"You ready?" John asked.
The short kid in front of him nodded. "Hell, yeah!" They said. A thick coat was covering them, perfect for Alaska, but not so much here.
"Alright, you're gonna carry Six and then just follow me," John replied.
Sam, Malcolm, Nigel, and Lexa were all standing a few feet away. Nine and Six were right next to John while he talked to Leo.
"If you need a break, tell me. You can talk to me in your head if you need to," John told them.
Sam walked up and gave Six a hug before she went to Leo. "I think this will work best if you get on my back, like piggy-back style," they told her.
"Okay…" Six said warily.
John had learned how to use his legacy to make other people fly when he was touching them, but Leo hadn't gotten that far yet.
Six wrapped her arms around Leo's neck and her legs around their waist. Leo slowly started floating, Six nervously looking down at the ground.
"Ready?" John asked Nine, who was waving to Malcolm.
"Yeah," Nine took John's hand and they followed Leo a couple feet into the air.
"This is weird," Nine commented, looking down at his floating body.
"Just keep holding my hand."
"Good luck, mate!" Nigel yelled up to Nine.
"Don't destroy anything while I'm gone!" Nigel smirked up at them before starting to walk away. "Hey! I'm serious!"
Leo laughed and took off into the sky, disappearing into the clouds. John followed them, dragging Nine along. He set a course for the prison, Leo falling behind him.
The temperature got cold fast when they went higher, and John turned on his Lumen. Nine went closer to him, trying to get closer to the heat. He steadied himself before lunging for his chest, then he grabbed his body and wrapped his own around it.
John's face heated up a little at the fact that other people were so close to them. He looked to his left to see Six's eyes closed and Leo with a pair of those goggles old pilots used to wear. They dipped a little lower and brushed their hand against the top of a cloud.
John wrapped his arms around Nine and flipped them over so Nine was laying on his chest. Nine let himself be held and seemed to enjoy it as John played with his hair as they flew.
The air continued to chill until the temperatures dropped to deadly points.
Alright, John thought in Leo's direction. We're almost there. Make sure Six turns you both invisible.
"Okay!" Leo yelled over the sound of the wind. They yelled a couple more things to Six and they both disappeared a few seconds later. John kept him and Nine visible, so they could follow them, but pulled Nine away from his body so they were both gliding along the top of the clouds.
He tipped down a little more and went underneath the clouds. There was an expanse of white below them, broken up by small brown and gray spots, but in the distance was a cluster of buildings.
John turned him and Nine invisible as they grew closer. He reached out to Leo with his mind again. Alright, we're gonna land right in the center of the square. You see it?
John was talking about the circle of ground in between most of the buildings. It was littered with a couple benches and tables.
Got it! Leo yelled to John in his mind.
You don't have to think loudly. Just project your thoughts in my direction.
Sorry!
John sighed, but knew that he was probably very similar when he started out.
He flew lower and was soon able to make out more of the layout of the buildings. The last couple times he'd been here he'd seen Mogs walking around or sitting down, but now he didn't see any. There were still plenty of guards, they sat in watchtowers and stood around the edge of the square.
John slowly floated down to the square, not wanting to tip the guards off to anything. He carefully landed, Nine right beside him. He looked over to the side and saw a pair of shoe prints. Another pair landed right beside the first and John realized it was probably Six.
Damnit, he thought. Leo, we've got to hover above the ground. They could see the prints our boots make in the snow.
Good idea! Leo yelled back in their mind.
John shook his head and focused on Nine. I'm gonna have us hover a couple inches above the ground. He floated them both up and slowly flew towards a metal gate.
Meet me at the gate, John thought to Leo.
The gate seemed to lead inside one of the biggest buildings. It was made from metal bars that were close together. John had figured out how to phase through things from Kopano, but he wasn't able to do it with a lot of people yet.
Leo, John thought, I'm gonna go through the gate with Nine. You and Six should stay out here, but tell me if something goes wrong.
Okay!
John told NIne about the plan and went up to the gate. There were guards on either side of it, one of which looked like they were about to pass out.
John hovered slowly to the metal gate and brought him and Nine through it. He went a bit further before dropping to the ground, only concrete beneath them at this point.
There was another door up ahead, with no bars and a keypad next to it. John phased them though that one and they ended up in a hallway.
This is probably where they keep the prisoners, Nine thought to John.
There were concrete walls, only broken up by doors made of metal bars like the gate they had gone through. The hallway stretched on until another door ended it.
John took a few steps forward, looking into one of the prison cells. There were two beds and a small desk in the room, which had a few books stacked on it. On one of the beds there was a small Mog, who couldn't have been older than fourteen.
John kept walking, tugging Nine along. They peered in on the different cells, not recognizing most of the Mogs in them.
John looked in another cell and saw a Mog he knew better than the others. Rex was sitting on the floor of the room, almost staring right at them, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. And on the opposite side of the room was another Mog. Their back was turned to them and they were looking at something on the desk in front of them.
