“Boss, Boss! A new inmate is coming in!” Sam shouted as he ran. Unfortunately, just as he reached the desk, he dripped on his own shoe and fell flat on his face.“I’m right here Sam, no need to shout.” August calmly chided from behind the desk as Sam bounced up from the ground. “Do you have their name?” Sam stood up straight and looked down at his phone, which he fished out from somewhere. His pants had no pockets and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, for some odd reason that August had long learned not to question, so where did it come form? “Says here that her name is Kayden Maxwell, turned herself in at the Empire State Building a few days ago.” August hummed, taking a sip of his drink. “Power?” “Uh, one sec. Says here it’s complete energy manipulation.” The glass shattered as it hit the floor, water spilling everywhere. “Boss, what’s wrong? Is the water bad?” August stood up hurriedly, paying no mind to the question, and beckoned for Sam to come closer. “Never mind that. Did you say her power was complete energy manipulation?” August demanded, his tone breathless. “Uh, yeah. That’s what it says here. Said she took down the entire Order of Twelve’s Twelve Great Apostles by herself with it too! That’s pretty impressive!” August leaned back and let out a deep breath. “Come on. We’re going to go meet her.”

As their bodies raced down the cold, dim halls of Tartarus, August’s mind too raced as he thought about what he could do with Maxwell’s power. His thoughts quickly went to Einstein's equations. August’s own power was atomic and subatomic manipulation. He could break down and build up atomic structure as easily as breathing, but the energy created from nuclear fission and fusion was simply too great, and too uncontrollable. It would not only incinerate his enemies, aka the prison walls, but also himself. Thus he could only relegate himself to breaking them down instead of simply destroying them with absolute force. With this new girl, however, he could cause nuclear reactions greater than anything mere humans could create without worry for his own safety. She could simply redirect it all outwards. The two arrived before the descent tube as everyone else made way for them. The tube was a 6km long one-way rail track filled with mercury. Any attempts to get out from the track would result in poisoning and suffocation long before the inmate made it out.

A crowd usually formed whenever a new inmate arrived to see which sector they would join. Since August had long since secured his power within the prison by liquifying anyone who dared to go against him, even the other sector masters tried to avoid crossing him. Thus, he naturally got the first pick whenever a new inmate showed up. As they saw August had come over in person, the suspense was completely killed, and most of them went their own way, knowing that the new inmate was either going to end up dead or with August. Right now, the conundrum troubling the man wasn’t whether he’d have the chance to recruit Maxwell, but whether she would accept being under anyone’s authority. This was a villain on par with himself after all, and he had nothing to offer her without knowing her intimately while she had everything to offer him. The doors of the descent tube slowly creaked open and the new inmate stepped out. The first impression August got of the woman was that she was tall. Standing around 6 feet, she was taller than him by 2 inches. With snow-white hair trailing down to her back and eyes as red as rubies, Kayden Maxwell cut an imposing figure. 

As she stepped out of the lift, Kayden noticed that there wasn’t much energy around. Electricity ran through the walls, but there were barely any outlets. If she wanted to break out of here, she would certainly have a bit of trouble, especially if she were to limit herself to not using the other inmates as batteries. She was satisfied with her decision to come down here. It would certainly provide her with the challenge she was looking for. As she looked around, the first person she noted as interesting was a single man who stood in front of all the others. He was of average height but still managed to seem authoritative and powerful with the way he stood and how his dark violet eyes seemed to pierce the soul. That must be August Presalis. He might prove entertaining. Rumors had it that he was quite powerful. Most certainly ambitions, and with plenty of power to back it up, a good combination. 

“Welcome to Tartarus, Ms. Maxwell. I apologize for the lack of welcome, but this prison does not grant us the common luxuries we once had in the outer world.” His words were soft, yet carried an unmistakable weight to them. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am August Presalis, lord of the First Sector of Tartarus. If you’ll allow it, I will be your host until you find your footing in this new environment.” August’s words seemed subservient, but anyone listening would know that there was no refusing him. 

