If Oscar didn't hate Kismet before, he certainly hated them now.

He currently sat in a truck, sandwiched between two masked mercenaries. They stared forward at nothing, occasionally barging into him when the vehicle hit a bump on the roadless terrain.

Silver restraints dug into his wrists. He winced with every movement, the metal slicing his skin. Somehow, the mercenaries acquired Prime-nullifying tech. He figured that was Victoria's doing.

His lip curled at the thought of her.

But he didn't care, of course.

Once he and the others were pulled from the wrecked jet and cuffed, they were loaded into the Kismet-issued Jeeps. The nine-man squad was split into groups of two, aside from Andre; he was put in a truck by himself. Oscar figured it was to prevent any kind of resistance.

Unfortunately, he'd been paired with a rather irritated Emily. She sat across from him, cursing at the mercenaries and trying to escape her binds. Of course, no one paid her too much attention. The driver did yell at her to shut up a few times, though.

Oscar watched the snow settling onto the tinted windshield and the constant swishing of the wipers. In fact, all the windows were darkened. He felt like the president. Except the president didn't usually have handcuffs on while pissed off guards aimed rifles in their face.

''So,'' Oscar said. ''How's your day so far? Do any killing yet?''

The guards glared at him from behind their masks but didn't say anything. The man to his right tapped his gloved finger against his rifle.

''I know you guys are evil and everything, but you don't have to look so angry all the time,'' Oscar added. ''What? Does Kane not let you guys smile? Was that a clause in the contract?''

Emily stifled a laugh. The guards shifted in their seats. He couldn't see their faces, but he could tell they were annoyed.

He simply grinned. If he was going to cooped up in there with them, he might as well have enjoyed it as much as he could. His fun was quickly put to an end.

''You want your skull cracked open, boy?''

Oscar reeled. ''Uh...not really?''

''Then shut the fuck up.''

He sunk into his seat. ''Point taken. Shutting up now.'' He pressed his lips together and pretended he couldn't open them.

''Hey!'' Emily glared at the man who threatened him. ''Only I get to talk to him like that!''

''Yeah!'' Oscar's lips pursed upon registering what Emily said. He narrowed his gaze at her. ''Wait a minute....''

The guard next to Emily snickered. ''Oh yeah, little girl? What're you gonna do about it?''

Emily's pale skin tinged red. Her irises darkened and Oscar could see the muscles in her jaw working. ''Take me out these cuffs and find out.''

The man driving at the front of the vehicle glanced into the rearview mirror, his skin around his eyes creasing as he grinned maliciously. ''Oh, no! We're so scared.''

Oscar glanced at Emily, who was basically fuming. If she had access to her powers, she would have destroyed all their eardrums and pierced them with her arrows. Alas, she had to settle for giving them her world-renowned death stare.

''You're hardcore, Reverb,'' Oscar whispered, opting to use her codename while in the company of these guards.

She snorted.

''Shut up,'' a guard warned. ''I won't tell you again.''

Huffing, Oscar stared down at his shoes. The laces were untied, and he couldn't tie them because his hands were stuck behind his back. He blew a strand of wet, black hair out his face. So far, this day sucked.

Ten minutes passed. The convoy of armored trucks passed through the abandoned military base. Snow and black ice covered the neglected roads. The once beige walls of the buildings were a mottle gray, the paint chipped and water-damaged.

Rusted anti-aircraft guns rose from the ground in various areas. Oscar's heart stopped. He wondered what became of the other three Atlas jets. Had they gotten close enough to the base, they surely would've been shot out the sky. He hoped they survived.

They already lost once agent. His face fell at the thought of Blackbird. He barely knew the woman. For some reason, it still hurt. Her life was taken by these sinister people hellbent on their nefarious mission. It made him want to light them all on fire and watch them burn.

A few more minutes went by before their truck stopped, and the back door was wrenched open. The guards excited before pulling Oscar and Emily out. Or pushed out, rather. He stumbled forward before face planting into the snow.

A guard yanked him up and prodded him forward.

''Thanks for that.'' Oscar spat the snow from his mouth. Now his tongue was cold.

The barrel of a gun pressing into his spine was very apparent as he walked forward. He stole a glance over his shoulder. His friends had just arrived and were exiting their designated vehicles. They all looked royally pissed, which was to be expected. He just hoped they didn't get themselves shot before they arrived at their destination.

His eyes lit up.

