P - O - W - L - F - I - E - L - D

Hacking and coughing, I reached the steps. My head was down out of exhaustion as I walked up the steps and collapsed with Eppate right next to me. With my chest rising rapidly soaking in the sweet air, it was a relief.

"I can't believe we did all that," I said.

No answer.

"Eppate?" I asked, turning to see Eppate pinned with his face against the ground. I didn't have to look up to hear that all too familiar voice.

"My, my, Pendragon. I was expecting a grand entrance but this takes the cake."

I finally looked up at the face, only to be surprised at who the face and voice belonged to.

"Gabe?"I asked. I almost forgot about this guy. His black hair was styled as a faux hawk, he had dark shadows under his eyes and was dressed gothic. If I remember correctly Tippe said he was a jerk. Considering he had Eppate pinned to the ground unable to speak, he was living up to that description.

I had no idea how he knew my name since I never offered it. Unless Tippe told him, well, either way he was clearly racking his brains on what to say next from the awkward silence that fell in-between that space.

"Huh.. so you're one of Tonya's guys, ain't you?" Gabe grinned brightly before turning grim to glare at Eppate. "And what in the hell are you doing with this colored-hair freak all alone?"

Eppate's muffled sounds couldn't answer that so I did.

"Look Gabe, I need that… freak.. to take me to Ti-Tonya. He knows some people that can help me get her." I said. I almost revealed Tonya's real name, but I wasn't risking that.

"Tonya?!" Gabe's eyes widened. "What in blazes is Tonya doing here? I knew Lily needed some help after the party but now Tonya is taken?!" Before I could say anything else, he held up Eppate before smashing his face into the ground again.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Leave him alone." He didn't listen instead he pulled Eppate up by his hair.

"Alright now freak, I knew you and Tonya had something going and now you're getting her taken away? Answer me!" Gabe screamed into Eppate's face. "It's because of that stupid machine you colors are all trying to make, isn't it?! HUH?!"

Part of Eppate's face was scrapped from the ground pinning earlier but now the smash left his nose bleeding a little. How did Eppate take this abuse? He stared back at Gabe calmly. "I can't tell you when you're so close that I can smell your stinking breath."

Before Gabe decided to light some fireworks with Eppate, I all but rushed in to push Gabe off.

"That's enough, Gabe. We're already wasting time." I glared down at Gabe who nearly fell to the ground.

"You putting your hands on me?" Gabe pushed me back, I fumbled to stay on my feet. But I didn't let that stop me. I hated bullies.

"So what? You going to tell the Council on me for stopping you?" I asked. Maybe it was from me having my hair colored to match Gabe, but I wasn't scared. Or maybe it was because I forgot the powers Gabe had. It was likely the latter. After a moment of staring back at Gabe, he eventually took a step back.

"Thank you, Pendragon," Eppate said pushing his hair away from his face.

"Pendragon, huh. Well, if I didn't know any better I'd say you two are the ones involved. So then what the hell is going on with Tonya?" Gabe demanded before turning to Eppate. "And why isn't Lily with you two if you're trying to save her from your other freaks?"

Geez, this guy needed to relax. Now I know why Ton-Tippe wasn't a fan of him. I didn't like him either.

"Lily's trying to tell the Council that the colored hairs had nothing to do with the party's destruction," I said. "We…" I was struggling to explain what I had to do with this. Thankfully Eppate spoke up again.

"Tonya was taken into questioning before Lily and Pendragon could reach the Council since I know the place better than the other black hairs I volunteered to guide Pendragon since I know your kind so much," Eppate said without hesitation. Good cover.

Gabe continued glaring at Eppate a moment longer. I was about to remind him about the time we were wasting until-

"Whatever," Gabe said. "I won't burn that smug look off your face so long as we get Tonya back. The rest of my boys will be coming soon to storm the Council and back Lily up, and it's not going to be pretty if any one of us is taken away. Got it?"

Eppate said nothing, instead, he walked past Gabe towards the nearby door. We were going to follow him, no problem. Except once again I had questions for Gabe.

The door unlocked and we were then walking through the hall which was blue-hued. The walls were outlined with unique shaped pipes. They had this purple grass-like material over them. Was that mold? I didn't want to know. A distinct humming noise sounded over everything.

"So Gabe, if you're here to see the Council how did you end up here? And what did you mean about the machine?" I asked.

Gabe laughed. Glad he was enjoying himself.

"What's so funny?" I asked. See, more questions.

