Outsiders

Chapter 7

I slowly opened my eyes and grabbed my head, feeling a sharp pain in my back. As my vision cleared, I realized I wasn't in the familiar, confining prison cell. Instead, I found myself in a spacious room that looked like a training area, with dummies scattered around. A cold, metallic sensation on my neck made me reach up, only to find a metal collar that wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pulled.

"Blaze? Where are you?" I called out, my voice echoing in the vast room.

Suddenly, a blinding light illuminated the space. "Welcome, Snow. We invite you to our little power testing room," Elliot's voice echoed through an intercom.

"Fuck that. You're not getting any of my powers out of me," I said, folding my arms defiantly. From the ground, a robot resembling Jason emerged, its mechanical eyes glowing ominously.

"Take a shot," Elliot commanded. I stood my ground, refusing to give in.

"I'm not going to take the shot. You can't make me, asshole," I retorted, my irritation growing. Without warning, a jolt of electricity surged through the collar, making my body convulse. I screamed as the pain intensified.

"If you don't reveal your powers, the shocking will only get worse," Elliot said with a sinister edge. Desperate to stop the pain, I quickly turned into my ghost form. My hand shook as I raised it, and I shot an ecto-ray at the robot. The electricity from the collar merged with my ray, causing the robot to short-circuit and explode. I collapsed onto all fours as the pain subsided.

I reverted to my normal form, feeling exhaustion wash over me. "Now... am I done?" I asked, struggling to catch my breath. My entire body ached from the constant shocks and exertion.

But Elliot wasn't done yet. The floor shifted again, and another platform began to rise. "Oh come on, I showed you all my powers. What else do you want?" I demanded, my voice tinged with desperation.

"Now you battle," Elliot said, his tone dead serious.

"Battle? Battle who?" I asked, bewildered. As I looked around, I saw Blaze standing behind me. "Fuck you! I'm not fighting Blaze, no matter how much you shock me!" I yelled, my resolve firm.

"So be it!" Elliot declared. Once again, the shocking pain surged through my body, but this time I bit down hard, trying to suppress my screams. I heard Blaze running towards me.

"Snow! I don't want to fight either, but it's that or death," Blaze whispered urgently so Elliot couldn't hear. Tears streamed down my face from the unbearable pain.

"What... are we... going to do... then?" I asked, barely able to speak. Blaze's eyes darted around as he frantically searched for a solution.

"Hey, remember when we were kids and used to fake fights to get suspended from school?" Blaze asked. I nodded weakly. "Well, let's do that here. Let's fake this fight," he suggested.

I froze him, and the shocking sensation stopped. "Like that?" I asked, catching my breath.

Blaze's body glowed orange-red inside the ice, melting it. Flames engulfed him entirely. "I guess you could say that," he said, laughing.

He formed a fireball in his hand and threw it at me. I quickly turned into my ghost form and shot it with my own ecto ball. The two collided and exploded in a burst of orangey-red and green flames. We both laughed, and I smirked, turning invisible.

"Try to find me!" I said. Blaze looked around, confused. I reverted to my normal form while staying invisible and raised my hand, covering him in snow. Becoming visible again, I laughed.

Blaze poked his head out of the snow and smiled. He melted the snow and created a wall of fire in front of him. Getting caught up in the moment, I changed back into my ghost form and shot my ecto ray at him, sending it through the flames and knocking him into the wall.

"That's enough! Back to your cell!" Elliot ordered, his voice sharp with anger.

Reid and Jon took us back to our cell, roughly removing the metal collar and slamming the heavy door behind them. The clang echoed ominously through the dimly lit room. Suddenly, I was grabbed and twirled around, my arms forced above me before I was slammed against the cold, unforgiving wall. An arm pressed firmly against my throat. "I said fake it!" Blaze yelled, his voice laced with fury.

I gagged for air as his grip tightened. "I... did..." I managed to choke out, my voice barely a whisper.

"So throwing me into a wall is faking it?" he demanded, his tone seething with anger. Tears streamed down my face, and I struggled to breathe. My vision began to blur as the pressure on my throat increased. Realization dawned on his face, and he loosened his grip, allowing me to gasp for air. I clutched my throat, coughing and wheezing, desperately trying to catch my breath.

"I'm sorry, I got a little carried away. At least I made it look believable," I said between gasps, hoping to calm him down.

"How did you expect me to block that?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest, his eyes still filled with anger. I continued to cough and wheeze, slowly regaining my breath.

"I didn't. I just got carried away. That happens when I play-fight or fake a fight," I explained, my voice still shaky. Blaze walked to the corner of the room, pulling his knees up and crossing his arms on top of them, resting his head on his crossed arms, face down.

I sighed heavily. As I walked towards the bed, a sudden, sharp pain shot up my back. I screamed in agony and collapsed to the ground. "Snow?" Blaze called out, his voice filled with concern.

I looked over at him, pain evident in my eyes. He pushed himself up, his face a mask of confusion and fear. The pain intensified, and I groaned, my body convulsing. I felt my nose elongating into a snout, my ears becoming pointy, and a tail forming against my legs. My hands transformed into paws, the pain relentless. Light-headed, I blacked out.

When I slowly opened my eyes, everything felt heavy and disoriented. I glanced at Blaze; the room spun around me, and I found myself lying on the floor. Blaze remained in the corner, gripping a rusty pipe that had broken off the wall. "Blaze? What's wrong?" I asked, my voice weak.

I tried to push myself up but found I couldn't stand on two legs. I looked down and saw my hands had turned into paws, covered in white fur. "What the fuck!" I yelled, panic rising in my voice.

My head throbbed as Elliot entered the cell, a sinister grin on his face. "Well, would you look at that? You didn't show me all of your powers. As your punishment, you will be my pet," he laughed cruelly.

I growled instinctively, backing up against the wall. Elliot approached me, a taser crackling in his hand. He jabbed it into my side, and I fell to the floor, whining in pain. He grabbed me by the throat, lifting me effortlessly. "You will work for me, or I'll kill you so fast you wouldn't even know what hit you," he snarled, his grip tightening.

He wrapped a rough rope around my neck, dragging me towards the door. I fought against him, pulling with all my strength. Desperation filled my eyes as I looked at Blaze. Recognition dawned in his eyes, and I bolted towards Elliot, sinking my teeth into his leg. He screamed in pain, dropping the rope. I darted back to Blaze, hiding behind him. "Oh, you little bitch!" Elliot yelled, enraged.

He advanced towards us, but Blaze reacted swiftly, waving his hand to form a ring of fire around us, nearly singeing Elliot. "Fine, stay here!" he snapped, storming out and slamming the door.

"Well, it's not like we can go anywhere," I muttered, a growl in my voice.

"Are you okay, Snow?!" Blaze asked, his voice tinged with relief. Suddenly, my vision blurred again, and I felt an uncontrollable urge to move towards Blaze, growling. "Snow?" he said, worriedly.

I tried to stop myself, but my body moved on its own. Blaze backed away, tripping over his feet and falling to the ground. I crawled up to him, our faces inches apart, until my vision cleared. I whimpered, terrified by what had just happened. Why did I try to attack him? I backed away, curling up in the corner, my tail wrapped around me, shaking with fear. I struggled to fall asleep, my mind racing until exhaustion finally overtook me, and everything went black.