The cell was as gloomy as always, casting dark shadows across the woman’s face.

If any would have seen Alexandra Kettler now, they might have not recognized her. A much thinner version of the woman she was before. With eyes lacking their usual sparkle. With a hint of madness carved into her features as she stared at the concrete floor. The bed was empty, her body seated on the floor, with arms hugging tightly her knees as she looked into the darkness.

Time had ceased to exist so long ago. Days or weeks, didn’t really matter. After one was broken into pieces it wasn’t important how many hours have passed. After the day she had embraced the death itself nothing mattered anymore. Nothing managed to pull her back into the reality. The guards failed to notice that she was too broken to care what they did to obtain what they needed.

She hadn’t given anything to them but not because she was strong. Sometimes, she wanted to deceive herself saying that. But deep inside, she knew that she was so empty that what their minds concocted was too shallow to reach her.

Yes, she winced when her body was tortured. She shivered when the cell was too cold and sweated when it got too hot. She fought with her drug-induced hallucinations and with illness. But she had met death too. And if that was to be her end, she embraced it. She was prepared to meet the icy tendrils of it again. And she wasn’t scared, at all.

And she knew that today, she would either meet freedom or death. There wasn’t anything in between that she could choose from. There wasn’t a lighter or darker shade of gray to choose. Just black and white. And she was prepared for either of them.

Her body was weak, she felt it. But from within, she gathered all the forces that one in her situation would gather. And she waited for them to come. The guards, to come and ship her away to be a slave. They no longer needed her. An alternative was found to obtain what they needed. But she was too worthy to just be discarded, Stix mentioned. Instead, she was sold… to herself, until the alternative would be put in use. The irony.

A ghastly smile appeared on her lips. Freedom or death. Why was she so tranquil about what was to come? The reason, she had yet to dig out from the darker, deeper corners of her mind.

Sounds. Familiar. Metal screeching against metal as the door opened. Light, not so blinding after a while. The ghastly smile remained on her features as she raised her head slightly to ‘welcome’ her visitors. One entered her cell, four more remained by the door, watching with hawk eyes the movements of the prisoners. Ah yes, she had forgotten just how dangerous she was considered. She had forgotten just how dangerous she really was when the blood thirsty beast took over. Creative. Efficient. The smile widened as the guard approached her.

The same old green eyes. Sorry, eye. Over the other laid a dark colored eye patch. And from beneath it, a scar emerged, extending toward her mouth and then traveling to the side toward her ear. A master piece, indeed. She had to admit it, the demon was creative. Knew how revenge tasted better.

“Move.”

A simple command. Alexandra looked at the woman for a moment before turning her eyes away. She didn’t move. She placed her chin on top of her knees, a more thoughtful expression replacing the smile she had wore before. Her eyes returned to the concrete of the floor.

For a couple of seconds, there was silence. Stix had spent that time to look down at the prisoner, her expression slowly turning into a frown. Then, a boot connected with the side of her right leg. “I said move!” More authority was now noticeable in her voice. And yet, Alexandra failed to notice.

Her head turned toward the woman slowly. The hits applied on her didn’t hurt. Well, not that much. Not anymore. She assumed that her body got used with the constant pain. That it had developed endurance to the guards’ boots and fists. Sometimes even to knives and electric shocks as well. Air left her lungs slowly as her hands were unclasped one from the other. She let the drop by her side as she looked away from the guard. She took her time to move, spending more than needed to get up on her feet.

For a moment, her legs were weak but she remembered: Freedom or death. And her muscles tensed under the skin all over her body as her head was raised defiantly toward the older woman. There wasn’t really anything behind the blue eyes that looked at the guard. Neither was behind her voice as she spoke. “I’m not going anywhere.” A simple statement. If she was to leave this cell, then they would be dragging her lifeless body out of it.

The frown on Stix’s face deepened as she heard the comment. The other guards took their hands to their belts. Blue eyes went past Stix, looking briefly at the guns they were preparing to pull out. Mentally, she laughed at them. Guns, really? She tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner before looking back at Stix.

“Yes, you are.”

Alexandra simply blinked at her. The guard’s hand moved to the belt as well. She knew that there didn’t lay a gun like on the other guards but the remote that activated her shock bracelet. Fists were clenched by her side. She was ready.

