Aleks pressed her back to the cage's wall, which was some hard bulletproof glass, which she realised after jamming her elbow several times at it to no avail. There was no way out of there.

The woman in front of her growled again, foaming at the mouth. She looked like some monstrosity out of nightmares. Her muscles bulged to caricatural size, and sharp claws and fangs made her look like she was made to be an apex predator. And she was ready to jump at Aleks at any second now.

She was terrified. Her legs wobbled like jelly, and her heart raced as fast as hummingbird wings. But she also felt something else.

Pity.

Rioters did that to this poor woman. In pursuit of their own selfish goals, they injected her with some experimental drugs, turning her into a mindless monster, and then kept her in the cage like an animal. It made her furious and gave her the courage to overcome her fear.

Aleks raised her hands. "I'm not with people who did this to you," she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "I'm not your enemy. I came here to help."

The woman's growl got even lower and more guttural, and before Aleks could blink, she jumped. One moment the woman was crouched on the other side of the cage, and the next, her clawed hand was closed on Aleks' neck, claws piercing the skin and her fangs inches away from her face.

"Please..." Aleks uttered, barely able to draw a breath. "I know you are... angry. But killing me... will not... help you..."

The woman hissed at her, spraying her face with saliva, but her aura shifted slightly, and now deep dark purple was peppered with red and orange dots of fear and anxiety. The hand crushing Aleks' throat loosened its grip a fraction.

Her sanity was still there.

"Please," Aleks repeated. "I'm here to help you and all other imprisoned people. And I need to find my brother. I fear he might be in trouble."

The woman cocked her head, and more orange spots appeared on her aura.

"Do you have someone you left behind too? A family member, maybe? You are scared for them, aren't you?"

The woman uttered a painful whimper and let go of Aleks' neck, stalking back to the other side of the cake and sitting down in a crouch, her head lowered with dirty hair covering her face again.

Aleks exhaled deeply and touched her stinging neck. Her fingers came out bloody. Luckily the gashes weren't deep. She looked back at the woman who, just seconds ago, was ready to kill her. Now she was again huddled in the corner, trembling and whimpering.

"Aleks, are you alright?" Diego and other kidnapped gifted gaped at her with eyes wide as if they were surprised she was still alive. Their auras were still anxiously orange, but something else was peeking through.

The palest greens of hope.

They all looked at her and saw something. Somehow, even though she was trapped here, helpless, just like them, they still believed her when she said she would help them. They still trusted her word even without a flashy power, weapons, or any plan. All those gaunt and scared people took just one look at her and chose to believe that she could be the one to save them all.

The tears choked her.

She might not be the stronger gifted.

She might not be able to stand her ground against the deviants.

But unlike all those people dragged here against their will, she was trained to handle situations like this. She wasn't an all-powerful hero, but she was all those people got right now.

And she would get them out of here.

There was no time for fear and second-guessing herself. Aleks could hear gunfire and screams all around them. That meant that the deviants had their hands full with GSO assault teams. If they wanted to break free, the time was now.

Filled with resolve, Aleks crouched next to the other woman, who hissed, baring fangs at her. But her aura was more orange than purple now, and Aleks was no longer afraid. She put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what Rioters did to you, but I will do everything possible to help you. We have brilliant people in GSO, and I'm sure they will find a way to reverse it."

The woman stopped growling, and her eyes turned back from narrow slits to normal, round pupils. "Is it possible?" she asked, and her voice was rough as if she hadn't used it in a long time.

"I believe so, yes. What's your name?"

"Libby."

"I'm Aleks. It's good to meet you, though I wish it were in better circumstances," Aleks smiled sadly. "I need your help to get out of here, Libby."

The woman hunched her shoulders and hung her head again. "How... could I possibly help you?"

"You are strong. Look what you just did." Aleks gestured to the wall where she was pushed into just a moment ago. The glass was cracked there. It was a small fissure but visible. "You did this even when you didn't want to damage the glass. Do you think you can try to break it?"

Libby shook her head. "I... I don't think I can. Every time I use this strength"─she looked down at her bloodied claws─"the monster comes out, and I... I disappear. I can't think. I can't stop it."

"But you didn't kill me," Aleks said, squeezing her shoulder. "Even though the monster was out, you reigned it back down and let me go."

"I don't know if I could do it again...."

"Libby, do you have a family? Is someone missing you while you are kept here?"

The woman sobbed, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I have a daughter. I'm all she has left. She's tiny, barely four years old. If something happens to me, she...."

"Hey, I said I'll get you out of here, right? I'll ensure you return to your little girl, but you must help me too. As long as you have someone waiting for you, you can fight off any monster."

Libby nodded and wiped the tears with the back of her hand. "You're right. I'd do anything to get back to her."

Aleks smiled. "Then get us out of here, Libby."

The woman nodded again and slowly got back to her feet. She rolled her head from one side to another, and her eyes turned to slits again. With a deep guttural growl, she tensed her muscles, which started budging again, and the vein on her forehead pulled as her claws grew bigger and sharper. She stalked to the wall with the feline grace of the predator and clawed at the glass. At first, it seemed that she barely scratched the surface, but with an almighty roar that awakened a primal fear of predators inside Aleks, Libby kept slashing at the glass. Fissures were initially small, but the web of micro-breaks grew larger with every strike until the whole wall was covered with cracks.

Libby roared again, and with a graceful roundhouse kick, she shattered the glass.

The room exploded with cheers and whistles. Libby was no longer seen as a monster but as a hero who saved the day.

"I knew you could do it!" said Aleks jumping out of the cage. "Now, start on the next cage while I search for the doors' controls. They must be somewhere near."

It wouldn't take Aleks long to find the panel on the wall with a row of switches. She pulled everything down, and the cages opened, releasing the prisoners.

There were more cheers and cries auras flared with more green than orange. Aleks returned to the group and did a quick check to ensure everyone was out and able to stand on their own. Libby stood away from them, her predatory eyes trained on the doors leading further into the building.

"Okay, listen up, people," Aleks called to get everyone's attention. "We got out of the cages, but we are not out of the woods yet." She gestured towards the doors. "The rest of this building is crawling with Rioters, and they will try to stop us. The GSO agents are trying to fight them off, but I can't guarantee they won't come for us. Does any of you have a gift that could help us fight them off or sneak past them?"

A young man with a freckled face raised his hand tentatively. "I... I can make a smoke." As on command, a dark grey smoke started forming around his fingers.

"Awesome, that will give us a cover!"

A middle-aged woman in a tattered business suit said, "I can put people to sleep, but I need to touch them."

"That would be a great help, but don't run at them. Use it if someone gets close to you."

"I can─" another person was interrupted when the door opened, revealing two men with guns.

"What the hell is going on here?! Hands up or I'll─" He never finished the sentence as a furious predator charged at him, slashing at his neck. The guns fired, but the shots went wide, and the fight ended in a few moments. The gifted gasped and looked away from a bloody heap deposited at the door.

Aleks rushed to Libby and put a hand on the muscular shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The predator growled and shrugged.

"Thanks for that." Aleks nodded and crouched at the bodies. After checking if they were loaded, she picked up dropped guns and put both in the holsters at her hips.

She turned to look at the gifted. They were all pale, exhausted, and frightened. But there was also determination shining in their eyes.

"We need to go now. Be quiet and keep behind Libby and me. If someone tries to stop us... well, do what you can to not let them."

Diego stepped forward. "Let me go ahead. I can scout a way ahead without being seen."

Aleks smiled at him. "That would be most helpful."

He smiled back and disappeared.