“Thank you for your kind greetings. Let’s take a tour, shall we? And call me Kayden.” By now, the crowd had dispersed, sensing the tension in the air as two powerhouses circled each other like two lions. “Then please, call me August. Let us head towards my abode. It is in the furthest corner of Tartarus and I will show you everything there is to know on the way.” Kayden smiled at August’s attempt to take the lead and allowed him to. “Lead on, August.”

First, they visited the sparring arena. “The Sector Lords are prohibited from fighting in the arena ourselves as the results of arena matches also dictate resource allocation within Tartarus. We only get so many resources per month, sent from the same lift you arrived on.” Currently, the arena was relatively empty. A few fights were happening here and there and a few spectators watched the fights to prepare for more important matches, but all and all, the atmosphere was quite peaceful. “Once a week, all 6 Sectors come together and hold the central resource competition, during which many commodities and essentials exchange hands. The next one will be in 3 days. Would you be interested in seeing it together?” August tested the waters. Although Kayden seemed friendly, the woman could likely end his life in an instant if she so wished by reversing the flow of his blood or halting all impulses in his brain. Granted, the reverse was also true, as he could simply vaporize her, but this was the first time August had stood willingly in front of such a powerful super as an equal. He briefly entertained the thought of killing her right then and there to rid himself of a threat. The though was rather tempting, and he thought it over some more. That turned out to be a mistake.

Kayden’s instincts, honed over many battles, managed to detect August’s brief instant of killing intent. In an instant, she pinned both his hands to the wall and grabbed his throat roughly. “I wouldn’t recommend trying that. I’ve heard about you you know. The Twelve compared me to you as we fought. The difference is, I won. You’re power requires active control. You have to process every atom in my body as you reconfigure it. I on the other hand can instinctively control all energy. I could kill you faster than either of us can think.”

August breathed roughly as he tried to calm his panicked mind. Even when the Order captured him, the chance of death was minuscule. If they had tried to kill him, he would have taken them down with him. Now, however, his life was held in the hands of this woman before him, and there was nothing he could do to stop her if she chose to kill him. “If you’re going to kill me, will you at least satisfy my curiosity?” August asked both in an attempt to stall for time and to find something that could convince Kayden to spare his life. “Oh? What about little old me makes you so curious?” Kayden decided to answer the man’s question as he had entertained her, at least for a few minutes. “Why did you come here willingly when nothing in the outside world could defeat you? What’s your goal here in Tartarus?” August had secretly called for Sam to arrive and prepare to boost him, but he was still a few minutes away. August really hoped that his question would give him enough time. 

“You’re stalling for time.” Kayden pointed out. “But I guess I can indulge you. I came here to look for something fun to do. The outside world is so boring and dull. There’s no challenge. No fun. I had hoped that perhaps I would find my equal in this prison, but you leave me disappointed.” Kayden sighed. “Now that this venture has proven fruitless, I will need to seek out alternatives. Tell me, which of the Sector Lords is the strongest after you? I assume it’s the lord of the 2nd sector?” When August did not answer, Kayden tightened her grip on his throat. “If you hold no valuable information, then perhaps it’s time I rid you of your life.” She glared at him menacingly. “I think … you’ll find that … the situation … is not as you imagine.” August choked out. Kayden loosened her grip slightly in surprise. “You see, my friend Sam arrived within a 100-meter radius just earlier. Right now, we are evenly matched in speed. In fact, I may be slightly superior as I need only to split a single atom to cause irreparable damage to your brain. Meanwhile, you have to do much more than that to kill me.” 

Kayden’s eyes widened in surprise as a foreign feeling invaded her being. “This feeling… is it fear? Yes. Yes, but also … thrill? Amazing. Truly, this is amazing!” Kayden let go of August, causing him to collapse to the floor, and laughed uproariously. August stared at the woman as if she were insane, which in all likelihood, she was. “What … why does that amuse you? You should be cowering in fear!” August glared at the white-haired woman’s face as he tried to gather himself on the floor. “It seems that it was not a waste of time to torture those impotent fools of the Order on their greatest enemies.” Kayden continued as if August hadn’t spoken at all, off on her own tangent. “August Presalis.” The man tensed at the overly formal tone used to address him. “Will you marry me?” 