The lights flickered before being turned off. For a moment, an eyebrow rose curiously in the darkness. This could be her moment. In the dark, they couldn’t see her. Her body moved silently, calculating the position that she had last seen Stix standing in. That was, in case the guards decided to shoot in the dark, she did need a human shield, didn’t she? Too bad, for if she wanted to see Stix dead then she would have wanted to see the woman die by her own hands.

The lights flickered back on, dimmer than before. An eyebrow was still raised curiously as she stood behind her meat shield protected from the guns that now were drawn out. She blinked curiously again before looking back at Stix. Or, to be more precise, her hand. The remote laid between her fingers, one of them ready to push the button that would send her body to the floor, shaking violently under the effects of the shock bracelet.

Oh, correction. The finger that had already pushed the button of doom. And that was desperately pushing it again and again and again. By now, she should have been on the floor. And then, the most unlikely sound filled the room. Laughter. A dry, almost bordering the madness laughter. Stix raised her eyes to meet the blue eyes of the molecule manipulator.

Because, once again, Alexandra Kettler was the goddess of molecules.

She didn’t really care if someone was coming to rescue them or it was just a glitch. Whatever it was, it had chosen the most appropriate moment. The laughter died, her face turning deadly serious. With an emphasis on deadly.

For a moment, her control felt rusty. Well, it had been quite a while since she had used her powers, right? But on the second try, the molecules obeyed without a fight. Waltzed as their goddess commanded them. And they danced toward the four guards first, taking the shape of long, sharp blades. She didn’t pay much attention to the four. Insignificant fools. What she wanted was standing in front of her, despair so easy to read in the green eye as she looked at the molecule manipulator.

And Alexandra simply let the corner of her lips rise in the expectation of what will come. Not long ago, she had promised herself to ponder her actions better. To visualize the consequences of her actions. But now, if there were any consequences, she certainly did not want to visualize them. In front of her stood the woman that had hurt her. That had hurt Sam. And most likely, she had hurt many others too. In front of her stood the possibility to have revenge. It wouldn’t erase her memories… or Sam’s. It wouldn’t give Sam his eye back. But certainly, she would feel better knowing that there was one scum less in the world.

A hand was extended slightly, as she commanded molecules once again. This time, they danced toward her hand. She didn’t want to hurry with this one. A quick death was far from what she deserved. As the blade lay in her open hand, she tilted her head at the stunned woman.

“Can’t say I didn’t wait a long time for this moment.”

It was probably the extra juice she was carrying, or maybe the couple of guards she had severed in two with the elevator doors, but Lori was having a pretty good time on the way to solitary confinement. A song on her lips and a definite spring in her step as she waded through the chaos.

Door guard on high alert from the dim lights. Lori ducked behind the door jam she'd just popped out of when bullets pegged the wall next to her. Her whistle cut short.

In Romanian she shouted, none to happy. "Excuse me, on who's authority are you here?" It wasn't too much of a stretch to sound pissed when someone had just started shooting before she had even gotten a chance to dispatch them.

And it didn't really matter about his answer. She realized that the solitary confinement doors were metal.

The first door popped off and slammed into the opposite wall with the guard and his gun between the two. It was a good thing that she was still behind the door jam. He had an itchy trigger finger.

Lori ran her lower set of teeth over her upper lip as she assessed the damage she had done. Oooh. That looked like it really hurt.

Just to be sure he was done (despite the copious amounts of liquid oozing from beneath the door) Lori kicked the gun and it clattered to the other side of the room. She pulled the door away from the wall.

What was left of him sliiiiiid down the rough rock wall. Gross. Lori dropped the door, bloody-side down on him and then walked over the clean side of the metal to see what was inside of door number one.

Suddenly this wasn't as fun anymore.

It looked like a mummy. Or... maybe a husk. Whoever they were, they were dried up now. Fish mutant? Maybe? Lori touched a dried out finger with her own. Whatever it had been, it was likely not any more.

Time for door number two.

Lori cracked her knuckles and pulled the door right off of its hinges.

ATTN: This post contains explicit violence.

