Blue.

Everything was just… blue. The narrow lights shining above the crowd of prisoners put an azure filter on everything in their perceivable scope. Their normally gray fatigues, their hefty restraints keeping their arms behind their backs, and of course, their collars fastened firmly around their necks, negating all of their powers. They were all tethered to the metal floor of the cargo bay, so low that they had to remain in seated positions.

Most looked angry. Some looked sad. The rest looked… complacent.

Armed men surrounded them by the cargo bay’s walls, dressed in pads, pockets, and polyceramic armor plating, just to name a few articles. And even without the light, most all of them was some shade of blue. Even their guns, heavy and [i]reeking[/i] of great sums worth of technological implementation. They all stood and kept their guards up, ready to lay waste to the hundred and twenty-nine superhumans they were scheduled to deliver today.

Two men walked along the perimeter. The armed men’s leader, Alexander Haliat, and his right hand man, Elias Winzer. They took a stand before the crowd, and Eli began to make an announcement.

“Alright people, can I have your attention please?” He called out. Most of the prisoners turned their heads towards him, but others didn’t, for their own reasons. He continued on to say, “We’ll be arriving at the northeast shore of Arkos in just a few minutes. Now you all received proper explanation during your detainment, but just in case any of you [i]didn’t understand[/i], I will be reiterating - you’re all trash, and this is your shiny new junkyard home.”

“Eli.” Haliat said sternly, glaring at him through his striking yellow shades.

“Okay, okay.” Eli responded, “This island will act as your new residence for the foreseeable future. You will have no contact with the outside world and it will be up to you how to spend your day-to-day. When we reach the shore, you will be escorted out of this cargo bay and left on the northeast end of the island. Once you’re all beached and we’ve vacated the perimeter, your collars and restraints will be deactivated remotely, and you’ll be free to use your powers again. We wanna keep tabs on how you develop them.”

He began pacing a bit.

“Those of you who can [i]fly[/i] or [i]swim really fast[/i] or whatever, may be tempted to just blast off back to civilization. Let me tell you why that idea is [i]shit[/i]. We’re a long ways off from the mainland and you’ll most likely tire out and sink before you even get halfway there. But even [i]before[/i] that, you’ll notice that the air and sea surrounding Arkos are heavily occupied by Adelon forces. And we have a special little something called the Fenza Mk. IV Heat Seeking Nullifier Missile Cluster, which is our way of saying “go back to your room”. We have them stationed on every ship and fitted on every carrier, and no matter how fast or what direction you’re going, they’ll catch you, and send you plummeting into the water, after which we’ll pick you up and administer additional reprimands, then throw you back to shore.”

Red lights hanging above the large cargo bay ramp-door began to shine, accompanied by an audible buzzing sound. “Alright, we’re here!” Eli called out, “If any of you have no idea where to go or what do, chances are someone from the friendly town of Site Borea will come to greet you, get you sorted out. Supply drops full of food, water, fresh clothes, whatever will occur every day at one thousand hours, and again at eighteen-hundred hours. That’s ten in the morning and six in the afternoon for you simpler folk. And remember - at [i]any point[/i] Adelon may decide they have a specific use for [i]any of you[/i], and if that happens, then we’ll come get you.”

He said that last part in a rather unfriendly tone.

“Until then, we trust you’ll make the best of your situation.” He finished off with.

The ship came to a halt. The cargo bay door began to descend, forming a ramp resting on the sandy shore of Arkos. Nullifier drones detached from the ceiling and flew over the prisoners’ heads, out into the open, forming a defensive perimeter around the ship. Their tethers deactivated, and the troops began huddling them out onto the beach. Some attempted to retaliate, but they were swiftly dealt with, and thrown down the ramp. After but a few moments, all one hundred and twenty-nine of them were out of the cargo bay and officially on the island.

The ramp began to retract, and Haliat and Winzer could be seen watching them, before the ramp obscured them both. The nullifier drones remained for a moment more as the ship departed, and once it was a fair distance away, began flying back towards the vessel. It wasn’t long before the ship neared the occupied perimeter, far off in the distance.

And at that moment, everyone’s collars and restraints deactivated simultaneously, falling down onto the sand below.

They were free. In a sense.