I really didn’t get what the appeal was to being thrown high up into the air. I’d given it a go a couple of times and, after the initial shock, it wasn’t much of a ride. For one thing it didn’t last very long, a few seconds at most. Then there was the fact that you were pretty likely to rip your jumpsuit on the landing. Since I was already churning through them at a rapid pace just trying to get dressed each morning I wasn’t inclined to run the risk of needing to change my clothes even more.

However, the others seemed to enjoy it well enough and I was happy to oblige them.

“Higher!” was Cassie’s common remark as I launched her.

I didn’t dare use anywhere near my full strength for fear of injuring them but I was progressively pushing the limits with them as attested to by the bruises some of them were now sporting.

“Hey,” Cassie said as she landed, face first but unharmed, “something’s going on over at Cain Hall.”

We couldn’t see Cain Hall normally due to a line of trees blocking the view but Cassie had gone high enough this last time to see over them.

“Toss me up,” Hector said.

I did and he pinwheeled his arms as he soared to keep his body stable.

“Yeah,” he shouted down. “It looks all hazy.”

He landed in a heap but sprang back up to his feet. In the brief silence that always followed such a landing, I heard the faint sound of screams. Looking around at the group, they had heard it too.

“Something’s wrong,” I said and as one we began making our way towards Cain Hall.

Disturbingly, the closer we got the fainter the screams became until we broke through the line of trees and got a full view of the building and the surrounding area. Students and teachers were collapsed all over the ground. A few of them were still coughing and convulsing but the majority of them were eerily still.

“Looks like gas,” Hector said and the majority of the supers with me took a step back.

Being physically strong and resilient was of little use if you couldn’t breathe.

“One of you call for a healer,” I said, darting forward. “I’ll drag people out to you.”

Being gentle while also being in a rush was a lot easier in my head than in reality. I felt wrists and arms breaking as I pulled people away from the deadly gas but if it meant they’d survive then it would be worth it. I piled people up five at a time into my arms before rushing back. I didn’t have super speed but my increased strength still meant I could run faster than any normal person could ever hope to match. My feet left deep gouges in the turf from the force of each of my strides. After my third load of people I noticed there still wasn’t any healer where before it seemed they were always immediately teleported to the scene.

“No healer?” I asked.

“I think they all might still be inside,” Cassie said, her face pale.

“Are any of them immune to this poison?” I asked.

They all just shrugged.

“I’m going inside to see what I can find,” I told them. “No use grabbing people without a healer.”

They nodded and I took off once more towards Cain Hall. Inside the building was even worse. There were bodies everywhere leading primarily back to the cafeteria. The gas was so thick in the air here that it was like fog making it hard to see.

I heard the footsteps before I saw who was making them. Coming into focus was a pair of students wearing masks, running for their lives.

“This way,” I called out to them.

They came to a stop, surprised to see me, but I waved them forward and they quickly resumed their run. Unfortunately, I hadn’t realized they were being chased and a moment later Emil burst out of the fog and tackled the nearest student, ripping their mask off before looking up at the remaining student and spraying a vile goo from his mouth that burned through their jumpsuit and began eating away at their skin. The screamed and fell to their hands and knees, trying to wipe off the acid. It was eating through their mask and they began to make choking noises as the gas took effect.

Emil noticed me finally and flashed me a grin.

“Hello,” he beamed. “I was hoping not to run into you.”

With that, he spat more acid at me. It didn’t burn but it did get in my eyes making it even harder to see. He was already running away before I could clear my vision so I just ripped up a piece of the floor and threw it in his direction. The shriek of surprise and pain told me my aim had been right. Unfortunately, by the time I got my eyes clear of the acid, the two students I’d been trying to help were lying motionless on the ground.

Emil, on the other hand, was trying to crawl away with an obviously broken leg slowing him down. I could see the poison mist rising off of him and acid dribbled from his mouth.

“Good throw,” he gasped, looking up at me and trying to brace his leg.

I placed my foot over his injury and held him from going anywhere.

“Turn off the gas,” I told him.

“Sure. Fine,” he grunted. “I guess this is enough anyway.”

He stopped looking like he’d just stepped out of a sauna.

“Why’d you do this?” I asked.

“Do what?”

“Gas this whole building, that’s what!”

“Spite? Revenge? Kicks and giggles?”

I pressed down slightly on his foot and felt the bones begin to rearrange from the pressure. Emil tried to pull away but I held him there.

