Warning: Even when the first few chapters will be relatively light, the subsequent chapters could trigger some people. Themes like torture, human experimentation and even SA of a minor, discretion is adviced.

Chapter two: The kidnapping

The fire roared behind them, the orange glow reflecting off the ash-covered streets as Violet and Dash stepped out of the crumbling building. Violet wiped soot from her forehead, her arms aching from holding up shields to protect fleeing civilians. Dash stood next to her, his face smudged with dirt but lit with his usual energy.

"That wasn't too bad," Dash said, panting slightly. "We cleared, like, twenty people, tops! New record!"

Violet gave him a sideways glance. "It's not a competition, Dash."

"Everything's a competition," he replied with a grin, before faltering. "Okay, but seriously… that fire was kinda intense. We did good, though, right?"

Violet couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, we did good."

Just as they turned to leave, a man stumbled toward them, coughing and waving his arms frantically. His face was streaked with ash, his clothes tattered.

"Help! Please!" he cried, his voice raw with desperation. "My friend! He's trapped under the debris! You have to help him!"

Violet immediately stepped forward. "Where? Show us!"

The man pointed toward a partially collapsed part of the stairs nearby, its entrance hidden beneath a tangle of charred beams and twisted metal. "Through there! He's in a crawlspace at the back. Please hurry!"

Without hesitation, Dash darted ahead, slowing just enough for Violet to follow. The man trailed behind them as they squeezed through the jagged opening. Inside, the air was thick with smoke, and the only light came from the glow of dying flames.

"Do you see him?" Dash called out, scanning the shadows.

Violet crouched low, her eyes narrowing as she peered into the crawlspace. "I don't see—"

A sharp click behind her made her freeze.

Before she could react, cold metal snapped around her neck. A sudden, suffocating weight pressed down on her, and her powers vanished like a light switch had been flipped.

"Vi! What's going on?" Dash's voice rang out, When Violet turned around she noticed that Dash had a collar just like hers.

The man, his panicked facade now replaced with cold efficiency, stepped back as three more figures emerged from the shadows, each wearing tactical gear. Violet's heart sank as the realization hit her—this had been a trap.

Dash lunged at one of the men, fists swinging. "You're gonna regret—"

But one of the gunmen hit him in the ribs with the butt of the rifle, Dash was alarmed when he realized he couldn't dodge, his super speed was gone.

"Dash!" Violet cried, reaching for him, but two of the men grabbed her arms, pinning her in place.

She struggled, panic surging through her as they tightened their grip. The weight of the collar was unbearable, not just physically but mentally, as though it was crushing every part of her that made her feel like herself.

One of the men barked an order. "Check their suits. Any tech, take it. Now!"

Before Violet could even process his words, rough hands yanked at her suit.

No, no, no NO. Violet thought to herself when they took away the only thing their parents could use to locate them. Panic flared as they stripped it from her, leaving her in the thin underlayer beneath. Across the room, Dash's suit was being torn away as well, his struggles useless against the collars' suppression.

"No!" Violet screamed, her voice raw. "Don't touch him!"

But her protests fell on deaf ears. The guards worked quickly, gathering their suits and any remnants of tech, leaving them both exposed and powerless.

Violet's mind raced, but every plan she thought of hit the same wall: the collars. Without her powers, without her suit's protections, she was helpless.

"Move," one of the guards growled, dragging her toward the exit.

Dash stumbled as they hauled him to his feet, his eyes wide with terror. "Vi—what's happening? What are they doing to us?"

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Just stay calm. Someone will come for us. They'll come for us." She knew it was a lie, but she didn't want her brother to be scared.

As the van sped off into the night, the only sounds were the hum of the engine and the faint, ragged breathing of two siblings who'd never felt so powerless.