Emily's arms were on fire.
Sweat dripped down her face as she struggled to push upward. She strained, spots dotting her vision. Her head felt lighter than a feather in zero gravity. If she didn't muster enough strength in the next coming seconds, her sternum would be crushed.
''Alright,'' Stella said. ''That's enough. You're going to hurt yourself.'' She helped Emily rack the weight.
''I had it,'' she grumbled, rubbing his forearms.
Stella wasn't buying it. ''Sure you did.''
Emily sat up from the bench and stared at her hands. The two of them had been working out in the weight room ahead of the next day's battle. It was a good way to pass the time—Emily would've preferred to train with Chase or Andre, or anyone else really, but everyone was busy.
They were just a few hours away from confronting Kismet for what might've been the final time. Kane's machine would be going live soon. If they didn't stop it, the world would be changed forever. It was up to them to rescue society as they knew it.
''You ready for tomorrow?'' Stella asked.
Emily shrugged. ''I don't think I'll ever be ready to fight a group of terrorists.''
''Fair enough.''
They sat there on the weight bench, avoiding each other's gazes. The silence between them was tense as always. It made Emily's skin itch. She wanted to get up and run out the room, but that would've made the situation even more awkward.
''Hey, Emily.''
''Hmm?''
''If we die tomorrow,'' Stella began, ''I just want you to know I really am sorry. You know, for everything I did to you. I was cruel and selfish. I never thought about the way it'd affect you.''
She snorted. Her vendetta against the girl had been pushed to the back of her mind over the past couple of weeks, but it was still very much there. Stella constantly apologized for what she did; and every time she did, Emily wasn't sure if she was being genuine or not. She might've appeared to be sincere, but one could never be sure.
Stella was known for her diplomacy and guile. It was no fluke that she was elected student class president. She may have looked like a sweet, intelligent girl, but she could also be manipulative and calculating.
Emily thought back to the day when Stella threw away their friendship.
They'd gotten into an argument about something towards the end of their eighth-grade year. Whatever it was had been so stupid that she couldn't even remember. They'd been slowly growing apart, starting to hang out with different crowds. Stella rose through the ranks of middle school popularity while Emily remained firmly rooted at the bottom of the hierarchy.
One day, Emily revealed her secret to Stella during the heat of their argument. She'd told the girl that she was in love with her. Stella, of course, had no idea; how could she have? Emily did her best to make sure no one knew.
She went to school the next day, hoping that Stella would just forget about it. The quiet stares from the girls in their grade and the crude jokes from the hormone-filled boys suggested that hadn't happened. When one of Stella's friends walked up to her and asked how long she had been a lesbian for, she retreated to the bathroom and cried.
She wasn't even sure if that's what she was. Her feelings were all jacked up. Nothing in her head made sense; but she knew Stella was important to her. Important enough for her to tell her greatest secret. Stella ripped Emily's heart from her ribs and crushed it underneath her favorite pair of yellow heels.
The jokes and snide remarks followed her throughout high school. It'd been the worst four years of her life. Eventually, she learned to ignore what people said. But that didn't mean the hurt went away. She just got better at disguising.
It happened a while ago, but Emily still couldn't bring herself to forgive.
''You ruined my life.'' She wiped her misty eyes. ''How am I supposed to let that go?''
''You don't have to let it go,'' Stella said, her voice softer than cotton. ''I just want you to know I'm sorry. What I did was wrong, I know that now. I know nothing I'll say will change the way things turned out, but I just wanted you to know. I want us to be friends.''
Friends.
It sounded like such a foreign concept. They were, at best, acquaintances. Friends seemed impossible.
But maybe she was right. Perhaps it was time to move on. After all, there were bigger issues than having someone out you to your peers—mercenaries who wanted to take over the world was currently at the top of the list.
Emily wanted to trust again. She didn't want to keep walking around with her guard up all the time. It was tiring and draining emotionally. But, at the same time, she didn't want to be let down again. She'd been let down by Stella, her own family, and pretty much everyone else she met.
She exhaled.
''Fine.''
''Fine?'' Stella's eyebrows rose. ''What does that mean?''
''I'm 'letting it go'.'' She cringed, her cheeks rosier than red flowers in the springtime. ''I have been...a little immature about the whole thing.'' Saying those words felt like pulling teeth.