“Pffffttt. What the fuck!?” August choked on air in surprise. “Will you marry me?” Kayden repeated nonchalantly. “No! Why would I marry you? Why would you even ask that?” August was now thoroughly shocked, fear and unease completely evaporated by sheer anger and embarrassment. “You are the only person in the whole world who has made me feel alive. Just now, I’ve experienced more emotions and feelings than I have in the past 5 years! So I want to spend the rest of my life with you so that I won’t die of boredom. So, will you marry me?” Kayden completed her explanation by asking for a third time. “No, I will not marry you! First, you don’t love me and I don’t love you. Second, We barely know each other! Third, we just threatened to kill each other like 2 minutes ago!”

Kayden thought about August’s objections for a moment. “Simple problems. First, I love you for being my equal, and I’m sure you can grow to love me. Second, we can get to know each other in this prison. It’s not like we have anywhere to be. Third, in this business everyone you know will threaten to kill you at some point. Bonus, if you don’t agree to marry me, then I actually will kill you, since I don’t have much to live fore anyways, and you’re likely my only hope of not being bored for the rest of time. Also, I found your friend and he’s knocked out now. I didn’t even have to do anything. Pretty sure he tripped and knocked himself out.” August tensed, knowing that he had no way out of this problem with Sam unconscious. He also resisted the urge to facepalm at Sam’s clumsiness. At least he was still in range, and the passive boost, although not as good as the active boost, was still something. “Do what you want. I won’t marry you even if you kill me. I don’t love you. And I still have things I need to do on the outside.” Kayden smiled at this, contrary to August’s expectations. “Good. You have ideals and ambitions. I like that a lot. How about this? I’ll do everything in my power to help you escape this prison. In exchange, you let me prove that things can work between us during that period of time.” August tried to keep his expression neutral as he thought about the offer. In truth, it was incredibly tempting. He didn’t have to commit to anything and he gets the chance to take revenge on the Order of Twelve. There was just one issue.

“How can I trust you?” Kayden smiled reassuringly. “I have no reason to go back on my word with what I know. There’s nothing I can do to prevent you from sparking mutually assured destruction between us, and now that I’ve found something interesting, I don’t want to die just yet.” A possessive glint appeared in the woman’s eyes as she mentioned her interest. “Fine, You have a deal.” August reluctantly whispered. “Say it louder please, dear.” Kayden sang teasingly. “I agree ok!” August yelled, embarrassed. In his sort of long life of 21 years, nobody has had the gall to call him dear before. Nobody ad the gall to coerce and tempt him into a relationship either. “Good.” Kayden smiled smugly, satisfied that her trip to Tartarus had brought such wonderful results.

The two continued their tour, with Kayden walking leisurely as always while August prowled in a catlike manner, cautiously, his nervousness from before still not fully dissipated. “Relax dear, I’m not going to kill you since you’ve agreed to my … proposal” August growled and picked up the pace. Unfortunately, Kayden had longer legs and easily kept up. As they rounded the corner, August saw Sam passed out on the floor. He hurriedly ran up to him and sat him on his side, trying to wake him up. Kayden walked up casually as August tended to his friend. “I’m going to have to kill him, you know.”

“What! Why!? I’m not letting you do that!” August immediately positioned himself in front of Sam protectively. “Sorry love, but with him at your side, you might get weird ideas, like backing out of our deal.” Kayden said as she lifted a hand symbolically. “No wait. Please! If you really love me as you claim, then let him live. He’s like a brother to me! He’s the only family I have! You wouldn’t kill your own brother in law, right?” August kneeled before the woman who held his life in her hands and for the first time in his life, he begged. Kayden considered his words for a moment. While she felt no anguish at causing pain to a person she claimed to love, even her twisted ideals had a hint of morality. Even though she was rather unfamiliar with emotion, she still had a bit of common sense left. She knew that she shouldn’t cause a man she just proposed to to live through his brother in all but blood’s death. However, she also sensed an oppoutunity in August’s words. “Oh? Does this mean that you accept my marriage proposal?” 

