Devon led Max through a rougher part of town. There was trash strewn about the road, and gang members and homeless people were spread out across the sides of the street. Max had heard news stories about this area, dubbed the "Zero Sector". Here, organized crime groups had an unprecedented amount of influence, and there was little to no police presence. Rumors circulated about individuals here with supernatural abilities, but Max always brushed them off as just that; rumors without any solid proof or evidence. He was, however, concerned about why a so-called "Association Agent", someone who works for the government, was leading him deeper into the Zero Sector.
They stopped at a building that stuck out from the dilapidation of the area. It was massive, with tall concrete walls acting as a barrier from the rest of the town. Behind those walls, there was a massive compound, with smooth grey steel walls, occasionally interrupted by thick tinted glass panels that were impossible to see into. It didn't look like any sort of office or government building max had seen before. Then Max had a realization that made his stomach drop. It looked like a prison, not with concrete and bars, but with reinforced steel and glass.
They were greeted by two armed guards just inside the entrance. Max's phone immediately shut off upon crossing the threshold of the gate. Max held it up, alarmed. "Hey—" "Interference fields," Devon said without slowing down. "Non whitelisted signals don't get in or out. Keeps things contained." Max was hit with a heavy feeling, a feeling that he wasn't going to leave this place after he entered. The thought of running went through his mind again, but it was too late. They were inside.
Devon led him through a corridor that smelled faintly of disinfectant and metal. Every door had advanced security measures, with both keycard and biometric verification required to open. There weren't many people walking around inside, besides the overwhelming presence of armed security guards littered across the halls. Max did notice a few people that were… different. They also carried weapons, but not guns. Some carried staves, some blades, all of which dressed in loose clothes, seemingly for ease of movement. That same odd feeling in the air was present throughout the building, but intensified whenever he got too close to those people.
Devon stopped briefly to talk to one of them. A girl, about his height, who couldn't have been older than 18. She had a blank expression on her face, with stern eyes and the same stature that you only see in well trained martial artists. She walked past Max, with a look on her face that he couldn't discern. It could've been disdain, or it could've been pity, but Max just pushed that to the back of his mind. Then, Devon pushed open a small room with a table, two chairs, and a wall of mirrored glass. An interrogation room. Max stopped at the threshold. "No. I want a lawyer" Devon paused. For the first time, his expression softened, if only barely. "I'm not interrogating you. I'm trying to protect you here."
Max's stomach twisted. "So what's this Association you're supposedly a part of?" "Government," Devon said, voice low. "Supernatural division. We handle demons, Flux users, incidents like the bank." Max didn't fully process those words, with an obviously confused look on his face. "What the f-" Devon interrupted him, somewhat impatient. "Yes, demons exist, and Flux is… we can go over that later." Devon watched Max's reactions carefully. "Tell me what you felt at the bank" Max didn't want to talk about it. To acknowledge it. Because if he did, it would feel all too real. But Max couldn't ignore the lingering heat in his body, and the pressure in his chest when Devon mentioned Flux. "Pressure," Max admitted. "Like my head was underwater. Like the air got… heavy." "And when you didn't drop? You tanked that overflow within fifty feet away y'know" Max stared at his hands on the table. "Hot. Like… my body got stronger. Like something clicked in me."
Devon nodded once. "Flux reinforcement." Max looked up sharply. "Are you saying I have magic?" "No," Devon said, and there was a hint of anger in it, as if that word was insulting. "Flux is more like a form of physics you didn't know existed. It's a form of energy most people can't consciously control. Some awaken it through trauma. Some are born with more. When Flux spikes, when it overflows, it can crush a room." Max's breath caught in his throat. "That man in the bank, he was…" "Overflowed," Devon cut in. "He couldn't contain it." Max's mind finally snagged on the impossibility of it. "And that bank robber… contained it?" Devon's gaze went hard. "Yes." Max blinked. "But why? Why would he care? How did he know how to stop it?" "That's what I want to know" Devon said, staring off into the space behind Max, clearly lost in thought.
Max's composure finally broke. "A-Am I going to jail? For using Flux?" Devon exhaled slowly. "No. Not today." Those words sat between them, weighing down the conversation. Max's pulse hammered in his throat. "So what now?" Devon's honesty was blunt enough to hurt. "You manifested in public. That means you're on the board now. The Association can teach you to control it, or they can treat you like a hazard and lock you up. Those are your choices" Max swallowed. "And if I say no? What if I just want to go back to school? Back to my normal life?" Devon looked him dead in the eyes. "Then someone else will find you, and I promise you, you won't like how that ends"
Max nodded once, small and resentful but also terrified. "Alright. I'll join this Association of yours." Devon looked relieved. "Good, Training is mandatory," Devon said. "If you can't control your Flux, you'll be a liability to our team " Max sat back slowly, the cold truth sinking into his bones. "What about my parents? What about my friends?" Devon's voice got lower, and he had a somewhat pained expression behind his eyes. "Ofifcially… You're dead. Your family has been notified, and you'll be prohibited from contacting them. Should they find out about the Association, or that you're alive, they will be silenced by the government. I'm sorry, but there's no going back from here."
"I guess I don't really have a choice then," Max said under his breath. He'd always wanted an escape from the monotony of everything, but never thought it'd be at the cost of everything else in his life. "That's the spirit!" Devon exclaimed sarcastically. "Now let's get down to basics."