speaker came the crackling voice of the closest guard. "Subject 1207, go back to your—"
Justin stumbled forward.
Additionally, he used a trick he had learned from a prior "incident" to jam the lock system by lightly striking the loose panel with the edge of his boot.
There was a glitch in the system. The door splintered open.
"GO!" Justin let out a roar.
Von blinked. "What did you—"
Justin used his cuffed arms to hurl a chair toward the camera. The crash bought maybe five seconds.
"You've got a shot. I don't. So take it!"
"I'm not going anywhere without you—"
"Yes. You are.
His eyes met Justin's. He was dead serious for the first time Von had ever seen him.
"Find help. Expose this place. Don't let them make us disappear."
Von ran despite the pain in his chest.
Von escaped through the labyrinth.
The lab was enormous, with icy steel hallways that resembled a monster's veins.
Von dashed through reinforced glass corridors and maintenance tunnels. He passed chambers filled with fluid-floating, immobile bodies. Cage-lined hallways. Weeping. Screaming. Quiet.
He didn't turn around.
Sirens sounded in the hallways. He heard footsteps behind him. Shouting voices.
"Subject 1208 is moving!"
"Seal the sector!"
Von ran and hid in a hallway. With biometric locks still overridden due to the system error Justin caused, doors hissed open.
He didn't know where he was going.
He had no idea where he was heading.
He simply continued to move.
{Returning to the Containment Room}
As the guards streamed in, Justin refused to back down.
He was outnumbered, cuffed, and helpless.
Still, he smiled.
"Welcome to the celebration, assholes."
The first guard raised a baton.
Then Dark.
Von—Heaving and Bleeding
Until his lungs felt like they were on fire, he kept running.
After a while, the corridor ahead gave way to a cargo tunnel, which led into a dim loading area where crates were piled high. There's a garage door half-open beyond it. Daylight. Freedom. Rain.
Von reached it just as more guards rounded the corner behind him.
He pushed his aching body forward, diving into the blinding light outside.
Bullets hit metal behind him.
But he didn't stop.
{In His Mind}
Justin's voice echoed:
"Run and find help."
"Show the world."
Von stumbled into the forest beyond the facility, soaked and shaking.
Justin was gone.
But he was free.
And now he had a choice.
To run and hide.
Or to fight back.