"This way." Armani said and pointed down the hallway from which she had come.

"Just a moment."

I knelt down in front of the unconscious Lichtenberg and grabbed his hand.

"This for the two shocks, buddy." With a practiced move and a quiet crack, I broke his wrist in two places. He let out a miserable scream and fell silent again.

"Hmm, not quite as out as I thought. That must suck for you."

"Are you done?" Armani hissed and motioned for me to hurry up.

"Yeah,, let's scram."

I followed her quickly, trying to make as little noise as possible. The complex was surprisingly large. We ran up at least 7 floors on our way out, yet despite that we only had to hide from maybe 4 or 5 guards the entire way.

Finally, we reached a large, electric door that looked unlike all the others.

"This is a side entrance. I used it to slip in. Just press that button and we're gone." She indicated a small one-button panel next to the frame.

I nodded and hurried over to push it.

For the first time since my capture, I felt fresh air breeze past my face. Finally.

I made a step forward when I felt a sharp pain in my ankle. Before I could turn around to check what had happened my muscles locked up on me. My vision swam and my breathing sounded strange and echoey in my ear. The last thing I heard, before I passed out was a strange, distorted voice taunting me.

"You look exhausted. Why don't you just take a nap for a little while? Nighty night, Satori."

--------------------------------

My head swam when I came to. I had no idea how long I was out, but I was feeling absolutely miserable. When I tried to open my eyes a bright light right in front of me forced me to shut them again.

"Careful, Satori. I wouldn't move around too much right now if I were you." a familiar voice rang out somewhere beside me. "Then again, if I were you I'd have never gotten myself in this situation in the first place. Hihihihi."

My head was throbbing. It was difficult to form a coherent thought. "Armani?! Armani, are you there?!? Help me!!! I'm hurt, I..."

I was prevented from finishing my sentence by the sudden urge to throw up. I tried fighting it, but it wasn't long until the contents of my stomach were painfully expelled from my mouth.

Despite my diminished mental state I managed to remember to turn my head sideways first to lessen the chance to suffocate on my own vomit. When I was finally done, my throat was burning.

"My, how messy you are. Warn me next time, I don't want to get my suit dirty. My babies get very confused and agitated by strong smells so close to their home. Try being a bit more considerate." Her hissing laugh followed again. There was no question. It was Queen Snake. I somehow forced a smile on my aching face. "Then again, you really fit the imagery of your costume now. Brand synergy is important."

When Miss Cortex suggested the name Satori to me she told me they were Japanese ape-like folk creatures that could read the minds of their victims. So I had my costume take inspiration from both antique drawings of Satori and the appearance of modern day apes. A strange choice for someone with a Power like mine, but it got people talking, and it was memorable, which was all that really mattered.

"Armani! I'm so glad you're still here, I....I need your help I think I was poisoned and I don't feel good at all and plea-"

"Ssssshhhhh." a soft finger on my lips stopped my rambling in its tracks. "Relax. Try to concentrate on your breathing."

I nodded and the finger went away. It took all my concentration to do as I was asked. My breathing was frantic and irregular, but bit by bit I managed to get it back under control.

My throat was still raw and my head was still throbbing, but the haze in my mind began to lift a bit.

"Have you gotten yourself under control?"

I went to nod my head first but instead just said "Yes. I think so. Thanks." I tried to move my arms but it felt like I was shackled to whatever surface I was laying on. "Can you help me out of here please?"

I heard her move, her footsteps circling around me.

"Why would I get you out when I put you here in the first place?"

My concentration broke.

"What? Why?"

"Hihihihi. I know you've always been a little slow on the uptake, Satori, but if the main hideout of the Society had been found, do you really think they'd send someone in on a sneaking mission to get a single person out? This place would be swarming with Heroes taking down as many members as possible and freeing all prisoners. I was so sure you'd clock on to what's happening, but as usual, you disappoint."

My head hurt. The fog was returning. It was difficult to breathe. I told myself that I must've been imagining things. Whatever had hit me was some kind of hallucinogenic, and Armani had either fled to get reinforcements or had been captured herself. Yes. That must've been it.

"Oh, really? If no one else knows about this place, how are you here?" I argued with the figment. Its laugh sounded so real.

"Let me tell you a little secret, Satori. I have been pretty close with the nice folks here for a while now. To be honest, this whole thing was a setup from the start. The leak that lured us to the Gas Quarter, the Mage waiting to ambush you near the back entrance, everything was planned."

Now I laughed. Definitely not real. That was just too absurd.

"Yeah, right. You are a member of the Society of Power, sure. And let me guess, Ray was in on the whole thing too?"

