If Mina underwent the treatment, her only fate would be to surge and explode. She was too young, too inexperienced to possess something so powerful. Hine was a classic example.

Ari eased another breath. The pain in her spine had gone dull, but with each shift of position it complained again, reminding what was at stake.

The initial explosion had shaken the abandoned labs to their very foundations. Dust and dislodged rubble continued to rain from the ceiling, rattling on the surface of the cupboard Ari hid in. Footsteps rushed up and down the corridors outside, but nobody came snooping into the store room she was in.

She forced her breathing to slow so she could objectify the situation. She was in an unknown place. Nobody knew she was there. She had no idea what the map of the area was like. She was many floors down and had manoeuvred through a maze of a place. The quickest way was to blast upwards and climb. Considering how far Area Six was from Area One, she could get away before the commotion reached the Peacekeepers.

But she needed to find Mina.

The dead weighed on her stomach like lead. Her little sister was caught up in this insanity. Kidnapping high-achievers and extracting their abilities, killing them in the process, and then transplanting it to willing low-achievers to gain power? It was contemptible, yet Hine wanted it. He was willing to kill off fellow students for their own gain, only to end up in smithereens. And he wasn't the only one.

When her ribs started moving properly and her body recovered somewhat, she waited. Nobody passed for a good five minutes. She eased the wooden door open, her adjusted eyes darting in the dark for any signs of movement. With deliberation, she stood up. Discarded wooden boxes and rusted metal cabinets lined the edges. Weak light came from the corridor. The ceiling lights had all exploded when Hine surged, plunging the auditorium into pitch blackness and blowing the storage door off its hinges. The sole weak bulb in the corridor managed to maintain a little light.

Her footsteps made nothing more than light pats on the floor. A flash of pain shot across the back of her head from where she made contact with the floor earlier, and then it was gone. Hands reached out, Ari felt her way to the door, which lay on its side in a pitiful heap.

The place was eerily silent. She passed the sorry remains of the auditorium – the windows had been blasted out of their frames, and she watched her step when moving over glass pieces – and into the main corridor again. She was on the other side of the auditorium. A singular corridor ran up and down, both sides looking identical. She swallowed. This was going to be a difficult mission.

Machine whirred from her right. Ari turned and squinted. All the lights were off down that side of the corridor, running the length of the auditorium. There was a brief silence. Another whirr, closer this time, followed by a metallic thump. Another silence. And then another whirr.

Stop gates. Ari's mouth went dry. This place was going on lockdown.

She ran in the other direction, making little attempt to mask the sounds coming from her feet. If she was caught in those gates, without her phone and contact, her necklace half-empty, she would probably never be found.

The corridor was endless. Her back started to hurt the further she ran. Her steps became sluggish, loud slaps that echoed down the darkness. Her chest burned and each breath was like a knife slicing her lungs into ribbons. Shaking legs threaten to buckle beneath her and send her crashing to the dusty floor. And all the while, the thumps and gate closures continued behind.

The corridor dissolving into the darkness was all that filled her eyes.

The next thing Ari knew, she was blown forwards. Losing her balance over tired legs, she sprawled onto the ground, sliding on her stomach. Her hands scrabbled desperately for something to hold on to but there was nothing but dust within reach. Rolling over and scrambling to her feet, Ari stared, bewildered, at what appears to be a dark crater in the wall that ran along the corridor. A faint yellow light about ten metres behind her was her only light source.

Girlish giggles filled the air, making the hairs on Ari's arms stand up.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you first!" said an airy voice. A small shadow flounced out of the hole. Ari could only make out shoulder-length hair and chunky boots. "They said you went on the run after what happened to Hale. We can definitely have some fun before anyone else gets here."

She paused, and giggled again.

"If I'm lucky, I can kill you before the rest arrive!"

Ari leapt backwards when something small bounced on the ground in front of her. It was a sweet, pink and oval-shaped.

Half a second later, Ari was flat on her back. Her ears rang. The world spun in and out of focus. She concentrated on the hanging lights from the high ceiling. Blinking, they finally merged back together into one. She got up. She felt like she'd been punched in the chest, but the new girl stood there with her arms crossed, tapping her foot on the ground. Where the sweet was, there now was star-shaped black spot, smoking.

