Despite her protests, Director Shaw's daughter had been ordered to rest in one of the beds while she got her neck looked at. It turned out her trachea was bruised and would be sore for a few days. Victoria was tough, though. Emily had no doubts she'd recover in no time.
While she and Stella sat in the room waiting for Chase and the director to come back from The Grid, an explosion rocked The Acropolis. Her ears told her it originated from below her. She could hear the faint crackling of fire and alarms wailing.
Something had happened. She turned to Stella. ''You heard that right?''
Nodding, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. ''What do you think it was?''
''I've got no clue, but it can't be good.''
That was when they arrived.
A flashbang and two smoke grenades rolled into the infirmary like dice. They bounced against the tiled floor before exploding. Stella reacted quickly pressed her palms against each other, suppressing the blinding light from the bomb. The smoke grenades burst, filling the room with sulfuric clouds.
The three girls in the infirmary coughed, covering their eyes as they tried working out what exactly was happening. Heavy footsteps entered the room. Through the thick veil, Emily made out the silhouettes of multiple masked soldiers with assault weapons in their hands. The red breathing apparatuses over their faces told her all she needed to know.
''It's Kismet!" she coughed out.
''Secure the target!" barked one of the mercenaries. The others acknowledged the order and rushed the room.
Emily's eyes narrowed. Target? What target? She didn't have time to work out who they were after. If she didn't get to cover soon, she'd be massacred. There was a counter to her side. Without thinking, she dove behind it. Seconds later, gunfire rang out in the air.
Glass shattered and small bursts of fire interrupted the smoke around her. She pressed her hands against her ears, protecting them from the abrasive noises.
''They're after Victoria!'' Stella yelled over the rounds.
Emily nodded. They needed to protect her. If Kismet was here, there was a high probability that the earlier explosion had something to do with them. A strong feeling in the pit of her stomach told her it came from The Grid. Chase and Director Shaw had still been down there. Her heart dropped.
What if they didn't make it out?
She shook her head. She couldn't think like that. Not now, at least. Her survival, along with Stella's and Victoria's, was her top priority.
A slew of curses flew from her mouth. She didn't have her bow or her arrows. That meant she'd have to use her ability for once. She wasn't looking forward to the strain it put on her throat, but it'd be worth it if she survived.
Leaning to the side, she peaked around her cover. There were at least five Kismet soldiers in the room. One stood at the door, two skirted along the edges of the room, and the other pair cut through the center.
Victoria's bed was at the back. If Emily managed to pick off the guard at the door, she might've stood a chance at handling the others. She had no idea where Stella was, meaning they wouldn't be able to work together on this one.
She took a calming breath.
Rolling out from behind the counter, she unleased a powerful stream of sound from her vocal cords. Rings of sonic energy shot toward the man standing at the door. They hit his chest, sending him flying into the corridor.
''Take them out! Don't hit the girl!" another soldier yelled. Seconds later, another one dropped to the floor, unconscious. Emily noticed a glowing shard of light sticking out their chest. Her eyes met Stella's silhouette, which shone through the acrid fog. She dispatched another mercenary with her glowing knives.
More gunfire rang out. The smoke in the room did well to obscure everyone's position, making the soldier's aim wild and erratic. They all were equally blind.
''Get Victoria out of here!'' Stella said while projecting a circular wall of light around her. Bullets bounced off the translucent barrier, riddling it with spiderwebbing cracks. ''I'll catch up!''
That was all the instruction she needed. Ducking her head, she ran over to where Victoria's bed was. The girl was crouched behind it, a deep scowl on her face. She was weaponless as well; her pistol had been left on a table on the other side of the room.
''Let's get out of here.''
''Agreed.''
While Stella handled the three remaining Kismet soldiers, the two other girls snuck out the room and into the hallway.
''Where do we go?'' Emily asked they ran. Even though she'd been at The Acropolis for about two months, she hadn't memorized the complex's layout yet. Fortunately, she was with someone who did.
''We need to get upstairs,'' Victoria said. They made a break for the elevator, which was a few turns away.
''Why does Apex want you?'' It still wasn't making sense to her. ''I mean, he just tried to kill you.''
