Chase's plan to get inside The Acropolis worked like a charm. Honestly, Oscar had expected multiple things to go wrong. A sealed-off entrance. A stray guard on patrol they hadn't accounted for. Perhaps getting spotted on one of the various CCTV cameras around the facility.
Fortunately for them, none of those things happened. After they navigated through the waterfall masking The Acropolis from the outside world, they found their way into the facility's complex vent system and began their journey inside.
Oscar led the way with Chase beside him, their shoulders rubbing as they shimmed through the narrow vents. They were just big enough for them to fit two people in at once. Well, most of them at least. Andre headed the back, as he was far too wide to move with another person next to him.
"Do you know where we're going?" Oscar whispered as he crawled forward. He had been forced to move with the help of one hand as the other was holding up a small plume of fire serving as a flashlight.
"Yeah," Chase replied. He pointed at the end of the metal tunnel. "Exit point is right ahead. If the maps we have are right, we should be emptied into the basement level. We can work our way up once we're inside."
He nodded. Solid enough plan. The basement wouldn't be overly populated with people anyways. It never was. The odd custodian and newbie guard struggling to get a grip on The Acropolis' layout were the only ones who frequented the basement.
It was the perfect place for them to being their infiltration.
As the group continued crawling through the vents, the metal squeaking and groaning every time someone shuffled forward, Chase glanced at Oscar over his shoulder. He arched an eyebrow at the blond.
"What?"
"It's just..." He chuckled. "You were the last person I thought I'd see out here. Especially in these circumstances."
"Yeah, well, right back at you, buddy."
The pair had pulled away from the rest of the group a bit. Chase took their slight separation to talk, much to Oscar's dismay.
"You know..." He scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. Oscar tensed. "I never got to apologize."
"Save it." He rolled his eyes. "I didn't need it then and I definitely don't need it now."
Without seeing Chase's face, he could tell he was frowning.
"Just...let me finish, alright?"
Oscar rolled his eyes and gestured for him to get his apology over with. He didn't want to hear it, but Chase obviously needed to make himself feel better about the situation.
"We should've been there for you that night," Chase told him. "All of us. We should've realized you were only helping Ghost because you had to. You were family and that's not how we should've treated one of our own."
Oscar said nothing. He just continued crawling with his flame bobbing above his palm. He felt something bubbling in the base of his throat, but he forced it down. His mind went back to the night his uncle and sister were killed.
He had just told the team he was the mole in the group. He was at fault for Holly's death. He was the reason why President Crane and the rogue Primes won in the end. It was all on him. If they had ever been a family, then that was the moment he got disowned. They wanted nothing to do with him after that. Had he been in their shoes, he would've done the same.
When he saw that fire swallowing the apartment building his uncle and sister lived in, he needed them. He needed them more than ever. But there weren't there. No one was there except for the overwhelming feeling of dread and loneliness that threatened to crush him to pieces.
A single tear slid down his face. He wiped it away with the sleeve of his jacket. Sniffling, he continued down the ventilation shaft.
Since then he had been so consumed by rage and his quest for revenge. Revenge against Chase and the others. Revenge against Atlas. Revenge against anyone who had ever wronged him.
But hearing Chase apologize now... He wasn't so sure if revenge was what he wanted.
In fact, he knew it wasn't. Deep down he knew all along.
What he wanted was a family.
He glanced at Xiomara, who was shuffling alongside Emily. The two of them were laughing and joking at Andre who was struggling through the narrow vent.
He smiled.
Maybe he still had a chance at having one.
"I accept your apology," Oscar finally said.
"You do?"
He nodded. "But I don't forgive you. I don't forgive any of you." He paused. "Not yet."
"I can deal with that," Chase conceded. "If we make it out of this alive, I'll try my best to make it up to you."
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Sentinel."
"You know me, Fuego. I'm a man of my word."
