Central City.
Iron Heights Penitentiary.
Unlike other inmates, Leonard Snart had broken out of prison several tis, only to be captured and taken down by The Flash each ti. Because of that, he was "honored" with zero privileges and confined to a special cell within Iron Heights.
His prison space was unique. The cell walls were constructed from superconductor materials designed specifically to contain tahuman criminals. While Snart had no actual superpowers, his repeated prison breaks and high-risk behavior had led to a sentence of 130 years. Only this specially designed cell could hold him.
Nearby, other superpowered criminals from Central City were held as well. Every one of them had been captured by The Flash.
Most had used their powers to rob banks or commit other cris—not trying to destroy the world, just wanting a better life. And yet, they'd all ended up here.
"Just robbed a damn bank. Wanted a bit of cash, maybe make life a little easier. Didn't try to end the world. And this is what we get. What the hell?"
Through the transparent superconducting glass, Bardi observed all the tahuman inmates, most of them lifeless and bored.
Heat Wave.
Weather Wizard.
Mirror Master.
Trickster.
Captain Boorang.
The Top.
He had dealt with all of them before. Of course, "dealt with" often ant shouting matches and scuffles—especially with Heat Wave, with whom he had a long-standing mutual dislike.
Bardi's gaze swept over these villains one by one. So were unfamiliar, likely new additions arrested during his absence. Their records of infamy—mostly involving a string of robberies and inevitable arrests by The Flash—ant nothing to him now. It was no surprise they didn't know him either.
As his eyes passed over the various criminals, so glared defiantly, as though their stares alone could intimidate him, even in this maximum-security tahuman wing.
But the superconducting glass blocked all sound. No one could speak here.
"Ti to eat."
A loudspeaker crackled from a corner of the prison wing.
Monts later, food trays were delivered through a pipeline system built into multiple levels. A chanical crawler deposited als into the cells.
Stewed potatoes, greens, stead buns, and a large orange. Not bad.
The previously listless inmates stirred from their beds, roused by the arrival of food, and began eating in silence.
Bardi picked up his tray and sat cross-legged on his bed, observing the surveillance cara rotation as he ate.
The stead bun was dry and tasteless.
But he would need energy for what ca next.
He finished the bun, ate the orange, and tossed the peel back onto the tray. Then he placed the tray on the return track to be retrieved automatically.
Knock knock…
As the security cara rotated away from his cell, Bardi banged on the superconducting glass twice, loud enough to draw the attention of the bored inmates in neighboring cells.
Though no sound ca through, his exaggerated movents clearly aid to get their attention.
Heat Wave: "Idiot."
Captain Boorang: "???"
Trickster: Raised an eyebrow, eyes gleaming. Snart was a known escape artist, after all. If he was up to sothing, it was worth watching.
Weather Wizard: "What the hell...?"
As the cara rotated back to face him, Bardi calmly returned to stillness.
Then, as the cara turned away again, he subtly used his body to block the lens, leaned down, and exhaled white mist onto the glass wall.
With a finger, he scrawled backward letters onto the fogged surface: "PRISON ESCAPE."
Just before the cara returned, he wiped the words away casually.
The other inmates who had been watching caught the ssage.
They exchanged shocked glances.
Snart had been sent to a supermax unit because no ordinary prison could hold him.
And no one had ever escaped from this particular high-security tahuman wing.
This prison was purpose-built to hold people like them. It was flawless. Escape was considered impossible.
"Okay, Snart's cooking up sothing again."
"I'm in, in spirit."
"What's the plan?"
"Count in."
The once-defeated inmates were reinvigorated. If there was a chance at escape, they wanted in.
Freedom ant money, luxury, and pleasure. No one wanted to rot away in Iron Heights. Even people more privileged than them would find this place unbearable.
They couldn't stay here forever. If Snart had a way out, they were ready.
Eyes bright with tension and hope, adrenaline surged.
Jailbreak. This was their chance.
But then—
The anticipated breakout did not occur.
Instead, Snart suddenly collapsed to the floor, convulsing violently.
He twitched like a man having a seizure, eyes rolling back, frothing at the mouth.
Was this...
A fake illness? To get transferred to a dical ward?
Or maybe to notify his family and request dical parole?
He didn't waste ti. He even added foam for effect?
...
Monitoring Room.
Every supermax wing had advanced vitals monitoring equipnt. In the control room, the prisoners' health could be monitored in real ti.
There had been cases of tahumans faking illness to escape before, but they had been detected and moved to deeper isolation under tighter watch.
The alarm blared.
"Director! The vitals monitor in Supercell R15 shows the prisoner collapsed on the ground. Limbs twitching, eyes rolled back, foam at the mouth. Suspected seizure!"
The prison guard watching the feed reported urgently.
Across from him, the bloated prison superintendent with a slightly distended belly frowned.
Epilepsy wasn't necessarily fatal, but if not treated in ti, it could beco life-threatening. Still, the odds were slim.
But if it was another escape attempt, it would beco a huge problem.
And he would be held responsible.
The director sneered, "He's faking it to break out. Keep watching him."
"Sir, I don't think it's fake. The seizure has lasted over three minutes. His vital signs are dropping. Sir, the inmate... his vitals are rapidly deteriorating."
"Sir, his vitals are… vanishing…"
The guard's voice trembled. It really looked like he was dying.
The superintendent stared at the screen. Snart's body twitched erratically. Even if he were faking it, this was too convincing. The foam. The convulsions. His eyes completely white. It all looked real.
The warden's plump face twisted in frustration. He gritted his teeth.
"Damn it! Trouble again!"
"Send a dical team! Bring ard guards! Prepare for a possible escape attempt! Open the supercell. Give him ergency treatnt!"
(To be continued.)
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