Life was a game. Russian roulette was the first thing that came into her mind. A perilous game that was. One turn you’re facing death. Next turn, someone else is. Images of the times, the many times, when she was at the mercy of this woman poured into her head, only fueling the anger furthermore. The torture she had gone trough, physical and emotional was impossible to describe trough words.

Now Stix cowered in front of her. A green eye, watching desperately for an escape. Not so tough anymore, Alexandra noted with mild amusement. Ah yes, it was easy to command when you had a little remote that could shock your enemy at the mere touch of a button.

Stix moved, in an attempt to tackle Alexandra to the ground. A hand moved swiftly, the elongated blade glittering briefly in the dim light before etching into the flesh of the molecule manipulator’s opponent. Alexandra knew that she was far too weak to remain still at this attack. However, with a blade in her stomach, Stix wasn’t getting up either.

She felt the blade going trough the guard’s body quite easily. After all, she had aligned the molecules so it would be sharp. Very sharp. Both bodies went to the ground, Alexandra allowing herself to savor the widened eye of the guard as they fell to the ground.

She kept her head protected as her body hit the ground. It hurt but somehow the surge of adrenaline pumped trough her body nullified the pain. The blade went further, until her hand that held it touched the body of the victim. Warm liquid was poured onto her hands. Frankly, it never felt so good to have blood on her hands.

She gave herself only a moment to deal with the pain before pushing Stix body to the side. The blade moved inside the woman’s body from side to side, slashing further before being extracted. The woman fell to the ground, laying on her back in a rather awkward position, gasping slightly, as if trying to catch her breath.

Fool. She had no idea how it was to try to catch your breath when lungs are being filled by your own blood. Quickly, Alexandra moved too, sitting herself on top of the fallen guard, pondering what death would fit her best.

But until then.

The blade was lowered to the woman’s face, more specifically her good eye. “I guess you have no use for this on the other side.” Smiling briefly as the guard shut her eyes tightly, she let the blade travel across the eyelid, to the inner corner of her eye to the outer, applying faint pressure to it. Blood surfaced quickly in response as the woman struggled. It only made it worse, the blade now cutting trough the eye itself.

A scream left the woman’s mouth, reaching the molecule manipulator’s ears as a faint echo, repeating itself over and over again. Such a pleasant music. Head tilted to the side, Alexandra left herself to slip to the darker side of her persona, enjoying this too much to be considered normal. Meanwhile, her senses extended far beyond hearing and sight, far beyond touching or tasting or smelling. They brushed the air around her looking for something in particular. Carbon dioxide. Good old carbon dioxide. Under the command of their queen, molecules danced their way to the guard’s nose and mouth, replacing the life bearing molecules of oxygen.

The guard took in the molecules. She’d have no idea what she was inhaling, until later on. But while death installed itself in the temporary host’s body, Alexandra was determined to have her fun. The stabbing, slashing, maiming kind of fun.

So by the time carbon dioxide started to replace the oxygen in the bloodstream and its unpleasant effects came into play Stix was already on the verge of unconsciousness. Screaming and wincing and struggling with her attacker. Bleeding from various wounds the blade inflicted on her body. Revenge tasted sweeter this time, Alexandra noted while the woman was now convulsing because of the lack of oxygen.
Alexandra smiled briefly before the body beneath her stopped moving. If there were any eyes to be closed, she bet they would have been closed. Unconsciousness. The last symptom before death in cases of Hypercapnia. Too bad. An unconscious Stix was no fun. The manipulation of carbon dioxide to the woman’s lungs ceased, it had served its purpose and drained the molecule manipulator of energy rather quickly, too.
The blade traveled to the woman’s neck slowly, it’s tip against the jugular vein, ready to pierce the skin any moment now. “Well, I think I got interrupted last time…” More pressure was applied and the blade had almost pierced the skin when…

“Stop now!”

Who the f*** was interrupting her now?! Blue eyes snapped at the intruder, angry. A guard stood in the door, his gun raised and pointing at her. Really? Her eyes lowered to where a blade had been etched into the guard’s stomach. Now, only a wound stood there. Perhaps she should have paid more attention. Why the hell weren’t they letting her kill the bitch once and for all?!Then, they could bother her as much as they wanted. But she wasn’t backing off now. The blade was pushed further and slashed. She didn’t look down to watch how her victim bled out. She kept her eyes on the male guard pointing the gun at her, her expression cleared of anger. Blank.

