Burst Shorts

Begin the tests (Part 3 of series)

(This takes place two days later.)

Galaxy thrashed in the grip of the two men who were dragging him down the hall. He cursed himself for not knowing much on how to fight as a human. He cursed Ashtem for finding people who were able to withstand his strength and ice abilities. He also cursed himself for nearly giving Sora frostbite and a broken limb from not knowing her body's limits for his abilities. His arms still throbbed from the fight he put up earlier.

The men dragged him to a door and tossed him through it when it opened. It slammed shut before he could get to his feet. As he stood up and looked around, he noticed the room was covered in holes from floor to ceiling.

Oh sh- we gotta get out of here. Sora said. Why? What is this? Galaxy asked. A gas chamber. Some countries use it to execute people. We need to get out of here. Sora said.

Galaxy turned and changed at the door, activating his ability as he slammed almost full force into it. The door didn't even dent but his right arm now was purple and his entire right side throbbed in pain. He continued to slam into it, punch it, and try to pry it open, but nothing worked. The door looked untouched aside from the blood from his busted up hands.

I... I can't break it. I can't escape. Galaxy said. ...I don't know what to do. I don't have any advice. ...I'm scared. Sora whimpered.

Galaxy looked around again for a way out, he saw none. He felt helpless and afraid, just like when he had died. Ashtem's voice came over the loudspeaker they had failed to notice.

"I see you realize your predicament. Don't worry, I don't plan on killing you. Instead, I want to know what you can withstand, how strong your metabolism is. Of course, I won't be testing things I know would kill you, but you'll feel like you're dying with some of these. We'll start with something simple and work our way up from there." Ashtem said.

Neither Galaxy or Sora relaxed at the man's words despite the threat of death being removed, now they had to worry about how close they'd get to it in the name of science.

The vents opened and began hissing as gas flooded the room. Galaxy held his breath as he frantically looked for a way out. The room quickly became hazy as the gas began filling it. Galaxy felt the wounds on his hands begin to hurt worse than before. The feeling didn't last long though, it faded as fast as it came.

He focused back on the door and began trying to pry it open. He couldn't get a grip on it. His hands and right arm began screaming at him as they were put under strain from his attempts. He let out a whimper from the pain but refused to breathe in the mystery gas.

He grew agitated from his unsuccessful attempts and the lack of oxygen. He threw a punch at the door and felt the bones in his right arm and hand shatter. He began yelping in pain as he backed away from the door, breathing in the gas as he did.

Pain flared throughout his body for a moment before fading. He looked at his right arm and saw it and his hand was a dark purplish red with bits of bone poking through the skin at some spots and blood trickling down it. He was taking in short breaths as he tried to cope with the pain.

I think I'm gonna be sick, don't look at it. Sora groaned. Whoops. I didn't think it would do that. Galaxy said, a bit shocked at the sight. My body isn't used to your abilities. What did you think would happen when you full sent my hand into the unbreakable door?! Sora snapped. Galaxy whimpered in response. I really did not mean to. I was trying to escape before I couldn't hold my breath. He said. Sora let out a sigh, knowing she shouldn't have snapped. It's ok bud. I know you didn't mean to, sorry for snapping. She said.

"Amazing. Even with it entering through the open wounds and you breathing it in, it's not affecting you. I wonder how long it'll last." Ashtem said.

Galaxy and Sora felt sick at the man's words. This was entertaining for him. Their suffering was entertaining to him.

Galaxy suddenly felt rage burning inside him. He let out a low growl as ice began forming around him, covering the vents on the floor as it spread. When he took a step, the entire room froze and sealed the vents, preventing any more gas from coming through.

"Interesting. But unfortunately for you, that'll be the last time I'll let you have your abilities active throughout these tests. I don't need to be patching you up every time you try to break out nor do I need to be having my subordinates going in and defrosting the chamber." Ashtem said.

How can he do that? Galaxy asked. Power suppression collars. I remember seeing some before. Sora answered. Oh. That is not goood. Galaxy said. No it's not. Sora said.

Galaxy felt pain surge through his body once again, only this time, it stayed and continuously got worse by the second. He began whimpering in pain as he felt his muscles start to tighten.

His throat closed, cutting off air and throwing him into panic. He fell to the floor as his muscles began to spasm. He couldn't breathe, he had no control, he could only lay on the floor in agony as his muscles spasmed and his lungs burned.

After a few minutes, his vision started to go dark. He heard the door open and footsteps rush over to him. Hands grabbed and held him still as something was injected into his veins.

His muscles relaxed and his throat opened back up. He began taking in big gulps of air as the pain began to subside. He felt exhausted, he wanted to sleep.

"You lasted longer than expected. Though I'm not sure if that's from you using your abilities to seal off the vents or not, so we'll have to do this again once you've recovered." Ashtem said.

Galaxy usually would've growled or reacted in some way, but he was too tired to care. Next thing he knew, the world went dark.

When they came to, Sora was in control. She stayed as she was though, giving the scientists outside no indication that she was awake. She felt a cast covering her right arm and hand, keeping them still and straight. She decided to kill the silence and check on Galaxy.

You ok bud? She asked. Yes. Just ashamed. Galaxy said, disappointment and shame dripping from his voice. Why? Sora asked. I could not protect you. I could not get you out of that room. Galaxy replied. You tried your best. Please don't beat yourself up. We're both still adjusting to this. My body has to get used to your abilities. There was no way out. Sora said, trying to reassure him. I should have tried harder. Instead, I messed up the only shot we had. Galaxy said, getting angry with himself. Only shot? No, no bud, that wasn't our only shot. We'll get another, an actual one and we will escape. Sora said. How? Galaxy asked. We wait. We wait for him to screw up and that's when we make our move. Sora said. Like that will happen. Galaxy said, doubtful. Well, he's already made one mistake. Sora said. What? Galaxy asked, his voice now filled with curiosity. He's made an enemy out of you and allowed us to work together, even if he doesn't realize it. All we gotta do is wait it out. Sora said.

But how much suffering will you have to go through? What else will he do in that period of time? Galaxy asked, concerned for his friend. It'll be ok. This won't last forever. We will escape. Sora said.