The door swung open.
Damian and Brian stepped into detention room seven, their footsteps echoing on the blood-stained concrete.
Officer Davies stood on the far side of the room, his sword already drawn. The blade trembled in his grip, Aura flickering around the steel in unstable waves.
Then Brian saw Ming.
He stopped moving entirely, his massive frame going completely still.
Ming hung from chains bolted into the ceiling, his wrists were bleeding where the Aura suppression cuffs bit into flesh. His face was swollen beyond recognition, one eye completely shut, the other barely open through the bruising.
Blood dripped steadily from his mouth, forming a dark pool on the concrete beneath him.
Brian's hands clenched into fists so tight his knuckles cracked.
'They did this! While we were busy planning… They were doing THIS!'
He crossed the room, each step deliberate and controlled in a way that made the air feel heavier.