Victoria disregarded her question. They continued bombing through the winding halls. Emily's face lit up. The elevator was just a few paces away. Once they got upstairs, they'd be able to group up with the others.
She thought about Stella for a moment. They'd just left her behind to fight off two armed assailants. While she was a capable fighter, there was no way to be sure she'd survive. The thought sunk her heart. Even though she had complicated feelings when it came to the girl, she couldn't stand to see her die—especially like that.
''Come on, we're almost there—''
The girls skidded to a stop.
A cloud of black and red appeared from nothing in front of the elevator. Apex stepped out of it. Cuts dotted his skin. His red eyes shone through his black hair.
''Where do you two think you're going?''
Emily stepped in front of Victoria, pushing the other girl behind her. She glared at the man. ''Stay back.''
He chuckled. ''Or what?''
She unleashed another powerful scream. The hallways shook and the glass covering the lights above splintered into tiny pieces. The sonic blast sent Apex toppling back like a tumbleweed in the wind.
She ran at him, but he recovered quickly. Teleporting out the way, he dodged her fist and reappeared next to her. His lips were twisted in a smirk.
''That was cute,'' he mused. She guided a kick to the side of his head, but it was blocked with ease. Her eyes widened when his fingers curled around her neck. ''You've got a lot of fight in you. I like that.''
''Let me go!'' she shrieked. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get him to loosen his grip. He squeezed harder and dark spots filled her vision. She looked to Victoria for help.
''She won't help you,'' Apex said.
Emily didn't understand. ''Victoria...'' Air refused to reach her lungs.
The girl sighed and shook her head. ''I'm sorry. I can't do that.''
''What—''
Apex poked his bottom lip out, feigning sympathy. ''You really thought she was on your side? Pathetic.'' He tossed Emily to the ground. Her body slid across the linoleum and into a wall. ''Blood always comes first.''
Wheezing, Emily tried to get up. Her body wasn't complying. Her throat felt like some poured molten lava down her esophagus. ''What...what are you talking about?''
''How do you think my men got here? How do you think I knew where to find you two?''
She cast her eyes upon Victoria, who stared at the ground. ''But...in The Grid? He tried to kill you.'' She shook her head in disbelief. ''I don't understand.''
''We planned it. The entire thing,'' Apex continued. ''A few weeks ago, she managed to get in contact with me. Can you believe that? She contacted me!'' He chuckled. ''She suggested for me to turn myself in so Atlas could let their guard down. It took a lot convincing, I must admit. But I'm glad I agreed. It was a brilliant plan. Once I did, she sent Kane the coordinates to your little base and he orchestrated this assault.
''It was the perfect solution to our problem. He needed more research on the Primonium for his machine and guess who had it? Atlas did. So, Victoria informed our men on how to breach your database room and steal the research.''
Emily felt like someone drove a sledgehammer into her stomach. She wanted to throw up, scream, and cry—all at the same time. This whole time, the daughter of the director of Atlas, had been plotting against them. And no one suspected a thing. Apex was right, though. It was brilliant.
The only thing she could manage to say was: ''How could you?''
Victoria frowned. ''You don't understand. You can't understand.''
''How could you do this?'' Emily yelled again. Angry tears stung her eyes. ''You helped him? Him?''
''He's my brother.'' Victoria finally met her gaze.
Apex pressed a hand against his heart. He pretended to wipe tears from his cheeks. ''I'm truly honored. Thank you, Vicky.'' She scowled at him. He held out a hand to her. ''It's time to go. Kane's got a transport waiting for us outside.''
Emily got back up slowly, her legs shaking. ''Don't do this.''
Victoria turned her back on her. ''I have to.'' Without another word, she took her sibling's hand and the two of them disappeared in a cloud of red and black. Emily stood there dumbfounded, her entire body going numb. Behind her, she heard the oncoming footsteps of Atlas agents.
They were too late.
She fell to her knees. They were gone. Victoria had betrayed them. The entire ordeal left her head spinning. The Atlas agents arrived on the scene moments later. ''What happened?'' one of them asked. The rest looked around, bewildered expressions on their reddened faces.
''They're gone,'' Emily managed to get out. She stared blankly at the ground. ''They're gone.''