I felt the illusion cup my cheek.

"Poor thing, so misguided. I don't know what you expect me to say, but you are wrong on both accounts there. I'm not a member of the SOP. I would never join a Villain group, no matter how good their intention. I am just sympathetic. They want radical change for the better, a change I would be in favor of. So I do things for them, here and there. But if they went around harming civilians I wouldn't hold back in stopping them."

The hand withdrew from my face.

"And The One is clueless. If he knew I was tight with the Powerbreaker I would probably be in jail right now. Or back home. Extradition and all that. But it went very well for us. I had planned to argue for why both of us should be the vanguard for the factory raid, but he assigned us correctly by himself."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

I scoffed. I became surer of myself with every word she spoke.

"Of course." My voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"But you want to know something funny, Satori? He did tell us what happened to you. That you were taken. That the Powerbreaker had blackmail material that could sink all of us. That your sacrifice was for the greater good. He always was an honest man."

Now it just became ridiculous. My brain was really bad at coming up with a convincing hallucination.

"If you have to lie, why don't you try something more believable next time?"

My stomach turned again but I successfully kept it down this time.

"Hihihihi. Am I lying? It'd fit my theme, wouldn't it? The slippery snake? But I have no reason to. You can dismiss everything I say if it makes you feel better. That won't change reality though."

"How could I believe you? As if every one of my friends would just gladly agree to let me rot away here. As if Luisa wouldn't move heaven and earth to free me. It makes no sense. You make no sense."

I felt a weight on my legs.

"Gladly? No one agreed gladly. There were lots of arguments. There was screaming. Tears. But in the end, everyone saw reason. Cortex felt especially bad. I think she really liked you, though god knows what goes on in her head. Your girlfriend was hit the hardest though. She has withdrawn from active duty for now. Spends most of the time locked in your room. But it's just a matter of time. She understands that the greater good takes priority over a single soul."

I coughed, causing my throat to feel like it was being ripped to shreds. I took a while to compose myself before answering.

"You know, for just being part of my imagination you are very persistent. Go on, try your worst. You'll disappear sooner or later."

"Imagination?" I could practically hear her amused smirk. "How cute."

I felt a finger run down the side of my face.

"I guess I can see how you got to that. Tell you what, I'll prove it to you. The only reason I'm here is to say goodbye. It was nice here in America, but it's about time I slither back home. Utopia calls."

"How is that supposed to prove anything?"

"We never hung out outside of work much, didn't we? Tell me, what do you like to do in your free time? With others, not alone. Something I shouldn't know about."

I was confused. Things were really breaking down fast. So far, things were at least coherent, but now....

"Heh. I don't know how this is supposed to make me believe you, but whatever. I enjoy lots of things. Amusement Parks. Arcades. Karaoke. What's it to you?"

The weight on my legs lifted and I began hearing footsteps again.

"I can work with that. And was there anything you had planned for the future that you didn't tell anyone? A costume change? A big promotion? Some kind of announcement?"

I answered immediately.

"I was....I was planning to propose to Luisa. On Halloween. It's both our favorite holiday. I had everything planned out already."

I felt pinpricks of tears gather in my eyes. The fake Armani just laughed again.

"Good. Perfect. I have to leave now. If you ever get out of here, keep an eye out for me, won't ya? Your proof will present itself. But I think I have hogged your time enough. There is someone else who is really eager to see you. Goodbye, Satori. Nice catching up with you."

My mind was still reeling. I was feeling even more sick than before. But at the same time, I was also even more resolute in believing that the Queen Snake that had talked to me was fake. If not a figment of my imagination, then an SOP imposter. A shapeshifter maybe, but probably not even that. There had to be a reason that they put me in a room that made it impossible for me to see. Someone who could imitate voices was enough to play the part of Armani in this little farce. Either way, I believed nothing she had said. I couldn't.

The sound of footsteps made way to some kind of hydraulic noise. The dainty light steps were then replaced with heavier ones.

"Hey there, Mallory. I'm here to thank you properly for my wrist." A deeper, still familiar voice said. "The boss said I can have you to myself for the rest of the day. So let's just take our time."

I could hear the sound of sparks flying.

And then the pain began.

------- 5 Years Later - The Day of Freedom ----------------------

I walked. It had been a few hours since I had left that wretched place. Since then, I had just walked.

Not run.

Just walked.

I had been sure at first that this had been a ruse. A taste of freedom only to drag me back to hell. So I had refused to get my hopes up.

I had just walked.

Slowly, but surely it began to set in.

I reached up to wipe the tears from my eyes. I didn't know when I had started crying. I didn't care. There was so much to do now.

