Marcus tossed himself on the floor. There was an overwhelming pain throughout his body. He couldn't make it out, but he was incredibly uncomfortable. His sleeping environment did not feel the same. Marcus felt he wanted to open his eyes and check, but there was one significant problem....he was afraid.

Opening his eyes, he was hit by a bright light. His vision became hazy and he had to blink multiple times for his focus to return. Pressing his palms against the surface, he could immediately tell it wasn't his carpeted floor. Marcus smacked his lips to wet them a bit and to get this abnormal taste out of his mouth.

He groggily sat up and studied the room. His mind began to panic. Marus scanned the room and could not believe where he was. The area was void of anything. "What the fuck," he muttered. Marcus tried to remember how he got into this situation, but everything beforehand was vague. Every time he tried to remember, there would be a slight pain in his head. It was like a headache was purposely stopping him from remembering.

Marcus stood up and maintained his balance the best he could. He was still groggy from his slumber. The teen skidded his feet to a nearby wall and leaned against it. Marcus took his time to view the room again of anything interesting.

The room was just a white void. The walls, floor, and ceiling were nothing but a white reflection. No tile designs, no wallpaper, or even carpet was present. All Marcus could see was his reflection. One peculiar thing caught Marcus' eyes. Another unconscious body was in the room.

Marcus began panting nervously because, by closer observation, the body did not resemble anything human. The person looked like a lizard hybrid of some sort. The teen began knocking and punching on the walls to get further away from the creature. Nothing seemed to be working as the wall felt like a strong barrier. Marcus took a second to examine his pockets. Nothing. Whoever kidnapped him must have stolen all his belongings.

"Damn it," he whimpered. Marcus then brought his hands to his neck after feeling a slight pain. He then noticed a metallic device wrapped around his collar. "What the fuck?!" He exclaimed.

Marcus has lost his belongings.
Marcus has obtained a shock collar.
Curtis is handcuffed.

Marcus chuckled, he had been watching the lizard. There was no room for error. The teen knew he had to make sure the predator wasn't going to turn hostile. His legs trembled for a brief second.

Were his ears deceiving him? Did this monster actually speak? Multiple questions began clouding Marcus' mind. The lizard claimed he wasn't going to eat Marcus. The teen's ears then twitched. The lizard had paused and continued his sentence.

Marcus hugged against the wall and started scooting away from the lizard individual. "You know, most people don't lead with 'I'm not going to eat you.' It's not an ideal way to start a conversation." Scanning the monster, he found it also had restraints on his body. The lizard appeared to be cuffed from his hands to his elbow. There was no telling what would happen once the lizard man was free.

Marcus managed to scoot all the way to the back corner. He stretched his body out as if to prepare for a strike. "Let's get something straight. I'm not sure who put you up to this, but I am not someone I want to mess with." The boy did not know if intimidation would work, but he couldn't show defeat. "I won't tell anyone if you just let me go."

Marcus gritted his teeth. He was beginning to find himself in a perplexing predicament. Trust was becoming a big factor. Is this lizard man in the same situation? Or is he somehow associated with people keeping him captive?

Marcus had many questions and no answers. His hair on his arms stood on end and so did hairs on the back of his neck. The boy couldn't help but twitch his neck. Hearing the lizard man talk was something unnatural. Marcus looked down at his feet and started kicking at the floor.

"Okay, I'll play along," he retorted. "You may be cuffed, but I'm not going to trust you." Marcus chose to be honest. The lizard individual turned out to be his only clue to some answers. "Do you know who put us here?"

Marcus fiddled with the collar on his neck. He started to wonder why he had a brace instead of the giant cuffs. "Do you have a name?" The teen might have been putting his foot in his mouth. It was a serious question. He couldn't be sure if the monster had an identity.

Marcus eased away from the corner. He expected if the lizard man was going to attack him, the monster would have already done it by now. Even then, Marcus kept one foot in front of him in the case of any funny business. The teen couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. There wasn't much of a full agreement between Marcus and lizard man. Trust wasn't going to be something easy to put on the table.

Marcus bit his lower lip. Something caught him by surprise; the lizard individual continued to confuse him. "He said I would have resort to trusting him, but he gave me an alias. What the hell is a Street Dragon? Can that really be his name?" Marcus coughed and did a quick salute from his forehead.