The finger pulled the trigger in what it seemed to be slow motion. Eyes closed as the pain seared trough her shoulder, unforgiving. Air left her lungs, faster than it should have been. Pain shadowed her features and blue eyes opened again.

Watching how the trigger was about to be pulled again. This time, the guard was probably aiming for a lethal shot.

Door number 2? Anti-climactic emptiness.

Inside door number 3 were the remnants of a cell. Whoever or whatever had been in there was probably gone as soon as the collars were turned off.

So much for rescuing the faithful. Come to think of it, the dangerous people who had been there were probably the least in need of help once they knew the collars were gone.

Well. Off to the next cell block. Just to be sure there were no stragglers.

Stop now!.

And that sounded like a straggler. Lori repeated her process with this cell block, the same as the last. The outer guard was smashed into an oozy puddle, gun and all. But he got a shot off. And that meant he'd been shooting at something.

Stepping on the door to avoid the moisture, She took her time looking at the details of the interior of the cell. It was a bloody mess. So bloody it was hard to tell if the inhabitant was wounded or not.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Lori popped off the cell door next to the opened and bloody one just to be sure they wouldn't be leaving anyone else behind.

Alexandra expected the shot with open eyes. But it didn’t come. The door moved, squeezing the offending guard to a bloody mass. She blinked, slightly surprised and curious who her savior was. She met the blond female with curious eyes and a slightly arched eyebrow.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Blue eyes traveled toward the woman underneath her. She didn’t recall when the guard had stopped moving. Tired, she looked at the puddle of blood forming to underneath the body and extending now to the point where it soaked the lower part of her pants.

With one last glance at her defeated enemy, she pushed herself up. Pain shot trough her shoulder, but a frown later she managed to get herself standing and walk out of the cell, stepping over the fallen bodies of the other three guards. “So I’ll take it that the breakouts are finally happening?” Well, the question had a pretty obvious answer, Alexandra knew it.

Bloody fingers traced across the metal doorframe of her cell, as the blade in her hand changed shape, turning into a ball that slowly increased in dimension as molecules of metal slowly traveled toward it. “How bad is it outside?” And of course, she hoped that ‘bad’ meant enraged mutants and guards being massacred outside of the isolation cells.

Lori was glad this one spoke English. Her gem had worn off and she hadn't bothered to get another. It always made it easier when you couldn't understand your enemies final words.

It only took a small inclination of her head to affirm the progress of the break out. The fact that help was already hear was saying enough. The woman inside the box looked weak and bloodied. Not all of it her own, but it was wet enough that Lori couldn't offer a hand.

“How bad is it outside?”

Lori shifted and there was a sick splorching sound. "Messy. Almost as much as is deserved." There was only a moment of hesitation in which Lori assessed the woman in front of her. Was she strong enough? Did she need it enough?

"We can do better, though." There was only one kind of healing that Lori really understood, hot bloody revenge.

(Continued from: Freedom isn't Free)

Sam and his teammates entered the hallway instantly Sam smelt something rank he didn’t know what it was but it smelt like rotting decay, he thought it was bad in his cellblock but it was far worse here, if he had to name the smell right off the bat it he would of said rotting fish.

Doors were opened ajar some closed his first was to look to Streak, ”Check the cells for any survivors!” he looked in the nearest cell to him and frowned, nothing but some rags soaked in dry blood.

Turning to Jewel he asked, ”Any metals around here?” he doubted that she would turn up anything especially seeing as Alex wasn’t really wearing anything that could be detected guards however they were fair game. Growing both impatient and worried for the his loved one Sam made a fatal mistake he figured would come and bite him in the back side. Inhaling and yelling, ”AL!” after a moment Sam continued, ”Anyone here!?!”

