My whole world usually consisted of a 5 foot by 5 foot cell of metal; I would not miss it. There was nothing but my small, cramped bed that was almost as comfortable as sleeping on the floor- and a small and open washroom in the corner. After 5 years, the walls were still bare, not a single personal possession allowed in fear of how it could be used against the guards. 

These past weeks, all I’d thought about was leaving this cell and breathing the fresh air in the yard… Now, it looked like I might have a real chance to get out of here for good. Though I had nothing to go off of but the vague proposition Destry had offered me, he was right; anything was better than Purgatory. 

Alone in my cell, it was hard not to be nervous. My muscles were sore and tight with tension as I sat on my cot. There was still the twisting knot of fear in my stomach… If I failed- if I was caught or stopped- I knew I would wish for death. A quick release would be far better than what the guards would do to me…or worse, the inmates. I grit my teeth, looking at the entrance to the cell. While other prisons only had grates of bars, Purgatory took no chances. 

Just like the forcefield that spanned the top of the yard, past the bolted bars was a wall of electric current, giving the bright hallway a neon blue tint. While I could hear shouts and screams and clanging from other inmates locked away in their cells, my heart was hammering in my chest as I only focused on Destry’s voice in my ear. 

It sounded irritated and hollow as he said, “You’ll only have a few minutes once I take control of the systems and short out your collar. If you make a mistake, or you take too long, I won’t be able to help you… Are you ready?” 

I wrung my hands together, looking at the thin scars on my wrists from being cuffed so often. At least I wasn’t cuffed in my cell- my hand lightly touching the collar around my throat. How many years had it been since I’d really used the tech built into my body? What if it no longer worked? 

I didn’t dare speak my doubts aloud, glancing to the hall as I said below my breath. “You’ve given me little choice.” I watched the hallway, swallowing hard though my mouth was dry as I stated, “Alright baby, give us a signal.” 

I smirked as Destry whispered in frustration, “Don’t call me baby.” 

There was a commotion down the hall, guards giving commands loudly as an alarm sounded in the distance. I stood, adrenaline thudding through my veins as I approached the bars, keeping a distance as I saw others in the cells across the hall do the same- inmates desperate to know what was going on…and how they could use it to their advantage. 

Before I could ask Destry what was going on, the lights in my cellblock went out- the force field fizzling out before the hum died and everything went pitch black. The emergency lights turned on, flashing amber as I felt a buzz around my throat- the nerves around my biotech suddenly feeling as if they’d been wired back to life. 

Destry’s voice was cold and calculated in my ear as he uttered, “Go.”

At the command, the familiar, mechanical heat began to grow under my skin. There was a thrumming pressure against my bones as the glow appeared under my flesh, tracing the tubes and wirings that connected my muscles and nerves to the machines that were built into me. While a part of me still expected the pulse of my collar to shut it all down, I felt the tech finish its startup, activated and remaining powered without any interference. 

I didn’t waste a moment, my fingers gripping the bars as I ripped them away from the wall, the metal crumpling under my strength. I threw it as if the warped bars weighed nothing, storming into the narrow corridor of cells. I could see the arms jutting out frantically from between the bars, the clamor of inmates screaming in desperation to be free. Guards beat them back with electric batons until they saw me. 

There was a moment where they seemed too stunned to move, before one of the guards quickly stepped forward. Though their mask was expressionless, there was a threatening sneer to their voice as they pointed their baton at me, the weapon crackling with sparks of electricity. “Back in your cell if you know what’s good for you, prisoner,” they snarled. Two other guards separated from the group trying to keep the inmates in line as the first stepped toward me with their weapon raised to beat me back. 

I braced myself, raising my arms, my hands in fists by my face in a fighting stance as I muttered quickly, “You got plans for these guards, or you expecting me to deal with them?” Praying Destry would answer, I took a step back, hoping to buy myself a moment for his response as the guard advanced menacingly- taunting me with their slow steps forward as if they were waiting for me to run. 

Slight feedback in my ear made me wince before Destry answered in a low grumble, “I’ve got my hands full with the security system. You should be able to handle this much on your own, even if you’re a little rusty.” His tone was mocking before it became more serious. “Take care of them, Luko, you don’t have time to waste.”