John pulled Nine through the door and across the small cell. The Mog at the desk looked up quickly as they felt something come near them.
Adam! Nine yelled to John.
Adamus looked different than the last time John had seen him. Their hair had grown out, but also thinned, and their face was sunken in. His clothes hung around him loosely, but they looked like they might have fit him once. Several bandages were wrapped around his head and neck.
"Adam," Nine whispered.
Adam's eyes widened and he turned to fully look at the space between the two beds. Their eyes hardened and they squinted at where John and Nine were.
"Who are you?" His voice was rougher than normal and laced with threat.
John reached out to their mind. It's me, John. Nine is here, too.
Adam looked confused as he looked around the room. Why are you here? It's not safe.
We heard something about an attack. Are you okay? You look…
He looks like shit, Nine thoughts interrupted his own. What have they done to them in this place!? Nine thoughts were angry, to put it lightly.
Shh, I'm trying to talk to him, John thought, then reached back out to Adam. What happened?
Not positive about anything, but a Mogadorian equipped with legacies came through. Tried to free us all. Don't think it worked out like they were planning.
Adam walked over to one of the beds and sat down. They looked around the room again before looking in front of them. They looked beaten, cold, tired, but mostly…broken.
We've got to take them to New Lorien, Nine thought to John, reading the situation the same way.
John had been able to put Adam in the back of his mind, but now he was here, right in front of him. John had felt more at peace in the past couple days than he had in a long time, and he wanted the same thing for Adam.
We're gonna get you out of here, John thought to Adam.
He raised an eyebrow, but even that seemed like it took effort.
"No, John, I'm staying with the rest of my people. They need me," Adam said.
"What?" Rex asked, looking over at them.
"John and Nine are here," Adam told him, gesturing vaguely in front of him.
Rex looked at the spot where they were and slowly nodded. "Okay…"
Adam rolled their eyes. "I'm not going crazy, Rex."
"Adam," Nine interrupted, obviously surprising Rex. "We're not just here to take you. We're gonna take all the Mogs with us. Back home."
Adam scoffed and shook their head. "Malcolm told me about New Lorien and how almost every form of government has it out for you." He showed them something close to a smile. "You don't need to give them another reason to hate us."
Us, John thought. "That's right," he said. "Us. We're in this together." He reached out to Leo and Six. We're getting the Mogs out of here, right now. Six, lead Leo through everything and make sure you guys aren't seen.
Wait, we're busting them out now!? Leo shouted back.
Yep, was all John thought before breaking their thoughts. "Alright, we're breaking you guys out of here." John lurched forward and grabbed onto Adam's arm, turning them invisible. Grab Rex, he thought to Nine, who grabbed Rex by the shoulder and hauled him to his feet.
John looked at the door and took a deep breath. He jumped forward and landed on the other side, looking to his right to make sure Rex had come with them. John couldn't see him anywhere, so he assumed he was there.
John looked up and down the halls and suddenly realized he had zero way to transport all of the Mogs. Wait, he thought back to Leo and Six. Hold on for a second. We're only gonna grab a couple right now. Nine and I are on our way back.
John was just about to fly them all out the door when he felt Adam pulling to get away. John let him go and he suddenly popped into view. Just that small struggle seemed to sap strength out of them.
"You can't just take me away!" Adam told him. "This is my decision! My people need me John, and I'm not gonna let you guys put yourself in more danger for them!"
"Adam," Nine said. "We'll come back for the rest of them, and it's not gonna put them or us in more danger. They're already in danger by staying here."
Adam seemed to actually consider his words for a few seconds before shaking his head. "No, Nine, they'll only come after us. This is a way that we might be free one day. If we go with you now we'll always be hunted."
"You really expect these shitty governments to just let you go?" Nine asked. "They're just lying to keep you locked up for as long as they can! That's what fear does, it makes people reckless and heartless." Nine's voice slowly got quieter. "It took me a while to see that, but it's true. We're fighting something bigger now, something that won't be defeated by just punching and brute force."
John wanted to have Adam see him, but there were probably a million cameras around. Well, John thought, they'd be able to figure it out from our voices. He let his invisibility drop and did the same to Nine and Rex.
Adam looked surprised for a second and John realized that they probably all look different to each other, not just Adam. "Join us," John told them. "We'll fight together."
"But…"
"Hey," Nine said, letting go of John's hand and walking over to Adam. "Come with us." He held his arms out and slowly went up to Adam. He brought them into his arms for a hug, pulling their head against his chest. "Come home with us, baby."
Adam was quiet for a moment before they nodded against Nine's chest. "Okay."
John exhaled a sigh of relief and grabbed onto Rex's arm. He brought them to Nine and Adam. Nine reached out and grabbed John's hand, all of them disappearing a few seconds later.