It was safe to say the mission in Egypt was a disaster.
Oscar hadn't been expecting such a massive slipup from the team that went. Lucky and Kai were supposed to be the responsible ones. Danai, while a bit of a wildcard, wasn't an idiot; she knew when to follow orders.
And Emily wasn't a bad leader. Sure, she could be a bit aggressive and bullish, but she had good instincts and even better judgment. The mission should've been easy for them.
When Oscar had seen the news report a few hours before Emily's team returned from Egypt, he couldn't believe his eyes. Even though they managed to capture Sandstorm and his accomplice, who turned out to be a Prime herself, too much damage had been caused. There were at least three casualties and even more injuries.
Part of the altercation had been caught on a few phone recordings. A car had been hit with one of Emily's arrows, sending it careening into a building. The grainy footage displayed the wreck—and the bodies on the ground.
When Emily and her team arrived back at The Acropolis, Oscar knew they would be in for an earful from Director Shaw. The man rarely got angry, but things were getting serious now. This whole PRA situation had begun to make everyone tense. Nervous. Anxious.
With the United Nations general assembly coming up in a few days, the last thing they needed was another botched mission.
Sighing, Oscar changed the channel on the television in The Acropolis' common room. Chase, Stella, Andre, and a few of the new recruits were sitting around him.
"We were watching that," Andre said with a deep frown.
"Yeah, well, it was bumming me out," Oscar replied.
Before Andre could say anything back, someone's phone chimed.
Chase glanced at his cellular device and groaned. "Oscar, Stella, Andre. Let's go."
Oscar squinted at the blond. Without seeing the screen, he already knew what was on it. Shaking his head, he stood up and walked over to the exit with Andre.
Zach, the thirteen-year-old speedster who Theo had claimed as his protegee, arched an eyebrow at his team leader. "Where are you guys going?" His verdant eyes lit up. He zipped over to Chase in a flash of neon green. "Can I come? Can I come? Please?"
Chase ruffled the kid's hair and smiled. "Sorry, bud. Director Shaw called for us and only us."
The boy pursed his lips and returned to the couch. "How come I never get to do anything cool? I've never even been on a real mission yet."
"You're still in training, Zach," Stella reminded him.
Oscar grinned at him. "You'll get your chance soon enough, Greeny."
"It's Neon," Zach corrected with a scowl. "I hate when you call me Greeny."
"That's why I call you it."
Chase shook his head at both of them. "Alright, let's go. Don't want to keep Director Shaw waiting."
The four of them said their goodbyes to the others in the common room and made their way to Director Shaw's office.
#
"We're going to New York!?" Oscar beamed at the blue-eyed man sitting at the desk on the other side of the room.
Director Shaw rubbed his wrinkled forehead and sighed. "Yes, Oscar. You guys are coming with me to New York."
"Alright!" Oscar turned to his friends, who were visibly less excited than he was. "Why is no one else pumped? We're going to New York!"
"It's not exactly a vacation, Oscar," Chase pointed out. "We're going to support Director Shaw and protect the people at the assembly."
Oscar waved him off. "They'll have security. Besides, no one is going to be stupid enough to attack the assembly."
"You'd be surprised," Stella said. "We have our fair share of enemies across the world. Even though Kismet is disbanded, Kane's philosophy inspired people. We've got to keep our guard up."
Beside her, Chase nodded. "She's right. We can't get too comfortable."
Oscar rolled his eyes at the couple. They seemed to agree on everything. Well, everything except Alastair Crane and the PRA. But that was a difficult subject—a subject that seemed to slowly be dividing their tight-knit group.
"You guys are lame," he said with a groan.
"Anyways," Director Shaw began, "we'll be leaving tomorrow morning. The conference begins the day after we arrive, so you all will have a few hours to explore the city should you want to."
Oscar's eyes lit up. While it might not have been a vacation, at least they'd be able to do something fun.
He had been to New York before, but it had been a very short trip and he had been on business for Atlas. He didn't even get to go into the city. Now, he was going to finally be able to visit Central Park. From what he could tell from the movies he'd watched, Central Park was beautiful. It was huge and full of trees—a much different site from what he was used to at The Acropolis, which was built into a mountain, and his uncle's apartment in Portland.