Seeing that she had lowered her hand, August breathed a sigh of relief. However, as he registered Kayden’s words, his face turned tomato red. “Stop messing around with me you idiot!” He quickly turned around to hide his embarrassment and picked Sam off the floor to bring his back to their quarters for some rest. “Come on, lets get back to my place.” As they walked in silence, August was having an internal crisis. He had no clue why he found himself flustered by a woman who had threatened to kill him and his most loyal friend. “Why the fuck do I find her kind of hot? What is wrong with me? Why is it that her horrible personality is attractive to me?!” August’s thoughts ran at near-light speed as he tried to sort out his feelings, which he only now realized he had. 

“OK, August. You’re resorting to talking to yourself in your own head but this is an emergency. Why do you actually kind of like Kayden? She’s powerful, she’s firm, and she has confidence in abundance. She’s blunt and always honest. It probably doesn’t help that you haven’t felt any affection since Christina, which is a whole other minefield. Oh shit. Fuck. She reminds you of a mixture of yourself and Christina but with none of the qualities that identify her as a treacherous bitch that you only realized in hindsight! Plus, she’s more powerful than you, which is normally a very bad thing, but also kind of relieving. You’ve always held the weight of the world on your shoulders when you felt like you’re the most powerful person in the world, but she takes some of that pressure off. Fuck! Now I have to teach this psychopath to be responsible and help me improve the world, and how to feel proper emotions! Shi-” 

During his internal self-psychoanalysis, they had arrived at August’s living quarters and he walked straight into the door without noticing it. Clutching his nose, the young man fell to the ground with a pained yelp as his thoughts were abruptly cut off. Kayden caught Sam as he fell but couldn’t react fast enough to catch August too. She quickly put the shirtless man down and cradled August’s head with one arm while she used the other to pry away August’s hands to get a good look at the injury. His nose was a bit bruised, but he appeared fine otherwise. Kayden, feeling concerned and thinking about how to make it up to August after threatening to kill someone he loved, leaned in and gave it a soft kiss. “There there. Come one, up you get. Let’s get you to a seat. Here, put some ice on it. A chunk of ice appeared in her hands as she drained the air of most of it’s kinetic energy, freezing it solid. 

“Woah.” August watched as his breath misted while holding the ice against his nose. “That’s incredible. So you really can control all energy forms.” Kayden smiled smugly at the positive reception to her affection. “Yes indeed. Any energy, wether it’s kinetic, thermal, radiation, electric, I can control to my will. When you break it down, most of it is just kinetic energy of different magnitudes.” August pouted at the explanation as he got up and imputed the passcode to his room. “That’s so unfair. I can only manipulate the bonds between quarks. Sure I can cause big booms, ut I’ll die alonside them. The only thing I can really do is turn something into something else. Certainly useful, but it doesn’t even scratch the surface of what my power could do with the right combination and protections.” August lamented at his Power’s lack of versatility.

“Well, don’t worry about it. I’m here now. I’ll protect you, darling. My power is top class, and our two powers synergize very well together.” Kayden felt the strange urge to brag at the moment and thus decided to brag about the one thing she was sure August appreciated, her power. The man in question hummed appreciatively and gestured for Kayden to follow him past the dining room and kitchen right by the door. Making it to the living room, Kayden places Sam on one of the sofas before taking a seat herself. “Drink?” The host questioned. “Sure.” As August poured three glasses of water, he realized that he no longer had any thoughts of killing Kayden. Even with a traceless poison within arm’s reach, in the emergency cabinet, his mind didn’t register the thought of actually doing it for some reason.

“Haaaaaah. I’m fucking hopeless. God damn it. At the very least, I’m going to make her work for it. Hopefully, I can re-teach her to actually feel normal emotions.” August, from subconsciously analyzing Kayden’s behavior, had come to the conclusion that Kayden had been a normal person once upon a time too, likely before her powers kicked in when she was quite young. It was also why she had the desire to find entertainment in the first place as the only thing she associated with love. Thus, his new goal now that he reazied he was just as infatuated with the white haired women as she was with him, if not more so, was to help her feel once again. A difficult goal, but they had quite a bit of time.