When Hal tore open the door to Illyana's cell, he wasn't prepared for what he saw.
Chains stretched from wall to wall, each one pulling her limbs in opposite directions like a human rack. Her body hung limp, her blonde hair draped messily over her face. She looked half-dead—barely conscious, her head bowed as if gravity had claimed what little strength she had left.
The sound of the door breaking jolted her. She slowly lifted her head, her tired eyes meeting his.
"Took you long enough," she rasped, voice dry. "The alarm's been blaring for almost an hour."
"Had a few things to handle," Hal replied, stepping into the room. "You, uh… doing okay?"
"You're asking me that right now?" she scoffed, weakly laughing. "Break the damn chains, idiot."
"Alright, alright, keep your sarcasm on a leash."
Hal didn't waste any more time. He moved to her side and crushed the restraints—first one arm, then the other. As soon as her hands were free, Illyana took over, snapping the remaining chains herself with a surge of regained strength. Her wristband also hit the ground in shattered pieces.
Then, with a flash of blue light, she summoned her sword.
The room lit up instantly, the shadows chased away by the ethereal glow of her weapon. It pulsed with raw power—otherworldly and dangerous.
Hal turned without another word, heading for the door. "Come on," he called over his shoulder. "We need to regroup with the others. We've still got that force field to deal with and—"
He paused.
Illyana wasn't following.
He looked back, only to see her standing there with her sword raised.
"Seriously?" Hal frowned. "Now's not the time for theatrics. If you want to fight, we can do it after we're not all trapped in a prison."
But she didn't respond. Instead, with a single smooth motion, she slashed her sword behind her.
The air tore like fabric.
A glowing, oval-shaped portal ripped open in the space where her blade had cut—swirling, unstable, alive.
On the other side, Hal glimpsed a hellish dimension, a place that radiated more than just heat and shadows. It radiated emotion. Searing rage scorched the edges of the portal. Freezing fear crept like ice through its core. And in the cracks, Hal felt greed—vile, hungry, all-consuming.
It hit him like a wave, thick and choking.
He gagged, nearly doubling over.
"Running off on your own?" Hal asked, his tone casual—like he'd been expecting it. "Thought you said you were going to help us."
Illyana didn't even flinch. "Then you should not have believed me," she said coolly. "All of you… deadweight."
Hal smirked, unfazed. "That so? Shame. I was actually looking forward to getting to know you. But hey—if you'd rather go it alone, I won't stop you. Door's wide open."
She narrowed her eyes at him, but stayed silent.
"I'm sure hiding in that twisted hell of yours is a blast," he went on, voice tinged with sarcasm. "Just you and the demons. The ones that fear you. The ones that want you dead. The ones that never stop whispering. Definitely better company than us, right? 'Deadweights' and all. I'm sure in that comfortable place, you don't miss earth at all."
Still, she said nothing. Just stared.
Hal turned to leave, shaking his head—then her voice stopped him.
"How do you know?" she asked softly. "About the demons."
He glanced over his shoulder. "You told me you've fought them," he said. "And that portal of yours? You don't need a science degree to know it leads somewhere… wrong."
Illyana's expression hardened. But she said nothing more. She turned, stepped into the portal, and disappeared. The rift closed behind her like it had never been there at all.
Hal exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face. "Figures," he muttered, then headed back toward the main building—alone again.
—
Hal was nearly at the doctor's office when he heard shouting from within—voices raised, sharp with emotion. He didn't even need to step inside to feel it. Fear. Rage. Two extremes crashing into each other, cold and hot, like a storm tearing at itself.
When he entered, he found Roberto and Sam squared off, locked in a verbal firefight. But the second Hal crossed the threshold, they turned to him.
"You!" Sam pointed accusingly. "You gone and doomed us all! We can't get through that force field! Ain't gonna be long 'fore the soldiers show up and mow us down! Did it even cross your mind—maybe some of us wanted to be here? Maybe we signed up for this! Where's the doc?! You kill her?!"
"Yes," Hal said flatly. "I did."
The room fell into stunned silence.
"What?" Roberto said quietly. "But I saw you lock her up…"
"I went back," Hal explained. "Tried to reason with her. Tried to get the password to shut the defense system down. She said no."
He paused.
"She attacked me. Not just physically. With words. Hatred. She called us monsters. Freaks. Said we were mistakes born from the blood of the vanished. That our lives should've gone to the ones who disappeared."
Sam flinched at that, eyes dropping to the floor. "She… ain't wrong."
Hal's gaze snapped to him. "Then kill yourself."