Jewel made sure Sam stayed on his feet because apparently that was not what he was most occupied with. She was not very strong, and he was quite heavy, but whith Fade appearing to help it was not that bad. Besides, helping Sam was at least something she was able to do. She could leave the rest up to Shawn.
The smell was bad. Lily shuddered. It was not like she hadn't felt it before in the camps - the whole place stunk, especially the kitchen. But this, this was awful. And reminded her of blood.
”Check the cells for any survivors! Any metals around here?”
Lily focused for a minute then shook her head. "None that I can sense." she frowned "Or at least nothing that moves." It was just Shawn, and the metals behind the walls.
”AL! Anyone here!?!”
Lily winced at Sam yelling like that - it just didn't feel safe. But at this point it probably didn't matter. People were fighting, and fleeing, and this hallway was far too silent to be normal. They might as well yell. It could speed things up.
Lily really hoped Alex was all right.

Streak smelt it too as soon as he entered. It was hard to miss, even though he already thought he’d gotten used to the whole rank decay smell that permeated throughout the entire camp. Luckily, soon after they’d found Sam they’d also run across Fade, who stuck around to help them out. He was definitely glad that Fade was around because he wouldn’t have to worry about carrying Sam and defending all three of them. Now all he had to worry about was defending them, finding their other team mates, and getting them all out alive. No pressure.

The silver mutant didn’t even really need to be told what to do by Sam. He’d run enough rescue missions and enough searches to know the drill. But Sam probably wasn’t thinking his clearest and just talking to make sure nothing got missed. What few were open were empty already and the ones that were closed didn’t remain that way for long. As Streak went door to door, he cleared them all. So far they’d all been empty and he’d found no sign of Alex; or anyone else for that matter. Streak was just about to call the hallway all clear when he heard talking coming from around the last one. Shawn looked back and signaled for them to come a little closer. The voices he heard seemed to be moving and just around a corner. “Alex? Is that you?” he called as he started to make his way closer. There was no way he could be sure it was her but it was at least worth a shot. Wasn’t it?

Sam. The born leader. The second he sprang from his mother, she must have seen him in Spartan armor because he just seemed like the manly man. Fade, on the other hand, had never really been good as a team player, whereas Sam was practically the Football Quaterback. He noted that she was ok but he called her Jenny. Damnit, she should have said she didn't remember her real name when she registered at the Mansion. The only wayu she would find being called Jaenny to be normal was if it was what her lover called her, and Fade was single. It was not that she disagreed with a human name, it was almost like Jenny was a different personality. Jenny was the one who got kidnapped, Jenny was the runaway, Jenny was the name she never heard anymore. Sam would probably have better luck calling her Tim, she'd even respond to Wade, at least it rhymed. Still, she sort of nodded and held on more, cursing at her lack of gym time when Sam leaned on her, he was heavy. Then again, Fade could hardly lift her bike.

He called out for someone, an AL. I didn't know Sam was gay... was her initial response until it hit her, Alex. Not Alex a boy, Alexandra. Really, she had never met the woman, but rumors have told Fade that Alex and Sam were cute together. Great, now she had managed to do the near impossible, become the fifth wheel in a rescue mission! Too bad Raph was not around to pick up that piece.

The thoughts were flying around in her mind, darting from skull wall to wall, she was getting ridiculous. If she just slowed down her mind enough to get through the mission, maybe she wouldn't get hurt this time. Whipping her head to the side, she snapped out of her thought train and looked around. The second she had snapped back to reality, an aweful smell hit her. Well, really it was not too terrible, she used to live in a wreck like this, it smelled more like rat droppings where she once lived, this place just smelled like decay, how sarcastically lovely. Shawn stepped up to the front, at least he could defend them, something Fade needed to work on. There were cells everywhere, but they were looking for this Alex. Shawn called out for her as well. It would not be too proper for a girl who never even met Alexandra to shout out her name, so she just looked around, adjusting her stance so she could continue to hold Sam.

Alexandra could almost smile at the woman’s comment. She glanced back at the mangled body of Stix then at the three guards laying dead in a pool of blood, not far from her. The remains of the guard that had tried to kill her were the perfect addition to this macabre view. Yeah, she bet they could make it better.

She looked at the woman curiously. She spoke English, and she clearly was out for revenge. Order? Most likely. But before she could actually ask anything about her mysterious savior, voices sent her senses on alert. The molecules that had moved slowly toward her sped up, ready to take any shape their goddess would require.

”AL! Anyone here!?!

“Alex? Is that you?”

Sam? And Streak?