He'd always dreamt of taking a stroll through Central Park at night with a certain someone.
A smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, before I forget," Director Shaw said. "My daughter will be accompanying us too. I'm hoping she'll take to the more diplomatic side of things here at Atlas. I won't be CEO forever, you know."
"Don't say that," Stella scolded. "I can't even bear to think of someone else running this place."
Andre tilted his head at the man. "You're not leaving us, are you?"
"Not anytime soon, I hope," Director Shaw replied. "But this PRA thing has me a bit worried. If it goes through, the United Nations will absorb the company. I'll most likely be forced to give up my position."
Chase scowled. "That's not going to happen, sir. I promise you that."
He gave the blond a wry smile but said nothing further.
Oscar stabbed his foot into the carpet. "Er, this probably isn't the right time, but you said Victoria is coming?" Everyone in the room groaned and rolled their eyes at him. He threw his hands up innocently. "What? It was just a question."
"Just ask her out already," Andre told him.
He stole a quick glance at Director Shaw, who simply chuckled, before replying. "It's not that easy, man. I turn into an idiot whenever I'm near her."
"You're pretty much an idiot all the time, though," Andre quipped.
"Haha, very funny."
Director Shaw stood up from his desk and walked over to the door of his exit. He opened the door and gestured out toward the hallway. "Alright, I think it's time for you all to go. You've got packing to do. Make sure to bring something nice to wear. I can't have you showing up to the assembly in jeans."
"You got it, boss," Oscar said as he left the room behind his friends. "See ya' tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Oscar," the man said with a laugh.
#
Director Shaw had booked them a hotel in SoHo, New York City.
It was easily the nicest place Oscar had ever been in.
The hotel was a massive, brick building with beige accents. It stretched into the clouds for what seemed like miles. According to the attendant at the check-in desk, there was a pool and jacuzzi on the roof—along with an arcade, bowling alley, and spa throughout the rest of the hotel.
"Are you sure we can't stay here after the assembly?" Oscar asked as the group made their way to their rooms.
"Nope," Chase said. "Not sure if you forgot, but we're superheroes now. We've got jobs to do and people to save."
Oscar crossed his arms.
"You're such a child," Victoria said with a shake of her head.
"Yeah, well..." He stalled as he tried to think of the perfect comeback. Unfortunately, his mind went blank as he watched the girl pull ahead of him. "You're mean."
"Mean? Is that the best you could come up with?"
"My brain's a little preoccupied right now."
Behind him, Andre snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure it is." He shouldered the duffel bags over his massive shoulder and surged ahead of Oscar.
He and Chase had been tasked with carrying their bags, as they opted not to use the bellhop in the lobby. Director Shaw didn't want people knowing where their rooms were in case any fans—or enemies—decided to pay them a visit.
Oscar didn't get what the big deal was. He had yet to see these enemies his friends kept referring to. Besides the rogue Primes they had taken down over the past year, no one had deliberately attacked them. There were no hidden Kismet cells or insurgents inspired by Kane's crackpot philosophy.
They were untouchable. Who in their right mind would stand up to them?
Chase could launch a car across a football field if he got worked up enough. Now that Stella had learned to fly, she had become one of the most powerful members of the team. Andre, with the help of Archie's devices, could morph his skin into any material at will. And Oscar's control over his fire had only gotten better and better.
They were untouchable.
"Here we are," Director Shaw said from the front of the group. He gestured at four of the doors in the decorative hall. "This is us." He pulled the room keys out of his suit pocket and handed them to Chase. "I will be taking the first room. Chase and Stella will take the second. Oscar and Andre will take the third. Victoria will take the last."
"How come she gets a room to herself?" Oscar asked.
Victoria narrowed her icy glare at him. "I don't like sharing."
Director Shaw cleared his throat. "In case any of you forgot, the conference is tomorrow morning at ten. We'll be leaving here at eight so we can get there on time. I expect you all in the lobby at seven-thirty. Until then, do whatever you want."
"Whatever we want?" Oscar wiggled his eyebrows at the man.
