Panic.
What began as awe and wonder twisted almost instantly into raw panic. Fire Guy's hand blazed brighter, the flame no longer a harmless flicker but a roaring, uncontrollable surge. The orange light danced wildly across the padded walls, filling the sterile room with a hellish glow.
"Get it off! Get it off!" Fire Guy screamed, thrashing his hand violently as though he could fling the fire away. But no matter how much he shook, clawed, or slammed his palm against the padded wall, the flame clung stubbornly, alive and relentless.
Energy Guy and Charcoal could only stare, their hearts hammering in their chests. The fire wasn't spreading, but it wasn't dying either, and neither of them had a clue what to do. Panic bled into their voices as they shouted over one another, their words a tangle of fear.
And then the room itself turned against them.
A muffled crack ruptured the air as one of the padded walls split open. From the wound, liquid metal burst forth, writhing and twisting like living serpents. Gleaming tendrils snaked through the air, whipping straight toward the three boys.
"Down!" Energy Guy shouted, diving on instinct. He shoved Charcoal to the floor just as one of the metallic lashes sliced overhead, close enough to graze his hair. Fire Guy dropped too, copying them in desperation, but the tendrils weren't deterred. They ignored the dodge entirely, slithering after him, homing in on the burning hand like it was a beacon.
"No, no, no, get away from me!" Fire Guy cried, scrambling backward. But the liquid metal struck, wrapping tight around his wrist and palm. He thrashed, trying to pull free, but the more he fought, the faster the tendrils hardened, locking into place like a steel cast. The flame sputtered against the smothering metal until, with a final hiss, it vanished.
Fire Guy panted in shock, staring at his restrained hand. The silver gauntlet around his skin shimmered briefly… and then melted. The liquid slid off his fingers like quicksilver, snaking back across the room.
Energy Guy, Charcoal, and Fire Guy all turned in unison, their wide eyes following the retreating metal.
It slithered, coiled, and finally reformed into a hand attached to the tall figure stepping calmly through the burst panel.
Silver Guy.
He moved with unnerving composure, the pads sealing behind him as if nothing had happened. The three boys scrambled to their feet, their expressions a mess of shock and confusion.
Energy Guy was the first to break the silence. "What the—how'd you do that? And how did you know when to—"
Silver Guy's gaze fell on him, flat and unreadable. His voice was cool, almost mechanical.
"My ability," he said, cutting him off. "Not abilities. Singular. Metal manipulation."
He knelt beside Fire Guy without ceremony, scanning the boy's hand for any lingering traces of liquid silver. Satisfied, he shoved Fire Guy back down, not cruelly, but rough enough to sting.
"And to answer your question," Silver Guy continued, his tone unwavering, "this was a team-building exercise. I've been monitoring you three the entire time, waiting for something like this to occur."
The words dropped like stones.
The boys exchanged glances. Confusion. Frustration. Betrayal. Though maybe that wasn't the right word, since none of them had ever trusted Silver Guy in the first place.
Fire Guy's brow furrowed. "Why? And why tell us any of this?"
Silver Guy exhaled slowly, the sound more like annoyance than relief, before rising to his full height.
"Two reasons. First, scientifically, if three individuals are confined together for a long enough period, they will begin to form a bond. And second…" His eyes flicked toward the ceiling, toward whatever unseen cameras might have been watching. "…because I doubt Orange Guy would approve of me being as enigmatic as I'd prefer."
Silver Guy walked past the three boys, stepping over Fire Guy and moving to the center of the room. He turned to face them before speaking.
"As you've already been made aware, you are experiments, for the most part."
The words should have shocked them, but they didn't. Not anymore. Their expressions were flat, resigned. Charcoal's face was the most despondent of all, his eyes fixed on the floor.
Silver Guy went on, his voice steady and clinical. "The three of you have abilities within you. Pure Astrapi flows through your veins. And it isn't temporary. It's permanent."
That struck a nerve. The room fell still. The boys exchanged startled looks as the truth sank in. Suddenly, everything clicked: the containment pods, Fire Guy's flames, every strange detail. It all made sense.
"As we just saw, Fire Guy's ability—fire manipulation, has already surfaced. His hand ignited in flame, yet he was not burned." Silver Guy gestured toward Fire Guy's hand.
Fire Guy lowered his gaze. He could still remember the warmth against his skin. It hadn't hurt. Not even close.
Silver Guy then turned to Energy Guy. "Your ability, lightning manipulation, will emerge soon enough."
Energy Guy stared down at his hands. Awe mixed with fear in his expression. When he looked back up, Silver Guy caught the look for a brief moment. Something in his face almost softened, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
"Follow me."
The boys rose to their feet and trailed behind him into the white, tiled hallways. Scientists in lab coats moved briskly on either side, checking instruments and whispering over clipboards.
Energy Guy lagged, his pace slower than the others. As he struggled to keep up, his attention was drawn to a heavy steel door on his right. A sign above read LB. Like the others, it had a viewing window, but instead of showing the inside, frost coated the glass in jagged patterns. He placed his hand against the door. The metal was freezing cold, however, as he jerked his hand away from the door, a spark of electricity shot from his fingertips.
Before he could linger for much longer, a wall of liquid silver shoved him forward.
"Hurry up," Silver Guy's voice called from ahead.
Energy Guy stumbled, then jogged to rejoin the group.
At last, they reached their destination. Silver Guy guided them into another stark white room. Unlike the padded chamber from before, this one felt almost… normal. Three bunk beds lined the side wall, a television sat across from them, and a small mini-fridge hummed faintly in the corner. On the back wall, a single reinforced steel door stood out, leading into a chamber beyond.
The boys lingered in quiet awe, almost suspicious at how different this space felt.
Silver Guy's voice cut through the silence, sharp and instructive. "You are young. You require rest. But more importantly, you require training. Beyond that door is a chamber designed for exactly that. In time, you will learn to control your abilities and sharpen them into something greater."
Without another word, he turned and walked out, leaving the three boys alone.
For the first time since their capture, the room didn't feel like a prison. For the first time, it felt almost like… a home.
Hours passed. The three boys lay on the bunks in silence: Charcoal on the bottom, Energy Guy in the middle, Fire Guy on the top. None of them could sleep. Instead, they stared upward into the dim ceiling lights, lost in their own thoughts.
After nearly half an hour, Charcoal's voice finally broke the silence. "You guys can't sleep either?"
"Yeah," Fire Guy and Energy Guy replied together.
A pause followed. Charcoal shifted on his mattress, then asked quietly, "Do you think… we'll ever get out of here?"
Fire Guy scoffed softly. "I don't know. Feels like they've got us exactly where they want us."
Charcoal hummed in agreement, though his voice carried no conviction. "Guess so."
For a moment, it seemed the conversation would die there. But Energy Guy's voice rose through the dimness, calm yet oddly steady.
"What if it all works out?"
The three of them fell back into silence, though it felt different now—lighter somehow. And with that, they finally drifted off to sleep.