"Come on, let's play!" the girl said, hopping on the spot. When she moved forward – Ari got hurriedly to her feet, watchful – the pale light fell on her face. She had pixie-like features and a blunt blonde fringe. The rest of her hair fell to her shoulders in chunks and the tips were dyed bright green. Intelligent blue eyes watched back with genuine curiosity.

"I'm not here to play," said Ari, her voice cracking. This girl seemed... crazy.

The girl tilted her head, pouting. "But nobody wants to play with me. I really want to test out this new ability!"

Another transplant. Ari wondered who had to die for her to get her new toy.

"You're Ari, aren't you? I'm Jos." Jos gave a cheeky grin, clapping her hands together. "We're going to have so much fun."

Jos extended her right wrist. Something small flew out and bounced on the floor, making a clacking noise. Ari reacted faster this time, leaping backwards as the sweet exploded, charring the floor.

"Ooh, you're fast!" Jos could be talking about dessert. She dug in her pocket. From the rattling and rustle of plastic, Ari could tell her pocket was full of those dangerous things.

She turned to run.

"Aw, come on!" Jos called after her, her playful voice lilting.

Something zipped by Ari. She flinched. Another bang in front of her threw her back the way she came. Palms held in front of her, she absorbed some of the kinetic energy, although it was a pitiful amount. She landed on her already-injured back. With a grunt, she managed to halt her slide before she got too close to the dangerous girl.

Jos advanced, a manic grin on her pointed face. Ari stood up, wary. She found breathing difficult – probably from being knocked about one too many times.

Two more sweets came flying. Ari deflected one. It flew into the adjacent room and exploded, rocking the ground and sending rubble flying down from the ceiling. The other almost slipped through her grasp. It felt smooth and cool in her hand, like a pebble. She threw it back at Jos, but it exploded almost as soon as it left her hand.

Ari reached out to convert the heat and kinetic energy, but very little of it filled her body. It sent her flying. She landed on her side and rolled to a stop, dazed.

"Oh, you probably don't know where my sweeties come from," said Jos. "I know you can only energy convert if you know what type it is, but these aren't normal explosives. They're my special ones."

She skipped forward. Ari groaned, propping herself onto all fours before sitting up. The room spun.

"Which means," said Jos, her voice still mild, "you can't fight back."

Ari could only jump back when Jos cast her next attack, a handful of sweets that rained onto the ground in a pitter-patter. The explosions forced her back a few more steps. Try as she might, she couldn't take in much of the energy. Jos was right. This was a new type, one she hadn't happened across before. With her aim and range, it would be hard taking her down.

Touching her necklace, Ari shot out a bolt of electricity. The room went blue for a moment and then the bolt hit Jos's right hand. With a scream, she dropped her bag of sweets. The miniature explosives scattered onto the ground – but none of them went off.

"Ow," said Jos with a resentful look. She picked up her sweets one by one. "Did you try and blow me up just now? It doesn't work that way. I made those sweeties. They only obey my commands."

No, that couldn't be it. Abilities followed a person, not objects. Without the weapons, Jos would still be a formidable opponent, albeit a handicapped one. There was nothing special about the sweets unless she had them.

Then it clicked, what ability Jos had implanted.

Jos rolled it in her hand, blue eyes flicking over Ari. In one fluid movement, she cast her next sweet. At that moment, Ari shot out another bolt of electricity. It hit the sweet.

An explosion threw the two girls backwards – Ari skidded several metres whereas Jos left the ground and slammed onto her back much further away. Coughing and waving the smoke out of her face, the girl sat up, indignant.

"How did you know?"

"I observe. You prime your sweets just before you throw them."

Muttering under her breath, Jos got to her feet again.

"That's no fun," she said in a sulky voice. For a girl of about fourteen, Jos acted in a peculiarly childish fashion. "That means we can't play. I have to kill you."

"I'm not here to play. I'm looking for Mina."

"Mina?" Jos perked up. "Oh, I know her. Nice girl."

"She is."

"Very sweet. I wish I had a sister like her. I never had anyone, growing up."

"It must have been lonely," said Ari, not without a hint of sarcasm. Jos nodded, seemingly oblivious to the dig.

"Yes, it was. You're lucky."

Her words took Ari aback. She wasn't expecting such a sincere reply, especially after her battle with Hine.

"You know where Mina is?"