Blue eyes blinked slightly before her body relaxed. “Friends.” Alexandra explained to the woman as she moved away from the door, looking in the direction from where the voices were coming. She didn’t say anything back, after all they sounded like they were pretty close.

It was good that the girl claimed them as friends before they showed up because Lori was on high alert. There was a war waging out there. Only a fool would go around advertising his location to his enemies unless he was inviting death.

...or unless he was a stupid kid. Lori relaxed and smirked when it was little Sammy that popped around the corner. Little Sammy had friends with him. Two girls and a boy. It was a proper raiding party. Stupid to advertise, but if they were all mutants, as they should be, then it would have to do.

Sam and Lori really had to quit meeting in the midst of battle.

"Cells are empty." She'd emptied them all herself excepting the ones full of the dead. Lori cracked her knuckles one by one. It was always tricky to do with the wiring holding her bones so tight, but that was exactly why they needed it.

"Are you kids ready to get out of here?" Because as quiet as it was in here where the girl in the cell and Lori had killed the guards, there were plenty more stupid humans to corral outside.

If they were ready, there was one last solid metal door for lori to take off it's hinges: the door that lead back out into the ray.

She walked away from the door and he spotted her, his heart skipped a beat as adrenaline coursed through his body making him forget everything that was ailing him before. Fatigue, weak legs aching joints and his eye. When he saw Alex all those went away he felt none of them. Removing his arms from both Jewel and Fade (Jenny) without so much as a thought for his aching joints Sam walked forward and then started to run. Within seconds he was upon Alex and his arms were wrapped around her.

Pulling her in tightly he didn’t have time to exam her, the blood or her expression or the girl she was with no matter how familiar she looked, no his focus was on Alexandra. Pulling away from the hug with one eye he looked at her face and put his hands on it so he would get her undivided attention. ”You alright?” it was a stupid question but he wanted something to brighten the situation a bit.

His right eye turned after the voice spoke and he recognized the speaker. ”Cheerleader!?!?” Sam asked surprised as he turned his head and fixed his right on her, his left eye still covered with the cloth and a cheap imitation for a patch. ”What are you doing here?” he blinked for a second and then pulled her into a quick ‘surprised you’re here but glad your alright hug’ before he assessed the situation, the hug was short lived for they had more pressing matters than a reunion.

Cheerleader wanted to leave and he couldn’t blame her, ”Cells are empty?” he repeated before looking to the rest of his group and then the big metal door. ”Right, then let’s get moving!” Sam said his current power fading momentarily and ended it up leaning backwards and placing a hand on a wall before looking back to everyone else for a little help. Ideally he wanted Alex by his side but he figured she would be a bit to weak from everything. ”Someone get rid of that door, we’re leaving!”

Alex was all right. At least as all right as any of them could be after the weeks spent in the camps. Lily smiled a weak smile as she watched Sam run to her.
"Are you kids ready to get out of here?"
The other woman didn't seem familiar, but she was obviously on their side. Sam seemed to recognize her.
"Yes, let's go." Jewel agreed whole heartedly. At the moment, there was nothing she wanted more than to get out of the camps for good. She started towards Sam to support him if needed; she was tired too, but still in better shape than he was. She left the rest up to Streak, Fade and the blonde woman. Now they had a team big enough to fight their way out of here.
It will be over soon.

“Not to seem rude or anything but we can do our meet and greet once we get out of here.” Streak said to all of them. He didn’t care that he didn’t know who the blonde was. The fact that she didn’t attack them was a good thing and made life easier for them. Streak wasn’t exactly the bulldozing type so he didn’t exactly think he could get rid of the door. He did think that prying open the door would be something that would be much easier for him to do considering he was the only one that could do something about it.

The good thing was that it didn’t take long to find Alex. The bad thing was that they were still in the camps and now Sam was forgetting about how bad of shape he’s in. if he forgot that then he’d start exhausting what remaining energy he had left and then Sam’d be completely useless even if he was giving redundant orders already. “Ok everybody ready? Let’s get out of here. Anyone good with removing doors, ‘cause I’m not.” Streak admitted. He could take it down but it would take time and if someone was quicker at it than he was then he would gladly step aside and let them take care of it. Besides, after the door was down he’d probably be the first person through it. If not the second one.