A Beautiful Reflection From Firework Eyes

We'll Never Surrender

"Destroy the facility?" I echo.

Gerard nods. "We need to fight back for once. Not just run. We need to show them that we are strong. A force to be reckoned with. Otherwise, they'll never leave us alone."

Alex leans forward. "I like the sound of this," he says.

"Of course you do," Jack mutters.

"Frank and I have been planning this ever since we escaped," Gerard says. "We obviously haven't had much luck, but we did manage to rescue one of us before he was sent to the Facility."

"How many of you are there?" I ask.

"Three of us," Gerard replies. "We didn't think we would have much luck, but if the three of you also are in on the plan, I do think that we might have a chance."

"So, what's the plan?" I ask.

"What powers do you all have?" Gerard asks. "Alex, you are telekinetic, right?"

"Yep," Alex says. "Jack can turn invisible. Vic can make things catch on fire."

I wrinkle my nose at him. "That's a weird description," I say. "It makes me sound like I play with matches or something."

"You have matches in your hands. That's how it works," Alex says without missing a beat. "Anyway, Kellin has healing and Craig has power manipulations."

"Basically he can steal our powers," Jack mutters. "Useless."

Alex elbows him. "He can kinda copy them," Alex elaborates. "Not just stealing them. But he can only do one at a time, from what I've seen."

"Limitations suck," Jack groans. "I wish I could just turn the whole population invisible."

"Seven billion people?" Alex laughs. "I think you're aiming a bit high, Jacky."

"Anyway," I cut in before they can drag on the tangent even further. "You said there are three of you? You, Frank, and who is the last person?"

"Oli. He's water. Well, water and ice," Gerard says. "He's kinda new though. We rescued him around two weeks ago. Frank's training him right now, trying to get him good at his powers. By the time the escape rolls around, he's gonna be a pro."

"So do I just unlock all the doors and we charge out?" Alex asks. "You and Frank go from the outside, we attack from the inside."

"That wouldn't end well," I grimace. "I can just picture that."

"Jack, what if you cause a diversion and trigger the alarm system? Keep yourself and Alex invisible while they checked your room. They'd send a lot of the guard force there. Then Frank and I will be able to sneak in," Gerard says. "You just have to keep them up on the top floor, away from the Dark Room."

"The Dark Room?" I ask. "Why that?"

"They would never leave the front door unguarded," Alex points out. "Not for escaped subjects. I guess Frank would be able to get you past the snipers on the roof, right?"

Gerard looks confused for a moment. "We wouldn't get in through the front door," he says.

Alex shakes his head. "They'd see you coming out of Mr. Styles' office from the front door," he points out. "If Jack wasn't there to keep you invisible."

Gerard's face clears. "Oh," he laughs. "There's a backdoor, hidden under the padding in the Dark Room."

"Really?" Jack exclaims. "You mean all that time sneaking out the window was for nothing?"

Gerard laughs again. "Yeah. We found the blueprints to the building a while back a bit after we escaped. Thought they might come in handy. But yes, there's a backdoor. They always keep it locked and bolted. An alarm is rigged to go off as soon as it's opened, but if Jack's already set off the alarm, it should be no problem. "

"Do you need me to melt through the locks?" I ask.

Gerard shakes his head. "We can do it," he says. "Well, Oli can. He's pretty good at that."

"After that, we'll get into the control room. You all need to hold the guards off and try to get through to the front door. I'll be listening in on the guards' thoughts. If they are alert or if anything needs to be changed, I'll tell you."

"Sounds like a plan," I say.

"I'll meet you here tomorrow night?" Gerard says. "We need to make sure the plan is foolproof. Remember, we only get one shot."

"We'll try," Alex replies. "And yes. We'll take all the time we need."

He nods at us. "Good night and good luck," he calls as he disappears into the darkness.

I stand alone in the darkness as Jack and Alex disappear. The cold doesn't bother me as much anymore as I stand, staring at the Facility from the edge of the field. Snow is falling more thickly, obscuring most of the concrete building from view, but I can still see the floodlights shining, aimed at the perimeter of the field, the glow stopping short from where I'm standing. Pine trees stretch overhead, the dark cover of clouds blocking the stars from view. But it's still beautiful. We're going to do this. We have finally have a way out.

"Ready?" Jack asks, startling me as he appears beside me. I nod, taking his hand, feeling the familiar sensation creeping through my skin as we disappear from view.

Now that I've tasted freedom, I know there's nothing that will stop me from reaching it.