The Halcyon: Abnormals

1: The Halcyon

"He's being shipped over now. He's the only prisoner. Why do I need an armored truck anyway? He has that... What's it called... "Power Restrictors?" - "Yeah. Where do I pull up once I'm at the destination? I'm not wanting to stick around when the storm hits."

Zack woke up to his cheek against cold metal and feeling slight bumps that made him bounce up and down. A vehicle. He opened his eyes to darkness except a dim light in the front of the vehicle, iron bars making sure he didn't get there. Looking around made his head feel like there were drums going on inside and it felt like the pain would never dissipate.

"W-where..." He rasped.

"Cool. You're awake. I don't have to wake your ass up, myself. You know where you are?" The driver asked.

Zack didn't reply.

"Guess not. You're being transferred to the Halcyon. A prison for you... Superhumans. It's ironic that all of you used your gifts from God to do bad things, or so I've heard. Not a single person that has powers used it for good. Must suck," The driver laughed.

"What's... The Halcyon like?" Zack hesitated.

"Hell if I know. I just heard that it's like normal prison except with added security measures and procedures. I heard that you're a bad one. Killed a whole 5 blocks worth of people," The driver replied.

"I-I did?"

"You... Don't remember doing that? What do you remember?" The driver sounded confused.

"I remember... Eating dinner, and then... Waking up here. I have-" Zack tried to sit up and felt a hit of nausea and wanted to vomit, laying back down.

"Don't try and sit up. Once you were in a hold by tons of officers, you got a really big dose of drugs to knock you out. GHB or something along those lines from what I was told. Try and finish what you were saying though, I'm curious." The driver said.

"I have no memory of the incident. Just... Dinner, then poof, waking up, suffering from being drugged, and talking to you."

"Hm. You think it could be an accident? Like... You maybe didn't know about your powers, and then just exploded or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like... Maybe you were unconsciously doing what you did. You maybe didn't mean it." Suggested the driver.

"I dunno."

"Hm. Well. Um... We're going to be pulling up to the prison in a few minutes. Anything you wanna get off your chest?" The driver asked.

"You're... The first person to talk to me in a long time. Thank you for that," Zack replied after a pause.
The driver smiled, "No problem. Good luck in there kid. Don't say anything else.. Guards here don't like that."

Zack nodded.

The truck stopped in front of some gates and a guard approached.
"You carrying prisoner 5192-024?" The guard asked.

The driver checked something and confirmed, "Yes. This is said prisoner. Power said to involve a purple flame."

"Pull forward and step out as we get the prisoner out. You can leave as soon as we get him in proper restraints," The guard said.

Zack inched back as the truck moved forward. Even that didn't help the current nausea he had.
"I wish I didn't have to bring you here. You don't seem like the monster you were described as," the driver sighed.

The driver stopped the vehicle and stepped out before the back doors were opened by guards and Zack was pulled out. The cold air stuck him hard and he felt his warmth begin to leave him. He tried to gain balance but couldn't. His world was still nauseating.

He felt a prick at his neck and grunted before his vision blurred and went dark.

"You're crazy! He's already been drugged enough!" The driver snapped.

"What we do doesn't concern you. Now leave!" A guard snapped back.

The driver didn't say another word, but scoffed as he left. "Good luck in there kid," he said to himself.

---

"Wake up."

Zack slowly came to and looked up, and a guard snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Wake up," The guard repeated.

Zack could barely move his eyes to look around without feeling like he needed to throw up.

"Why'd you kill all those innocents?"

"What? I didn't... I don't have any remembrance of doing so. I was just trying to eat dinner, and then I woke up in the back of a truck, and then just now."

"Mmhmm. Listen, would you like to know how many new prisoners tell that story? That they didn't remember killing them? They, including you, have powers, and while someone out there was expecting to see the god damned Superman, ironically, it never happened. Whoever got powers never used them for any type of good. Not. A. Single. Person," The guard growled.

"Have you ever thought that they might actually be telling the truth?" Zack replied.

"Oh, I did for the first few people. But when the same thing was said over and over again, it got hard to believe until I didn't believe it anymore. So no, I don't believe you," The guard smirked.

"Well that's my answer. Deal with it," Zack replied.

"Haha. That not how it's going to work. Why did you kill them?"

"I didn't mean to do so if I did."

The guard pulled out a small knife and held it against Zack's throat, "I am sick of those excuses. Tell me and I won't slit your throat. Might cost me my job but at least I'll have an answer."

"I'm staying with my answer because I'm telling the truth." The guard looked at him and without missing a beat, stabbed through Zack's ring finger on his right hand. He screamed out in pain and other guards rushed in, grabbing the guard that attacked Zack. A man in a suit rushed in as the guard was dragged out.

"I deeply apologize. He will be punished accordingly. Get him to the infirmary and then to his cell. I'll announce over the intercoms how this place works."

"That bastard!" Zack yelled in anger.

"He'll be dealt with accordingly, like I said. We sent him in to possibly interrogate you, but... It didn't go the way we wanted at all."

"Screw you. You better not drug me again. I already got drugged enough."

The person in the suit ignored him, "Take him."

He was directed towards the infirmary by a few of the guards when one spoke, "So, how do you think we act towards prisoners? Honest opinion. We won't get hurt by it."

"Since it's my first time, I'm not liking the guards much. That's my opinion," Zack replied.

"If he doesn't get fired from that, I'll be surprised," A different guard muttered.

"He put a damn knife to my throat before he stabbed me. Get surveillance footage or something and get him out. He's crazy," Zack growled.

"We'll look into it. Just stay calm. Your hand?"

"Hurts like absolute hell," Zack said.

"Doesn't seem that way. Your resistance must be good," A guard commented, "Anyway, others might make it sound like we're horrible. All of us except that guard who stabbed through your finger are pretty laid back, but of course, we have to still maintain our duties."

"Mmm. I need some time to... Think."

"Alrighty then. We'll get you to the infirmary first though. Welcome to The Halcyon."