The ravine they discussed lingered just a few yards ahead of them. It separated from the buildings of the forgotten army base, sitting at the mouth of a low mountain range. The chasm was about the width of a football field and much longer. Icicles dripped down from the craggy walls of the canyon.

A few structures were built into them, steel beams and scaffolding providing the much need support. As he peered over the edge, he saw no sign of the Asclepius. A frown dawned on his face. It had to be there. Where else could it be?

''Keep it moving,'' the mercenary grunted before pushing him forward.

He sneered but followed orders. He couldn't wait to barbecue these assholes.

The cold air passed over him. He shivered, his teeth chattering. The barbecuing of his enemies would have to be postponed if he didn't get out of this weather. During the many tests of his powers at the Atlas facility, it became apparent that frigid temperatures halted the creation of his flames.

It was well below zero degrees. Even with his cuffs off, there was no way he'd be able to make any fire. Even a small spark would be impossible.

A cable car stood ready ahead of them. A thick cord zipped into the entire shadowy expanse . Oscar and his group were shoved inside with six other mercenaries. One of them smacked a button on the control panel and the car began its descent into the unknown.

Soft music played through the speakers inside. The song sounded like it belonged in a 70s sitcom He fought to urge to laugh. He lost the battle and began cracking up. Everyone shot him a speculative glance. Coughing awkward, he straightened himself up and erased his smile.

''Sorry.''

Oscar looked out the window of the lift, watching the heavy sky as they delved deeper into the dark chasm.

''Where are you taking us?'' Stella asked.

The steady sound of the cable car grinding against the thick cord above it and the occasional creak was the only answer she got.

''She asked you a question, dickwads,'' Emily said. Seemingly dissatisfied with their lack of a response, she turned around and kneed the nearest one in the groin. They let out a shrill scream and doubled over, holding their crown jewels.

Instead of shooting her on the spot like they should have, the other soldiers simply laughed. The one in pain removed a pistol from his holster and pressed it against Emily's head. Everyone stopped moving. In fact, Oscar was pretty sure everyone stopped breathing too. At least he did.

Emily froze, her eyes crossing to stare at the weapon.

''I'll blow your head off right here,'' he threatened. He cocked the gun, the noise clicking in Oscar's ears.

''If you do that, I will kill you myself,'' Chase said. He tried moving forward but two guards blocked his path. Fury filled his azure eyes, his face red with rage. Or maybe it was the cold air.

Before the situation could escalate, another mercenary urged their comrade to lower their weapon. ''We can't kill them, Boris. Boss wants them alive.''

''But—''

''Yeah, you got kneed in the balls. Deal with it.'' A flicker of fear passed over the man's face. ''If Kane finds out we killed one of them, he'll be pissed. And you know what happens when that man gets angry. You remember what happened to Sully, right?''

The soldier paused for a moment before holstering their weapon. He grumbled curses under his breath and crossed his arms.

Oscar's mouth was slightly ajar. He knew Kane had done some stuff—what, exactly, he had idea—to Apex, but he even had his soldiers under his iron rule.

''Why do you guys work for that tool anyways?'' he asked. ''I mean, do you really buy that 'the strong will survive' stuff? He's playing you guys.'' None of them responded to his goading. He simply shrugged and whistled along to the tune playing throughout the cable car.

The gondola lift shuddered before grinding to a halt. A soldier outside stepped forward and slid the door to the side. Oscar and the others were forced out and herded into the building fused with the rocky wall.

It was dark.

Red lights, connected by unwrapped wires, snaked along the ceiling. Shadows bobbed on the walls. Mercenaries going both ways passed by them. Some held crates and boxes while others barked orders at one another. Oscar noticed a few people walking around in lab coats.

They were preparing.

Oscar shuffled along through the arched hallway. He observed the crystal-like ice forming above. It was considerably less cold inside, but it was still cold. Shivering, he asked the guard behind him if they had a blanket. Much to his surprise, he didn't get an answer. They weren't very chatty today. Or ever.

The corridor led them into a room. Spotless windows made up the furthermost wall. A view of a larger chamber could be seen through the glass. Oscar's eyes widened as he noticed people working on a huge machine sticking from the ground. Before he could get a good look at it, he was pushed to the back of the room.

As he stood there, waiting for someone to speak, he observed his surroundings. A few pieces of Victorian-esque furniture adorned the floor, clashing with the rustic vibe emanating from the rest of the décor. Lamps glowed with a muted, orange light. A tall bookshelf stood tall in the corner.

