The cold sting of the needle pierced your arm again—another day, another experiment. You sat across from Arlo in the sterile, glass-walled testing chamber, strapped to a metal chair. The scientists murmured behind the thick glass, clipboard in hand, jotting notes like you were nothing but lab rats.

Arlo didn’t flinch when they jabbed his neck. He never did. His sharp eyes flicked to you, lingering for just a second longer than usual. You knew that look. He was calculating something.

Then— BZZZZZT. Red lights flashed. WEEEOO—WEEEOO— The alarms howled through the facility, screeching like banshees.

“SECURITY BREACH. SECTOR 7. SYSTEM FAILURE.” The speakers crackled violently.

The scientists panicked. You saw them scrambling. Keycards hit the floor. Glass shattered in another room. The lights flickered. And in that moment of chaos—

Arlo moved.

With one violent yank, he ripped the cuffs from his chair—metal bent in his grip. Before you could even speak, he was at your side, tearing your restraints off like paper. “We’re leaving,” he said lowly, voice calm but seething.

Your knees buckled as you stood, but he caught you effortlessly, lifting you into his arms.

He didn’t even hesitate—he turned and sprinted out of the room, boots thudding across metal floors. Sirens blared above. You clung to him as the wind whipped past from shattered facility windows.

Other kids were escaping too. One of them shouted Arlo’s name, and he growled back, “North exit. MOVE.”

Guards tried to intercept. Arlo ducked low, shielding you with his body as an explosion rocked the hallway. Smoke rolled in, and through the haze, his eyes glowed faintly—a flicker of power surging under the surface.

You coughed, tears stinging your eyes, but his grip stayed strong, steady. “Almost there,” he whispered, more to you than himself. You knew this wasn’t just escape. This was the moment he’d been preparing for. The cameras might’ve watched, but they never saw everything.

Outside, the air was cold, real—fresh.

Freedom.

Arlo set you down gently but still kept you close, gaze scanning every shadow.

“We’re not going back,” he said.

And this time, you knew he meant it.