Snippet #1768136

The sounds of fighting were becoming louder. Landon pressed his face against the bars of his cell as tightly as he could, which wasn't easy given the bulky metal mask around his nose and mouth. Feeling his heart beat faster with anticipation the boy began to pace in his cell. Not knowing the source of the noises was killing him. And then there were footsteps. Light at first, but they soon grew louder. Landon expected it was merely another guard. To his surprise, a young woman rounded the corner and came into view.

She was young, perhaps around Landon's own age, lithe and petite with long black hair and steely eyes that stared into his own. It was the gaze of someone who was much older than what their appearance suggested. He instantly knew she'd been here for a while and had more than likely been through her fair share of strife. And then she spoke...

"Well, it looks like the agents are planning a masquerade ball for us, isn't that nice Connor?"

Landon was puzzled by her remark...until he saw her eyes fall upon his face mask. Was she...making fun of him?

Another person joined the mysterious girl. A boy with white hair, whose gaze also fell upon him, and sent a chill through Landon's chest.

Then something incredible happened. Landon heard the girl's voice again. This time it didn't appear to be coming from her direction, however. A closer look and Landon realized her lips weren't even moving!

<That's rather interesting. Seems like you'll stay silent. Doesn't bother me, people that don't talk back are a rarity. You can say something back just by thinking. At least then I won't end up bleeding out my ears. Doesn't really appeal to me. Not much does nowadays anyhow.>

In an instant, she knew about him - his ability. She said he could respond by thinking. If that were the case then...

<What's going on? Who are you?>

Landon surprised himself somewhat. One would think that being unable to speak conventionally, you would be full of questions and comments. But as of right now, those two summed everything up rather efficiently.

"I like him. Won't talk back, can we keep him?" Again, she was making fun of him. It didn't quite bother him, however. Under better circumstances, he may have even smirked at her comments. With that, the girl unlocked the door to his cell with ease. It swung open and he stepped out cautiously. These people were obviously like him. They weren't guards - but that didn't make them any more trustworthy. Still, it was progress. Who didn't like progress?

As the noises of fighting grew ever louder and sirens blared warnings overhead, Landon was completely overwhelmed. Over the noise, the white-haired boy called out to him.

“Do you have any idea where the exit is?” His demanding tone caught Landon off guard for a moment. Then, he collected himself and tried to think back to where the guards had taken him...

There was the laboratory where that creepy doctor was. He remembered being walked past a mess hall too. But before that...? Landon tried his best to concentrate over all the commotion. He'd woken up while still in the transport vehicle. He remembered the gate well. Offices lined the far wall and there were various detectors and security checkpoints by the front. He remembered staring down the hall to his right to...the barracks? No, that wasn't right. They were closer to the lab. The gate...the gate... Oh!

It was past the mess hall and directly across from the main office! He remembered because he had to wait there while the staff assigned him a cell.

Snapping back to reality, Landon stared at the white-haired boy and pointed down the hallway, past his cell. They were heading in the right direction!

He was about to turn and run with his two saviors when a deep voice paralyzed him.

"Do we have to do this again... or will you go back to your cells like good boys and girls?" It was a man. Tall and menacing, he stood before them like a brick wall. Even the air around him seemed to swirl eerily. Was this it? Was he really going to make it three steps out of his cell before being caught? Instinctively, he took a step back. Then another. Looking to his left and right, Landon hoped either of the two could do something to stop the man. If they were like himself, they must have powers too. But maybe their powers too were locked away by some kind of device like this mask...This mask. If it were off, he could use his voice. Landon knew it would be too powerful for the boy and girl to stand - even if they covered their ears, but still...it could be used as a bluff. A threat, perhaps?

He reached up behind his head and fumbled with the lock on the mask. No good. It was made of metal and he couldn't even feel a clasp of any sort. He looked at the other two, his eyes pleading, hoping they would understand what he wanted...