It looked like the bedroom of a person from the eighteen-hundreds.

A man in a perfectly ironed suit the color of the snow outside stood before the windows with his wrinkled hands clasped behind his back. His silver hair was styled into a ponytail that stopped at the base of his neck. Oscar's breath hitched.

''Kane,'' he heard Chase growl.

Standing beside the man was Victoria Shaw. She donned the uniform of a Kismet mercenary, the red logo emblazoned on her shoulders. A pistol was strapped to her thigh. She faced the prisoners, her features still like a frozen lake.

Oscar glared at her, his gaze hotter than the sun. She met his eyes for a moment. He noticed a slight frown on her lips. It was faint, but it was there.

She was a traitor. Her actions got them all hurt and nearly resulted in her father's death. And it was all to help her lunatic brother and his deranged master. He turned his attention to Kane, who still wasn't facing them.

''Isn't it beautiful?'' Kane released a blissful sigh. He watched his workers prepare his machine. Sparks flew beyond the window and the faint sound of machines whirring sounded. They were almost done.

''Beautiful isn't the word I'd use,'' Oscar said.

''Years of work. Years of planning. Years of sacrifices.'' Kane turned around, a smile curling his snake lips. ''They're finally paying off. My destiny is almost upon us. Once the world rebuilds itself, becomes stronger, humanity will thank me. My name will be engraved in stone for eternity.''

Emily scoffed. ''And I thought Chase had a huge ego.''

The blond scowled at her comment.

Kane nodded at Frost, who stood among the captured Atlas agents. ''Thank you. I see you all made it back in one piece.''

''They barely put up a fight, sir.''

''What are we doing about the others? Our radar picked up three other aircrafts.''

''They've landed just outside of our position. The mountains are providing them cover but we expect them to be moving on our coordinates soon. When they do, we'll take care of them.''

''Excellent,'' Kane said. 'Kirsi dear, come with me please. The Asclepius requires some more fine tuning before we are ready to launch.''

''Yes, sir.''

Kane exited the room with Frost in tow. Before she left the room, she took a few of them guards with her. Two remained, along with Victoria.

Oscar's face scrunched in confusion. She kept glancing at the two soldiers who were left behind. They stood on either side of the group, their guns in hand. She noticed him staring. Her expression darkened.

''What are you looking at?''

He shrugged. ''I dunno. You tell me, traitor.''

''Shut up,'' she mumbled. ''You don't know what you're talking about.''

''Oh yeah? I think I do. You betrayed us for them. For them, of all people. I think that makes you a traitor.''

Andre nodded. ''He's right. By definition, you are a traitor.''

Victoria stepped forward while removing her gun from its holder. She retrieved a suppressor from her utility belt and twisted it on. She then pointed it at Oscar's head. His eyes widened and he took a shaky step backward. He tried to make a witty remark, a joke of some sort, but his tongue felt like cotton. His entire mouth went dry and he was finding it hard to breath.

Chase instinctively stepped in front of him, puffing out his chest. If she shot him, the bullet wouldn't bounce off like they usually did. The handcuffs around his wrists nullified his powers. He was just as vulnerable as the rest of them.

Yet he was still willing to put his life on the line. Oscar stared at him in awe.

''If you're going to shoot anyone, let it be me,'' he said.

Victoria rolled her eyes. ''Relax. No one is going to shoot you.''

Oscar let out a nervous laugh, adrenaline pumping through his body. ''Relax? You're aiming a gun at me!''

''No, I'm not.''

In two quick movements, she fired off two shots. The suppressor muted the sound, reducing them to a pair of sharp pops. Oscar screamed and jumped.

Behind the group, the two Kismet guards dropped to the ground. Bullet holes marred their helmets. A pool of blood leaked from the wounds. They were dead. Oscar stared at the fallen body to his side, his eyes wide with terror. He retreated, his brain scrambled.

Victoria removed the muzzle off her weapon and holstered it. ''Sorry about that. If they heard shots, they'd be on our asses in seconds.'' She knelt next to one of the dead Kismet men. When she stood up, she held a set of keys in her hand.

Everyone in the room stared at her, jaws on the floor.

''Okay, what the hell is going on, dude?'' Theo asked.

''I've got no clue,'' Oscar replied.

After unlocking everyone's restraints, Victoria ran a hand through a midnight hair and offered them a weak smile.

''I guess I should explain.''