"What the hell is that?"
Oscar pointed at the device in Archie's hand. It looked some cross between a TV remote control and a walkie-talkie. A rounded button sat on its side like a welt. Green lights blinked along the top of it.
"Oh, this old thing?" Grinning, Archie readjusted his glasses. "Just something I've been working on. I figured if I'm going to be in the field with you guys, I should have some protection. We can't all have superpowers like you guys."
"Luckily for you," Oscar began with a smile, "you won't have to be doing any fighting. You're only here for surveillance. You're our eyes and ears, Glitch."
"Well, what if I want to be something more than that?"
He pursed his lips, struggling to come up with a reply. The inside of the Atlas truck he, Archie, Lucky, and Holly sat in fell silent for a few moments. After a while, Lucky inquired about the functions of Archie's handheld weapon.
"Oh, it's a—"
An explosion sounded outside. Screams rang out in the distance. Sirens blared down the street, inching closer and closer by the second.
Oscar's heart stopped as he saw smoke billowing into the sky. It was coming from Crane's rally.
Furrowing his brows, he leaned forward from behind the steering wheel. The others peered out the windows as well, confusion sprayed across their faces like bold graffiti.
For the past hour, the four of them had been sitting in the parking lot bordering the park Senator Crane's rally was taking place in. While the rest of the Prime Task Force was dispersed through the crowd of people, Oscar's team had been playing multiple rounds of rock paper scissors, listening to the radio, and keeping tabs on the action through the tablet in Archie's hands. Before the rally started, he launched a few drones—fitted with high-definition cameras—into the sky.
Everything had been calm ten minutes before.
But now the stage was on fire and people were running everywhere. Through Archie's drone feed, he spotted Chase, Andre, Angus, and Emily battling a few Primes. Oscar's eyes widened when he saw Frost—his old nemesis.
"This isn't good," Lucky said.
"No kidding," Oscar replied.
Holly face-palmed. "Why did Crane 'ave to open his gob? The nonce."
"I don't know," Oscar said, "but we need to—"
He was interrupted by a black van speeding past his windshield. Time seemed to slow down as it went by. Squinting, he managed to get a look at the driver. It was Viper, the Prime from the Times Square attack. He locked eyes with the woman for a split second.
Static filled his ear before Chase's voice came through.
"Fuego, come in."
He barely heard his team captain. He was too busy watching Viper speed towards the exit of the parking lot. Frightened civilians jumped out of the van's path, desperately trying to not to get hit. It didn't seem like the woman had any plans on slowing down.
"Fuego!"
His mouth went dry as he pressed his finger to his ear. "I'm here, I'm here."
"Do you have eyes on the targets? They've taken the senator in a—"
"—a black van?" Oscar gripped the steering wheel. "I see them. We're in pursuit."
"Do not let them get away," Chase ordered. "I'm counting on you."
"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.
"Are you mad!?" she yelled over the sound of car horns outside. "You must be mad. There's no way I'm doin' that!"
"We're all a bit mad...in a way," Lucky replied from the front seat in his typically cryptic tone. "Also, Oscar, your plan... It isn't very well thought out. But it is a plan and no one else seems to have one. Also...the van is getting away."
Oscar turned his attention back to the road. Just as Lucky had said, the van had just hit a hard left onto another, thinner road. With his jaw clenched, Oscar whipped the steering wheel, causing the entire vehicle to lurch as they continued their pursuit. Luckily, they stayed grounded.
Their target had entered an industrial area of the city. The sidewalks had disappeared, replaced by gravel paths surrounding the brick factories and warehouses lining the road. Men and women in hardhats and reflective vests jumped backward, flinging profanities at the two vehicles barreling past them.
At the end of the road loomed a gated electrical power plant. The tall, metal structures rose into the sky like miniature Eiffel towers. Black coils and wires connected them all. It reminded Oscar of a jungle gym on a playground—just a lot more dangerous.
And the black van ahead of him was headed straight for it.
"Holly, please," Oscar pleaded. "Just do it."
The girl grumbled curses at him as she climbed in the space between the two front seats. "This is a bad idea," she told him as she unraveled the vines wrapped around her forearms. After instructing Lucky to roll down his window, she sat on the ledge. "Get closer!"
Oscar sped the car up, hoping to catch up to the van before it entered the power plant.
"This isn't going to end well," Archie mumbled from the backseat.
"Oh, now ye want to say somethin'," Holly yelled over the wind rushing into the truck. The girl took a deep breath before lashing out with her thorny whips.
They reached for the speeding vehicle, narrowly missing the back wheel. Holly spat out a curse. As Oscar struggled to match the van's speed, he urged her to try again before they couldn't.
