The crowd was massive.

Ari hadn't appreciated the population of March City before, being one who never used to attend classes nor interact with the rest of the student body. There were at least a hundred students congregated, maybe more. They all marched towards Administration in the centre of the city, yelling and brimming with anger. A few towards the front displayed their powers, shooting bouts of fire and icy mist. Several projected heavy objects: some created, others torn with telekinesis from nearby structures. The rubble shattered shop windows and the jets of flame ignited buildings.

"They're destroying their own homes!" Mina said in a tiny voice, her eyes huge.

"Not their homes anymore," said Rale in a grim voice. "What use is this 'home' of March City if the lives they lead are pointless? They're destroying this façade of a home."

"They can punish individuals, but when the whole city lays down its arms, they have to address this. They must," said Fris, breathless.

Overhead halogen beams crackled and exploded into showers of sparks. More people joined the fray, some chanting, others utilising their powers to destroy. Even the initially hesitant ones dawdling at the edges joined in the march. It was unnerving to see so many students congregated, no matter their abilities or ranking. Ari supposed it was because they all knew someone who went missing in the explosions or were in Rale's video, and finally there was someone to blame for all this, a cause to be united for.

"Down with the credits! Down with the credits!"

The nose-curling scent of smoke filled the air. One of the nearby shops, selling clothing, went up in flames. The cloths burned a multitude of colours; black smoke pulsed in a steady stream out of the windows and snaking up the sides of the tightly-packed flats. The coloured neon signs flickered, some of the lights turning off, making the letters unintelligible.

They passed the squat residential towers; most of them melted away until only train stations and long steel rail lines stretched on ahead. They criss-crossed, some diverting away to other areas within the city; two remained straight, heading directly to Administration, Area Ten. The same railway Ari recalled boarding in her first March City memory. The same as everyone else's.

The ground rocked, but the epicentre came from one of the Users and barely affected those nearby. The ripples increased. With deep groans, nearby buildings leaned to one side, off-kilter. Black cracks snaked up the sides, widening until the steel rods making up its skeleton could be seen. In the distance, the multi-storey Administration main building came into view, its green-tinted glass encasement reflecting the last of the artificial orange lights. The chants grew louder, the stamping of feet echoing the thumping of Ari's heart. Euphoria washed over her in waves. She'd never felt so much at one with people before. Exhilaration was upon every student's face, their eyes bright and their cheeks pink. All of them, as young as eleven, as old as eighteen, all stood together. They punched the air, calling for Administration to face up to its crimes, calling for fair treatment of the rebels, calling for their freedom, calling for the end of March City.

They stopped about ten metres away from the sealed main glass doors, which require special permission to enter. Someone had summoned light balls, which spun in lazy circles above their heads and illuminated their ways when the wayward halogen lights broke. Showers of sparks shot into the sky, falling into darkness. Security cameras mounted atop the sides turned to face them, the red lights beside the lenses blinking. Every pair of eyes were upon them. Ari held her breath, her chest fluttering.

'No more oppression! No more oppression!' they chanted, the voices as one and unity behind every syllable.

"This is an urgent announcement."

The words boomed from the hidden speakers in the ground and above their heads. The students stopped, startled by the sudden noise. Ari craned her neck, just like the others nearby, seeking the source. Three storeys above, one of the sides flickered into a live announcement by a newscaster Ari vaguely recognised.

"Due to the recent influx of dangerous creatures into the living area of March City, Administration has decreed a state of emergency and students must undergo immediate maintenance. There is suspicion that pathogens might have been released by the creatures, which could have dangerous health implications. All students are to return to their homes and await further instruct—"

The announcement was drowned out by boos and heckles. Someone screamed in laughter at the front. A barely-visible ball of gas formed from the hands of one of the students in front. It floated for a second before launching at the makeshift screen. It hit the newscaster's projected face square in the middle. A spark shot across the air and hit it in the side. There was a small boom. Hot air blasted outwards, whipping Ari's blonde hair back. A few students screamed, but none were in terror. A black charred mark remained on the side of the building; the news continued to play.

"Guess she was right about maintenance day, eh?" said Rale. Shon grimaced. Ari's heart palpitated. So there really was a bigger world out there. Just how small was March City? Just the other half? One of several thousand cities? A tiny petri dish?

The wide glass doors at the base of Administration slid open. It was so dark inside that the indignant student voices trailed off, unsure of what to expect.

Investigators and Peacekeepers filed out. The Investigators had their electric weapons drawn.

"What the heck is going on?" said Shon, alarmed. "Peacekeepers can't have assault weapons! That's only for the Investigators!"

"So much for 'duty to neutralise violence only'," said Rale in disgust.

Screams of terror this time emanated from the front. The hum of electrically-charged weapons reached Ari's ears. Some students retreated, pushing on her and Mina. She grabbed Mina and shoved her behind, ensuring they were in contact at all times. The Peacekeepers flanked the group, weapons raised, their eyes devoid of mercy.

