Five years ago, I was captured. Five years ago, I was weak.
Five years ago I was paralyzed by the death of my family..not anymore.

"So One-hit, what are we gonna do?" Rico asked impatiently as usual. I shifted uncomfortably on the chair I sat on. Just before I could speak James butted in.

"I think we still have a hole in the guard patrol schedule, I suggest that we sneak out." I made a mental note to thank James, although I was the most powerful, he had more willpower than me and could make the critical decisions better than I could.

"But then there's the problem of knowing where this "gap" is. We can't exactly go around this place without getting harassed by guards." Trinity sighed, she looked at two guards at the door.

Their guns weren't drawn but they were hanging off their necks, ready to fire. Any means of resistance and they could have a team of elite guards in here in seconds.

The elites were kids that were plucked when they were toddlers from their families and trained to be unstoppable. To augment their power they'd torture and then put them through endless training and gave them narcotics as a reward. I snapped my fingers.

"Rico can make a diversion! Doesn't everything slow down when you go fast?" Rico nodded but he already started to bounce his leg up and down. His sweat revealed his nervousness. I didn't want to pressure the guy, he was only twelve after all.

"Yeah I can do it, I'm gonna need to know where and when.." He tried to cover his fear with overconfidence but his leg looked like it was about to go subsonic. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to dude, we can figure out something else." He just grabbed my hand and shook his head. His leg suddenly stopped and his gaze settled on me, he smiled.

"Nah brother, I owe you a lot anyways so let me repay you for saving my life." He had complete trust in me and in what he could do. At that moment I felt proud of him.

"You better not get caught. I teased. He just rolled his eyes and punched my arm.

"James you will be with me and Trinity, once the diversion happens we'll steal four walkie talkies and then wait for Rico to dash back to us. Rico, we'll be near the main armory, once you get back we grab some standard pistols and concussion grenades and try to sneak out. If we can't..well we fight through or die trying." They all nodded in unison, but something was off..

Instead of the serious and grim expressions I expected, they all smiled. James nodding in approval, Trinity smiling then placing her hand on mine, and Rico giving me the thumbs up.

You guys are the best family I have had.

Just then the alarm sounded off, telling us that lunch was over and free time began.

"Before dinnertime guys is when our plan starts. James and Trinity will come with me to the gym and Rico shall go to the other end of the facility, in the Cell Block D bathroom." James shook Rico's hand and Trinity hugged him.

"You come back to us man..you have to.." I didn't even get to say it before he disappeared, only leaving a sense of worry and dust behind.

"Let's roll.." I waltzed over to the gym along with James and Trinity and waited for the doors to open. Any kids we saw scowled or immediately avoided eye contact and let us pass. They knew what we could do, I alone could hold off more than several squads on my own. Trinity and James were both on the critical personnel list as well as Rico.

I was placed right under the queen of something I shouldn't say or also known as, Zoeanne Jackson. Leader of the Republic. (More like tyrant but if you were to say that it was an automatic loss of head.) Which also means that guards can only use non lethals on the critical personnel. Tear gas, blow darts, and tasers, which are kinda useless against most Gifted.

"I hope Rico will be alright.." James elbowed Trinity in the ribs and snickered.

"Ever heard anyone catching a speedster? He'll be fine, for now let's worry about which fast food place we wanna eat at when we escape." Trinity smiled and nodded.

"Definitely not Taco town..maybe The SubStation." We all laughed, as if we weren't living in a facility made for making super soldiers or experimenting on failed trainees, just regular teenagers having fun...

I looked at the clock on the gray brick wall.

5:45...15 minutes till we spring our plan.

Just when I thought that everything was gonna go smooth, someone decided to throw a punch at James who twisted the fist and then throwing the attacker.

"The hell?!" The person who attacked us got up and glared at us, it was a girl..she had a devil's tail tattooed on her arm, her hair was blond well kempt and had a new bow in it, and the usual jumpsuit was gone, replaced by a long black and indigo skirt and a red skirt. She was promoted to a regular cadet, meaning soon she would have a regular apartment and more lenient training.

"Hello Jason.." She spat on the floor, melting it with her acidic spit. Viper was her name, all the kids in the facility heard about her. She could spit acid and climb up walls as well as striking quick, hence her name.

"Viper..thought you were dead. Guess you aren't a failure." She smiled and licked her teeth.

