Jax's eyes fluttered open, his body aching as consciousness slowly returned. He groaned, the dull throbbing in his head matching the steady, pulsing hum of the containment facility around him. When his vision finally cleared, he found himself inside a cramped, metallic cell—barely large enough to stand, let alone sit. The cell's walls were cold, made from an alloy that seemed to shimmer like liquid yet felt solid as steel beneath his hands.
Jax's heart sank as he took in his surroundings. Rows upon rows of similar cells lined the massive chamber, stacked on top of each other like some grotesque tower. Most of the cells were filled with prisoners, their bodies gaunt and malnourished, some barely conscious. It was a facility designed to strip away any semblance of humanity—or whatever these creatures had left.
"Where the hell am I?" Jax muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. He rubbed his eyes and tried to shake off the disorientation. It didn't take long for his instincts to kick in, his mind scanning for anything that could get him out.
His hands instinctively reached into his pockets, and to his surprise, he found something familiar—the disassembled parts of his laser pistol. A wave of relief washed over him. They hadn't taken everything.
"Thank you, training," he whispered under his breath. His military background with the Federation had drilled these procedures into him—always be prepared. His hands worked quickly, assembling the pistol from memory. It didn't take long before the weapon was whole again, its familiar weight reassuring in his grip.
Without hesitating, Jax pointed the pistol at the bars of his cell and fired.
The bright, focused beam hit the strange alloy… and nothing happened. The metal shimmered slightly, almost like a liquid absorbing the shot. Not even a scratch. His heart sank.
"Figures," Jax muttered, lowering the pistol. He wasn't going to get out of this so easily.
As he stood there, trying to think of a new plan, something caught his eye. In the cell across from him, there was another prisoner—an Atherian, her body glowing faintly with a soft blue light. She sat slumped in the corner, her form flickered like dying lightbulb. Her color, a pale blue, was a sign of her weakened state. Jax recognized her kind—energy-based creatures, one of the founding members of the Federation. He had read about them but had never seen one up close.
"An Atherian..." Jax whispered. He knew their kind were powerful, capable of manipulating the laws of the universe, but she looked too weak to even move.
Thinking quickly, Jax pulled the battery from his laser pistol. He wasn't going to blast his way out of here, but maybe he could help her. He held the battery out through the bars of his cell, his hand shaking slightly.
"Hey," he called softly. "You need this more than I do."
At first, there was no response. The Atherian remained slumped, her dim glow barely noticeable in the faint light of the containment facility. Jax felt a pang of guilt as he realized how weak she had become.
Then, her eyes snapped open. The blue orbs glowed faintly, locking onto the battery in Jax's hand. Her gaze was intense, almost piercing, and for a moment Jax thought she might attack him. But instead, her body shifted slightly, and with a slow, deliberate motion, she reached out through the bars of her cell.
The moment her fingers touched the battery, her entire form seemed to brighten. The soft crackle of energy coursed through her body, her once-fading glow slowly growing stronger as she absorbed the battery's power. Jax could feel the heat radiating from her as she fed on the energy.
While she drained the battery, Jax attempted to strike up a conversation. "So… you're Atherian, right? I've heard about your kind. One of the founding species of the Federation."
The Atherian remained silent, her focus entirely on the energy she was absorbing. Jax sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He had heard they were egotistical and arrogant, and he supposed this was just another example of that. Still, he was hoping for some kind of response.
"Alright, not much for small talk. Got it," Jax muttered, leaning back against the bars of his cell.
For what felt like several minutes, the Atherian continued to feed on the battery, her color slowly deepening from a pale blue to something a bit more vibrant. Eventually, she seemed to have taken in all the energy she could, and the battery flickered out, empty.
Jax was about to give up when, without warning, the Atherian spoke.
"Vissi."
Jax blinked. "What?"
The Atherian turned her head slightly, her glowing blue eyes locking onto his. "Vissi," she repeated, her voice soft but firm. "That is my name."
"Oh," Jax said, taken aback. "I'm Jax. Thanks for… uh, not ignoring me forever."
Vissi didn't respond to that, instead rising slowly to her feet. Jax watched in awe as she raised her hand, and the space between the bars of her cell seemed to shimmer. The bars themselves began to bend and warp, as though the very fabric of reality was being twisted under her command. With a simple step forward, Vissi walked through the bars as if they weren't even there.
Jax's mouth hung open. "Okay… that's new."
Vissi moved toward his cell, her body still glowing faintly, though not as brightly as before. She repeated the same gesture, and the space between his cell bars shimmered and bent. A moment later, the bars parted, and Jax was free.
He stepped out cautiously, feeling the cool air of the facility for the first time since he had woken up. "Thanks," he said, a bit unsure of how to react.
But before he could say anything more, Vissi's glow dimmed once again, and she collapsed to the ground, her form flickering like a dying flame. Jax rushed to her side, panic rising in his chest.
"Vissi!" he called, kneeling beside her. Her body was much lighter than he had expected, as though she was barely there at all. Her energy had drained rapidly after using her powers.
"I… am weak," she whispered, her voice faint. "Bending the laws of the universe… takes too much…"
Before Jax could ask her anything else, Vissi's eyes fluttered closed, and she fell unconscious.
Jax cursed under his breath, unsure of what to do. She had saved him, and now she was too weak to even move. He couldn't just leave her here, not after what she had done.
"Damn it," he muttered, lifting Vissi's limp form onto his shoulder. Her body was light, but her energy crackled faintly, making him feel like he was carrying something unstable.
Looking up at the towering rows of cells, Jax realized he had no choice but to descend. With slow, careful steps, he began his descent down the facility, carrying Vissi with him. His mind raced with questions, but for now, his only goal was to get them both out alive.