"Stop this!" yelled Shon, pushing forward. "What are you doing? You're Peacekeepers – you can't harm the ones we're protecting!"

"Stand down, Shon," growled one of them.

"You call yourself protectors?" said a User from somewhere nearby in a loud voice. He pushed to the front alongside Shon, squaring up to the Peacekeepers. "You bunch of cowards. Don't you know what's happened? We're living in lies and you're just blindly following through like some computerised program." He spat on the floor. "You can go to hell."

The Peacekeeper beside the one who spoke tsked and raised her gun. A crackle sounded at the end before two wired pieces shot out. Shon spotted it with his ability and dived in front of the targeted student. The prongs buried into his chest. Electricity flowed through. He cried out, arching his back before slumping to the ground.

"Shon!" Mina cried out. Ari pushed her at Rale, who grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Fris!" she said. Fris didn't need telling twice. She snatched Ari's proffered hand. In one deft movement, Ari sent a jet of concentrated wind at the attacking Peacekeeper. Her hood whipped backwards, exposing surprised eyes and a mouth in an 'o' shape before her feet left the ground. Her stun gun fell to the ground with a clatter. She landed on her back in a heap at the same time.

As she expected, the other Peacekeepers took their eyes off the protesting students and paid attention to her.

"It's the Transformer!" Awed whispers rippled through the students. Ari became aware of at least forty pairs of eyes on her. Expectation and relief were on all their faces, the anxiety and fear gone. She hadn't even done anything.

Fris kept her fingers locked with Ari's. The energy pulsed slowly within her core, ebbing and flowing. Electricity crackled at the tips of her fingers. Her blonde hair rose somewhat.

"Get Shon," she said out of the corner of her mouth. Rale darted forward and crouched beside the felled boy, tearing out the teethed metal wires embedded on the front of his chest. To the Peacekeepers, she called out, "Why are you attacking the students? They haven't attacked any of you guys."

"They are disobeying Administration laws by not returning to their homes."

"So you shoot them?" Ari said in disbelief. "I'm sure the laws don't allow you to do that even if we broke some rules. Is it Administration rules for Peacekeepers to bear arms?"

"Some of us respect the rules more than you, Transformer," said another testily. "If they return to their homes without fuss, no harm will come to them."

"Are you going to shoot every single one if nobody budges?"

The second Peacekeeper raised his stun gun in a pointed manner. "If it need be."

Ari allowed a spark to jump between her fingers.

"Back down, buddy," she said. The air around her heated up. Murmurs swept through the crowd. Several faces around her appeared apprehensive. "Most of these guys aren't armed and don't intend to hurt anybody."

She wasn't sure what happened next. There was a shout and the Peacekeepers all snapped into action. A bolt of electricity came flying towards one of the Users two down from Ari. She shot sideways and took the blast head-on. On top of what Fris had given her, Ari absorbed the currents flowing through her body. The reserve rose until almost at its peak. She sent it back, sizzling through the air. Excess energy drained via her feet into the ground, blowing several of the nearby overhead lights. There was a flash of light when the electricity jumped. The Peacekeeper who had initiated the shot lay on her back, dazed.

Chaos erupted. Terrified screams pierced the air. People rushed backwards and forwards in a frenzy. The Peacekeepers leapt into action, firing at the crowd and circling from the outside. Crackles of electricity clashed with bursts of fire and ice. Explosions filled the air; black smoke wafted from all directions. The ground rumbled, throwing people off balance.

Ari kept an eye on the bursts of energy flying in all directions, catching them square on when she could and redirecting them back without a fixed target. The energy scattered, hitting the Peacekeepers in widespread shots and knocking them back.

"We stand with the Transformer!" someone yelled behind her.

Fris stood beside Ari, her vibrant red hair raised and crackling with electricity. Her hands were raised, her eyes ablaze. A Peacekeeper fired a stun gun, but before it reached halfway to its target, Fris blasted electricity at it, overloading the gun and forcing him to drop the weapon with a shout. Shon appeared out of nowhere, shooting his gun to knock projectiles out of the air, his face pinched in concentration.

"Rale's got Mina!" Fris called to Ari, who didn't reply as she was concentrating on absorbing another attack to blast off a net coming at a group on her right. The net sizzled, aflame. Someone conjured a spurt of water to put it out, drenching the Peacekeepers at the same time. Rubble torn from the ground rained upon the assailants. Ari panted, her heart thumping, eyes jumping in all directions. Adrenaline lit her body like fire.

A blast of arctic wind whipped Ari's blonde hair back. Her eyes stung; she could barely keep them open. A gasp rippled through the crowd. The temperature plummeted, chilling her to the bone. The sweat on her shirt made goosebumps rise on her flesh. Uneased murmurs came from the nearby students as they glanced at each other, seeking the source.

But Ari had felt this before – just once. And the result was her in hospital with life-threatening frostbite worse than any mistakes by an ice User and more serious than any Healer had ever seen.

The darkened glass doors slid open again and two people emerged.

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