"You got this!" Archie told her.
Gritting her teeth, she retracted the vines and prepared to try again. She flicked her wrists, extended the whip-like cords for the second time. They flailed in the air like writhing snakes. By sheer luck, she had managed to get them to wrap around the van's rear axle.
"I got it!"
"Great!" Oscar nudged Lucky. "Pull her in before she falls out!"
The long-haired boy did as he was told and wrapped his arms around Holly's waist. Before Lucky pulled her back into the truck, she detached the whips from her wrists and coiled them around a fixture inside.
"What now?" she asked as she collapsed into Lucky's lap.
Oscar grinned. "This."
He stomped hard on the brakes and yanked the steering wheel to his left. The truck lurched forward and skidded across the dirt road before coming to a full stop. The vines Holly had wrapped around the bar holding the van's back tires together tensed like suspension cords. They vibrated in the air.
Then the axel snapped off, taking the rear wheels with it.
Lucky held Holly close to his chest as the door on their side of the truck ripped off. It slid across the road outside before landing in front of a few confused construction workers.
In front of them, the van—which was now short two tires—veered off to the side and into a nearby telephone pole. The hood of the vehicle crumpled like discarded paper. Smoke rose from the damaged parts inside.
Breathing heavily, Oscar watched the motionless van with widened eyes.
"We did it," he muttered, almost to himself. "We did it."
Lucky patted his shoulder while unbuckling his seat. "We haven't done anything yet." He hopped out of the truck. Holly followed behind him.
Despite crashing, the passengers of the black van seemed to be relatively unharmed. Viper stumbled out of the driver's seat with a scowl on her face. Circuit, Frost, Shadow, and a disheveled and handcuffed Senator Crane emerged from the sliding door on the side.
Oscar turned to Archie, who was just about to climb out the truck. "You stay here, bud. Don't want you getting hurt."
He scowled and pushed his square-framed glasses up his stubby nose. "I'm not completely helpless, you know. I can be a hero too."
"Sure you can, kid," Oscar replied while ruffling his hair. "Just stay here." Without even checking if the boy heeded his request, he faced the group of rogue Primes collecting themselves next to their wrecked van.
He took a step forward and pressed his fist into his palm. "It's over! Put your hands up!"
Of course, the didn't listen to him.
Viper grabbed Senator Crane by the scruff of his suit jacket and pushed him toward Shadow. After that, she and Viper joined the hooded woman at her side.
"Circuit," Viper said.
The man glanced at her, his eyebrows raised.
"Take care of them. You know where to meet afterward."
He nodded curtly at them.
Oscar turned to Lucky and Holly. "Don't let them get away."
But before the two of them could even move, Shadow conjured up a pool of shadows around her feet. In the blink of an eye, she, Frost, Viper, and Senator Crane had sunk into the ground, vanishing from sight.
Circuit wasn't as fortunate as they were. Lucky had encased the man in a transparent forcefield. The Prime blasted the bubble with bolts of electricity, which seemed to be weakening the energy barrier.
"I can't hold this for much longer," Lucky said, his outstretched hand shaking from the strain.
Oscar took his chance to charge Circuit. Once the forcefield dropped, he chucked a few fireballs at the Prime. His body exploded into streams of lightning and zipped off for the power plant.
"Mierda," Oscar grumbled. "Dryad, Field. On me."
He took off for the gate surrounding the electrical plant. Lucky and Holly followed behind him. The trio quickly hopped the fence and continued their pursuit of Circuit, who was hopping from one generator to another.
Out the corner of his eye, Oscar spotted someone else jumping down from the metal gate. He slowed up and glanced over his shoulder.
"Archie!" he shouted. "I told you to stay in the truck!"
The boy was wielding a handheld device that he had packed in his utility bag. His mop of sandy hair flew around his cherub face as he sprinted forward. "I have a plan!"
Shaking his head, Oscar continued running after Circuit.
The man had assumed his regular form. Lucky and Holly were gaining on him quickly.
Archie arrived at Oscar's side, his breaths heavy and labored.
"Running's not your strong suit, kid."
"No," he replied. He waved his device in the air. "But this is." He pointed it in Circuit's direction. A stream of electricity shot out from it and raced toward the man.
The Prime spun around, his dark eyes wide. But Archie's attack never hit him. He had caught the bolt of electricity between his hands. The blue energy swirled in the space between his palm. It swam through the air like a koi fish in a pond.
Oscar's footsteps faltered while Holly and Archie surged forward.
A grin spread across Circuit's face as he rotated his hands. He was manipulating the electricity, amplifying its voltage and power. He was going to redirect it at back at them.
"Holly! Archie!" Oscar shouted. "Stop!"