Oscar faltered. Hearing his old codename caused a spark of nostalgia to course down his spine. Shaking his head, he closed his fist. The fire in his hand extinguished. He pointed at the metal grate just a few inches away from his face.
"We're here," he whispered to the rest of the group.
"Game faces, everyone," Chase said. "It's go-time."
#
Oscar was wrong. The basement was, in fact, not empty. It was the exact opposite.
As he and the others helped each other crawl out the square-shaped hole in the wall, he squinted at something down the hall. He stiffened once he realized what was going on. With his eyes wide, he faced Chase.
"I thought you said no one was gonna be down here?" he hissed.
Chase shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."
Sighing, he turned back around. Luckily for them, the battalion of Atlas agents and Primes at the end of the long corridor hadn't yet spotted them. Their attentions were focused on the elevator, which housed a few familiar faces and a few new ones.
Oscar rubbed his eyes as he gawked at the scene.
Stella, along with Kai, Danai, and two others all dressed in dark blue prison jumpsuits, were staging a last stand inside the elevator. About a dozen Atlas agents had their rifles trained on the five of them. Angus, Lucky, Theo, and some guy Oscar had never seen before were with them as well.
"What the hell is going on over there?" Emily asked as she retrieved her bow from her shoulder.
"No clue," Chase said. He scratched the top of his head, his brow scrunched together.
"Well, there goes the plan," Victor grumbled. He removed his katana from its sheath. "What now, Sentinel?"
The blond looked at the rest of his team for a moment. He then looked back to where Stella and the others were. A battle was about to erupt. It didn't take a genius to figure that out.
Oscar didn't come to The Acropolis to help the Exiles fight. He came to burn the place down. But with so many of his enemies in one place, he couldn't help but wonder if this would be his best opportunity to exact his revenge against Atlas.
He glanced at Xiomara. The girl had her hands clasped tightly together. She nibbled on her bottom lip, an aura of uncertainty enveloping her being as she gazed at the commotion at the other end of the basement hallway.
He cursed under his breath.
Bringing her with him on his asinine quest for revenge was one of the stupidest things he had ever done. He just wished he hadn't been so blinded by his anger so he could've realized it earlier.
She had the same fire he did. A good mentor would've helped her channel it positively and productively. He wasn't a good mentor at all. He had been stoking her fire, hoping it would grow even bigger than his so he could use it for his own personal gain.
Father Vincent's words reverberated in his skull.
He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
"This was a mistake."
Chase frowned at him. "What? No, we still have a mission to complete." He pointed his sword at the agents down the hall. "They're just a roadblock."
Oscar squeezed his eyes shut. Immense regret slammed into him over and over again like a monstrous wave pulverizing the base of a cliff. At his side, he felt a small hand slip into his own. He cautiously opened his eyes.
It was Xiomara.
"Together," she told him with a curt nod.
He exhaled, then nodded back.
He knew what he needed to do now.
"Ready?" Chase asked him.
"Let's do this."
The group turned their attention on the unsuspecting Atlas agents ahead of them. Then they charged.
#
According to the Atlas agents, the recruit rolling with them went by Ironwhip. Oscar thought it was a lame codename. He also thought his power was lame. But after getting slapped across the floor by the metallic cords shooting out the boy's wrist gauntlets, he had a change of heart.
He also realized that Ironwhip was a sadistic asshole who needed anger management classes.
The entire time he was throwing Oscar around like a rag doll, he was laughing like an evil maniac. It took a wave of concussive heat from Xiomara to finally get the guy to release him.
Rubbing the bruises on his wrists, Oscar glared at Ironwhip. After getting back to his feet, he recalled the iron-wrapped coils to his wrists and sneered.
Oscar and Xiomara stood side-to-side, preparing to let off some fire.
Around them, the others were engaged in a full-fledged battle that spanned the course of the entire floor. Chase and Angus were trading blows off to the side while Lucky shielded himself from sonic blasts and arrows from Emily. Victor teleported around decimating Atlas agents with his katana until he was forced back by gunfire. The rest handled the remaining agents.
