Six months passed. The Spirit Guild grew to fifty members, controlling three barracks and dominating the Trials. We'd earned 5,000 Shrouds collectively, and I was halfway to my 10,000 goal. But something didn't add up—Dr. Voss never seemed upset when we won, and the Trials kept getting more dangerous, more personal.
One night, Lira snuck into my quarters, holding a data chip. "I hacked the warden's computer," she whispered. "These are the Trial files. They're not just games—they're experiments. The corporations are testing new weapons on us—nerve gas, illusion tech, even the Mutants."
I inserted the chip into my portable terminal. The files confirmed it: Penance Isle was a front for OmniCorp's weapons division. The Trials were live tests, the spectators were investors, and the Shrouds? A lie. No inmate had ever been pardoned—those who earned 10,000 Shrouds were "accidentally" killed during their "release."
"We have to tell the others," I said.
But before we could, the alarms blared. Dr. Voss's voice echoed through the barracks: "Emergency Trial. All inmates report to the Colosseum—now."
The Colosseum was packed, but the holographic spectators were gone. Instead, the walls were lined with armed wardens. Dr. Voss stood on the stage, her cybernetic eyes glowing. "I'm afraid your little rebellion has been noticed," she said. "The Spirit Guild has become a problem. So today's Trial is simple: fight to the death. Last inmate standing wins… nothing. Because none of you are leaving."
Rook stepped forward, a plasma rifle in his hands. "I'll kill Voss for you! Spare me!"
Dr. Voss nodded. "Prove your loyalty."
Rook charged, firing the rifle. I dove behind a crate, the plasma blast melting the concrete beside me. Lira fired a stun baton at Rook's back, and he fell to his knees. "Join us, Rook!" she yelled. "Fight the real enemy!"
Rook hesitated, then grabbed the baton. "Let's burn this place down."
The inmates erupted into rebellion. Wardens fired into the crowd, but we outnumbered them—fifty Spirit Guild members, plus Rook's former crew, all fighting as one. Jax tackled a warden, stealing his rifle, while Grex hacked into the Colosseum's speakers.
"Everyone on the island!" he yelled. "The Trials are a lie! OmniCorp is using us as lab rats! Fight back!"
Inmates poured into the Colosseum from every barracks. The wardens retreated, and Dr. Voss tried to escape in a shuttle—but Lira shot it down with a plasma cannon. The shuttle crashed into the sea, and the Deep Feeder breached the surface, dragging it under.
We took control of the guard towers, broadcasting the Trial files to every corporate network on the planet. The world saw the truth: Penance Isle wasn't a prison—it was a massacre.
Three days later, rescue ships arrived. The corporations tried to cover up the scandal, but the damage was done. Penance Isle was shut down, and the executives responsible were arrested.
As I stepped onto the rescue ship, Jax clapped me on the back. "You did it, Voss. You broke the system."
I looked back at the island, now empty and silent. "We broke it together."
Lira handed me a small pouch—10,000 Shrouds, collected from the warden's safe. "For old times' sake."
I smiled, tossing the pouch into the sea. "We don't need their currency. We have our freedom."
The ship pulled away, and Penance Isle shrank behind us. I thought of Lena, of all the inmates who'd died there. But I also thought of the Spirit Guild—of Jax, Lira, Grex, and everyone who'd fought beside me.
In the end, Penance Isle hadn't broken us. It had made us stronger. And the world would never forget what we'd done.