The pair sprinted down the corridor, pastel walls, pastel floors, reflecting the blinding artificial fluorescent lights. A thunder of heavy boots pounded after them, orders being shouted. They ran toward a branching hallway, but skidded to a halt as they heard another squad running from the direction of their escape. 
"Here!" The blonde pushed through a pair of doors, pulled the girl after him. They huddled together, listening silently as the two troops of guards met up. Their discussion was muffled, but after a মিনিট অথবা so, they parted again in opposite directions. 
Aleksander let out a breath of relief, slumping against the doors. He snapped back to attention as soon as he heard her. "Uh, Aleksander?" 
The room they had entered was shrouded in shadows, only a collection of the dim fluorescents overhead flickered, struggling to stay on. The majority of the room was occupied দ্বারা several cages, some stacked atop one another, like a dog pound. Whisper had walked between the two rows and ফ্রোজেন in front of one cage. Aleksander hurried to her side. 
As far as they could tell, all the metal prisons were empty. The one in front of them had had a সাম্প্রতিক occupant. A row of the bars were missing; the edges of the hole created were melted and the missing bars lay rolling around the bottom of the cage. Aleksander picked on up to inspect it and found that, like the edges of the hole, the ends of the bars were still glowing softly with heat. The lock of the one beside it was dangling open, as was the one above.
"Someone escaped," Aleksander concluded.
"Do আপনি think it was Str- Duke?" Whisper asked hopefully. She had corrected herself just before speaking the old name of one of the five. But they had disowned those names 6 months earlier, around the same time Electra and Bugger, জুঁই and Taylor as they preferred, had বিভক্ত করা from the group to try their fortune in Canada.
"I cannot be sure," Aleksander admitted. The cages shuddered and a hollow clank echoed through the room. The pair glanced upward to see a shadow crouched on the শীর্ষ row of prisons. Aleksander raised the bar in his hands instinctively as the shadow leapt at them. He swung, knocking the attacker out of the air. It skidded across the floor, but that only kept it down for a moment before it leapt back to its feet.
It, Aleksander observed, was actually her. The felt ঘোমটা of her leather জ্যাকেট had fallen back, revealing the black mask tied over her eyes. A fair braid trailed to her waist, where a বেল্ট of knives were kept. She reached up a sleeve and wiped away the blood dripping from a fresh cut on her lip. Aleksander glanced from the metal pole in his hands, then back at her.
The girl pulled a dagger from her বেল্ট and twirled it between her fingers threateningly.
"Down, lassy." Whipser whirled around, her back to Aleksander's, and faced a dark haired boy. Her eyes landed on the flames dancing in his left palm, casting a warm glow on his hard features. "That is not quiet how we make friends."
"You mean.. They aren't with CADMUS, here to finish us off?" She gave Aleksander a sheepish look, clearly embarrassed দ্বারা the misunderstanding.
A tall lanky boy stepped from behind the barrier of cages to stand পরবর্তি to the one holding the flames. "Actually, they are also adversaries of the Labs."
"How would আপনি know?" Whisper inquired.
"I read your mind," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Alright, alright, no need to frighten them, Ruse," the flame-holder chided, which Whisper found ironic, since she was very much frightened দ্বারা this man who had suddenly appeared holding fire in his hand as if he were the Devil himself. "I, my dearies, am Blaze of Gotham. This fine telepath is Ruse, and the little one is Wings."
"SilverWings!" The dark-dressed girl corrected.
"You can call us Whisper and Aleksander."
"Pleasure." His British accent was attractive, Whisper thought, but his attitude was beyond obnoxious.
"Uh, Blaze, I believe this is not the time for a meet and greet," Ruse advised.
"Right, right, come along," Blaze ordered. He swiveled around and headed toward the door. Ruse followed behind.
The duo hesitated until the young one, Silver, gave them a small reassuring smile. "Yeah, he's always like this," she confirmed. "But we do need to hurry. This place is gonna get charred in 15 মিনিট and unless আপনি guys want to be part of that Bar-b-que.."
Whisper and Aleksander exchanged a look, then hurried after the trio.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Ruse!"
"Right here!"