“Because we’re all prisoners here against our will,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I’m not,” I told him.

“Then you believed their stupid lies about us being in Virginia,” he hissed. “Or that we’ll be free to go once we learn control. Have they asked you about joining their little club of super heroes yet? Those are the only ones who get away from here.”

More hurried footsteps caught both of our attentions and I turned to see three more supers, all wearing masks, come into view.

“Emil?” one of them asked.

“Get out of here, now!” Emil shouted.

Two of the three obeyed at once but the third hesitated just long enough for me to realize they were his accomplices. I sprang forward and caught them by the front of their jumpsuit. They tried to pull away but I held them fast and slammed them to the floor. They didn’t die, or even lose consciousness, but they certainly weren’t going anywhere for the time being. The other two turned out to have speed powers and were gone in a flash. I only had enough of a glimpse of them to realize they were all carrying computers in their arms.

“Where are they going?” I asked as I turned back to Emil and the other super.

“Doesn’t matter,” Emil said as he tried to put pressure on his injured leg. “You’ll never catch them.”

“We’re on an island,” I pointed out. “They’re not getting very far.”

“Unless there was a boat waiting for them,” Emil grinned.

I wasn’t sure what to do next. I needed to find a healer for all these people but I also couldn’t just leave Emil alone since he could just start pumping out more poison gas and spit acid at anyone who tried to stop him. As far as I knew, I was the only one immune to his powers. I wasn’t sure what powers the other super had either so I couldn’t tell how best to deal with them either. The only solution that came to mind was one I didn’t like but weighing the consequences of doing nothing proved to be too much. I stepped on Emil’s unbroken leg, snapping it, then did the same to the other super’s legs. That would at least keep them from going anywhere. My head swam a bit and I felt a little faint from what I’d done. No undoing it without a healer, though.

I grabbed Emil and the other super, both of whom were crying out in pain and shock, and dragged them by their jumpsuits back outside.

“Keep an eye on these two,” I shouted to the other supers who were still waiting outside. “But don’t get too close. They’re the ones who did this and Emil can pump out more poison gas. If he does, start throwing rocks or something at him. I broke their legs so they won’t go anywhere.”

I turned and went back to Cain Hall after depositing the two a good distance away from the building. Back inside, the poison fog was still quite heavy. Without a healer I didn’t see the point in dragging anyone outside so instead I focused on opening windows as I searched for anyone else who might be able to help. I called out from time to time, hoping to get a response but the silence that persisted only made me worry that I wouldn’t find a healer in time.

I found a few rooms with barricaded doors bearing the scars of acid burning through them. Inside I could see people collapsed on the ground. The first healer I ran into was on the second floor, collapsed and unresponsive. There were a few students around them and I could only guess she’d been trying to lead them out, healing them as they went until she succumbed to the poison herself. The next healer I found hadn’t collapsed from the poison but instead had their whole front melted by acid. It was a gruesome sight to say the least and I almost passed out upon seeing it. As it was I had to lean against the wall for some time before I could go on.

In the end, my search was vain. Every healer I found was dead or dying. Minh was among the last I found, tied up in a room of other healers, each one killed with Emil’s acid. They must have been the ones who could resist his poison. Besides the bodies, I also found a number of administrative rooms that had been raided. There must have been more than the few I’d run into because there were far too many computers and entire filing cabinets missing.

Whoever had planned this knew what they were doing. Emil had hinted at there being a boat waiting for him and the others but I doubted it would still be docked at the island. Maybe the guards at the checkpoints had caught the other supers on their way out but that was a lot to hope for.

By the time I left Cain Hall, the air was mostly clear of Emil’s poison. As I stepped out I was greeted by a pair of security guards, pointing guns at me

“I’m not one of them,” I said.

“You’re Misha, right?” one of them asked, lowering his gun.

I nodded.

“Everyone inside is dead,” I told them. “I caught Emil and one other super,” I added, pointing to where I’d left them, “but two others got away, I think there were more of them though. They stole computers and filing cabinets. Emil mentioned something about a boat.”

I was working mainly on autopilot and a part of me knew I was going into shock from what I’d seen inside. My vision was narrowing and everything began to take on a greenish hue.

“I’m not feeling good,” I said, stumbling on the last step.

A guard reached out to catch me but I didn’t know if he succeeded or not as my world went dark.