A few minutes prior, Oscar had seen Stella disappear back into the elevator. He wasn't sure where she was going, but she wasn't that important at the moment. He was too focused on helping the others.
His mission didn't matter anymore. Chase and his Exiles might not have been his family anymore, but they weren't his enemy either. Not really. He was already there. He might as well have helped them. While Atlas deserved to pay for their crimes, he knew there was a better way to go about it.
And he would do it. He just needed to survive the day—along with making sure Xiomara made it out unscathed as well.
First, he needed to take care of Mr. Metal Arms.
"Alright, kid," he began with an air of annoyance in his words. "Step aside."
"You think I'm scared of you?" He snorted. "I read your file. All you do is shoot fire at people."
He scowled. Seriously? That's all my file says?
"Yeah, well—"
He was interrupted by Xiomara unleashing a battlecry straight from the pits of hell. Before he could grab her, she charged Ironwhip with her hands coated in swirling flames. The boy's eyes widened. He couldn't move fast enough to get out of her flaming path.
She tackled him to the ground and peppered him with punches. Soon his white mission suit was covered in scorch marks. He cried out in pain as he desperately tried to get her off him. But she was like a demon from the pits of Hades. Nothing he did would save him from her wrath.
Oscar watched on with a mix of horror and awe. He was just glad it wasn't him underneath her.
After a while, he pulled her off of him. Ironwhip remained curled up on the ground, covering his face and quaking like a leaf in a storm.
"Ay dios mio, chica," he told her. "What was that?"
Chest heaving, she ignored him and rushed her next target—an Atlas agent. The agent immediately turned and ran. The girl chased him down the hall, shouting like a banshee the entire way.
Oscar rubbed the back of his neck. "What have I created?"
As he stepped to chase after Xiomara, an explosion rocked the air. The walls shuddered and plastered rain down from the ceiling. The ground shook, nearly sending Oscar to the floor. He held his arms out to keep his balance. A few of those around him weren't so lucky.
The fighting stopped. Everyone's heads pointed toward the sky.
"What the hell was that?" someone asked.
"No clue..." Oscar mumbled. "But whatever it is, it isn't good."
Everyone was stuck in limbo for a few moments; not quite sure whether to continue the battle or to assess whatever it was that happened upstairs. Before anyone could start the fight up again, Theo rushed into the middle of the scene.
All eyes were on the speedster now.
"I think it's Stella," he said in between pants.
Chase stepped forward. His face was red and covered in sweat. A few bullet holes dotted his black suit, but he was otherwise unscathed. "Stella? What do you mean?"
Angus emerged from the crowd. His bottom lip had been busted open. An enraged look had filled his pudgy face like water in a pool. He jabbed a meaty finger in Theo's direction. "He let her escape." He spat near the speedster's feet. "He's just as much of a traitor as she is."
Traitor?
"What are you talking about, man?" Oscar asked. "She was just trying to capture me and Xio, like, two days ago. She's not a traitor."
Angus shrugged dismissively. "General North told us she attacked him in his office. Said she was gonna turn on us."
"It's clear he lied to you," Emily chimed in. "I know Stella, and she'd never do that."
Chase swiped a hand through the air. "None of that matters right now." He faced Theo. "What makes you think Stella caused that explosion?"
"She went up to the lab to confront Dr. Johansson. She said Dr. Johansson and General North lied about Orion. He was never created to help us. He was created to replace us."
Everyone went silent.
Oscar's entire body went cold. Memories of the flying, golden-eyed Prime who attacked him in California filled his head. Orion had to have been the cause of that blast. But if he and Stella were duking it out upstairs, he had a feeling that fight wouldn't last for much longer.
She was going to need help.
And lots of it.
"We need to get upstairs," Chase announced.