"You know what he meant." Chase shook his head at him before facing their director. "We got it. I'll make sure everyone is on time."
Director Shaw nodded and then entered his room. After Chase passed out the keys, everyone began to split up.
"Don't get pregnant!" Oscar yelled after Chase and Stella as they disappeared into their suite.
His team leader shot him a pointed look before closing the door.
Andre draped his heavy arm around Oscar's shoulder and steered him to their room. "He's going to beat you up one day."
"No, he won't," he argued. "I'm too loveable."
"Keep telling yourself that," Victoria said.
He stuck his tongue out at her before following Andre into their massive suite.
#
While the room was impressive, he had no intentions of staying in there the whole time. Especially after Andre ditched him to go journey into the streets of SoHo. Chase and Stella hadn't left their room since they entered it, so he figured it wouldn't be a good idea to bug them.
That just left one person for him to annoy.
He grinned as he walked up to Victoria's door. He knocked on the dark wood and took a step back.
Victoria opened it and furrowed her brows at him. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a navy-blue Atlas t-shirt. "What do you want?"
"Everyone left me."
"So, you come to me?"
"What else was I supposed to do?"
He dug his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants. "I dunno." He glanced at the time on his phone. It was nearing eight o'clock and the sun had already set outside. He had already checked the weather and it was perfect for a nice stroll through Central Park. "I was thinking we could do something...together."
She arched an eyebrow at him. "Go on then. I'm listening."
He blinked at her, stunned. He hadn't expected her to consider it. In fact, he thought she was just going to laugh and slam the door in his face.
Maybe she does like me...
Feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks, he began to tell her his plan to take a walk through New York's most famous park. Once he finished, he watched a small smile sprout along Victoria's lips.
"That's actually not a terrible idea," she told him. "Let me go get a jacket."
"Wait, so we're actually going? Like...together?"
"Yeah, dummy. Isn't that why you asked me?"
"Er...yeah. I just...you know what, never mind." He smiled at her.
She shot him a speculative glance before disappearing into her room to retrieve a jacket. Seconds later, she breezed past him and made her way to the elevator at the end of the hallway. "C'mon. Let's get going."
Grinning, he nodded and followed behind her.
The two of them rode the lift down to the lobby, which was full of men and women dressed to the nines, shade-wearing bodyguards, and the occasional hotel worker. A few of them gave Oscar disapproving looks as he and Victoria approached the exit doors.
He wondered if the looks were because of his attire—which consisted of dusty cargo pants and a soccer jersey—or the fact that he was a superhero infamous for setting things on fire. Settling on the latter, he cupped his hand over his brow and sped up behind Victoria.
"Relax," she told him.
"Easy for you to say," he hissed. "Your face isn't shown on TV every week."
"Touché."
The two of them journeyed down the sidewalks of SoHo, taking in the sites of the brightly lit buildings and blinking lights of the cars around them. The intoxicating scents of different types of foods held Oscar's sense captive. His head was on a constant swivel and a grin was plastered to his mouth like a sticker.
"Having fun?" Victoria asked him.
"Yeah, actually." He arched an eyebrow at her. "Are you?"
She shrugged.
Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked up Central Park on his phone. His eyes nearly rolled out of his head after realizing the walk from their hotel to the park was over an hour. Clearing his throat, he sheepishly asked if Victoria had any cash for a cab.
Shaking her head, she fished in the pocket of her jacket for some money. "What would you do without me?"
"I don't know. That's why I brought you along."
She laughed dryly at him before hailing one of the speeding yellow cabs. After telling the driver their destination, the two of them climbed in the backseat and gazed out the window as they went down the street.
"This place is amazing," Oscar mumbled with his nose pressed against the glass.
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty cool."
He frowned at her. "Do you have any emotions about anything?"
She pursed her lips. "Of course I do. I like fighting, guns, action movies—"
"Are you a twenty-year-old girl or a war vet?"
She rolled her eyes at him.
"All I'm saying is there's more to life than shooting bad guys and kicking ass."
Nodding, she looked away from him and cast her gaze at the rising buildings framing the roads they traveled along. Oscar stared at her for a moment before sighing. He dug his hand into his pocket and felt around for his trusty silver lighter—a gift from his late dad. He ran his thumb over the engraving in the cool metal.
