He had no idea where he was going. From the pounding in his head to the pain in his leg, his entire body screamed for him to stop and give up. No matter how loud it screamed, he didn't stop, didn't let the pain gain that much power over him. Back in that office, he'd lost control. The one thing he'd swore he wouldn't do and then he goes and does it. Rexton had fought back as he should have. It wouldn't be long before he was back on his feet and calling for Cassius's capture. He didn't know how much time he had or if there was even a slim chance he would make it out of the building. He blew his chances when he lost his temper. Now he had to work with what he had.

He turned on the next corner and followed what he thought was the path to the front entrance. It would be guarded by at least two guards, but the doors weren't a security risk like the front gate was. It was easier to exit the base than to enter.

His mind was still reeling from the fighting match. He couldn't believe how stupid he'd been and how strong Rexton was. The man was like a brick wall in the way he reflected Cassius's magic so well. Nothing he threw at him set him back like any normal Remu. It made him weary of what would happen to him if he was caught now that he'd royally fucked up. Rexton was probably already dreaming up what he would do to him once he woke up.

Fuck. I've done it this time.

But it was better this way. It beat being chained like a dog and submitting. This was better than being the docile slave serving the Exterus wants and needs.

He remembered Rexton's threats and then how he said he was being transferred. Iza had known about it and had agreed. Unless, Rexton had the right to take Cassius from his SWARM. Either way, it had struck a nerve and had sent Cassius spiraling out of control. He couldn't help it though. All the things he'd done and endured for an opportunity and it was flushed away by some ass-hat from the Capital. He was a slave to the Exteru, but he wasn't a slave at all. His mind and body were his own and if he had to destroy everything just to keep it that way, he would. If he was going to die, it would be by his own hands only and on his own terms.

The hallway ended and opened up to a commons. He ducked behind a half-wall and waited for any sounds. After hearing nothing, he peeked out. There were two large sofas facing each other and a glass office to the left. He couldn't see anyone in the office, but they could be in the back. Just beside the office was a door that would need to be buzzed open from inside the office. If he got through that door, he would only have to go down one more hallway before he reached the front doors. It seemed impossible just thinking about it, but if he was still moving, it was possible.

He looked around the commons once more. Still, there was no one. He ran from the wall to the office and tried the handle first. As expected, it was locked. He jiggled it a couple times though he knew it wouldn't make a difference. His time was running out and he could feel it now, like the minutes were turning into seconds and each second was a droplet of sweat on his face. He grabbed the first thing he saw which happened to be a potted plant beside the sofas. The planter was no use, but he saw a piece of metal forced in beside the plant to keep it upright. He pulled the piece of metal out and went back to the door.

This was when training had come in handy. Besides being used for just hand-to-hand combat, it was a tool he could use when he couldn't use brute force. He'd thought about smashing through the glass to get into the office, but there were probably alarms set to go off if he did. But if he picked the lock...

The metal piece began to melt in his hand. He hissed as the pain registered, but he held still. He stopped the flow of the heat and watched as the metal cooled. He flipped the metal around, settled on his knees in front of the door, and pushed the metal into the lock. There could be an alarm on the door or might not be. He hadn't thought about what he would do if it did go off or if he was caught right then. He didn't want to think about it at all because he was going to get out of here.

He focused on the metal tip, pushing out his magic to the melt the wire. His magic came off in ripples, flowing through him and through the air. As his eyes closed, he hushed his mind until there was nothing but the wire. It was melting, pooling inside the lock and taking its shape. He changed the heat and cooled down the metal.

He opened his eyes and turned the metal.

The lock clicked.

He slammed through the door. The air whooshed out of him and when he heard no alarms, he started searching for the switch to open the sealed door. The desk had nothing but one computer and a pen and pad on it. He knew the button had to be around the desk, somewhere that could be accessed easily. His hand slipped under and wandered. He felt nothing.

Time was running out. Rexton would be waking up by now.

He knocked the chair back.

Where the fuck is it?

He flipped the pad over and pushed the keyboard out of the way. It made no sense to put the switch anywhere else besides here and he'd seen them before to know they didn't need to move from their desk to buzz someone out.

Once more, he slipped his hand under the desk. He growled out when he still couldn't find it. Then he got down on his knees and looks around. There was a set of cords running down the wall that disappeared under the carpet.

Are you fucking serious?

He laughed. He really couldn't believe it.

He sat down in the chair and pressed his foot down on the carpet where he guessed the cord ended.

And like some scene from a movie, the door opened.

Finally.