Blaze delivered a blow to the guard square in the chest. Ruse leapt and slid across the table, the point of his cane held forward, and collided with a সেকেন্ড guard. The two stumbled into each other, clashing heads, and fell in a heap.
"Exceptional, mate," Blaze cheered, bumping fists.
"How much time do we have?" Ruse thrust his cane back, catching a guard in the temple and knocking him out cold.
"Ten minutes," the Brit answered. "We gotta hurry out of here."

Two strong arms wrapped around Whisper, pinning her arms to her sides. "Gotcha," a menacing voice hissed in her ear.
"Not today," she answered. In a moment the man was gipping nothing but air as a blue মেঘ of mist drifted away from him. As he stood in bewilderment, Whisper kicked him at the base of his spine, knocking the man to the ground.
A soldier swung his gun downward, but Aleksander ducked to the side, caught the barrel of the weapon, and thrust hard upward, causing the man to lose his balance. Aleksander turned as someone yelled his name.
"Give me a leg up," Silver called. The boy linked his fingers together and dropped to a kneel. Silver ran his way, and when her boot met is hands, Aleksander tossed her upward. She performed one flip in the air and came down with a boot colliding with a soldier's face.
"Nice." Whisper materialized behind her. Silver nodded her thanks, then waved Aleksander over. "We gotta get to the stairs. There's a jet hovering just above the roof. That's our way out." The two nodded, then all three sprinted passed the groaning guards who littered the floor to the stairwell.
A sudden scream made them all look over their shoulders. Ruse and Blaze came around the corner a moment later. "What the Hell did আপনি do?" Silver demanded. Blaze grinned, "Our darling Ruse simplu played with their heads. They thought they were being attacked দ্বারা a hoard of আগুন ants."
Silver rolled her eyes and knelt before the door to undo the double lock. "Wings..."
"I'm hurrying!"
Another rumble of footsteps echoed from the hall. Aleksander turned on his heel and shut his eyes, concentrating on the energy inside him. The veins on his arm glowed green as the energy took its hold. "Alek!"
Caught in the trance, he had no time to সরানো out of the way as a round went off and a bullet grazed the underside of his chin. Something knocked him to the floor as আরো bullets hit the দেওয়াল above his head.
The blonde opened his eyes, noticing flames being volleyed at the approaching soldiers, keeping them back. He looked up, meeting Whispers eyes. Aleksander grinned, "You saved me again."
She nodded, then her grin suddenly faded. "Whisper?" The boy sat up and caught her in his arms as she fainted. He brushed the azure locks from her paling face, his eyes trailing over her body. They stopped on the red stain blossoming on the left of her chest.
Aleksander put his hand over the wound, trying to stop the blood from leaving her heart.
"Whisper, it will be alright," he promised. "We'll get help, আপনি will be alright." He lowered his head to catch her words.
"Live a good life, Aleksander. আপনি are strong and good; use it."
"No, Whisper, we both will," he told her, cradling her in his arms as blood seeped through his fingers. "We will travel the world together, help people and save lives. Me and you."
Whisper touched his cheek, her thumb cold as it brushed a tear away. "Me and you," she agreed. "We will never be apart."
Those eyes that had always reflected the blue of the sky, the green of the earth, the স্বর্ণ of his heart, faded to a soft azure that matched the light hair that framed her smiling face.
"Whisper," he sobbed. "Please."
"Aleksander," Blaze called near his ear. "I am sorry, but we have to go, the bomb."
"I won't leave her."
"Alek-"
"NO!" A field of energy escaped him. It concealed the blind telepath, the আগুন boy, the young blade wielder, and the blonde boy as the building shuddered, the walls crumbled, and the entire building exploded as one.
When the dust settled, they were the only ones left. Silver knelt across from him and passed her hand over the still girl's eyes, closing their lids. "Requiescant in pace," she prayed. "Rest in peace, young warrior."

This is literally the longest thing I have ever written for the club, and I apologize for its lengthatude. I was so glad I finally got to প্রদর্শনী off Ruse's powers. And then there's the emotionally traumatizing ending... (traumatizing for me to write, especially coz she is my পছন্দ short lives character I've ever written). So yeah, if this doesn't kill you, I had an extra part in mind that might be a crippling blow....