"You are Pendragon. How do you not know about the machine? It's this weird secret thing the colors have been working on to take over our side of town. Everybody talks about it." Gabe dropped his grin towards Eppate, "Oi, you colored freak! Why you holding out on information?!" He kicked Eppate's back pushing him forward. You know what, I take back what I said about Eppate not being calm, he sure was taking this well. Unless he was used to it. If so, now I feel even worse. I had to stick up for him.

"Shut up Gabe, we don't want to get caught," I whispered.

"Shut up? Why? We have EVERY right to be here." Gabe spoke even louder, "If those colored haired freaks want to kidnap one of us to get what they want. Well, forget them! Screw it, I'm going to get the others. See you!" Then he punched my arm. Ow, did it hurt. I tried my best not to flinch but I'm not that strong, luckily he didn't notice. Instead, he jumped Eppate landing him on the floor pinned again. I'm getting sick of Gabe's bullying. I moved to pull him off, but he wouldn't budge as I heard him say to Eppate, "If one hair of Tonya's gets pulled, I'll make sure you repay with every strand off of you." Yikes. Finally, he got off, but not before giving a kick to Eppate's side.

"Get out!" I yelled pushing Gabe leading him to give me a rude hand gesture before running off.

I went over immediately to help Eppate up. "I'm sorry," I said. I wasn't going to apologize for Gabe since he is a jerk and should be the one to do so. But I felt responsible for letting it get this out of hand. So much for working together.

Eppate was a champ. He got up wiping off some blood from his nose again. Gross.

"Pendragon, that wasn't the worst I experienced from the black hairs," Eppate said. "Now that he's gone we better hurry. I doubt he'll last long without being caught by security. They don't allow civilians near the water treatment." He looked around for a moment before motioning me to follow. We were heading down the hall after Gabe.

"Okay, so what was Gabe saying about this machine? Is he true about you guys working on stuff?" I asked.

Eppate sighed, "To be honest, I know as much as you do. Jaden's work is healing so I can't imagine him being involved in some type of machine that Gabe described."

"Maybe Tippe will know," I suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Eppate replied.

We reached a fork in the straight hallway eventually. Some shouting could be heard coming from the right-hand side.

"That must be Gabe, come on," Eppate said before pulling me to head to the left. Yep, good old Gabe. Not long after we heard this alarm. At least I think it was an alarm. It wasn't blaring loud and didn't sound anything like those fire drills we had in school. It was more like someone had fun on the xylophone. Distinct musical tones playing rapidly. It was pleasant yet still left me feeling on edge. Odd, right? That's when I had the idea.

"Do you think we should go back to Gabe?" I asked.

"What? Why?" Eppate stopped.

"Well, if Gabe gets captured then maybe they'll lead us to where Tippe is being held," I said.

Eppate took a moment to think this over before he ran off.

"Hey!" I yelled.

"Not now, keep moving," Eppate replied. So much for my idea.

"Where we heading?" I asked. Despite this turn that we took the hallways looked identical to the room we came from originally. It felt like minutes since Gabe ditched us.

"There's a ladder to a vent that we can climb and be away from the security," He said. Suddenly I heard other footsteps. That had to be the employees.

"How much further?" I asked.

"Almost there….. I see it, come on." He yanked on my arm again. If he didn't yank my arm I would've missed it, he pulled me into a corner where there was a crevice to hide in. Stealth wasn't my specialty. I didn't have much experience with it unless you count those games we played together Mark.

Anyway, we stood there quietly until the footsteps grew louder. I was almost sure they would see us. But they didn't. The longer I stood here the more acquainted I was getting with the surroundings. These pipes were lukewarm and the purple grass wasn't dried or caked on. It felt like some sort of paper material, but more firm. I turned my head to face Eppate.

"Those are binds to keep the pipes at a consistent temperature and preventing leaks," Eppate whispered. He must've noticed how often I kept touching them.

"Right, should we leave now?" I asked. The footsteps were beginning to die down.

"Yes, let's. They'll come back once they realize what the issue was and go back to work." Eppate replied before pushing me out. Nice guy.

I stretched myself out a bit. It wasn't cramped in that crevice but I was in a still position for long enough. Then I followed Eppate again through the hall. We reached another fork but this time headed straight where the room gradually developed a red hue. I couldn't tell if Eppate knew where he was going or if he was winging it. How long had it been since he claimed to see a ladder? Minutes? Hours? Well, exaggerating a bit there. Either way, I had to trust him.

That's when I saw the ladders. Yes, ladders. They were purple shaped and embedded into the wall.

"There we are." Eppate sighed in relief.

"Great, which ones do we climb?" I asked.

