#Rushed Escape

Alarms blared through the facility, red lights flashing in sync with the deafening sirens. The entire Center was on lockdown, with steel doors slamming shut and security personnel scrambling to contain the chaos. In the middle of the Maximum Security Wing, Olivia stood her ground against a squad of heavily armed guards.

Her summoning power was the only thing keeping her alive. Shadowy figures manifested in front of her, absorbing the barrage of bullets fired by the guards. Despite her efforts, she couldn't make any headway. Every time she tried to strike back, tendrils of darkness reaching out from the walls or ceiling, the room retaliated with blinding flashes of light. The light seared her and her creations, forcing her to retreat and regroup.

At the end of the room, a guard stood apart from the others. Unlike his comrades, he didn't join the fight. Instead, his eyes were glued to the screen of a terminal. His fingers danced over the keyboard, his focus entirely on whatever was displayed there. From the terminal’s speakers, screams echoed, adding to the cacophony of the alarm.

She conjured a fresh wave of shadow servants, their forms flickering as they absorbed more gunfire. Another attempt to strike back with shadowy tentacles ended in another blinding flash, leaving her momentarily disoriented.

Her powers were being countered too effectively here. But she knew she couldn’t give up. She wanted to free as many paranormals as she could. This wing was her biggest challenge yet.

Olivia gritted her teeth, pushing through the onslaught of gunfire. She summoned more shadow servants, their dark forms rippling as they took shape. With a flick of her wrist, she merged several into larger, more durable entities that could better withstand the relentless barrage.

The shadows advanced, striking out at any source of light within their reach. Bulbs shattered, and the room grew progressively darker, the guards' vision impaired. Olivia moved forward, inching closer to the terminal. But the guards' resistance was fierce, and she found herself pinned down, unable to advance any further.

She glanced at the terminal, the screams echoing from its speakers growing louder. Taking a deep breath, she made a gamble. “If I’m lucky enough,” she thought, “this terminal might allow me to communicate with him.”

"Let’s help each other!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

There was a moment of silence, then a familiar voice, strained but determined, answered through the terminal. "Yes! Get rid of the scre-"

The guard scrambled to cut off the audio feed. But she had heard enough.

Olivia summoned a dark portal on the back of one of her shadow servants. She stepped through it, emerging directly in front of the terminal. Black spikes shot from her hand, piercing the screen and destroying the terminal in a shower of sparks.

As the terminal shattered, Olivia saw one of the guards pointing their weapon at her. Time seemed to slow as she realized she couldn’t dodge in time. She braced herself, but before the guard could fire, a wave of distortion rippled through the room.

With a deafening crash, a wall to Olivia's right exploded inward, revealing Nei. Invisible vectors formed a protective barrier around Olivia, and the bullets aimed at her slowed to a stop when they came into contact with his aura.

"Nice timing," Olivia said, a hint of relief in her voice.

"Always," Nei replied. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the remaining threats. "So, what's the plan?"

"We’re getting as many people out of here as we can," Olivia said.

Nei sighed, clearly less enthused about the prospect. “Not exactly my idea of fun, but a deal’s a deal. Let’s move.”

With Nei's powers fully unleashed, the remaining guards stood no chance.

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The night was cool and crisp, the stars a distant glimmer against the inky black sky. Nei and Olivia had just exited the facility, the alarms still echoing behind them. Olivia, catching her breath, turned to Nei. "I need you to find any stragglers. Your mobility is better than mine."

Nei nodded, his expression a mixture of annoyance and reluctant compliance. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Don't get yourself killed while I'm gone."

Another distortion and he vanished. Nei teleported inside the Center again. He saw through the walls as he moved. After a few minutes, he came across a young man huddled in a corner, looking frail and sickly. Damian Crane. Nei had seen him a couple of times in the canteen—a total pushover, if there ever was one.

"Hey, Crane," Nei called out, walking towards him. "We're breaking out. Get up."

Damian avoided eye contact, his body tense. Nei extended his hand to him. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

Damian hesitated, then, with a sudden motion, he snapped a pair of cuffs onto Nei’s wrists. The metal was cold and heavy. Telekill cuffs.

Nei's eyes flashed with irritation. He didn't feel alarmed, just intensely annoyed. "What the hell, Damian?" he snapped. "Why'd you do that?"

Damian looked down, his voice trembling. "Getting out is useless. The Center will catch us. And the punishment... I can't face it again."

Nei rolled his eyes, tugging at the cuffs experimentally. They were sturdy, designed specifically to counter abilities like his. "You think staying here is any better? You really want to live out the rest of your days in this hellhole?"

Damian shook his head. "I don't... I can't... If they catch us, it'll be worse. And... I don't think releasing someone like you into the world is a good idea."

Nei let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "You think you're safer here? With these assholes? They don't give a damn about us, Damian. They use us, and when we’re not useful, they throw us away."

Damian's voice was barely a whisper. "Maybe. But out there... it's even scarier."

Nei's eyes narrowed as he felt the weight of the cuffs on his wrists. Damian avoided eye contact, trembling. Nei sighed, exasperated.

"Well, I gave you a chance," Nei muttered. The cuffs slipped off as his hands turned intangible for a moment. He rubbed his wrists.

"One of the many reasons they keep me in the Max Threat Level wing is because telekill is useless on me. Hell, that’s why they punish me with B.L.I.T.s." He said, irritated.