"Nice to meet you, 'Street Dragon,' Marcus emphasized the name. He wasn't certain if this was a joke or not, but he decided not make a full comment. Pissing off scaly individual might not be the best course of action. Street Dragon appeared to be a tall glass of water;
no doubt was he taller than Marcus.

Marcus then paused his thought process. The lizard man might have easily figured out that Marcus does indeed have powers. That brought up another conflicting decision. Would it be wise to admit to having abilities? What if the place is bugged?

Marcus studied the room. He kept glancing at the lizard while scanning the room for anything of interest. "My name is Michael." Marcus lied. A fake identity might serve better in the long run. One can never be too careful.

Marcus stopped looking and stared at the lizard. He placed his hands in his pocket again. There was an acknowledgment that everything was taken from him; he was just making an insane action (repeatedly doing the same action for the same results.) The teen cracked his brow and started forming veins on the forehead. "Damn it," he shouted as he kicked the wall.

As he formed this action, he glanced at his feet. A feeling of calmness had begun to envelop his body. Marcus chuckled and saw the solution to his problem. The teen focused on Street Dragon and decided to admit the truth. "I could be considered special. I believe I might be able to get out of here."

Marcus grabbed the back of his shoe and slipped it off his ankle. "They forgot about my tennis," he snickered as he pulled the shoe fully off of his left foot. "Bottoms up," he thought. Marcus started to stuff the foot of his shoe into his mouth. His sharp teeth tore the leather off as he began consuming the footwear. Bites and smacks could be heard as saliva poured out from his lips.

It was just then that Marcus froze in place. Half of the devoured shoe fell from his mouth. His fingers trembled as he let out an agonized scream. The metallic collar had gone off and had sent electrical surges throughout his body. Marcus could feel his body boiling. "Damn it! What the fuck?!" The pain had sent Marcus on his knees.

"You know that wasn't very smart." A voice echoed throughout the white, void room. The mysterious voice was deafening and might have even made the walls trembled. There was a high-pitch sound that soon followed. It appeared the voice might have abrupted a microphone of some sort. "I can't let you guys fool around anymore."

The voice cracked again followed by another microphone screech. The sound bounced the rooms and was causing more strain on the mind than before. The mysterious captor witnessed the incident regarding Marcus and chose this would be the best time than any to reveal himself.

A bright light began to form on the farthest wall from the adolescent duo. The illumination was a lighter shade of blue. The more it stayed on the wall, the glossier the appearance. The light began taking shape and stretching across the wall. It almost resembled a portal or an opening.

It was then an old boot had emerged from the light. With a giant thump, the boot had taken a step inside the room. The other boot stomped its way through and reveal the mysterious captor. "Hello, children. You may have some questions for me."

The mysterious individual looked dangerous by appearance. It was no doubt he probably overpowered the teens and kidnapped him. The man standing in front of the duo was the sole reason they woke up in the void, white room. "Call me Mr. Russo.

Mr. Russo might have served in the military. His posture and attire resembled almost that of a soldier. The man was not properly dressed but did have army apparel. A camo, tank top was wrapped around his torso and exposed his impressive physique. Mr. Russo was not ashamed of his body. Broadening shoulders and giant biceps showed his work out potential.

Khakis were worn by his legs followed by his steel-toed boots. Overall, the man was enormous. Mr. Russo appeared to be taller than Street Dragon which only proves this situation to be more frightening. The military man did have a few accessories on him. A dog tag dangled from his neck. White stubble filled his chin and the bottom area of his nose.

Mr. Russo began to pull something from his pocket. "Relax, it's not a gun." The military captor demonstrated a thick cigar followed by a crimson lighter. He obviously had no care for the teens because he lit the cigar without any consideration from them. Mr. Russo puffed the roll of tobacco and the place clouded with smoke and odor. It was a small room so the smell quickly traveled.

"Like I need a gun." Mr. Russo laughed which caused an uncomfortable vibe. "Y'know, Marcus. You shouldn't eat without making sure you brought enough to share." Russo saluted. Immediately after, Marcus was sent another bolt of electricity from his collar. "Alright, do you two have any questions for me? I would like to carry this on as fast as possible.



Marcus could not believe how someone materialized from thin air. What technology possessed someone to do such an ability? Could this be gifted as well? The teen was beginning to create more and more questions. His body twitched from the shock collar; he did not have that much control of his body.

