Sebastian sat in his cell, arms folded, head down, eyes closed, not moving, scarcely even breathing. To look at him, one might have thought that he was deeply asleep, unconscious, or maybe even dead. But appearances can be, and often are, deceiving.

Sebastian was wide awake and burning with vengeance.

His mind was whirring with possibilities, data banks flashing rapidly behind his eyelids as his super intelligence minutely examined every detail of each escape plan before he discarded the ideas, one by one. The prison in which he, Tank, and Lexi were being kept was too well-made, well-guarded, and well thought-out. He had been searching for loopholes and escape routes for weeks, but there wasn't a single, solitary one to be found.

When the three perpetrators of the bionic rebellion had been brought into custody and placed in these cells, Sebastian thought that liberating themselves would be a piece of cake. The laser bars didn't even have bionic signal interrupters, for all love! (It was apparently part of the whole lame "rehabilitation program"; they were permitted to retain their bionic abilities so they wouldn't die of boredom or feel like their "rights were being infringed" or their abilities "unfairly taken away". Bah! It was enough to make him hurl.)

Unfortunately, while there weren't bionic signal interrupters within the cells, there were plenty without. Invisible energy shields around the laser cages kept the signal interrupters from...well, interrupting their signals, but even if they did manage to escape the cages, they would never make it out the room, much less the building.

Not only that, but the shields prevented the bionic soldiers-cum-students-cum-prisoners from using their abilities on the wardens and guards. When their meals were brought or they were escorted to the bathroom, the energy fields were deactivated, and their bionic powers rendered useless.

In short, the whole situation seemed hopeless. They were never getting out.

Four months. Five months. Six, seven, eight... Time seemed to have lost all meaning and existence to the dark haired boy. Only by the handy calendar app on his chip did he know how long he'd been there. Eight stinking months in this stinking cell in this stinking prison. Three of those months he'd spent alone.

Tank hadn't lasted two. By the end of seven weeks, he was a blubbering, hysterical mess. He had pleaded with the dubious guards, promising and swearing and vowing to be a model citizen if they would let him out. He had even agreed to let them remove his chip so he could live as a regular person.

It had been painful to watch. Sebastian was thoroughly revolted with his former cohort.

Lexi was the next to go. Several months back, she lost it completely. Not like Tank had; Tank was just being pathetically weak.

Lexi went mad.

Trapped in a glowing blue cage in a dark room for five months finally made her snap. It had started with sporadic fits of anger that rapidly escalated into berserk rage. She would tear and scratch at the steel floor, pounding it with her fists in an attempt to break it 'til her hands bled, screaming ceaselessly. She'd started refusing to eat, as if she'd forgotten about food altogether, and would attack the guards when they brought the meals. She had to be sedated to use the bathroom and shower; eventually, she stopped doing both. They had taken her away three months ago, after she severely injured one of the wardens, and Sebastian hadn't seen her since. He didn't know where she was or what they were doing to her, or even if she was still alive.

All he knew was that he was alone. Alone in his prison, vulnerable to madness or a broken spirit, just like his former companions.

But he wouldn't break. No, he would remain strong and in control, biding his time and using his wits, waiting for the opportune moment.

Waiting. Always waiting.