She's gotta be the most difficult person in the world.
While that might've turned off some people, it only made him want to learn more about her. She was like a complex puzzle built for people thirteen and up. Oscar never was good at puzzles, but he was willing to try his hand at figuring out this one.
He knew one thing, though: her childhood was to blame for the way she was. Not only did she grow up in a private military company, but her brother was also a psychotic ninja with a penchant for murder. And from what Director Shaw told Oscar and his friends, Victoria's mother had been killed by Kane.
That was enough to mess anyone up.
He took another look at her and nodded to himself.
"I'm gonna figure you out."
"Excuse me?"
He blanched, not realizing he had said that out loud. "Er, I mean...I'm going to...ask...you out?"
A bemused look shadowed her face. "Oh really?"
He buried his face in his hands. Why am I such an idiot?
Luckily, he wouldn't remain too embarrassed for long, as the taxi driver announced they had arrived at Central Park. He quickly ducked out of the vehicle and left Victoria to pay the cabbie. While she did that, he wandered off onto the wide, cobbled path snaking throughout the expansive park.
Stout trees with large canopies of red, orange, and yellow leaves populated the area. Buzzing streetlamps framed the cobblestone path, along with a few metal benches and the odd newspaper stand. The park was fairly empty at this time of day—save for the occasional jogger.
Oscar's eyes widened as he soaked it all in. "Wow."
"Hey, thanks for ditching me back there, weirdo." Victoria settled in beside him. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You alright? Your face is kind of stuck."
He nodded slowly. "Yeah...I'm perfectly fine." Smiling, he began his stroll through the park with Victoria at his side.
The walk started off in silence until they overheard two people jogging past them discussing the United Nations general assembly that would be happening in the morning. They spoke of how Crane seemed poised to win the presidency—a fact that didn't sit well with Oscar.
Not only was Senator Crane pushing for his PRA thing to get ratified, but he was also trying to assume control over their country's executive office. Even Oscar, someone who knew little to nothing about politics, knew that wouldn't be good.
"Do you really think he'll win?" Oscar asked Victoria.
She pulled at the sleeve of her jacket. "Before the Cairo fiasco, it might've been fifty-fifty. Now, I think everyone's leaning towards his side. He already had the Republican and one-percent vote, but he has all the common people on board with his plan for safety against Primes.
Shaking his head, Oscar stuffed his hands into his pockets and kicked a pebble across the path in front of him. He felt a sense of dread and anticipation building up within his core. Before arriving in New York, he barely gave the United Nation's assembly a second thought.
But now it was beginning to terrify him.
"Everything is going to turn out fine," Victoria reassured him. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile.
He forced out a laugh. "Who knew Victoria could smile."
She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm.
"I knew it was too good to last," he said while wincing.
"Yeah, yeah."
The two of them continued walking through Central Park, cracking jokes and genuinely enjoying each other's companying. After about an hour, they decided to catch another cab into the city.
As they approached the street, Oscar's phone buzzed in his pocket.
"Who's that?" Victoria asked.
"Not sure," he replied. He pulled his phone out and checked the alert. It was a text from an unknown message. He pressed his lips into a tight line as he opened the message. In bold lettering, it read:
See you tomorrow, Ozzie.
His blood froze. Chills careened down his spine as he clenched his jaw. He had gripped his phone so hard he feared he'd break it.
Was the text meant for him? Of course it was. How could it not be? It had his name on it. And it wasn't just his regular name. It was his nickname; the one his sister—and only his sister—called him.
Did he know this person? He didn't think so. If he did, their number would've been saved. So, who was it? And why would he be seeing them tomorrow?
"What is it?"
Victoria's question yanked him out of the murky depths of his thoughts.
Oscar faked a smile and stuffed the device back into his pocket. "Wrong number. It's probably a scam or something."
She peered at him with an air of skepticism. Her steely gaze lingered on him for longer than he would've liked. After what seemed like an eternity, she simply shrugged her shoulders and made her way toward the cab she hailed.
"C'mon then," she told him. "Let's go."
Swallowing hard, he followed behind her.