Owen, along with Isaac, Grace, Will, Jason, Hannah, and Joyce, sat in a circle on the floor of one of the training rooms. The overhead lights buzzed softly, casting a glow over the otherwise empty space.

Owen rested his arms on his knees, glancing around at the group. Each of them wore looks of determination.

Taking a deep breath, Owen leaned forward slightly. His voice was steady, carrying the weight of what was about to come.

"Alright," he said, looking each of them in the eyes. "Let’s go over the plan then,"

"Now that we have someone with a tech insignia, we can do a lot more than we could before." He leaned forward, his voice gaining an edge of excitement. "We’ll be able to access the hangar now—where all the transport vehicles are kept. That means our escape is going to revolve around getting there and getting out."

Joyce crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "When should we attempt this?"

"Maybe in two or three months," he said. "We’ll need to be strong enough to hold off the overseers and the wardens until everyone boards and gets away."

Hannah nodded in agreement. "Not to mention, that most of the inmates from the tenth, ninth, and maybe even the eighth floor will try to stop us." She glanced around at the others. "They’ll want to rack up achievements and rank up, and stopping a breakout is a huge opportunity for them."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Owen leaned forward, his gaze serious. "For these next three months, we’ll need to slowly bring in trustworthy inmates. People we know won’t sell us out."

There were murmurs of understanding around the group before Owen continued. "And while we’re escaping, Isaac will shut off all communication networks on the island. That way, the officers won’t be able to send word outside that there’s been a breakout."

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Then how will we communicate with each other on the escape day?"

Isaac smirked, lifting his hand. A sleek, black bracelet materialized in his palm, shimmering slightly before solidifying. "I’ll be handing out modified bracelets in the cafeteria on the day of the escape," he explained. "They’ll let us stay in contact."

Hannah nodded. "I see."

Owen crossed his arms. "After we escape, we’ll be heading to an uninhabited island to recuperate."

Jason tilted his head. "Are all the inmates escaping with us going to the same place?"

Owen shook his head. "Once we’re off the island, they’ll be free to go wherever they want. But those planning to free their family members will probably be sticking with us." He paused before adding, "That’s our next goal, after all."

Hannah’s expression turned serious. "Have we even found where they’re being kept?"

Owen smirked and tilted his head towards Isaac.

Isaac took the cue and nodded. "I traced their location. They’re in Havec City, on the Peria continent."

The room fell into stunned silence.

Grace’s eyes widened even further. "Isn’t that the capital of that continent… and where the governor lives?"

Isaac nodded.

Owen exhaled sharply before standing up. His expression turned fierce, his eyes gleaming with determination. "That’s why we need to get much stronger over these next three months." He looked around at the group, his voice firm. "Because once we escape, we’re heading straight to Havec City."

***

It had been a day since the plan had been set in motion, and things were already in full swing. The gang had split up, scouting the facility for potential allies.

Meanwhile, Owen and Isaac sat on a bench in the cafeteria, away from the more crowded tables. Isaac had his wrist raised, showing Owen his inhibitor cuff.

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Owen narrowed his eyes. "Wait… Did you modify your cuff to function like an OmniBand?"

Isaac smirked and nodded. "Not just that—it’s even better than the top of the range stuff they sell on the market." He tapped on the sleek surface of the cuff. "I also implemented my personal AI into it."

Owen raised an eyebrow. "You’ve got an AI?"

Isaac grinned. "May, say hello."

A feminine voice chimed from the cuff. "Hello, Owen."

Owen blinked, then chuckled. "Well, damn. Hello, May."

Isaac tapped a few commands on his cuff. "I’ll have her make a copy and transfer it to yours."

May’s voice came through again. "Understood. Transferring now."

A moment later, Owen’s cuff blinked from green to white. Then, the same voice—slightly softer, more tailored—spoke from his own cuff. "Hello, Owen."

Isaac leaned back with a grin. "Now you gotta give her a name."

Owen glanced down at the cuff, thinking for a moment. Then he smirked. "I’ll name her Ann."

"My name is Ann." the AI repeated.

As Owen talked to the ai, Jason approached the two of them. Owen and Isaac looked up, and immediately noticed the conflicted expression on his face.

Owen leaned back against the bench. "What’s up?"

Jason shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then exhaled. "I want to include someone in the plan."

