Hidden Enemies | The Prime Archives #2 ✓

twenty

"You got it, boss. Won't let you down."

He ended the call and glanced at the others in the truck with him. He grinned. "Strap in, boys and girls. It's showtime." He put the car in drive and gunned it for the parking lot's exit.

Viper, along with the others in the van, had made it onto the main road. Police sirens pierced the air outside, but he couldn't see any of them. And with the traffic clogging the streets, he didn't think their presence would make much of a difference.

The all-terrain truck Oscar and his squad sat in careened out of the lot like a bat out of hell. He swerved onto the street, nearly colliding into a poorly placed fire hydrant—and an elderly woman walking her dog.

"Sorry!" he yelled.

"We are going to die," Lucky said, his voice eerily calm.

"Shut up, Lucky!" Holly barked from the backseat.

Oscar ignored them and continued after the black van bulleting down the road.

Cars honked as he whipped by them. Most slammed on their breaks to avoid being crashed into. While he was worried about the safety of those around him, he couldn't let those Primes escape—especially if they managed to capture Senator Crane. Chase was counting on him. The whole of Atlas was counting on him. Everyone was counting on him.

He couldn't let them down.

As he continued chasing after the van, he thought back to his phone call conversation with Ghost. He didn't remember her saying anything about kidnapping the senator. In fact, she had made it seem like they were going to kill the man on the spot.

He was grateful they hadn't, though. But that didn't mean he was any less confused about what their plan was.

"Watch that car!" Archie shouted.

Cursing, he narrowly avoided the delivery truck to his right.

"We are going to die," Lucky said.

"Lucky, shut up!" Holly yelled.

Oscar pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal. He could see the black van in distance. They were about five car lengths ahead of him but steadily growing farther away. He heard the chopping blades of a helicopter overhead. Though, he couldn't tell if it was a police copter or a media-owned one.

A thought suddenly exploded in the depths of his head.

What if they got away? What if Ghost was in the van and she had seen him behind the wheel of the Atlas truck? Would she punish him by attacking his family?

Dread seeped into his veins like a poison drip.

He shook his head, forcing the thought out his mind. If he managed to stop the van and those inside, he would've been free from Ghost and her treacherous hold. He wouldn't have to worry about being a traitor anymore.

Motivation sparked in Oscar's chest like a budding flame.

This was it; his chance to free himself from the treacherous situation Ghost forced him into. This was his chance to finally prove himself to his friends and the world.

But first, he had to stop that van.

An idea grew from the fire in his sternum. He grinned. He glanced at Holly over his shoulder. She was clutching the handhold above the window, her green eyes squeezed shut and her face flushed.

"Dryad!"

"What!?"

He told her of his plan to stop the van. He was well aware that it was a long shot, but he hadn't expected the incredulous look she had given him.