"Hm? Oh." The girl nodded, her green tips bobbing along with her. "She's with the leader today. Xera called in ill so Mina took her place and missed the meeting. Shame. Would have been interesting for her to see how Hine powered up."

Ari wondered if Jos was too ditsy to realise she was giving out valuable information or just genuinely didn't have the camaraderie Hine and Wyld had.

"And where is the leader?"

"Oh, down in the labs. At the end of the corridor and turn right."

At those words, Ari shot out another bolt of electricity, emptying her necklace. It was a pitiful amount. It hit Jos squarely in the chest. Jos's mouth opened in a surprised circle, her arms jerking out to her side. She stumbled backwards, still clinging to consciousness. She sat back, dazed.

"That's unfair!" she said. "You were going to play with me!"

"I need to find Mina," Ari said, for the umpteenth time that night. She turned. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that." There was a dangerous tremble in Jos's voice. Ari turned back again slowly, almost hesitant to see what the crazy girl was about to do. She swallowed.

Jos clutched a handful of sweets in both hands. Her lips were downturned, her eyes saddened.

"If you're running away, then I have to kill you."

Ari touched her necklace. There was nothing left in it.

Jos gasped. Something pinged, making Ari flinch. The last time she'd heard a sound like that, Peacekeepers were chasing a runaway robber.

From the darkness, one figure approached with caution. Jos slumped on the ground, her eyes closed. The sweets lay scattered on the ground. Paralytic fluid spreading through her body ensured she kept perfectly still. A curly-haired boy with a plastic Peacekeeper's gun held in front of him moved into the light, a tense expression making wrinkles on his forehead. He was dressed in casual clothes, but a Peacekeeper's badge gleamed at his waist.

"Shon?" Ari said, almost faint with disbelief. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Shon lowered his gun, a relieved smile on his face.

"I brought him," said another familiar voice with a drawl. A skinny boy wearing loose-fitting trousers and shining glasses stepped into the light. "You look like you've been through hell, Transformer."

"Rale!" Ari stopped. "You got my message?"

"Kind of. You didn't send your location, so I figured you'd gotten into some sort of trouble. No surprise there."

She grimaced at his comment.

"I hacked your phone for the tracer. Managed to trace down your last known location and pinpointed you to one of the corridors just outside that auditorium. Did you blow someone up in there or something?  I honestly thought you'd surged."

"It wasn't me."

"Of course not. The blessed Transformer wouldn't do something so amateur."

"The Peacekeepers have been tipped about this," said Shon, not tucking his gun away. He gave the dark corridor behind him a troubled look. "I only know through my colleagues' conversation – I've been moved to a different department, and the higher-ups have kept such a tight lid on things... Looks like most of the exits are in lockdown, but I can find some emergency exits. Places like these always have evacuation points."

"I can't come with you. Not yet."

"Ah, the sister," said Rale, raising his eyebrows. "No information about her, I gather."

"I know where she is." Ari's fists curled into balls. "And the terrorists are going to implant into her against her will. They've been doing this for months, Shon. They're kidnapping high-achievers and stripping them of their abilities and sticking it into under-achievers. Then when they can't handle the new power, they surge. That's why there are explosions all over March City."

Shon didn't say anything. To Ari's surprise, none of her words appeared to be news to him, whereas Rale looked a strange contrast of nausea and glee.

"This will make the headlines for weeks to come! But sheesh... talk about stomach-churning." He winced. "Stripping the abilities? I don't even know what happens to Users once they're stripped."

"They die."

"Oh."

"We don't have long, Ari," said Shon with urgency. "The Peacekeepers are on their way. Within half an hour they'll have surrounded the place. There's no way you can escape without bumping into at least one."

"I'll blow my way out."

"We'll get caught."

"No. I will get caught. I need to get Mina. You two shouldn't be here – you can't afford the punishment. Especially you, Shon."

He smiled vaguely at that.

"I can't bear to have you behind bars, Ari."

"I'll be fine. You get out of here. Be careful of monsters. They're crazy strong."

"We can try and hold a way out for you, but I can't guarantee anything," said Rale. "My tablet can breach the security system – for a little bit. I'll keep the south side opened until curfew. The security is ridiculously tight after that."

"I appreciate that, Rale."

"No problem. If you die, I can't get my juicy details."

Shon shot him a look, but Rale had already sauntered into the darkness.

"Stay safe, Transformer."

Remember to vote!