"What?" Rahne gasped, stepping forward.
Hal didn't back down. "You agree with her, don't you?" he said, his voice low and hard. "That you shouldn't exist? Fine. Prove it."
A glowing construct formed in his hand—shaped like a knife. He held it out to Sam.
"Here. Do it yourself. Or do you want me to?"
Nobody moved. The air was too still. Too heavy.
"Hey," Roberto said, voice tight. "That's enough."
"No," Hal said, eyes still locked on Sam. "You should be angry at him, Roberto. He doesn't just want to die—he thinks you should, too. All of us. Like we're mistakes."
The knife hung in the air between them. No one reached for it.
Hal walked straight up to Sam and shoved the glowing knife into his hand.
"Do it," he said coldly.
Sam swallowed hard, paralyzed.
Hal closed the boy's fingers around the handle and slowly guided the blade toward his neck, just enough to let the edge graze skin.
"Stop it!" Roberto shouted, grabbing at Hal's arm—but Hal didn't budge.
"What's wrong?" Hal asked, eyes locked on Sam's. "Isn't this what you wanted? Don't you hate yourself that much? Hate being a mutant?"
"Shut up," Sam whispered, but his voice trembled—with more than fear. Rage was hiding underneath.
"What happened when your powers awakened?" Hal pressed. "Did you kill someone? Your parents? A sibling? Come on, say it."
"I said shut up!"
"No." Hal's tone was razor-sharp. "Look, you have a right to exist, Sam. Just because you are a mutant that has powers, doesn't mean that you have no right to live. You cannot just accept that you're going to be brainwashed by some agent in the government to do their bidding. Do you understand?"
"I… I didn't ask for this kinda life," Sam stammered, voice cracking.
"None of us did," Hal said firmly. "But we're still here. Still breathing. So if you really want to die, do it. If not, then stand the hell up and stop insulting everyone here by saying they shouldn't exist too."
Sam finally looked away from Hal, glancing around at the others—at Rahne, at Roberto, at Dani. He saw their eyes. The silent understanding.
He nodded, just barely.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
Hal let go of his hand, and the knife dissolved.
"Good," Hal said, turning to face the rest of the room. "Now, what about the rest of you? Still want to stay here?"
"They said they'd kill me if I couldn't control my powers," Dani said, folding her arms. "So no."
"Roberto?" Hal asked.
Roberto hesitated. "I came here to be cured," he admitted. "But… what you said—about us having the right to exist—it hit something. I don't know if I want to be 'fixed' anymore." He took a breath. "I'm with you. At least until I can find my parents."
Hal nodded. "Rahne?"
She looked uncertain, arms wrapped around herself. "Where would we even go?" she asked. "It's not like we've got a safe place waitin' on us."
"I've got a few ideas," Hal said.
"Wait, I thought you had amnesia?" Dani narrowed her eyes.
Hal gave a crooked smile. "Yeah, well… don't believe everything you hear."
Roberto snorted. "Well I'll be damned. Alright, genius—what are these places?"
"We're going to be hunted by the U.S. government," Hal said bluntly. "I don't even know where we are right now, but if we can get to New York, we've got options. Maybe the Avengers facility."
"Maybe?" Roberto echoed. "What's the other option?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Hal replied, dodging the question.
"D'ye think the Avengers'll even help us?" Rahne asked quietly.
"It's a gamble," Hal admitted. "But Captain America's there. Last I heard, he stood against the entire world government for what he believed in. If anyone would listen, it's him."
"Right…" Dani murmured.
"So?" Hal pressed gently. "Rahne?"
She glanced at the others, then nodded. "Aye, alright. It's not like I've got anywhere else to go."
Finally, Hal turned to the last one. "Sam?"
Sam stared at the ground, nervously biting at his thumbnail. After a long pause, he mumbled, "Alright... I'll come."
Hal gave him a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks. Then we should—"
"Wait," Rahne cut in suddenly, head tilted.
Hal turned to her. "What is it?"
"I hear somethin'... a car, engines." She pointed toward a far distance. "Comin' from that way."
Hal's expression darkened. "Backup. Probably reinforcements from the alarm earlier."
Roberto's face paled. "What do we do?"
Hal took a deep breath. "What else? We fight."
"We can't fight," Roberto said, panicked. The others nodded in agreement.
"You have to now," Hal said firmly. "But if you really can't—hide. Stay in the building. I'll do what I can. Here, I'll destroy your wristband."
Rahne looked at him, concerned. "What if you die? Or get caught?"
Hal gave a calm, almost defiant smile. "That's not going to happen."