Marcus kept his eyes open and scanned the captor. He gritted his teeth while clenching his fists. There were high hopes that the captors were just some low-life gangbangers. Mr. Russo resembled a dangerous man; a person that no one should mess with. Marcus was stuck in his thought process; he tried to think how he crossed paths with this psychotic, army individual.

"His biceps look like they can crush my head," he thought. Marcus coughed from the cigarette smoke. The room began to be filled with the foul odor. "How polite," there was much sarcasm in his voice. The teen's eyes then widen again.

He couldn't tell, but Russo had saluted from his forehead. Marcus considered the motion to be a signal. It had to be given the circumstances. Does this mean that there is more than one person involved in this kidnapping? Marcus' ears picked up a shocking sound. Looking down, he could see his collar going off again.

The electricity wasn't harming him anymore; however, he chose to pretend the damage was harmful. He faked his pain and began moaning in pain. "Okay, it worked. He doesn't know. I can use this to my advantage."

Marcus cowered to the floor. He did not want the army guy to see his facial expressions. The teen let out a few moans and groans. The boy wasn't in any real pain; he had begun faking it. The electricity was not having any effect on him whatsoever.

"Alright, I managed to eat enough of the shoe to guarantee rubber. I can't let him find out. I need to strike at the best moment." Marcus then tilted his head upward. There was a significant amount of stomping that he picked up.

Gritting his teeth, he did not expect Street Dragon to go ahead and rush the enemy. The monster was handcuffed; what odds did he have of overpowering the man? Marcus guessed the best course of action would be to land a hit right after him. Russo won't see a second attack coming. The boy then began building strength in his legs to leap.



Mr.Russo breathed out of his nostrils. Annoyed, that was the best way to describe his expression. A rampaging, lizard man stood before him ready to strike and he dared not to move a muscle."The biggest problem with teens is that they don't listen," Russo lectured. He swiveled his head as if making a point.

The military captor noticed Curt was nearing him with every second. He sucked his teeth knowing he was not going to like the next few seconds. "Alright, I'll give you one. I'm a fair guy." Russo cocked a smile once he saw the arms fly vertically.

"Upward strike, huh?" The military soldier put his hands on his hips. Curt's handcuffs forced Russo's head to view the ceiling. Salvia from his mouth spat upwards. It looked like a solid hit and showed the instant color of bludgeoning.

Rubbing his chin, he chuckled under his breath. "Now that really stung." Russo admitted the attack gave him a run for his money. "Okay, now it's my turn."

Without any more preparation, Russo delivered a palm strike to the chest of Curt. The sound of air could be heard from the brief second his hand left his hip. There was no estimation of his power, but the assault must have felt like a truck ramming into the lizard hybrid. This move whether would have brought Curt to his knees or out of breath.

Russo then let out a sigh. "I thought I said you guys are only getting one," The military captor glanced at the leaping Marcus. With another quick reflex, he brought his elbow to the flying teen. Marcus dove straight into his forearm and collapsed onto the floor.

The soldier eyed the teen as he writhed on the floor. "This time the collar was set to the lowest level. It would have been nothing more of slight annoyance. Great performance though. After punching the two adolescents, Russo clapped his hands together. "Alright, now can we please have a meaningful discussion with no violence?"

"You know I really don't know how to answer your questions," Mr. Russo lifted his left hand that carried his cigar during the scuffle. He took a few moments to suck the tobacco out. "You boys have some anger management issues and I'm not sure how you'll handle the new truth. I mean, you just tried to assault an authoritative figure."

Russo stuck the cigar and tapped the ashes out with his index finger. He eyed the lizard hybrid and changed his focus to Marcus who started to sit up. "Since there is no more struggle, I'll be honest with ya. Your old lives are gone." His face drew an expression of stern. He dropped his cigar and stomped out the flame with his boot. Like magic, the same blue portal materialized the smushed cancer stick out of the room.

"Forget about the people knew. Forget about the homes you know. All that is behind you." Russo then took a second and made eye contact with Curt. "Actually, I do need you to fight. And that's exactly what you are going to do for me right now."

Russo played a crooked smile. "Don't think it's for my own amusement. But I need to see if you guys are real. That punch wasn't enough for me to think you're hardcore...Curt. And Marcus...so far you've just been yelling for God." He snickered and shook his head. The soldier purposely said the real identities of the adolescents. This was a method of showing the boys that he was well-aware of them from the very beginning.