"The ladders lead to many areas in the building. The worker's cabin to take naps in between shifts, the main hall, the underground, the meeting room, etc." Eppate walked along the line of ladders while explaining this to me. It was like a lecture, to be honest, as he ran his fingers along the area. He stopped as soon as we heard distant footsteps. "Oh no, come on, climb up this one." He walked over two ladders away from the one he was resting on earlier. "You first." He moved aside so I could climb up it. I didn't hesitate and tried to climb as fast as I could.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" I heard one of them yell.

"Hurry!" Eppate yelled after me. He started to push me to go up. Hey, I was trying.

I climbed up as fast as I could, my feet almost slipping. I didn't chance a glance down below as the footsteps clanking against the floor grew louder.

"SHOOT THEM!" Yikes. As if I couldn't climb up any faster adrenaline finally kicked in as I climbed as high as I could. How far did this go?

"No! Get off me!" Eppate yelled. "Keep going, Pendragon!"

I kept going.

"Get the other one!" I heard another one say.

Suddenly I saw a flash of spark hit above my head making me stop momentarily. Thoughts were racing through my head as I kept climbing. What if I get shot? What if Eppate gets captured? I would have to find my own way out of here if so. Now, what if I get captured? Would we get taken to Tippe? Or would we be held elsewhere? I'd imagine we'd end up with Gabe and away from Tippe.

I finally looked up as the flashes of shots fired at me. One actually did hit my bottom leg stinging it, but I couldn't stop. Even though each time I rose that leg it felt like a hornet injected into the back of my knee. More shots fired.

"Don't shoot the black-haired one! He'll attack us!" I heard someone yell.

"Don't be silly, why would he hang with one of our kind if he was?" Another asked.

I got the brightest idea just then, but I only had one shot at it.

"That's right," I turned to face down at them. Big mistake. I hated heights, gulp. But I disguised my falter by holding onto the rail tighter. "Now unless you want these pipes to burst from my power I suggest you let my friend go. We have business attending to the Council. They are expecting us."

Silence.

I couldn't falter or make another sudden move. I could barely make out where Eppate was in the group of workers. They all wore these sparkling jumpsuits. There were women with purple hair and men with blue hair. Surely, they'd call my bluff.

Then whispering occurred. Huh? They actually were taking a chance. But I still needed Eppate to vouch. "You know, let's not be hasty and talk this out." One of the dark blue haired men came forward, he was darker than Eppate with a voice that sent waves throughout the room. He had to be the head of them. "Can you come back down?"

"And be taken by you all? Fat chance."

"I thought he was going to attack us?" A purple-haired lady screamed, "He's bluffing!"

"No, P-he's not like the others!" I heard Eppate shout. Phew. He was still around.

"Your other black-haired friend has already been taken into custody. That is who you want to see, correct?" The head asked, "We can arrange a way for him to be free if you come with us calmly unlike him."

This man was definitely in control of the group, but the matter stood on the time limit we had to find Tippe. Was this a trick though? If I left Gabe on his own, would this come back to bite me? He said there were others coming in to help Lily. I had no idea how much further I was from the exit. Chances are if I try to leave, they'll get me sooner or later. So what did I choose to do?

I turned to climb up more. That's when I felt the most intense pinch in the back. I heard yells but they sounded distant, including Eppate's as I fell off the ladder. They shot me. I wanted to reach Tippe and that was it. I figured in the end Gabe would meet us sooner or later. Now it looked like it was sooner. That was the last thing I remembered before the world faded to black.


It felt like a quick nap when I awoke. A moment ago I felt like I was floating into a bed of feathers and now I was feeling the hard cement against the back of my head and back. My body felt sore whether it was from the shot, the fall, or the floor I was laying on. I grunted in pain as I got up slowly.

"Oh, it's the Great Pendragon, awake at last," Thanks Gabe. Good old Gabe.

"Shut up, Gabe," Eppate said.

"Don't you tell me to shut up you colored-"

"Are you alright, mate?" Eppate's green locs nearly blocked my vision until he brushed them out of his face.

"Fine, where are we?" I asked.

"Where do you think, we're locked up," Gabe answered. "If only my magic wasn't suppressed in this area I'd burn the walls alive! After you Peppate." Did this guy have an obsession with burning or what?

"Speaking of burning, did you really have to say that to those guards, Pendragon?" Eppate asked. My bluff? Yeah.

"Well, there wasn't anything we could do. If the alarm hadn't sounded we probably could've made it out," I said, looking toward Gabe.

"What? You saying it's my fault?!" Gabe asked.

"If you had kept quiet and left Eppate alone we wouldn't be in this predicament," I said.

