*******

Younger Eric was being dragged through a hallway, all battered and bruised his white uniform stained red with his blood and that of several agents who tried to stop his escape.

Through his swollen eyes Eric barely saw around himself, this was his third attempt but unlike the popular saying third time was not the charm. Eric had gone along with the plan made by the other kids; this was supposed to be the time they finally made it out of this hellhole, this was supposed to be the time when they were finally free but it ended in an utter failure.

The sounds of the agents’ boots making contact with the white tiles seemed to serve as a constant reminder of his failure and the countless deaths of the children who he had led out with the others at the same time they also served as a timer counting down to his eventual doom.

They arrived before a door just as he thought they would, but unlike the door he was familiar with this door was different. At this moment a feeling of dread washed over Eric in an instant he wanted to get and run away, he trusted his instincts since he had awoken to his abilities his instincts had never failed him and right now every fiber of his being was telling him to stay the hell away from the door before him, but it was all to no avail.

He couldn’t muster up any strength whatsoever the recent battle had completely drained him as well as the collar that prevented him from using his abilities as well as with the countless wounds around his body the was no way out of the situation.

The agents opened the door, Eric’s mind began to race thinking of sort of horrid scenarios as to what it was behind the door but what he saw made his heart drop. The room was white just like the rest of this god damned place but unlike the rest it felt as if t had been cleaned fifty times with the smell of various disinfectants still left in the air the room had two beds and what had caused his heart to drop was the person strapped on one of the beds.

Although Eric had failed to escape he had taken solace in the fact that his sister had managed to escape, he thought to himself that even if he had failed to escape at least his little sister had been able to get away and that she would be able to live an ordinary life away from all this and eventually forget about all that happened in this place including himself, but it was all for naught as his sister had also been captured and was now strapped to a bed.

The men paid no heed to the shocked Eric and strapped him to the bed at her side.

Esther: “Eric, Eric, are you okay?”

Eric: “hey, hey, I’m alright okay, but I thought you and a couple of the younger kids managed to get away what happened, how did you get here?”

Esther: “we almost made it out but we run into the scary men, we tried to fight… I tried to fight, but , but…”

Eric: “hey, hey, look at me it’s okay we are going to get out of this okay. Nothing is going to happen to you okay, do you trust me?”

Esther: “mhm” she nodded her head trying her best to stop her tears which had built up at the edges of her eyes. “Eric, I’m scared.”

Eric: “hey, don’t cry okay, don’t cry, everything is going to be alright I promise.”

******

Older Eric awoke with a jolt, realizing it was but a dream he calmed a bit before looking around only to have his heart rate pick up once more, with himself taking in sharp breaths. No, No, No, this couldn’t happen not again.

Eric was strapped down to a bed with a collar placed on his neck. He had been clothed in one of those white uniforms he thought he would never have to see again. The room he was in also kept bringing back horrid memories with it’s all white color, Eric began screaming at the top of his lungs for them to let him out. At that moment the fearless man who would stand against an entire army without a tiniest bit of fear was nowhere to be found, with the only ne remaining being the scared little boy from years ago.

Eric continued screaming for what seemed like an hour when a door slid open and in walked three figures on the right being the agent who led the others to capture him still in the same garb as when they came to capture him, on the left was a figure he did not know, dressed in all black with their face obscured behind their hood. The figure in their midst was one he would never forget for as long he lived, he was none other than the mad man who tortured him in the name of science, The professor.

Professor: “Hello X-1, we finally meet again. I can’t help but ask, did you miss me?”