The bronze-skinned girl beamed at her. She wrapped Emily into a tight hug. For once in her life, she hugged back. Stella smelled of strawberries and jasmine, the sweet, pleasant scent caressing her nose. She smiled.
''This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship,'' Stella joked.
''Don't push it, Sunshine,'' Emily said.
Stella's eyes lit up. ''You haven't called me that in years.''
''We're turning over a new leaf, right?'' The other girl nodded. She then got up and stuck her hand out. Reluctantly, Emily took it.
''Come on,'' Stella said. ''There's a Lifetime movie coming on soon that I wanted to watch.'' Emily groaned in protest as she was practically dragged out of the room.
She hated Lifetime movies. Though, for what felt like forever, she could say she didn't hate Stella. She figured that was a plus.
''Kismet'll probably be camped out in this central ravine.'' Agent Strong pointed a sausage-esque finger at chasm on the holographic map floating above the long table.
The group of Primes, along with the few Atlas agents accompanying them on their assault on Kismet, sat looking at the schematics for the abandoned military base on Adak Island. If Kane was in Alaska, that was where he'd be.
The battle was almost upon them. They were going through a debriefing session to give them enough information so they wouldn't be completely helpless. They managed to find an old map of the base and digitally uploaded it to their systems. Emily watched as it rotated slowly, its blue light bleeding onto the wooden table.
''What about these buildings?'' Chase asked. He stood next to Agent Strong, his eyes narrowed. ''You think they'll be in use?''
The senior agent shrugged. ''Doubt it, kid. A machine the size of the Asclepius would need as much space as possible. The ravine is the only area large enough ta' house it.''
Emily observed the section of the map they were discussing. The base was divided into sections, multiple small buildings dotting around the frozen tundra. Near the center, a huge divot slashed through the ground. It was wide and jagged like a massive lightning bolt. According to the Atlas agents, the inner walls of the ravine held an underground facility.
Kismet had to be there.
''Our main priority is to destroy the machine,'' Chase said. He looked around at everyone. ''We'll be facing a lot of adversity on this mission. We're basically walking into their own turf. They'll have the numbers and defensive advantage.''
''Er, are you getting to the uplifting part or is this all going to be depressing?'' Oscar asked. A few people smiled.
''I was getting there,'' Chase mumbled. ''Anyways, this just means we'll have to be smart. We move as a unit. We cover each other's backs. If we stick to the game plan, we just might make it out of this alive.''
Emily snorted. ''That was reassuring.''
''I'm just keeping it real.''
Part of her respected that. The other part wanted to scream at him for driving her anxiety through the roof. She refrained from doing that. Instead, she occupied her mind by twisting the tips of her arrowheads. The bright colored metal gleamed back at her and she smiled. She couldn't wait to use her new arrows.
''You all should get a move on,'' Director Shaw said from the head of the table. He shakily rose from his seat, leaning on his crutches. ''We don't have any time to waste.''
Chase nodded curtly at the man. ''Of course.''
Emily gulped. Her stomach churned, black roses sprouting at the pit. She wanted to puke. making her want to puke. She wiped her sweating hands against the legs of her mission suit. Her nose wrinkled. Gross.
It was almost time.
Weeks of preparation had gone into this. Were the ready to save the world? Would they be able to pull it off? She had no idea. The thought of it scared her. The likelihood of their deaths was high. And if they didn't succeed, the world would be plunged into chaos.
They couldn't be weak. Tough decisions were going to be made. People would get hurt. Killed even. These were consequences they prepared for. Despite this, she still wasn't sure if she was ready. She didn't think she'd ever been ready.
Beside her, Theo shot up from his seat so fast he nearly hit the ceiling. ''We've got this, dudes! Let's go give those jerks a taste of their own medicine.''
Everyone nodded, murmuring in agreeance.
Out of all people, she would've never thought Theo would've been their mascot. Though, he was always happy. And hyper. And annoying. If anyone was going to lift their spirits, it would be him.
The upcoming fight would be the one to end it all. Everything was riding on the next couple of hours. Emily just hoped she didn't crack under pressure.
Her heart beat rapidly within her chest. She engaged in taking slow, steady breaths to try and calm her nerves. It wasn't working.
Director Shaw hobbled over to the exit, two agents shadowing him. He turned around, his expression stony.
''Head to the hangar,'' he commanded. ''It's time to go.''