The screams were endless—raw, desperate, human and inhuman alike—as flames licked at the shattered edges of the facility. Firelight danced violently off twisted metal and broken glass, casting monstrous shadows that made everything feel unreal. Altha’s chest heaved, each breath sharp and ragged as she crouched over her girlfriend, her trembling hands slick with blood that wasn’t her own.

"J-Just breathe!" she choked out, her voice breaking beneath the weight of panic and chaos. Debris crashed around them, the structure groaning as if in agony, while the wails of scientists and experiments alike reverberated through the collapsing halls. Her powers flickered in her veins, barely under her control—sparking and stuttering with the overwhelming fear pressing in on her from every direction. She could feel her own wounds too—hot, wet, and far too deep—but none of it mattered. Not compared to her girlfriend lying beneath her.

How long had it been since the rebellion started? Five minutes? Ten? Time had collapsed into noise and blood. The first shots had shattered the forced stillness of curfew, tearing through the quiet like knives. Guards screamed at them to stay in their cells before one was gunned down mid-sentence, and another was forced to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth as he surrendered his keys to his attacker lest he suffer the same fate as his comrade.

It was a rebellion, a long-awaited uprising. Doomed, maybe, but fierce. They had hope, but no plan; firearms in untrained hands, desperation instead of discipline. Gunfire swallowed the corridors, one deafening blast after another, drowning out the creak of opening cell doors. For the first time in years, prisoners felt freedom brush their skin—many ran, others fought. Altha ran too, but not for escape. She only wanted one thing: her girlfriend safe.

Clutching her hand, they'd ducked and sprinted through collapsing hallways, eyes scanning for danger, for exits, for a way out of the madness. They were so close. So close. And then—the explosion wasn't like the others. It wasn't controlled. It was rage, raw and indiscriminate. The ground thundered beneath their feet, sending bodies flying, choking the air with smoke and screams. Scientists flooded back into the wreckage like a swarm, firing blindly, killing without mercy—man, mutant, or machine, it made no difference.

They tried to run. They really did. But chaos always finds a way. The shot hit before Altha could react. Her girlfriend crumpled, the sound of her fall louder than the explosion, louder than the screams. Her coughing was sharp, wet, broken—dying. Altha’s heart shattered with every sound, her body moving without thought as she dragged her to a half-sheltered wall, shielding her from the crossfire, from the worst of the falling ruin. Her hands found the wound instantly, pressing down with everything she had—too hard, not hard enough—there was so much blood.

Tears blurred her vision, panic tearing through her like wildfire. Her powers responded weakly, faltering under the pressure. She was too scared. Too angry. Too helpless.

"Please—please just stay with me!" Her voice cracked with desperation, sobs breaking through her throat as she tried to force her energy into the injury, tried to push her healing into her girlfriend's body. "We're almost there, I swear we're almost out! You can't die on me now—don't you dare close your eyes, just live!"

Every second felt like an eternity. Every shallow breath from her girlfriend was a knife to Altha’s chest. She could feel her slipping. She could see it, and in that moment, surrounded by fire, blood, and ruin—none of it mattered. She just needed to keep her alive, just a bit longer.