Defying Silence

Part One

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

Lucas Samos is the strongest magnetron in his house.

He's not necessarily the best at fighting. He's had his fair share of war and training, but he doesn't train to fight on the daily like Evangeline anymore. He can put up a good fight, but where he really hits it off is his strength with his power.

Julian mentioned that kids often start off as unpredictable with their powers, and as they grow up, they soon learn how to use them. Lucas caught on to his powers easily. As a child, he was always interested in his powers and what he could do with them. He was the one kind Samos, often rejected by siblings and cousins and the cruel world around him. With all his loneliness, he spent his time reading and learning about how to use his powers.

When he was sent to the war at age nine, he could easily crush an enemy's gun without twitching. He could sense all the metal around him, in weapons and in armor or in buildings. He could even sense the iron in people, and he could manipulate this metal any way he wanted to. So he used his power to his advantage on the front lines.

Not that he liked it. No, he hated the violence of the front lines. But he was told, the more bloodshed, the sooner he'd be out. He just wanted to be out of there.

And when he became a guard, he became stronger. Having to open heavy doors and cells every day soon became a simple routine. Moving metal around came with ease to him. He barely had to gesture, but often did anyway, feeling obligated because it was what every other magnetron had to do. He didn't catch on to the fact that he didn't struggle like this peers did.

He was stationed at Corros Prison for a time, moving the catwalks and guarding the entrance. New magnetrons to the prison normally could only focus on one catwalk at a time due to the weight of them, especially if people were walking across it, but Lucas had no trouble moving around many at a time. He could soon manage all the catwalks in a block on his own, changing their positions around as it's needed. Not that he thought it was difficult, as the prison was hardly ever active enough to make the activity draining.

He was stationed at the castle to be a guard after a period of time in the Corros Prison. He was relieved to get a new station, as the prison had felt like a boring dead-end at some point. The rigor of using his powers was lowered for a period of time, but he didn't lose strength. When the castle needed rebuilding, he was there to help. If prisoners were kept in the castle, he was often left to watch them. It all fell into a simple routine, with just enough work to keep his powers going. And with this, Lucas was content.

And then Mare Barrow came along.

"Lucas of House Samos, for crimes against the crown, for collusion with the terrorist organization known as the Scarlet Guard, I declare you guilty. I sentence you to die. Submit to execution."

When his execution day came, he knew he shouldn't struggle. It wasn't worth trying to break free. He'd spent days without food, hurt for information and only given enough water to keep him alive. His silent stone cell walls stopped him from fighting, because he knew he was useless. The cuffs on his wrists weren't going to budge, and the Arven beside him, leading him to his death, wasn't going to let him free. He didn't have any hope left. Seeing Mare Barrow reminded him of that, that someone else got to choose his fate. He was powerless.

But when he was kicked to his knees after the far gate, and the gun was pointed towards his head, for some reason, he tried to break the gun. To use his powers to destroy it in some way, to cause it to jam or not fire. The pressure of silence surrounded him, but he tried to crush the gun, to fight once more before death. He closed his eyes.

And moments before his death, he heard the sound of metal being crinkled in the gun. It worked. The executor moved back, startled by the sound. Lucas opened his eyes let himself glance over to see the surprise on the executor's face. The Arven was just as confused. So Lucas pushed on with his powers, bending back the barrel of the gun. When the executor was distracted, he took his chance to position himself and knock the legs out from under the executioner. He stood and struck the Arven with his elbow, feeling his powers return to him. The gun had been dropped on the ground, and Lucas grabbed it, fixing it with the seconds he had left. When it was fixed, he turned and shot the executioner, who was about to fight for power over the gun. A wave of powerlessness came back to him, and when he turned, the Arven had recovered. On instinct, Lucas shot him, too.

He stared down at the bodies for a second, then at his hands. What had he done?

The crowd roared around him. This was a violent display, but it wasn't the one they were expecting. He knew that there would be guards coming for him. His instinct was to try and run.

But there wasn't any time.

"Well, somebody survived their execution." Maven's voice was quiet, but it still carried around the arena. "I guess our criminal survivor will have to fight, too."

Lucas looked up to the box that held Maven, questioning his new fate. The box was filled with faces he recognized from the past few weeks. Maven was at the front, surrounded by other high house members. House Iral was represented, and so was House Haven. It felt bad to see once familiar people turned completely against him, but it felt worse to see Volo Samos, Head of their House, standing there. He could see all the emotions that weren't there on the Lord's face, save for possible disappointment that someone in his house could mess up so badly. Lucas wanted to shout, to explain- It wasn't my fault this happened, I was used- but he kept silent as the arena gates opened up behind him.

Even from his distance, he saw how Mare couldn't suppress her shock and confusion as she was shoved forward into the arena. Cal couldn't either. They had both seen Lucas go beyond the gate, trapped in silence, ready to die. But he was alive. He was just as shocked that it had happened, but he hid it well. He had to; as he looked around him, he saw that there wasn't any time for shock.

Maven gave his speech as Cal and Mare were shoved into the center of the arena. Lucas turned his gaze away from them as they approached, tucking the gun into his belt, worried it would be taken away if not hidden now. He hesitated on how to act, questioning if the bitterness of betrayal was worth lingering on, or if he should cooperate with his last chances at life. He couldn't consider it for long before their executioners approached. A Rhambos strongarm, a Haven shadow, an Osanos nymph. Arvens. And worst of all, Evangeline and Ptolemus. His own House, here to kill him.

Silence covered him, stopping him from using the steel of the arena to help defend himself. Cal and Mare stepped forward and lined up with him as the shield above them flickered to life. And high above them, Maven spoke the words that would start the execution.

"Let them die."

Lucas prayed that his strength could save him.