Damian's eyes widened in fear as one of Nei’s vectors shot out, piercing the wall beside him. He could see the shimmering, menacing tendrils of Nei’s aura, knowing well enough what they could do. Damian had weak aura powers himself, enough to sense the sheer lethal intent emanating from Nei.

Nei's face twisted into a snarl. "You really thought you could send me back to that cell?"

Damian's voice shook. "Please... don’t..."

Nei stepped closer, his aura radiating a chilling intensity. "I gave you a chance, Damian. But you chose to screw me over. And now you beg for mercy?"

Damian stumbled back, his heart pounding. He could see the darkness in Nei's eyes, the cold detachment beneath his easygoing demeanor. He knew there was no escaping this.

Nei's vector slashed through the air, aimed to deliver a fatal blow to Damian. But just as it was about to strike, his aura suddenly vanished. Damian was severely wounded but not dead. Confusion flashed across Nei's face as he turned to see what had happened.

A figure burst through the wall behind him—a young woman, around his age but much taller, with long white hair flowing behind her. She was dressed in a sleek combat suit, bristling with weapons and equipment. Zoe Arleth.

Before Nei could finish saying, "Hey there, beautiful," she was upon him, her fist flying towards his face. He tried to dodge, but her punch was too fast and powerful. His arm, raised in a futile defense, was ripped clean off, black blood spraying from the wound.

Zoe’s presence could negate aura powers, but Nei still had some options left. He stumbled back, clutching the stump of his arm.

Zoe assessed the situation in an instant. Damian lay on the floor, bleeding but alive. If she left, he could recover with his own aura, but that would also mean Nei would regain his powers. She made her decision in a heartbeat.

With blinding speed, Zoe launched herself at Nei, tackling him with such force that they crashed through another wall. The impact sent dust and debris flying everywhere.

Nei grunted in pain as they hit the ground, Zoe pinning him down.

His remaining arm turned intangible, and he thrust it into Zoe's chest. As it phased through her body and became tangible again, the matter it occupied was eradicated, leaving a gaping hole in her chest. Zoe's eyes widened, but she recovered almost instantly, her heart and chest regenerating in the blink of an eye.

Nei used that moment of regeneration to phase through the floor, slipping away from her grasp. Unseen beneath the surface, he felt his own wounds healing. He emerged from the floor behind Zoe, forming dark spikes along his arm, and thrust them toward her with all his might. The spikes, however, proved useless, barely scratching her skin. Zoe moved with blinding speed, delivering a powerful blow that struck him down again.

In the other room, Damian lay on the ground, struggling with the excruciating pain. He knew he wouldn't survive much longer without drastic measures. Instead of focusing on healing his damaged body, he tapped into his spiritual powers, leaving his physical form behind. The spiritual replica he often used entered his body, attempting to restore it with aura. But as Damian had predicted it failed. 

However, this move had ensured his continuation as a spirit. He had a chance to survive.

Nei, in the midst of his battle with Zoe, felt a new shadow being added to his repertoire. It felt off—lacking Damian's personality but carrying his traits. A sudden realization dawned on him.

"I see you, ghost boy!" Nei taunted, looking straight at Damian's spirit through a wall. He could see him.

Zoe's eyes flickered toward Damian's lifeless body and then back to Nei, a brief moment of confusion crossing her face. Nei used the distraction to his advantage, phasing through the floor again and reappearing behind her.

"You can't keep up with me forever, sweetheart," he sneered, summoning shadowy tendrils.

Zoe didn't respond, her focus razor-sharp as she prepared for his next move. Nei lunged at her, using his shadows to slash at her from multiple angles. Zoe deflected the attacks with ease, her durability and strength rendering his efforts futile. She struck back with a series of rapid punches, each one hitting with the force of a freight train.

Nei grunted in pain, struggling to keep up with her relentless assault. He phased in and out of intangibility, trying to avoid her blows, but she was too fast, too strong. His vision blurred as he took another hit, sending him crashing into a nearby wall.

Nei felt a sharp pain radiating through his body, an excruciating reminder of the deal he made with Olivia. He knew that if he wasn't fulfilling his part of the bargain, he'd suffer for it. The agreement was to help each other, which meant that right now, Olivia needed his assistance. Most likely, she was in danger.

His battle with Zoe would have to wait. He teleported away, knowing he couldn't take her on in his current state anyway.

The empty desert stretched out around the Center, a desolate wasteland under the moonlight. It didn't take long for Nei to locate Olivia, but to his surprise, she was alone. None of the other kids she had broken out were in sight.

"Where are the others?" Nei asked, his injuries regenerating instantly now that he was out of Zoe's reach.

Olivia looked weary, shadows under her eyes betraying her exhaustion. "The Center sent GLOWBRIGHT after them. They already secured all the ones still inside. The ones who got out... they're being hunted down."

Explosions echoed in the distance. Time was running out. 

They moved closer to a large rock, seeking cover in its shadows. Olivia knelt down, her hands glowing with dark energy as she opened a jagged black portal. From it spilled black sand, swirling around their feet.

"It's safer to look for them later," Olivia decided, her voice firm despite her fatigue. "If we risk ourselves now, we'll get caught too."

Nei nodded, understanding the logic but hating following orders. Still, a deal was a deal. He could wait a bit before he'd try to find a loophole or way to break it.

They stepped into the portal, the world around them dissolving into darkness. As they were enveloped by the black sand, the sounds of the desert night faded away, replaced by an eerie silence.