Warden POV
The Warden stormed into the security control room, his boots slamming against the floor like gunshots.
"Status report. NOW."
The soldiers stiffened.
"U-Understood, sir!" Soldier #1 stammered, sweat on his brow.
Soldier #2 nervously tapped keys on a dim console. "We've… we've confirmed a localized EMP blast. It knocked out every system. Cameras, scanners—even the backup generators are offline."
"I didn't ask about power," the Warden growled. "I asked about Prisoner 528. Where. Is. He?"
"I… I'm trying to find him now—"
"I don't want you to try. I want you to FIND HIM." the Warden bellowed, slamming his fist into the monitor. The screen cracked.
He exhaled, barely suppressing his rage.
"I don't know where they are, what they're planning, or who's helping them…" He stared into the shattered glass.
"…but they've made this personal."
Cut to: Inside the Vents
Claustrophobic. Creaky. Silent—except for the bickering.
"Adrian, move your ass! It's covering my face!" Bobby snapped.
"Stop pushing, you dickhead!" Adrian hissed back.
"Can both of you SHUT UP?!" Cassie whispered harshly. "I'm trying to scout ahead."
Adrian and Bobby glared at each other, mouths ready to throw more jabs—until they both froze.
"God damn…" they whispered in unison.
Cassie turned around sharply. "What? You see something?!"
Adrian blinked. "No. Not at all. Right, Bobby?"
"Ahh… yeah. Nothing at all."
Cassie narrowed her eyes. "You two are weird."
She crawled forward.
Adrian and Bobby exchanged a silent nod—and kept moving.
A Few Minutes Later
"Wait. Guys, stop." Adrian whispered.
Cassie and Bobby halted.
"This is it. From what I remember on the stolen schematics, we're above the research wing. All the dirty secrets—they're in here."
Cassie grinned. "Perfect. But how do we drop down?"
Adrian smirked. "The easy way."
He grabbed their wrists. "Hold your breath."
FWOOSH—
Adrian activated Permeation, phasing all three of them down through the floor. They landed softly in the research lab.
Cassie brushed herself off. "Still not used to that."
Bobby staggered. "Dude—when could you do that?!"
"Since the first pink serum dose. I should probably snag more of that stuff And check what inside of that thing is… No clue what it actually does to me."
Scene: Research Lab Ransack
Fluorescent lights flickered. Cabinets lined with files, vials, and test tubes stretched across the lab.
"Split up," Adrian ordered. "We need anything on **human experimentation, illegal trials, names of camps, coordinates—**everything."
They got to work.
Cassie sliced open locked drawers with shadow blades. Bobby used spatial cuts to warp open filing cabinets. Adrian yanked boxes from shelves, scanning documents lightning-fast with High Specs.
"Look at this!" Cassie whispered. "Names. Dates. Subjects. They experimented on kids, Adrian…"
Adrian's jaw clenched. "We're taking all of it."
Suddenly—
ALARM.CLAXON.FLASHING RED LIGHTS.
"INTRUDERS IN RESEARCH BAY."
"Great," Bobby muttered. "And I was enjoying this."
The door burst open. Armed guards poured in.
"GET DOWN! HANDS—"
Adrian's eyes sparked red.
One For All: Full Cowling – 3%
CRACK—ZAP—
He blurred forward and uppercutted the first guard into the ceiling.
Cassie ducked, formed a shadow shield, and swept another guard off his feet. Bobby warped space—Slice—Shredding the guards armour Using spatial slice.
"Is it me," Bobby said, smirking, "or are they getting weaker?"
Adrian wiped blood from his lip. "No. We're just getting stronger."
The last guard stumbled back. Adrian appeared behind him, tapped his shoulder—and floored him with a smoke-covered haymaker.
Silence.
Cassie exhaled. "Well. That was easier than expected."
"Yup," Bobby said, groaning. "My chest still hurts, though."
Cassie tossed him a roll of immaculate bandages. "Catch."
"Thanks. I needed this."
Adrian helped Bobby sit while Cassie started patching him up.
"We good?" she asked.
Adrian shook his head. "Not yet. We need more data—specifically on the other underground camps."
Cassie raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? We've already brought enough heat on ourselves."
"I'm sure," Adrian said, eyes burning. "There's too many mutant lives still locked up. If we can save even a few more…"
Bobby nodded. "I'm in, bro."
Cassie gave a small smile. "Count me in too. No one else should go through what we did."
"Then let's move."
Elsewhere – Chaos in the Cell Blocks
Down in the lower prison levels, things were exploding.
A mutant prisoner hurled lightning down the halls. Another wove acid webs, melting guard armor. The containment squads were overwhelmed.
"CODE RED—REPEAT—CODE RED—"
"HE'S GOT MY ARM—AGH—"
One prisoner, covered in scales and scars, tackled a shock unit straight through a steel door.
Another one laughed maniacally as shadows consumed half a hallway.
Back in the Vents – Adrian's Team
"Damn…" Bobby muttered as distant screams echoed through the shaft. "They're tearing the place apart."
"No kidding," Adrian said. "Pretty sure I just heard a taser short-circuit from someone's Ability."
"Not the time to play detective," Cassie warned. "Let's move."
Adrian pointed forward. "The Warden's office is above the east wing. That's our best shot at high-clearance data."
Bobby balked. "Are you freaking insane?! What if he's in there?!"
Adrian shook his head. "No. Think about it. With all this chaos, he's probably searching for us personally—scouring escape routes, coordinating soldiers. The last place he'd expect us to be… is his own office."
Cassie nodded. "He won't have time to file reports with mutants burning his house down."
Adrian grinned. "Exactly."
"Then let's finish this," Bobby muttered, eyes sharpening.
They crawled forward, disappearing deeper into the vents.