Owen’s eyes narrowed slightly. He hesitated before asking, "Who?"

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Kenneth."

Owen’s expression darkened instantly. "No."

Jason’s jaw tightened. "Owen, listen—"

"Nah," Owen repeated firmly. "We can’t trust him."

Jason clenched his fists. "I know how he seems, but deep down, I swear he’d be a great ally. And besides, his insignia would be really helpful."

Owen scoffed, dismissing the argument with a shake of his head. "Not worth the risk."

Isaac, who had been quietly observing, raised an eyebrow. "What even is his insignia? I’ve never seen him use it in combat."

Jason hesitated for a second before answering. "Kenneth can create gateways to places he’s been before—he can basically teleport himself and others to those locations."

Owen clenched his jaw together. "That’s great and all, but we don’t need it."

Jason took a breath, trying again. "Owen—"

"No," Owen cut him off, his voice firm. He looked Jason straight in the eyes. "I know he’s your friend, but we cannot risk this. You cannot tell him about the plan. Do you understand?"

Jason’s face was tense with frustration, but after a long moment, he exhaled and nodded reluctantly. "I won’t."

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Isaac watched him go before turning back to Owen. "Should we be worried about that?"

Owen sighed, glancing at Jason’s retreating figure. "Probably."

***

Jason walked through the corridors of the floor five cell block, his steps firm with determination. He understood Owen’s warning—he wouldn’t tell Kenneth about the plan. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least see where Kenneth stood on things. If Kenneth now believed Owen had the ability to escape after his match against Katherine, that would tell Jason all he needed to know.

He reached Kenneth’s cell and peered inside. The door was open, and Kenneth was lying on his bed, staring straight up at the ceiling, his expression unreadable.

Jason stepped into the doorway, but Kenneth didn’t acknowledge him. He just kept staring. Silent.

Jason exhaled. "We haven’t spoken since the competition three days ago."

Kenneth remained motionless, offering no response. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.

A solid minute passed before Jason finally spoke again. "If you knew where your little brother and sister were being kept, I think you’d be on board with breaking out."

That got a reaction. Kenneth finally shifted his gaze, looking at Jason for the first time. His voice was calm but direct. "Have you found out where they are?"

Jason hesitated—just for a moment—before shaking his head. "No."

Kenneth studied him for a second, then sighed, sitting up in his bed. "If I knew," he said nonchalantly, "I’d definitely consider it."

Jason clenched his fists, wanting so badly to tell him the truth—that he did know. But he kept his mouth shut.

Kenneth leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "I’ll admit it," he said. "After seeing Owen’s match, I was wrong to doubt him. I believe now that he could actually break out of here."

Jason didn’t realize it, but a faint expression of relief crossed his face.

"But," Kenneth continued, his gaze sharpening, "I don’t know how he’d get past the defense system, and I don’t know how he’d even get off the island. That’s what’s keeping me from fully backing him."

Jason pressed his lips together, holding back the urge to respond. He had what he came for—Kenneth was open to the idea. That was enough for now.

Jason smiled faintly, nodding to Kenneth. "I’ll talk to you later." With that, he turned and left the cell, leaving Kenneth alone with his thoughts.

Kenneth remained sitting on the edge of his bed, his gaze unfocused as he mulled over the conversation. Jason’s words echoed in his mind. It was clear that Jason had heard of some plan to escape—likely from Owen himself—and wasn’t allowed to share the details. But what kind of plan was it? How would Owen get off this island? Kenneth’s thoughts circled like vultures, desperate for an answer.

He began to piece together what he knew about Owen’s group. Who could possibly help with getting off the island? He crossed Grace and Will out immediately—they didn’t have the abilities. His thoughts then lingered on Isaac.

Isaac had always kept to himself, but there was something about him that didn’t quite add up. When he was back on the fifth floor, he had mentioned his insignia had something to do with weapons.

Then, a memory struck him. He remembered overhearing his overseer talk about Isaac’s family. Isaac came from a conglomerate family in the realm, and usually powerful people that were aligned with Arden were informed about the existence of people with insignias.

Could it be that Isaac had known about what an insignia is before coming to the facility? And then faked what his abilities are actually about?

Kenneth stood up abruptly from the bed, his eyes wide with the shock of his realization.

"It’s fucking Isaac."