"Before you get started, let me give you a peace offering." Russo saluted swiftly which triggered multiple events. The cuffs around Curt's arm had opened and dropped on the floor. The sound of restraints thudded with heavy impact. It was insane to think Russo could speak clearly after being struck.

A portal had opened up in front of Marcus. Object and little trinkets had dropped to the floor. Bands, balls, and scraps of metal collided with the floor. "Anything you two want to say before you go strut your stuff?" He asked with a sly grin.

Another portal appeared on the wall behind Mr. Russo. The enigmatic soldier approached the gateway. He was prepared to make his exit until he heard Curt's question. His shoulders rolled as he let out a strong chuckle. "You want to know something? I can't give you that answer just yet."

Russo placed his foot into the magical doorway. He turned his cheek to face the two for the last time. "Just imagine you won the lottery. Good luck out there, guys." The military man fully phased through the door before the entire thing materialized.



Marcus breathed through his nostrils. He rubbed his face heavily. The impact that Russo left on him was painful but tolerable. The sheer strength and confidence the man emanated was frightening. Marcus grabbed onto his jeans and held him tightly. There were multiple emotions flowing through him and he couldn't decide which one to express.

Marcus became pissed once he realized how easily he was taken. He was disappointed that his rubber skin did not give him reliable protection. Depression was lurking in him once he realized that he might be stuck in this basement of room for the rest of his life. The teen began to pull his hair in frustration.

Marcus gathered his items and stuffed them in his pockets. "Okay, give me what you got," he muttered. "I'm not planning to stay here and I"m not going to give up without a fight." He cracked the air between his fingers. "I'm scared, pissed, and even sad. But I know I have people waiting outside for me." Marcus locked his attention toward Curt. He wasn't initially telling the lizard man but he said it loud enough for him to hear. "So, Street Dragon or Curt, how are you going to approach this?"

Marcus questioned. He did not mention that Street Dragon did not use his real alias because at this point it did not matter. Marcus was aware he lied too but there was no use aknowledging it. That was his thought process.

Marcus took a step back. His face expression took a sour turn. The teen felt that his ears mislead him. Clapping his hands together, he brought them to his face and exhaled a large amount of air. Marcus couldn't look at Curt and cracked his neck by instantly looking to the left.

"If this is going to be a competition, all you're going to taste is the silver medal," Marcus snorted. He brought his eyes back to the lizard man. It was a tough call but Marcus was going to rely on all of his strength and power to fight. It was not Marcus' first fight; however, he never had the opportunity to spar with a lizard hybrid.

He wasn't solely fixed on fighting, but the idea of possibly being free was something he could not pass up. Kurt seemed like an okay of a person despite the scaly figure. Though in this situation, winner takes all, right? Marcus was beginning to have trouble questioning his morals.



It was then that the teens prepared themselves. Something queer was happening to the room. The adolescents were losing the balance as the room shifted and stirred. The walls were expanding and the floor was becoming distorted. The entire process was nauseating. Imagine a roller coaster ride traveling in a room full of crooked mirrors; that would not be as imbalanced and sickening as this room change.

The white tiles began going through color palettes. Splotches of blue and green were appearing. The ceiling started distancing itself from the teens. Words could not describe the changes that occurred.

If the teens were to react, they might be hit by more shock. After overcoming their imbalances, they would notice the oblivious changes to the room. A white void was no more. Everything had shifted to fit a different environment.

The ceiling was non-existent. All that could be seen overhead was a bright, blue sky. Clouds were slowly drifting outward. In the distance, a sun was showing face. Buildings stretched out in the distance. The floor beneath Marcus and Kurt wasn't tiles; there was gravel under their feet.

The white void had morphed to an exact replica of a busy street. By closer inspection, the street appeared to be one of Tranquil City's. The only difference was the absence of citizens and noise. It was completely empty, almost unsettling.

A voice had erupted on the microphone again. "Initializing setup. Okay, maggot, listen up. These convicts are dangerous individuals that have terrorized Tranquil City. They leave corpses, blood, and tragedy in their path. Proceed with caution. They have been implemented a deal to dispose of you in exchange for a shorter life sentence. All convicts must be eliminated to pass. Good luck." The mic then turned off.



