Slowly, M'gann felt herself reassuming control of her body. The cannon in the courtyard had been some kind of psionic jamming pulse. As soon as it hit, she felt herself slip away, as if a wall had been erected between her mind and the world. Even her own body rebelled, slipping into her true form. Now she was… underground. She couldn't tell how far, though, and she was still trapped in her own body. The men at her sides pulled her into a dark cell and chained her to the floor, then left. M'gann took a moment to orient herself. The cell was barren, save one feature: a metal cylinder blinking with lights. Hoses stretched from the ceiling and floor to the cylinder, and a thin veneer of condensation coated the surface. What could that be? She wondered. Her eyes widened when she realized she could see a pair of eyes barely showing above the cylinder. They were nearly concealed by a mop of greasy hair, but even still she could feel an intensity burning out from them. It wasn't unlike… No, she couldn't think of that now. She reached out with her mind and touched his consciousness, gently probing it with her own. All the while, his eyes never flinched, or even blinked.
Hello, she projected, hoping he could understand her, I am M'gann. But you can call me Megan. Who are you?
One eyebrow raised, but no other change occurred. Maybe my form frightens him? With great force of will, she forced her body to obey. Slowly, it seemed, she returned to her usual form, a petite humanoid Green Martian, though it really took only a few seconds. The other eyebrow joined its companion in an elevated position.
"Do you have a name?" She asked again, aloud this time.
"You didn't scare me," he said. She jumped. She hadn't honestly expected any speech from him.
"I'm sorry?"
"You changed so I wasn't scared. You didn't scare me." His voice sounded dull and hoarse, but she could tell there was something wrong with him, that he ought to sound different. What had the doctors done to him?
A claxon clanged in the distance, and the intercom cracked the stillness. "Alert, containment breach in Sectors 1 through 16."
"Are you strong in your other form?" asked the boy.
"Yes, White Martians are quite strong."
"Then change back and break out, then you can let me out." This boy was asking her to do what?! "I won't look," he said, averting his gaze for the first time.
M'gann hesitated. "Why do I need to do it?" she asked.
"Because all sixteen blocks on the surface have been compromised. It's a better chance than we'll get again."
"Where are we then?" She decided that if she was going to break this boy free, she would need more information.
"Sixteen cells to a level. Surface level, then sublevels by descending order. We are in 52. Three sixteens and then four. So Sublevel Three."
"Alright." M'gann steeled herself and reverted to her original form. With a growl she tore through the steel manacles. She crossed to the other side of the room and morphed back to her Green Martian shape. "You can look now," she accessed the control panel on the cylinder and disengaged the safety locks. With a hiss of steam, the capsule slid open, and the boy fell into her arms.
His expression didn't change, but his eyes seemed to soften and smile. He was much more frail than she had expected, and he could barely stand.
"Where too?" M'gann asked.
"Up, but not the way they expect. Go out the side. The sun will feel good. It always did," he said, leaning on her as they walked to the door. M'gann was surprised to find it unlocked, though with restraints on its occupants, locks weren't exactly necessary. They crept into the hallway, and headed to the elevator.