Casey broke down into another fit of sobbing. A cold void had replaced the fuzzy feeling in my chest. Just yesterday, I think, time was hard to track in this place, I had seen the small grey-eyed girl.

Tyler had approached silently behind me. He had heard, I'm guessing, by the look on his face. And without word, he turned and left.

I slid against the wall, coming to a sitting position beside Casey, who had dabbed her eyes. Suddenly silent.

"We have to escape, to avenge Franky."

Then she turned to me, a hard, emotionless look in her reflective eyes.

"What did you find out?"

"Something about water, but I don't kn-"

She stood up suddenly, walking off towards what looked like a drinking fountain. I watched as she cupped her hands and splashed water all over her ankle. When nothing happened she growled angrily, stalking off somewhere.

Gecko followed her, swinging across the wall. His hands sticking to the walls like a giant lizard.

I spent the rest of my boring day sitting on the ledge that popped out my first day. I kept fiddling with the band on my ankle, trying to find a way to sever it. It wasn't long before I found I had fallen asleep.

I was woken, rather annoyingly. By a clicking sound. I looked over the edge to see Tyler was trying to fly up with little success. His wings were big enough to support him, but he was doing it all wrong. He was trying to jump into the air while flapping sideways.

"Angle yourself so that you're propelled up." I whispered.

He jumped, noticing I was awake. "Why don't you just come down here?"

I shrugged, jumping off and gliding down softly. When I landed, Tyler held up a mangled piece of metal, grinning slightly. I noticed the familiar green light still blinking weakly.

He had gotten his band off.

"How did you that?" I gasped.

He held up a hand, his claws were out.

"When I first got here, I had already tried cutting through it. it didn't work. But I think something in the serum they gave me made them stronger or something." He tossed aside the bits of plastic and metal.

"Well come on, let's go wake up Casey." I said.

Two minutes later casey was watching in amazement as Tyler tore at her band. He ripped it off, holding up his prize.

"Here we go, I'll go get the others, you work on Will's."

He clawed through mine, and it was only roughly half an hour before all twenty-one mutants and to-be's were gathered below the dark skylight.

"Okay, everyone stand beneath the ledge, Will, do your thing." Casey directed.

I nodded, rolling my shoulders as I jumped, revealing in the feeling as my wings snapped open, and I began to rise. I pumped the feathers up and down, making a tight circle. I was going so fast and it felt wonderful.

I paused, letting myself fall a few feet before doing a flip and swooping upwards. I sailed like a comet up towards the glass. At the last moment, I flipped, throwing my feet into the air, and they slammed against the glass.

It cracked.

I dropped, struggling to pull out of my stall. Then went back for another go.

I had to hit it three more times before the glass broke, shattering against the ground. I threw up my hands, pieces of glass made small cuts along my arms. Everyone below the ledge had stayed safe. But now loud alarms blared, and I clapped my hands over my sensitive ears, several other kids had to as well. Casey had the smaller kids go first, and I had no trouble carrying them. Gecko also pitched in, climbing up the walls with kids on his back.

Now all that was left was Tyler, Casey, some kids my age and two twenty year olds. Gecko could carry more weight than me, so he got the adults. And I struggled to lift one kid, barely lifting her up over the edge and depositing her on the green field outside where her friends were waiting.

It took me longer and I was sweating. Casey was fending off some bodyguards who had come when the alarm sounded. Gecko had taken the last kids, and Tyler helped me by flapping his own wings. I went back for Casey, though I didn't know how I was going to lift her.

I extended my hand to her, she glanced at me over bunches of unconscious bodies.

"Leave me Will, you and Gecko can't carry me."

"No, you helped me, I can't just leave you here!" I replied stubbornly.

She smiled sadly at me. She had known this would happen. I could see it, she had never planned to escape in the first place.

"No," I hated the desperation in my voice.

She held up the broken bands. "These self destruct, in case we ever did escape, the force of all of them will destroy this room. I'm going down with my ship. Go."

"But-"

"Go William." She struck out at me, I leaped backwards.

I leaped into the air. Tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. She slung something into the air. It was my backpack. How did she manage to find it?

"I nicked it from a scientist. Now go." She yelled up at me, as more guards flowed into the room like a leak in a pipe.

I hovered in the air, staring her in disbelief. She gave me one last sad smile. Then closed her eyes as the broken pieces of technology glowed red.

The building exploded.

I was thrown up into the air from the force. I flapped my wings to escape the flames that slowly disappeared. And then I just hovered in the air. Staring at the empty black crater, with broken concrete and twisted pieces of metal. Ash and dust, floating in the like a giant black mushroom.

I fell from the sky. Tiny flames still curling around the edges of my primary feathers.

My wings frozen up from shock, and before I knew it. The ground was approaching. For a second I thought about letting it take me. A second was to long.

I threw my wings out, catching myself at the last second. My feet hit the ground, I tripped, my arms sprawled in the dirt, and I rolled. Crunching painfully on my wings.

I got up shakily, flexing to check if I broke anything. Just bruised. I walked for a bit, but I couldn't find the group anywhere.

If Gecko had known Casey would sacrifice herself. He would have moved everybody to a safer place. Which left me only one conclusion.

They had left me behind.