Revolution

- 06 -

"Goosey, goosey, gander, where shall I wander?" my mother sang, gently tucking me into bed.

"Up stairs, down stairs, and in my lady's chamber." She pulled the blankets under my chin and I gave her a small smile, listening to the sound of her voice.

She taps me on the nose. "There I met an old man who would not say his prayers."

I finish the children's rhyme for her with a gap-toothed smile."Take him by the left leg, throw him down the stairs."

I failed.

Yesterday's events come back to me in a rush, and I gasp. I roll over onto my left arm and instantly regret it as pain arcs up my arm, forcing me to fall back. I shove open the sleep shell. I swing both legs out and fall to the floor, my knees giving way. I wait for my breathing to return to normal, and I barely register the sound of the door opening. I swipe the back of my hand over my face to get rid of the tears that dribble from my face. Emotionless, they told me. You're not supposed to feel anything.

Someone clears their throat, and my hands ball into fists. "Paige, let's not have a repeat of yesterday."

I spin around and crawl out from behind the sleep shell. Doctor Shelden stands just inside the room. Her hands are empty, but her pockets hang low with the weight of the medical tools doctors bring in here every morning. I don't look her in the eye. Instead, I stand, stumbling over to the stool in the corner and taking a seat. I know what I'm supposed to do. I'm going to be doing it for years.

"Your handler requested that I give you an extra dosage of meds today." She draws out a vial of clear liquid. "This'll make you stronger, and hopefully, that cut will heal faster today."

I squint at her word choice, but I don't have enough mental energy to ponder it for long. I hold my elbow out silently. Sure enough, she draws a small syringe and bottle of fluids out of her pocket, injecting it into my arm. Then she does it again with the new formula, making another red dot just above the first.

And instantly, I feel stronger.

I stiffen, but if she notices, she doesn't react. "Can I check your ring?" She asks, and it takes me a moment to realize she means the metal collar around my neck. I tilt my head so she can get a better look at it.

She leans closer to look at it, her fingers brushing over it. She tries to fit a finger between it and my skin, but it's far too tight for that. She sighs and peers closer.

"It's broken," she whispers, barely a breath.

It's broken?

The embers of freedom reignite in my mind, and I desperately want to reach out as far as I can, taking the minds of everyone within a two hundred foot radius. At the same time, I know I can't. Restraint is my strength, but it's one of the hardest things to do right now. Doctor Shelden's head is so close, her mind so open and vulnerable, but she's not my target.

She leans away and claps her hands once in what I recognize to be a nervous gesture. I stare up at her, and she wishes me luck with nothing but a glance. "There's no water damage," she announces louder. "You're good to go." She's playing for the cameras. Somebody on the other end is watching for her diagnosis, and she lied.

I stare at her, almost slack-jawed, before remembering my position in all of this. "Thank you," I choke out hoarsely, and she nods, pacing out of the room.

I clamp a hand over my mouth to prevent myself from whooping with joy. I have to be rational, think this through. I have a chance here. I can't squander it yet.

I have hours to think about it. Mentally, I go through the abilities of all the mutants I know and line them up. I've never moved far throughout the building, but I do know it's practically a maze; I'll need to follow the signs or someone who knows what they're doing. I'll need the higher Categories, probably 6 and 7 or up. Isabelle, the wallcrawler, for sure. Sarah with her skeletal manipulation, and Fiona with the psionic blasts. Maybe Jax, the speedrunner, to scout ahead. I think about Liam; his ability is defined as mimicry, so I imagine that just means changing form, and that could be useful if he's strong enough. Maybe the levitator Owen could help, but I've never seen him in action. I don't know the abilities of either Category 10, but they need to be freed regardless.

And I've got a team.

I start running around my room in boredom, testing out the liquid she gave me. My muscles feel stiff and yet impossibly light. I test jumping from wall to wall, and where I once was barely able to make it a few feet, I can leap back and forth with ease. This time, I'm not able to hold back my delight as I race in tight circles around the room. Often times, I trip and fall. Once, I land on my left arm but I feel no pain, and unraveling the gauze, I discover that there's only a pale track mark to show where the needle once was. I reroll the gauze. I'm going to need it later.

I hear the blare of the horn outside my cell, signaling the time; 5:50, ten minutes before shift change. I do a couple of light stretches. It's now or never.

I sit against the wall next to the locked door. I wait, counting seconds, feeling insane and probably looking the part. My finger taps nervously against the floor. Everything feels like it's moving too fast and too slow. I wonder briefly if this how Jax sees the world, but I don't have time to think about that. This is me. This is my revolution.

This is the fall of an era and the rise of a species.