Mark woke up, startled. His entire body was drenched in sweat, and he felt a grinding headache at the back of his head.
Whenever he fell asleep, he had the same nightmare.
His mother was dying right in front of him, while he was trapped in a cage, unable to save her.
Her murderer, a faceless figure, held the keys to his cage and laughed maniacally as Mark begged to save his mother's life.
A familiar face arrived, and Mark had hoped this person would save his mother. However, this figure joined the faceless figure in laughter, humiliating Mark for being weak and helpless.
Another figure appeared and poured a ton of fuel all over Mark and his mother. Then it lit a match.
Just before it could drop the matchstick and set the whole place on fire, Mark screamed out loud and woke up in terror.
It was the same meaningless dream that had haunted him for the past four months.
He usually forgot it soon after he woke up, but this time, it had felt so real.
Thirty minutes passed, and he still felt terrified.
He stared at the clock in his room. It was barely three am.
He began working out to relieve his mind from fear, stopping only when he completed his routine. He then stepped into his bathroom for a cold shower and returned to bed soon after.
There he sat for another thirty minutes, trying to decipher his dream, or at least make out the faces he had seen.
When he failed, he settled for the next best thing.
He had to talk to someone.
Dressed in sweatpants and a dark blue hoodie, he left his room and found his way to the elevator.
Once inside, he hit the button for the lowest level.
*****
The prison lobby was mostly empty, except for two guards and a few prisoners in electrified cells.
Most were powerbowns who committed petty crimes with their powers, while the rest were ordinary criminals.
Mark hoped that both guards would be fast asleep when he arrived, but to his disappointment, they were awake, playing a game of chess.
"Stop right there!" One of the guards yelled out when the elevator doors closed behind Mark.
"Hey," Mark slowly approached the guards, "Long night, huh?"
The guard halted his game and marched over to Mark, armed with a disruptor.
"Oh my…" His face flushed when he laid his eyes on Mark, "It's you. Thornwell. Jim, it's him."
The second guard ran over with the same expression.
"Hey guys," Mark replied nervously, "How's it going?"
Jim took Mark's hand and shook it vigorously.
"We watched your examination. You were awesome. It was the best fight we've seen in years."
"Thank you. I'm flattered."
"Can't imagine how you survived all those sonic blasts. How did it feel?"
"If you give me your disruptor, I could show you."
"Ha, ha…" Jim laughed. "That's a good one"
"Could you sign my disruptor?" The first guard asked.
"Uh… Sure. Do you have a pen?"
The first guard turned to Jim.
"Do you have a pen?"
"No. I don't have a pen."
An awkward silence fell in the group.
"No worries." Mark waved it off. "I can do that another time."
"But what are you doing down here?" Jim asked. "Are you lost?"
"No. Not really…. But I'm in a tough situation here, and I need you to help me out."
"Sure thing," said the first guard. "How can we help?"
Mark quickly searched his mind to invent a convincing lie.
"Well... Yesterday, the captain ordered me to retrieve information from one of our prisoners. But I forgot all about it. I just came down to get it before she needs it in the morning. Hope that won't be a problem?"
"Not at all. Do you have the permit?"
Mark slapped his forehead dramatically.
"Ah… The permit. I left it in my room. I can go back… but I don't think there's enough time, so… "
"We really need to see the permit… but because it's you, I think we'll just allow it. Right, Jim?"
"Sure. Sure. Go on ahead."
Mark nodded in appreciation. "Thank you both. Won't be long, I promise."
"Don't worry about that. Take your time, please."
"Sure. Thanks."
The two guards kept beaming with smiles as Mark walked past them.
"The keys?"
"Oh… right." The first guard exclaimed, then unlocked the main door that led to the prison area.
"Thank you," Mark said, walking through.
Once inside, Mark nodded to the patrol guard who monitored the cells. Then he turned to the camera bolted to the ceiling to his left and did the same.
The cells in the main prison hall were cubes of thick tempered glass placed within a titanium cage.
It bore a vague similarity to the ones used by the Anti-Manipulation Agency to hold high-level manipulators.
They were placed horizontally along the prison walls, and a vertical wall of high-intensity heat lasers separated the cells from the central walkway.
Within each cell, there was a toilet, a table, a chair, and a small bed.
Mark had been here before. A few times with Captain Savanna, but enough to memorize the entire prison layout.
After making a two left turns, he finally arrived at his destination.
"Hey."
Within the cell, a female prisoner lay on the bed, dressed in black overalls.
Her hair was long and tattered, and her face was pale and decorated with scars.
Most noticeable was the long gash beneath her left eye.
The gentle sound of Mark's footsteps drew the prisoner's attention, and she turned to face the walkway. A bright smile appeared on her face immediately after she laid eyes on Mark.
"Prisoner four-forty-nine, how delightful of you to come visit me." She rose to her feet and approached the edge of her cell. "How long has it been, years?"
Mark summoned all his effort and responded to her with a brief smile.
"The name is Marcus, and it is really lovely to see you again, Greta."