"Nuh-uh." Angus pointed his baseball bat at the blond. "You're not going anywhere."
"We don't have time for this," Chase argued. "I don't care what General North told you. Stella's your team leader and she needs your help. Now."
He lowered his weapon slightly. He looked to Lucky for assistance.
"What are you thinkin', Luck?"
Lucky stayed silent for a few seconds. Finally, he spoke. "Chase is right. Stella is our team leader. If what Theo has said is true, then we must help her before it's too late."
Angus cursed under his breath and hung his head.
Another explosion rippled through the building. Sirens sounded from speakers built into the walls. More pieces of plasters and drywall drifted down from the sky.
They needed to move. Quickly.
Chase took centerstage. He pointed at the elevator. "Agents, take the lift." The head Atlas agent stared back at him with an air of reluctance. "What are you waiting for?!"
"Er, yes, Sentinel!" The agents who were still standing scurried toward the elevator and packed themselves inside.
"The rest of you," Chase continued, "we take the stairs." He then raced for the door right next to the elevator.
Without question, everyone remaining in the hall bolted after him and began their long ascent to The Acropolis' sixth floor.
#
The entire floor was in shambles. Frayed wires sputtering with sparks hung from holes in the ceiling. At the end of the corridor, the glass doors leading into the lab laid shattered in pieces on the ground. Smoke billowed from within. Screams echoed inside.
Panting from the journey up six flights of stairs, Oscar staggered forward.
Upon entering the damaged laboratory, his ears were met with the sound of busted machinery and crackling fires. Behind him, the others cautiously moved inside and covered their eyes and mouths to shield themselves from the smoke.
He and Xiomara entered, unfazed by the toxic fumes swirling around them.
Oscar took it upon himself to get rid of the smoke. Swinging his arms around like an idiot, he managed to siphon most of the grey clouds into his palms. Still, a fair amount hung in the air like clothes on a line. Xiomara copied his movements, and within a few seconds, the smoke had vanished.
He arched an eyebrow at her. "Copycat."
She simply shrugged.
"Eyes open, everyone," Chase said with his shield activated and his sword raised.
There were about twenty of them in total; fourteen Primes and six Atlas agents. In any other circumstance, twenty people were more than enough manpower to take down one Prime.
But Orion was no ordinary Prime. It would take them all to defeat him.
Oscar scanned the room. There was no sign of Orion or Stella anywhere. The evidence of their fight was clear as day, though. Nearly every piece of shiny white equipment that had been in the room had been damaged in some way. Soot rained from the sky and a hole had been blasted into the ceiling, revealing the blue and white expanse above.
Off to the side, Oscar spotted a young woman in a lab coat sprawled out on the ground. A pool of blood had collected around her head. He quickly averted her gaze and pushed Xiomara to his left side, hoping she hadn't seen the body.
An older, blonde-haired woman was slumped over the glass desk near the center of the floor. Her chest rose and fell lightly. She was alive. For now.
"Where are they?" an agent inquired while lowering their rifle.
Oscar had no clue.
"Cassie!" Emily exclaimed. She and Andre rushed over to a metal table with a young, unconscious girl strapped to it. They removed her from the leather bounds and attempted to wake her up.
Oscar blinked once. Then twice. He had no idea what was going on.
"Looks like Stella was telling the truth," another agent announced. They had taken the initiative to peak at the surviving computer screens attached to the desk. They pointed at the cracked display. "Operation Olympian."
"Get away..." the woman murmured. She feebly swatted a hand at the agent. "That's...that's classified information."
"Dr. Johansson, you're under arrest—"
Two golden streaks careened down into the room via the hole in the ceiling. They crashed into the wall before separating. Oscar instinctively covered his head. Another boom rocked the lab.
Stella emerged from the fray with her eyes glowing yellow. A thin, shimmering aura covered her copper skin as she stomped forward. The top of her jumpsuit had been ripped away, revealing the sleeveless white t-shirt beneath it. In both hands, she wielded shining spears of light.
