Page 101 of The Not So Super Hero
“Does it matter?”Zane hissed.“If we stay, if we try to run, they hurt us anyway.That’s what they do.This is our best shot.If just one of us gets out, please,” Zane clutched Isaiah’s hands.“You know I can’t do this without you.”
Isaiah hesitated, golden eyes dimming when he whispered, “Do you think we’ll die here?”
Zane stiffened, eyes widening.“What?”
“I don’t want to die here,” he mumbled, hands shaking.
Zane’s throat ran dry.His hands mirrored Isaiah’s, trembling, but he swallowed the lump in his throat and said, “You won’t die here.None of us will.Believe in me.”
It was that determination that Zane always had that made Isaiah think it was worth a shot.If Zane could always get right back up and try again, then he could, too.
“I believe in you,” Isaiah whispered, smiling.
Their plan to escape was set in motion.Since the guards weren’t allowing them out of their rooms, there was no chance to tell anyone.It was a very spur-of-the-moment opportunity that the boys could only hope would work.The effects of the shots weren’t nearly as bad in the morning before the guards came to give them their next dose.That brief moment when they came into the room was their only chance.
When the officers came, Isaiah was alone in the room.A guard shouted, and the alarms started blaring.Confused, neither of them noticed the golden portal beneath the bed.A gateway formed behind them in the hall.Zane stepped out of the passage, darkness swirling in his fist.Shadows erupted from the floor to wrap the officers tightly.Even their shouts were silenced.Isaiah burst out of the room.Zane shoved the officers inside and they slammed the door shut.They couldn’t risk time letting others out.They ran as fast as they could, alarms shrieking and hall lights flashing red.
“Can you open a gateway to the lobby?”Zane asked when the two rounded a corner, only to see guards running their way.
“Too far right now!”Isaiah explained.
Zane launched a dark fist, sending three guards to the floor.The boys ran in the opposite direction.Even without the shots, the shield around the lab weakened their mutations.Said shield only intensified the moment the sirens started blaring.It felt like weights had been dropped on their shoulders, making it not only harder to move but also almost painful to use their mutations.Both boys knew it would happen the moment they got out of their room, just like Zane knew, to keep Isaiah safe at all costs.They were going to go for him first.His mutation was great for escapes.
If it weren’t for that damn shield, Isaiah could get them out easily.He could open gateways miles away, but thanks to the shield worsening, he was lucky to make a path a foot away.It still helped with battle.He opened as many as he wanted nearby, sending a kick or punch from a distance by opening two connecting paths, which he was about to do.A portal opened next to Isaiah, the other opened in front of an unexpecting guard.Isaiah sent a fist through and punched the man square in the jaw before pulling back his fist and closing the portal.
Their plan was simple.They had tried it before; get Isaiah as close to the entrance to the lobby.Even if he was beneath the lobby, he could create a path up there.They had studied the building for years and knew exactly where it was.If Isaiah could get them to the lobby, and Zane held everyone off long enough for Isaiah to get out of range, then there was no chance of anyone catching him.Most of the time, Benson or Leona thwarted their plans.However, they were away on a business trip.
Freedom was in their grasp.It was so close Zane could taste it.They would escape.Zane knew it when they finally reached the point beneath the lobby.Even if he was tired and his head felt like it was on the verge of exploding, Isaiah opened a path that led them to the place they had only ever seen once.The lobby looked the same as the first time Zane saw it.The doors sat on the other end of the room.Isaiah made a run for it like he was supposed to.
Zane froze when a hand grasped his shoulder.The touch sucked the energy so swiftly out of him that he fell to the floor with a pained cry.Isaiah’s scream followed when a dark hand ripped at his ankles, dragging him across the floor to land right next to Zane.A familiar pinch followed by scorching pain rippled through them.
“Did you two have fun?”Antoine asked, kneeling beside them with an empty needle.Though he smiled, his blue eyes were colder than ice.“I must admit, it was fun to watch but, honestly, I expected more.”
“Fight us head on before you trash talk,” Isaiah spat.Antoine punched him.His nose snapped.Blood poured from his nostrils and a whimper set upon his lips.
Zane glared.Why was Antoine there?They hadn’t heard anything about his arrival, which was typically a big deal.The head of Rebirth deserved a grand entrance.
Antoine returned his gaze to Zane, his lips forming an annoyed frown.“Law has informed me of your attempts before, but it seems the punishments aren’t working.I guess I will have to get it through your thick head what happens when you don’t obey.”
“Fuck you,” Zane groaned.He barely pushed himself onto his knees.
“Since you are so focused on being the hero of this story, I’ll give you a chance to be one,” Antoine spoke in a chipper tone that made Zane’s stomach churn.Seeing that dark look in his eyes was haunting.
“Choose,” Antoine whispered, gesturing to Isaiah on the floor.“Your pal here, or every single kid downstairs.”
Fear circled his gut, a swarming and buzzing sound that shook him to the core.He gazed at Isaiah’s bloodstained face, horror twisted into his scrunched features.
“What?”Zane whispered.
“You heard me.Sometimes heroes have to make tough decisions, save one person or save a hundred.”
Isaiah shivered.He curled in on himself, using his hair to shield his eyes.But Zane didn’t need to see them to know he was scared.
“You wouldn’t kill everyone, all your precious experiments.”
“I wouldn’t?”Antoine asked, pressing a palm to Zane’s cheek.His touch was ice.“The trash downstairs is replaceable.If you don’t believe me,” Antoine pulled a phone from his pocket while keeping his gaze locked on Zane.When a man answered the call, he gave an order that made Zane beg.“The twins, what are their names, Nate and Natalia?Kill them.”
“No, no!Please don’t, please!Dad, please!”