"Come on, you know better than that..after all you did almost kill me." She said in mock innocence, her voice imitated a small little girl's.

Viper's face laid bruised and bloody, her body had scorch marks and her left leg bent at an awkward angle. She was crying but smiled despite her agony.

"Come on get it over with.." She screamed. Her words breathed fear and regret but her attitude portrayed a daring girl in the midst of death. My fists which sparked and were aflame extinguished.

"No..because I'm not like you monsters.." I slid her across the slick metal floors of the cafeteria and walked away. Trinity and the rest of the group were mostly silent that day, eyeballing me with fear and caution.

I smiled and then levitated, feeling different...like the challenge of the fight was amusing. I laughed and then felt my shirt set ablaze as violet and black fire took shape of horned wings. The look on Viper's face was priceless, then I remember throwing aside guards and my friend's horrified faces, next I remember bolting for the armory. Then I blacked out.

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"..he's awake! Jason get up!" Rico shook me awake. We were pinned down near a door in a hallway..No wait the door. While I planned the escape I remember stealing a map and blueprints of the place off the desk of one of the engineers and reading it. The best escape route and we were pinned down near it! Rico handed me a pistol and my katana.

I saw Trinity and James popping in and out of cover shooting at guards and teen soldiers alike. Sometimes James turned into stone and picked up a chunk of a broken column and threw it at them. They were sustaining heavy losses but more and more just piled in.

Trinity disappeared out of thin air and then shot massive fireballs at the crowd of assailants then dropped back into cover.

"Good, we could use him." James punched a wall and moved it in front of us, but as soon as he and Trinity made it to me the wall began to break under suppressed fire from some sort of light machine guns.

"Well then you crazy SOB, ready for round two?" His normal smile returned and his eyes told me he was having fun. That relieved me but with the current situation it didn't last long.

"I barely remember round one boy scout..what happened?" Trinity's usual cheery mood disappeared and a grim and chilled expression took its place. She then awkwardly tried to force a smile but it was obvious that something was bothering her.

"You don't wanna know." I nodded and got up from Rico's side. Our surroundings were different from the metal prison/ lab look, instead only dark purple bricks and torches were present.

"Hey where are we? What happened to the facility?"Rico tossed me a spare pistol and handed me a couple of mags.

"Come to find out, this place was built on ruins in the bay. This place is probably Aztec or Mayan.. Anyway if we can escape, we're going to have to hijack a plane or boat and go to the United States from there." Rico said hopefully, then the wall crumbled as bullets sprayed the hall, trying to kill us. There was no way we could even inch from cover or run out at all. It would be suicide.

"There's no way! We have to give up.." James and the others looked at each other then me. They were having a silent conversation before turning to me.

"Go." They said in unison.

"Wait what?" James turned to stone and hopped the column barricade he had placed down and started to throw frag grenades and fired his gun wildly at the group of attackers. I tried to run out to get him but he swatted me and sent me flying back.

"James! Come back!" He wouldn't listen, instead he ignored me.

"I said go, damn it!" Then everything went wrong, his skin turned back into flesh and for a split second, everything slowed down. A single bullet pierced his chest and forced him on one knee.

As my best friend turned to meet my eyes, he whispered:

"Go on brother..for me." Then Rico ran out to grab him but he ran at normal speed, I shouted at him to run faster but before the words left my mouth he was shot in the head. His body fell to its knees then to the side.

The world became silent, the bullets, Trinity's cry of rage and sorrow, and the explosion of force hitting the soldiers..all quiet whispers. My body felt immobile, useless. Then she pressed her lips against mine and opened the door.

"Don't make our sacrifice in vain.." Before I could snap out of it, she threw me over the edge and plummeting in the direction of the ocean.

I flipped in mid air and landed in the water and hijacked a boat, taking off ocean bound. All I heard was the explosion of the west wing and an echoing of all their voices..

"Go..don't make our sacrifice in vain.." I sailed on through the night grief a weight on my spirit and despair catching a ride. It took a week to reach Florida, and its been two months since my escape..in that time I can still replay their voices, remember their faces, and their deaths..

"To my friends..who sacrificed their lives for my own miserable soul.."
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Quick shout out to Sunsetdancer28, totally read her book guys its a-freaking-mazing. Hope you are enjoying this book, I love you!

If you want to suggest some ideas either pm or comment and I will see you guys later!