The cargo skiff hiding the six young Primes rattled as the jet lifted into the night sky. They must've hit a pocket of turbulence, as the metal groaned and the floor shivered; for a moment, Chase thought their hiding spot would unravel on the spot, spitting them all out into the cold jet. But then the vibrations steadied. The steady hum of engines and the occasional creaking of crates followed.
It was as relaxing as it could be, all things considered.
Eventually, the others succumbed to their fatigue. It was well past midnight now. Theo had curled into himself, his light snores barely audible. Andre leaned against the back wall with his arms folded and his chin sunk to his chest. He looked like a statue. Even Emily, who seemed to always sleep with one eye open, had drifted off. Oscar was sprawled out across the floor, his body twitching periodically as if something in his dreams was prodding at him.
Chase was the only one awake. Or so he thought.
Blinking through the darkness, he spotted Stella with her knees drawn up. Her eyes seemed to glow through the darkness, reflecting the dim overhead light pouring through the tarp above them.
She lifted her gaze, meeting his.
He dropped his instinctively.
"Can't sleep either?" Her soft voice cut through the silence.
He shook his head.
She nodded.
A silent understanding settled between them. For a while, they listened to the drone of the engines and rushing air. Chase's heartbeat hadn't slowed since they left the Acropolis. Every time he thought about drifting off, he saw Apex's demon eyes, Klaus's cruel smile, and NEMESIS's wretched crimson logo in his head.
Someone has to stop them.
Finally, Stella broke the silence. "Do you ever think about why what happened...happened? To us, I mean?"
Chase blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Why were we chosen? Why were we born different from everyone else?" Stella hid her face between her knees. "I mean, we all come from normal families. We come from a normal town. So…why us?"
He didn't know how to answer.
The question had crossed his mind hundreds of times. He knew he'd never receive a satisfying answer, not from Director Shaw or any of the scientists at Atlas.
And definitely not from Klaus.
Some things just couldn't be explained.
But he knew one thing: why it happened didn't matter. What mattered is what they all did next. That's what Director Shaw told them. He believed those words. That's why he wanted to fight back against NEMESIS.
"We'll never know why," Chase told Stella. "But we have these powers now. And it's our responsibility to do something with them."
"But why us?" She hugged her legs tighter. "Just last month, we were worrying about midterms and homecoming. All our futures...they were taken away from us. We'll never have normal lives again." She paused to wipe her eyes. "I didn't ask for this. None of us did."
He wanted to agree. He wanted to tell her he'd give anything to be…regular again. Growing up as the son of a military officer, he never felt particularly normal. That was nothing compared to his new circumstances.
His dad's words echoed in his head.
"When you've got power, well, son, you've got a choice to make. You either use it for yourself, or you use it for something bigger..."
This was their chance. This was his chance.
"We're not Atlas agents," Stella whispered. "We're not heroes..."
"But who says we can't be?" Chase argued. "I think about changing what happened that night in the quarry all the time. But it happened. We can't change it." He stared at his calloused hands—more capable than ever before. "We're the ones with the powers now—and we can use them for good. If we keep standing by...then what? We let NEMESIS win? You heard what Klaus said in the quarry, same as me. They want to take over the world. I'm sorry, but we can't stand by and let that happen."
She pressed her lips into a thin line. "You're right. I know you are. It's just—it feels unfair. I mean…why us?"
"I don't know," he answered quietly. "But somebody's got to step up."
Stella studied his face through the darkness. Finally, she exhaled and leaned her head back against the crate behind her. "You sound like my teachers, my coaches...even my parents. They're always telling me about this big responsibility I have that I never wanted. They all told me I was going to put our town on the map; all their hopes and dreams…they put all of that on me since I was a kid. I mean, I was heading for the United States Olympic gymnastics team. Now I have superpowers." She couldn't help but laugh.
Chase cracked a smile. "Well, you can still put River Hill on the map." He scooted across the floor until he was sitting beside her. "We can do it together. Even if I'm not really from there."
She started to giggle before clamping a hand over her mouth. Chase held his breath, hoping no one heard them. After no one came to search through their hiding spot, they shared a relieved glance.
Silence returned. But it was different this time. Softer. Lighter. Stella's eyes fluttered shut, and her head tilted toward him until it rested against his shoulder. Chase stiffened. His cheeks flushed. But he didn't dare move. Once he was sure she was asleep, he let himself relax. He leaned his head against the freezing metal wall. Exhaustion had finally caught up with him.
The jet's engines continued to hum as the others sleeping around him breathed, slow and steady. For the first time in hours, Chase felt the weight sitting on his chest dissipate. His eyelids closed.
Within seconds, he fell asleep to the roar of the aircraft.