However, one of her arms was clearly injured and her left eye was swollen shut. A dried streak of blood decorated the side of her mouth. Her chest billowed like a balloon as she breathed heavily.
"Orion!" she bellowed. Her voice was layered, almost as if multiple versions of her were speaking all at once. "End this! Now!"
All eyes shifted to where Orion landed. He carefully picked himself out of the ruble. Unlike Stella, he didn't sport a single injury. Not even a scratch. He snatched up a bronze javelin from the ground and launched it at her.
Stella dodged the attack. Her long, dark brown hair whipped around her like a cape. Her eyes widened after settling on the group of bystanders on the other side of the room.
"What are you doing here?!" She frantically waved them off. "Get out of—"
Orion collided into her, sending them both smashing through the wall. Chunks of concrete fell to the ground from their impact point.
"We need to help her," Chase said.
"Er, we've got a problem," one of the Atlas agents said. They gestured at Dr. Johansson, who was typing away furiously on the keyboard built into her glass desk. Somehow, it was still operational.
The agents trained their weapons on her and ordered her to freeze. She ignored them.
"You will not have access to my research," she grumbled as blood trickled down her temple. Her blond hair was matted to the side of her face. A deranged look filled her ice-blue eyes. "If I can't have it, no one can." She slammed her finger down onto the 'enter' button. A shrill siren went off. The entire room blinked crimson as the spotlights in the sky pulsed violently.
Oscar tilted his head. "What did she just do?"
"I...don't know," Chase answered.
The lab shuddered. This time, it wasn't due to Stella and Orion. A series of explosions ripped through the walls, running up to the damaged ceiling. Sharpnel dropped down, clattering to the ground with an ominous echo. The sound of metal beams groaning filled the air.
"Self-destruct sequence activated."
Oscar's mouth went dry.
"Everyone move!" someone shouted.
Oscar dove to the side just in time to miss a falling spotlight from the ceiling. It thudded into the ground right where he had been standing. Sparks jumped from the crumpled hunk of metal. Eyes wide with panic, he couldn't do anything but stare at it. Xiomara pulled him back to his feet.
"The Acropolis is built into a mountain," Emily reminded them. Her face blanched. "The upper floors aren't built to withstand this."
"What are you saying?" someone asked.
"This place is either going to cave-in on itself or slide off the face of the mountain."
Oscar gulped. Neither of those options were good ones.
"We have to evacuate immediately," one of the agents urged.
Chase shook his head. "We have to help Stella." He and the agents began arguing about what their next course of action should be. As they bickered, another blast ripped through the room.
Stella and Orion had returned. This time, Stella was a little more worse for wear.
Orion skidded to a halt on the ruble-covered ground while she rolled along the ground until she hit a slab of concrete sticking out the floor like a shark fin. Low groans left her lips as she remained on the ground.
Something told Oscar she wouldn't be fighting anymore.
Orion turned his attention to the group before him. His hand tightened around his javelin.
"What's the call, Chase?" Andre asked as his skin changed from dark brown to solid steel.
"Half of us stay here and fight," the blond answered, his tone stern. "The rest lead the evacuation effort." He turned to Angus. "Get everyone out."
Angus grabbed Lucky, Ironwhip, and the Atlas agents. Danai, Kai, and Bella—who turned out to be Victor's human girlfriend—joined them. That left Oscar, Xiomara, Theo, the shapeshifter boy they called Mateo, and the rest of Chase's team to take on Orion.
Oscar wasn't sure if it was enough, but it would have to do.
Before Angus left, Chase grabbed his arm. "Don't let me down, Slugger."
"You can count on me, Sentinel."
They shared a nod and a look before the ginger took off with his makeshift squad.
"Alright, everyone," Chase said. He readjusted the blade in his hand before adjusting the strap of his glowing holo-shield. "Let's do this."