"We?! You fool, did you seriously think I got through to you guys without being spotted? You two should've made it through without being spotted after they caught me!" Gabe yelled. Was he seriously trying to tell me that he got caught on purpose? If so, why didn't he tell us?

"Will the three of you shut it!" A deep voice yelled in our direction.

"NO, you shut it! We can speak however we want over here!" Gabe yelled back.

Eppate took me over to one the corners whilst Gabe was arguing with another prisoner.

"Pendragon, what are we supposed to do now? I trust your decision since you're the lead traveler," Eppate lowered his tone to keep it private.

The way Eppate looked at me just said it all. He was looking for direction, even though this was his territory he was at a loss on what to do now. To be honest, so was I. But I couldn't admit that when here we were in the middle of danger. I had to think about this. Lily was talking with the Council. Tippe was trapped somewhere. Aja was with Aunt Judy filling her in on the details. Spader was still on Second Earth. But wait. Tippe was trapped. If she was trapped… I got up to walk over to Gabe who was at the bars screaming his head off at someone else. Eppate's footsteps sounded letting me know he was following me. I moved to Gabe, almost pushing him out of the way.

"What gives Pendragon?!" Gabe asked. I ignored him.

"Excuse me, how long have you been in here?" I asked the other prisoner. I could honestly say there wasn't much where we were. What looked like cement on the walls, ceiling, and flooring. It smelled horrible, likely due to the big bucket in the corner that I was not going to peek into. So I met face to face with another black-haired individual. He was tall, lanky, with messy shoulder-length hair and a scraggly beard with cuts on his chin. You could tell he didn't eat or bathe often.

"What's it to you? Not like you're be getting out any sooner than me," He replied with clear disdain.

"Sorry, I met to ask how did you get here and when?" I asked. At least hearing his story could give him some level of trust. We both had black hair after all.

"Who cares Pendragon?! Let's just forget him." Gabe walked off, clearly impatient. I could see him walk towards Eppate making me step away from the bars temporarily. He needed to back off, seriously.

"I mean it, leave him alone," I said. He spat in my face before walking over to the corner to sit. Nice guy. I can't wait to be rid of him.

"Pendragon? What an odd name," The guy with a deep voice spoke. "Well, I've been here long enough to tell you every prisoner that came here and left after me."

That was very useful. "So why are you in here?" I asked.

"I'll tell you why after you tell me why you're with a colored-hair," He quipped back. I shouldn't be surprised by that question. Eppate turned his back after hearing that.

"I was using him to rescue someone. A close friend of ours was captured." I explained. The man's eyebrows rose at that. "Yes, ours. We were working on something and she was on her way back before being captured. Since his caretaker happens to work with her kidnappers we decided to infiltrate."

"And you want to know if I have seen or heard of this girl?" He asked.

"Please, tell us anything" Eppate had pushed me aside clinging to the barred window to ask.

"Don't talk to your superior like that you colored freak! You should be begging to even speak with him let alone-"

"Shut the hell up you closed-minded fool!" The man yelled over Eppate.

"You shut it! You can't tell me what to do you stupid-" It happened so fast, before I could say anything back, Eppate was on him and straight-up kicked him in the side of the head knocking Gabe into the wall before he slid to the floor. Eyes closed and everything.

"He's fine, just taking a nap now," Eppate walked back over to my stunned face. The man behind me chuckled before coughing loudly.

"Never thought I'd see the day a color-haired knock out a black-haired, you got spunk whatever your name is."

"Eppate,"

The man went silent. I turned back to him, "So, what were you in here for? And did you happen to see a girl get dragged in here?"

The man was still quiet, staring at Eppate before my words appeared to have finally sunk in.

"It's been nearly two decades since I was sent here for attempted murder on a Council member." He said.

My own eyebrows rose in shock. I probably shouldn't be surprised given this was a prison and prisons did house murderers along with trouble makers. But I assumed this was more of a detention sort of facility. Once again I had so many questions, which Council member and why a specific one?

"As for your other question, there was a girl who was sent in here," He added before a frown appeared on his face, "She had guts, attempting to fight the guards before she was kicked and beaten," Seeing the look on our faces, likely prompted him to also add in, "But she was still breathing, calling out the name Tippe."

"Tippe? That's who we're looking for!" Eppate nearly shouted.

"She was calling out Tippe? Why? Who was the girl?" I asked. It took a moment for me to consider the possibility, but before I could even guess the man confirmed my guess.

"I couldn't tell, but from the look on her face, I knew it was Lily," The man still wore a frown on his face, "I use to be her caretaker."