###
The rough jolt of the jet's wheels touching down yanked Chase out of his sleep. His head snapped forward, eyes blinking away the darkness before realizing Stella was still asleep on his shoulder. She stirred at the impact before rubbing her eyes.
They're landing.
Chase's pulse spiked as reality rushed him. It'd be time to move soon. Soon, they'd find out if they were cut out to be heroes. Or if these powers had truly been given to them by pure coincidence.
He scanned the others as they awoke. Yawning, Theo retrieved his inhaler while Andre stretched his broad shoulders silently. The boys tried to rouse Oscar, who groggily swatted their hands away while mumbling, "Five more minutes."
Emily, however, was already awake. Her searching gaze was stuck on the tarp around them, ears focused on the muffled sounds outside.
The jet slowed, brakes whining. Once it stopped, the agent's voices filled the air—Atlas agents barking orders, boots stomping across metal flooring. The six of them held still while exchanging apprehensive glances.
Chase risked peeking through a gap in the tarp. Atlas agents were strapping on their gear, examining rifles, and moving with crisp efficiency. Within minutes, they were moving out of the jet, one after another. They passed by the cargo bay, unaware of the six Primes hiding inside. For what felt like forever, the sound of boots and clipped voices carried through the skiff. Chase pressed himself to the floor, praying they didn't check the crates.
Then…silence.
He counted to ten in his head before lifting the thick tarp. The jet was empty. The Atlas soldiers were gone. Their silhouettes faded against the grassy field they'd landed in. Dawn was approaching; the rising sun painted the sky orange and gold, washing away the midnight blue.
"We clear?" Stella whispered.
He motioned forward. "Let's move."
The rest crawled out from the cargo skiff, groaning as they stretched sore limbs. Cool, morning air rushed inside from the lowered jet ramp. Nodding to himself, he moved down the walkway, the thud of his boots against the metal rattling in his ears.
Waist-high grass swayed in the wind. In the distance, floodlights cut through mist, illuminating the stark white shape of a sprawling facility.
Chase's stomach tightened. That's where NEMESIS would be.
"Can you hear how far ahead they are?" he asked Emily.
Shouldering her bow, she squinted at the swaying field. "They're a couple of yards ahead. Keep some distance, and we'll be out of their range."
He gave her a curt nod. "Keep an ear out for us, will you?"
They followed the trail, the prickly grass brushing their legs. The air got colder the farther they got. Snowcapped mountains stood at attention in the distance, peering through the dense fog like watchful titans. The damp chill stuck to Chase's skin as he moved.
When they finally crested a small ridge, he dropped into a crouch and signaled for the others to do the same. They all naturally followed him, clinging to him for direction. Someone had to do it, though. Besides, he had the most experience and training out of all of them.
But nothing he'd done growing up prepared him to fight superpowered terrorists.
He squinted at the Arkangel Pharmaceuticals plan spread out below them. Sterile white walls—surrounded by electrified fences topped with barbed wire—stretched for the sky. Watchtowers manned by guards with rifles glowed in the dark. They'd lost sight of the Atlas agents, and he didn't see any sign of NEMESIS.
He frowned.
"They stopped," Emily revealed. "They're somewhere to our left."
"What're they doing?" Stella asked.
"Waiting."
Waiting for NEMESIS.
But where were they? Were the terrorists already inside, stealing whatever was being made inside the manufacturing facility? There might have been hostages inside. They couldn't risk NEMESIS escaping.
Atlas and Director Shaw might've been content with waiting, but Chase wasn't.
Oscar flicked open his lighter, the tiny flame drawing shadows across his face. "So, what's the brilliant plan, Goldilocks? Walk up and knock?"
Chase ignored him and continued to study the facility. Each angle looked more dangerous than the next. "We have to make it inside without being detected by Atlas, NEMESIS, or any of the Arkangel workers."
"Sure, sure. Just sneak into a heavily guarded facility without being seen. Easy peasy."
"Never said it'll be easy." Chase's jaw clenched.
Stella leaned closer, her breath brushing his neck, and pointed toward the far corner of the plant. "What about there? Looks like some kind of ventilation outflow. If we can get through the fence, maybe we can slip in that way."
A cluster of vents jutted from a side wall, masked by unkempt grass and mist rolling from the ducts. mist rolling from one of them. It seemed to be a camera blind spot, positioned right between two cameras watching different walls. None of the watchtowers had a view of the area either.
It's risky…
But it was doable.
And it was their only shot.
"That's our way in," he told them.
The others exchanged wary glances, but no one objected. They pulled their dark clothes tighter against the cold with their bio-suits hiding underneath, their faces set with determination. They slid down the ridge towards the facility, six shadows moving in silence toward the unknown.