Midnight pressed heavily over the Acropolis. The hallways were all but deserted, lit only by blue strips that traced the floor like veins of glowing cobalt. Chase was the first into the hallway after the secret meeting in Emily's room.
He was surprised she invited him, especially since she decided to exclude Stella.
While he might've had a crush on the girl, he couldn't ignore the fact that she'd be the most likely to snitch on them. Director Shaw was well-intentioned. Sending out six teenagers into battle against trained bioterrorists was a PR nightmare waiting to happen.
That's why this was his idea. Not Director Shaw's. Or Atlas's.
If things went south, the heat wouldn't be on them. But he couldn't keep sitting around this fancy facility doing nothing all day. He could punch a hole through cement and withstand the force of tank artillery. Those Atlas agents were normal soldiers. Good men, but they wouldn't measure up to Apex.
Chase knew he was the only one who could.
Eventually, the others stepped out of the bedrooms and into the dimly lit corridor. He donned the running shoes that paired with his bio-suit. Everyone wore dark Atlas-branded clothing to blend in with the night. He wondered if the others had the same idea he had to wear his suit under his clothes.
"For the record," Theo whispered as they approached the elevator doors, "this is the stupidest thing we've ever done."
"I'd say getting kidnapped by terrorists in the woods takes the cake," Oscar joked. "At least we have powers now." All he had on him was his lucky lighter.
"You can always stay here," Emily told Theo while adjusting the compound bow hanging from her shoulder.
"I'm still coming."
They entered the elevator.
"Then shut up."
The five of them moved in silence after exiting the elevator, the hum of ventilation and distant machinery masking their light footsteps. Chase counted every corner, every camera they'd slipped past. The hangar of the Acropolis wasn't off-limits to them—but they weren't exactly taking a quick stroll to look at the waterfall inside. If they were caught trying to sneak onto a secure jet, there'd be no talking their way out of the trouble they'd be in.
There was no room for error.
The group prepared to round another corner that would lead them to a pair of reinforced blast doors. Beyond them was Atlas Incorporated's massive hangar. Leading the group, Chase froze after hearing someone hum down the hall.
He held his arm out.
"What?" Emily hissed.
He peeked around the wall.
A patrol guard strolled across the floor—their boots clacking against the tile—while playing on a noisy game tablet. Distracted, but still on duty.
That…was a problem.
Chase racked his brain for a solution. He didn't want to fight the guard. They were just doing their job, albeit poorly. He glanced at the ceiling. This deep within the mountain turned the compound from a modern marvel to a rocky network of tunnels. A spiderweb of vents and exposed pipes ran across the rough ceiling. Tiny sprinklers dotted the plumbing. His face lit up.
He turned to Oscar. "You think you can set those sprinklers off?"
Oscar squinted, then shrugged. "Only one way to find out." He held his palm upward. Thin trails of smoke floated from his fingertips as he mustered up a tiny flame. Ripples of warmth disrupted the cold, night air as they went for the sprinklers.
An alarm chirped as a light spray of water misted every corridor in the sector as the sprinklers went off. The guard at the blast doors cursed as they got doused.
"What the hell?" They tapped their wrist comm. "A fire alarm just went off in Sector One. Can I get a status report?" After no one answered, they grumbled and stomped down another hallway.
The hangar was unguarded now.
Chase gave Oscar an appreciative nudge. "Nice work, Fire Boy."
"That was all your idea, Goldilocks." He scrunched his face. "Also, Fire Boy? That's all you could come up with?"
The five of them shared a nod before sprinting down the hall, hearts hammering away. Chase scanned his badge, and the doors parted with a groan as the hidden hydraulics granted them entry.
If Chase thought the Forge was amazing, then Atlas Incorporated's hangar was a whole new world.
Massive scaffolds stretched toward the vaulted ceiling. A few engineers in grease-stained uniforms working the graveyard shift in grease-stained clambered along catwalks. The roar of machinery filled the cave-turned-airdock, underscored by the rush of a waterfall that spilled down the back wall. It parted to reveal the main exit. Across the wide runway was a sleek, black aircraft gleaming under floodlights.
Oscar let out a low whistle. "Holy—"
"Eyes up," Chase snapped. "Let's move."
They kept to the shadows, weaving between stacks of crates and half-covered equipment. Workers shouted to one another above, too focused on their tasks to notice five teenagers slipping through. Every second—every step—counted. Their very breaths felt borrowed.
Finally, Chase spotted their chance—a cargo skiff, loaded with supply containers, parked near the base of the jet. Canvas tarps were strapped over the crates, loose enough to hide beneath.
"That's our hiding spot," he told the others.
They dashed the last stretch, ducking beneath the tarp just as a pair of mechanics strode past. The space was tight, and smelled of oil and metal, but it would hold them for the duration of the trip. As long as no one looked inside. Chase slowed his breathing.
Mission accomplished.
Silence ensued.
Then—thud.
The cargo bay shifted. The dirty tarp lifted for a moment as the shadows bent. Chase's adrenaline spiked as he feared they'd been caught.
"Un. Be. Lievable." The voice was sharp, furious, and familiar.
His stomach dropped.
Stella revealed herself with her hands placed firmly on her hips.
"What the hell are you idiots doing?!"
Rubbing the back of his reddening neck, all Chase could do was smile sheepishly at her as she glared at the group.
###
"I knew this was a bad idea," Theo muttered a few moments later as they climbed out of the cargo skiff.