But they were too ahead of him to hear. They two of them had almost reached Circuit.
That was when he released his captured energy.
A wave of electricity surged from his hands. It charged the air, causing the hairs on Oscar's neck and arms to stand up. He prepared to be hit by it, but it had been stopped in its tracks.
Lucky had stepped forward, both of his arms outstretched. He was producing a massive forcefield between themselves and Circuit. But it seemed to be pulling too much energy from his body. Blood was trickled from his nostrils.
"I...I can't hold this for much longer," he said through his teeth. He dropped down to one knee as another stream of red poured from his other nostril.
Oscar turned towards Holly and Archie. They had stopped right in front of Lucky's forcefield. Beyond it, Circuit was running for the gate on the other side of the power plant. However, the energy he had dispelled was steadily growing in volume against Lucky's field.
If the boy dropped the barrier, it would continue forward.
They had to turn back.
"Retreat!" Oscar cried. His breaths picked up speed as he felt his mind starting to shut down. "Retre—"
Lucky's forcefield vanished.
A thundering boom sounded. Electricity charged the air. Everything rippled and warped as if time and space themselves were being bent. The sky lit up a stark blue for a few moments before returning to its bleak gray.
Every generator and cell tower in the power plant shorted out as the particles around it ionized. Sparks flew from the coils. Smoke lifted from the busted machines. A wave of energy shot out from the source of Circuit's original blast.
The force swept Oscar off his feet. He was sent sliding across the gravel floor. The tiny rocks dug into his skin and ripped the black mesh of his mission suit. His head hit the ground and his vision cut out.
When he finally came to, his mouth tasted like iron and his tongue felt like a lead block. His sight was fuzzy as if he had sunken to the bottom of a pool. He groggily got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head. Faint shots of pain reverberated through his skull. Stumbling forward with panicked eyes, he searched for his friends.
Lucky had gotten back to his feet. Dried blood marred his tanned skin. His midnight-black hair was frizzy with static. He was saying something, but Oscar couldn't hear anything besides the incessant ringing assaulting his eardrums.
He took a step and nearly threw up. Stars invaded his line of sight. Desperately trying to ignore the wave of nausea cresting over him, he continued looking for the rest of his squad.
He found Archie first. The boy was writhing on the ground. His glasses had been flung from his face. One of the lenses was cracked and the other was missing entirely. Low, pain-filled groans left his opened mouth. Oscar never thought he would've been relieved to hear that sound, but he was.
It meant Archie was alive.
He rushed over to the kid, a mix of anger and relief overcoming him. "I told you to stay in the truck, you stupid idiot," he mumbled into the boy's chest as he cradled his battered body. "Why didn't you stay in the truck?"
"I...I can't feel them," Archie muttered, his eyes half-open and his voice barely above a whisper.
Oscar froze.
"I can't feel them, Oscar," Archie repeated. He was on the brink of tears. His voice rose with every word. "Why can't I feel my legs? Why can't I feel my legs?"
He slowly stood up with his hands shaking. He faced Lucky, who was standing with a stupefied expression on his face. "H-Help him, please. I...I gotta find Holly." Archie's words echoed in his head as he stepped away from the boy, who had fully exploded into hysterics. Lucky had knelt beside him, quiet mumblings escaping his bloodied lips.
Exhaling, Oscar looked around for Holly. Dust and smoke obscured his sight, making it nearly impossible for him to see two feet ahead of him.
But after taking a few steps forward, he found her. When he got a closer look at her body, he wished he hadn't.
The mere sight of her brought tears to his eyes. He dropped to his knees, his vision blurring again.
No...no...
She laid on her back, her forest-green eyes staring into the cold sky above. Her face was expressionless. A few tiny cuts decorated her porcelain skin. They nearly blended in with her many freckles. Unlike Archie, she wasn't moving. The light in her irises was gone. Her body was stiff. A halo of crimson hair framed her head.
With her arms splayed out on either side of her body, she looked like a redheaded angel.
The distant wail of sirens managed to reach his ears.
Oscar held back a sob.
He dropped to his hands. He didn't care about the rocks digging into his palms. He didn't care about the warm tears streaming down his face. He didn't care about the hand—which was most likely Lucky's—rubbing his back.
All he cared about was the still girl just a few yards in front of him.
Every tear that fell from his cheeks and hit the gravel below sounded like a crack from a gun. His body shuddered as he cried. He heard Lucky's voice behind him, but it only made the tears come out even harder.
The weight of what just happened was crushing him. His chest felt like it was going to cave in. He couldn't even feel his heart anymore. Holly was gone. She wasn't just gone; she was dead.
She was dead.
And there was nothing he could do about it.