I had persevered.

I didn't know where to go first.

The police?

The Tower of Light?

My parents?

I couldn't decide. I was too overwhelmed.

And...something was nagging at me.

I had learned a lot during those five years. From the Powerbreaker. From other members of the Society. The Fake Armani, way back then.

All nonsense.

All lies.

Lies designed to break my spirit. But I had endured. I was steadfast in my denial. They took a lot from me, but they couldn't take my trust.

Still....

I looked down at the carry bag around my waist. A gift. I had ignored it until now, still thinking I was going to be back in a cell sooner rather than later. Now, I was curious. I zipped it open and reached in.

Empty. But....for some reason, I couldn't feel the bottom. I reached deeper and deeper, much deeper than should be possible. Enchanted, then. After going as deep as I could I felt something. A handle. I pulled it out with ease.

In front of me was an unlocked silver briefcase. It looked new, but other than that there was nothing special about it. Gently I pulled it open.

Inside of the thing was money. Lots of money. Bundles of cash, neatly packed in rows. One bundle was missing, however. In its place lay a phone. It looked sleeker than the one I had back then. A newer model, perhaps?

I took it out of the briefcase and turned it on. To my surprise, my fingerprint was enough to unlock it. An application was already running. A web browser. It was open on a paused video. The timestamp showed that it was stopped somewhere in the middle. The title read: "Queen Snake Returns to Utopia, Goodbye Speech"

I froze. I was immediately sent back to that day. That day the fake Armani pretended to rescue me. This could be a coincidence. Even if it wasn't, all that meant was that the SOP somehow knew of her plan to go back to her homeland and used it in their manipulations.

It took me uncomfortably long to maneuver my shaking thumb over the video and press play.

"...want to say a few words about a good friend of mine. Someone who sadly couldn't be here today to see me off. Of course, I'm talking about Satori."

My mouth ran drier than a desert.

"I can't say I was hit the hardest on our team by her loss. I can't even imagine how Honeybadger must have felt. But nevertheless, she was an invaluable friend. I have a lot of fond memories of our time together. The month before she passed, she invited me out for a night around town. A little fun get-together for just the two of us."

This never happened. What was she talking about? A cold shiver ran down my spine.

"Imagine my surprise when she dragged me to a karaoke bar."

Mild laughter from the crowd.

"We had a lot of fun that day, even though she was much better at it than I was. But at the end, after the last song, she suddenly turned serious. She asked me if I could give her some advice on a personal matter. I said 'Yeah, of course, we snakes are well known for giving excellent advice.'"

Another bout of mild laughter.

"Then she pulled out a ring."

Armani's voice became shaky.

"She told me she was planning to propose to Honey on Halloween. Because both of them loved it so much. And she wanted to know if it was a good idea, or maybe not romantic enough. I always think about this day when I think about Satori. How she was about to enter a new, exciting stage of her life. How much she had still to live for. I can..."

I stopped listening. My head hurt. I gripped the phone so hard I was sure I was going to crush it, so I let it fall to the ground.

It was true.

It was true. It was true.

It was true. It was true. It was true.

Little by little. I felt sick again.

What was it all for then?

Why let me out?

Luisa flashed in my mind and I fell to my knees, heaving and vomiting on the ground before me. Everything came back to me at once.

The videos I was shown of Heroes brutally settling personal scores, staging and setting in motion horrific crimes so they could be the great shining savior, indulging themselves in their most base desires when they thought they were off the radar.

So it was all true then?!

The witness testimonies and documents I was given to read that showed famous well-respected Heroes in league with various villain groups all over the country.

Were all of them real too?!

The minor Heroes the Powerbreaker claimed were sympathetic to his cause who he paraded me around for....the ones who saw the state I was in and did nothing to help me.......

None of them were imposters?!

Something cracked inside me.

I could hear it.

I could feel it.

It was over.

I couldn't go back.

I didn't want to go back.

I couldn't go anywhere.

There was no place for me to be anymore.

I glanced back at the phone next to me on the ground. Queen Snake was still going on about how much she missed me. Anger welled up in my gut, not displacing the void of hopelessness, but rather nicely slotting into it.

I could barely see her through the tears, but I could imagine that irritating look of faux-sadness that fooled the gullible idiots watching her like she fooled me for years. Like they all had.

"Wherever she is now...." the snake hissed. "....I'd like to imagine she is in a better place."

I grabbed the phone and turned it off. My nails were smeared in blood. It didn't matter to me. Nothing did anymore.

I got up and kept walking. I didn't know where. I wandered aimlessly into the unknown, as my world silently collapsed around me.