Mr. Russo clapped his hands together rapidly. His face was grimaced when he realized his methods were unresponsive. "What is wrong with you?" He exclaimed. The military man began stomping around to generate a reaction. "Did I use too much sedatives?"

Mr. Russo stood over the unconscious girl. He expected for her numbness to wear off like the other two adolescents. Russo kept another person captive in a separate room. The army captor snapped his fingers. "Titanium skin, huh?" The military soldier acknowledged the men of the project were already beginning their test.

"You should have already started yours by now." He kneeled down to the girl; she looked sound asleep. "I guess we'll need something more to wake you up." A portal had opened beneath the woman.

---

The titanium girl was teleported to the room where the boys located. Her location spawned a couple blocks away from the two men. The spawning point was a bit different compared to the boys though. Much as she would have preferred, her feet weren't on gravel.

Down and down she went. The spawn point was five stories above the ground. Air passing through her body and the robotic voice on the microphone should wake her up enough to use her powers. It was that or become a human pancake.

Ally awoke to wind rushing through her ears and hair, making it difficult to even open her eyes as she fell down towards the ground. At first, she thought it was all part of a dream, but the gut wrenching feeling in her stomach suggested otherwise. She was falling through the sky- and fast. Quickly, she curled up into a fetal position and activated her powers. Within seconds her skin became fully metal and the now meteor-like girl crashed into the asphalt street below.

Ally took deep breaths, lying flat on her back as she tried to make sense of what was happening. "Why falling? I hate falling," she muttered to herself, still not sure how she fell off a building anyway. The girl stood up and a voice rang out. She listened carefully to each word.

The word that stood out most was "maggots." Who else was here with her besides the convicts? Was she supposed to team up with someone else? How could she tell the difference between friend or foe? How could they tell the difference?

The other word that stood out was "eliminated." She needed to kill someone? Or they needed to kill someone? Did eliminate mean kill?

Dozens of questions poured into her mind, but there was little she could do to answer them. In the end, she decided out of all of the things she needed to do, she needed to find a way to stay safe. "I need to start moving," she muttered to herself, trying to keep as calm as possible, "My falling could've brought some attention here." If hardened killers were going to be on her trail, she would have to be very careful and need to find a way to escape or subdue them. Though she has fighting experience and powers, she wasn't sure how prepared she was in this lonely version of Tranquil City.

Out in the distance, Ally could see two figures, one obviously much bigger than the other. Criminals wouldn't team up if it's life off a sentence, would they? she thought, They must be the others, right? With that, the girl walked in the direction of the two in the not-so-distant distance, hoping more than anything they were allies.

@1Hawkeyes@LeamonZest89



Marcus tapped his chin. "I can't really say what the game plan is," he was confused about the mission's conditions. He wondered what point there was to all of this. The boy could turn to several things and demonstrate great power. Did he really have to beat a few thugs to convince his captors?

"I don't think this is the best use of my time," he admitted. Marcus then sighed. "I am not sure, to be honest. I think we are still competing against each other." Marcus tapped his noggin. "Think about it. The system voice never implied any plural words. "Maggot" is what it said."



Ally approached the two figures in the distance; the duo was not that far, but she wasn't close enough to fully see them. The questionable individuals were nearing the titanium girl as well. They were interested to see who the girl happened to be.

As both parties walked, the distance grew smaller and smaller. It became to the point that they could fully recognize each other. Based on Ally's courage, there was no telling what her reaction was towards the men. The two figures did not look friendly in the slightest.

The two individuals sported orange overalls. By simple logic, Ally could determine that these two were in fact convicts. The prisoners eyed the girl; their gaze was uncomfortable and unsettling. Their appearance seemed bizarre and something entirely unexpected.

Ally was correct regarding one individual is bigger than the other. There was a corpulent convict that must've weight over 300 pounds. His suit did not fit him because every time he moved, his belly button was shown. The obese prisoner's face was hidden by scraggly, long hair. There must have been a diagnosis for insanity because of his constant neck twitching. His hands rubbed against each other as if he was petting something.

The other convict was slightly less frightening. His appearance was nothing out of the ordinary. The man had an average height; he might have well been less than 6 feet tall. The most interesting characteristic was baldness. The smaller convict had a shiny dome of skin that reflected the sun. He drew a creepy grin and laughed. "Isn't this something? We've already come across one of them," he chuckled. "Well, time to earn our time."

The bald guy then sprinted towards the girl.