Chase rolled his eyes. He settled in front of Stella, who regarded the five stowaways like a disappointed mother. He didn't know how she tracked them there or how she caught wind of what they were doing, but she could ruin everything. Luckily, the hangar was dark and empty. For now.
He avoided Stella's stare. One of her nicknames around River Hill High School was Sunshine, but at this moment, she could've scared a lion into submission. She leaned into the cargo skiff, now empty, and held out her hand. A glowing, tennis-ball-sized sphere of light hovered above it, illuminating the locked crates and weapons containers inside. "Alright, someone tell me what the hell is going on. Right now."
Emily often joked that Stella's abilities were the weakest of the group. Chase wasn't convinced. Her powers might've been subtle, but they had limitless potential. She could manipulate light, create it from nothing, and slightly alter her own magnetic field. The scientists at the Acropolis predicted she might eventually be able to fly. All she could do now was hover a few inches above the ground. With her gymnastic and karate skills, she often looked like an Olympian during their testing sessions.
Even now, Chase had to stop himself from staring at her. Beside him, Theo tried to mask his teasing smirk. He ignored his friend and crossed his arms.
"Hello? I know you guys aren't mute or deaf," Stella said sharply. "What is going on here?"
Still, no one spoke.
"How did you even…" She shook her head, exasperated. "Never mind. Forget it—it doesn't matter."
"For the record," Theo interjected, raising a finger, "I did not want to do this."
Emily shot him a warning glare. Theo shrank under it.
"Yet, you're still here," Stella snapped, running a hand through her long hair. She turned to Chase. "Was this your idea?"
"Er, it was more of a collective, team effort…"
She simply shook her head. "Let me guess. You planned to sneak onto this jet and…then what? What comes after that, Soldier Boy?"
He pursed his lips at her. He'd told her his parents were in the military in confidence. Theo was the only other one who knew. "Atlas knows where NEMESIS plans on showing up next," he explained. "They can't beat them alone, and you know that. They need our help."
"And how do you know that?"
"Emily broke into the Watchtower and looked at their files," Theo revealed.
"Theo!" Emily buried her face in her hands.
Stella blinked slowly. "I cannot believe you guys."
Chase stepped toward her. She didn't understand. It was why they didn't include her in their mission, however ill-advised it might've seemed. "Listen, Stella, we have to do something."
"Do what exactly?" She tilted her head at him. "Okay, so say you successfully managed to sneak onto the jet. Then what? You don't have any weapons. No gear. No armor. Were you just going to run in there blindly and die?"
"Something like that—minus the dying part," Oscar quipped, forcing a wobbly grin.
"This isn't a joke, Oscar."
Chase sighed. "We didn't expect you to understand. That's why we didn't tell you. We knew you'd try and stop us—"
"And that's a bad thing because…?"
"It's NEMESIS who needs to be stopped. Atlas needs help—even if Director Shaw won't admit it."
Disappointment flickered on Stella's face like a malfunctioning lightbulb. Chase's shoulders slumped despite how he felt about the mission. Why did her opinion mean so much to him? He didn't know. Yes, their plan was reckless, but it was their one chance to deal some real damage against NEMESIS and find out what their ultimate plan was. Whatever was at this manufacturing plant in Colorado held the key.
"Where is this jet even going?" Stella inquired.
"Don't worry about it," Emily answered, her voice clipped. "Look, you can go back to your room and forget any of this happened."
"Not happening."
Before the girls could debate further, Emily froze. She pressed a finger to one of her hearing aids. "Agents. Outside." Her eyes widened. "And they're coming in."
Chase didn't question her. Her hearing was better than all of theirs combined. Right on cue, the hangar's blast doors opened, the sound echoing across the sparse runway.
"Uh oh," Theo whispered.
Quickly, Chase pulled back the tarp of the cargo skiff. "Everyone, get in. Now."
No one protested. They all scrambled inside, flattening themselves behind the crates and containers. Stella extinguished her light, leaving only shadows and the faint hum of electronics masking their presence. Chase felt her pressed against him; his face reddened as his heartbeat jumped. He held his breath as a squad of Atlas agents marched toward them, briefing each other on their mission.
The teenagers kept quiet as the team moved past them, oblivious.
Theo grinned nervously. "It's working…"
"Quiet," Emily snapped.
The agents finished loading their gear—including them—into the jet, and soon the skiff itself was lifted onto the cargo hold platform. Chase felt the vibration through his shoes as something locked them into place.
No turning back now.
"Everyone okay?" Stella eventually whispered.
"What do you think?" Emily muttered, curling up in the corner.
The jet's engines roared to life, shaking the hangar floor. The group pressed themselves as low as possible. The platform tilted, and the skiff was pulled fully into the jet. Chase's stomach flipped as he watched the doors seal through the tarp.
"Next stop," Oscar murmured, trying to sound casual but failing, "Colorado."
Stella summoned another glowing sphere. It pulsed softly, casting eerie light on their anxious faces. "Well, we're in this now. I hope you all know what you're doing."
Chase exhaled slowly. For the first time, the danger felt real—not just a discussion in Emily's bedroom. NEMESIS, Atlas, the mission…everything was about to get very real. Would this turn out to be a mistake? Or would they really be able to help?
There was only one way to find out.
The jet lurched as it gained altitude. The deep rumble of the engines filled the supply skiff. They were officially in motion, headed straight toward the site of NEMESIS's next mission—and everything else awaiting them—in Colorado.